Alexander Atty

The Very Reverend Doctor Alexander Atty (August 7, 1951 – March 23, 2014) was an archpriest of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and former Dean of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

Life

David Alexander Atty was born August 7, 1951, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. After completing his secondary education, Alexander enrolled at the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. Subsequently, he attended St. Vladimir's Seminary in Crestwood, New York from which he received a Master of Divinity degree in 1979. Then in 2008, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Prior to his ordination into the Holy Orders, Fr. Alexander married his wife Matushka Olga with whom they have had two children, Katherine and Alexander.

Alexander was ordained a priest on December 9, 1979 at St. Nicholas Cathedral, Brooklyn in New York and assigned as priest of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He was elevated to the dignity of archpriest in 1988.

When Fr. Alexander first arrived at St. Michael parish in Louisville, he found a dying parish. It was through his reforms in everything from its finances to its fasting practices that St. Michael has become the vibrant parish that it is today. He introduced daily services such as Matins and Vespers to the community, who previously only celebrated the Liturgy on 50 out of 52 Sundays out of the year. In 1999, a chapel which was fundraised and planned for by Fr. Alexander was built on the campus of St. Michael. He was loved by his flock and he loved them.

A spiritual son of Elder Isaac of Mt. Athos, the spiritual son of St. Paisios of Mt. Athos, Fr. Alexander made numerous trips to the Holy Mountain during his life. He would also travel to Russia, Serbia, Lebanon, being the land of his ancestors, as well as several other traditionally Orthodox nations.

He gave numerous soul-profiting talks and lectures throughout his priesthood. Many of these talks can be found on Ancient Faith Radio. During the 2009 Lenten season, he gave a series of lectures at St. Vladimir's Seminary in New York. The series was entitled the Good and Faithful Priest, Parishioner and Parish.

In addition to having served as pastor of St. Michael's parish, Fr. Alexander served as Proestos of the Diocese of Toledo of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese and as Dean of the Ohio Valley Deanery of the diocese. Additionally, he served as a trustee of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

As a person well known at St. Tikhon's Seminary when its dean Fr. Michael Dahulich was elected to the episcopate in 2009, Fr. Alexander became a leading candidate to succeed the bishop-elect. On March 12, 2010, the Board of Trustees of St. Tikhon's Seminary approved the recommendation of the seminary's search committee to engage Fr. Alexander as the new dean of the seminary. When the Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America gave its blessing to Fr. Alexander's appointment in March 2010, it was with the concurrence of the Antiochian Archdiocese and with the decision that Fr. Alexander remain attached to the Antiochian Archdiocese while serving as the Dean of the Seminary, an institution of the Orthodox Church in America. Fr. Alexander officially assumed duties as dean of the seminary on July 1, 2010, and was formally installed as Dean and Chief Operating officer on October 30, 2010.

On February 5, 2012, Fr. Alexander resigned as Dean and Chief Operating Officer of St. Tikhon's Seminary for reasons of health.[1] Fr. Alexander fell asleep in the Lord March 23, 2014, Sunday of the Holy Cross.

Quotes

"Everything you need to know about God is in worship... it's the simplest way to have union with God."

Sources

• Archpriest Alexander Atty to Present Public Lenten Retreat
• Archpriest Alexander Atty Installed as Dean of St. Tikhon's Seminary
• Memory Eternal! + Fr. Alexander Atty
• The Good and Faithful Priest, Part 1

External link

• March 29, 2014, Mayfield, PA: Orthodox Faithful bid Farewell to Archpriest Alexander Atty in St. John the Baptist Cathedral