Mission
The Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute (Institute) advances a strong, effective, highly visible witness of Orthodoxy in the western United States through the Master of Arts in Orthodox Christian studies; offering academic lectures and symposia; housing a Rare Book Room and museum; publishing; sponsoring the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union; offering educational programs to the faithful of the Bay Area and other activities.The Institute is a member of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), an ecumenical andinterfaith consortium of nine independent seminaries and ten affiliated centers based in Berkeley, California. As an independent, not-for-profit teaching and research institution affiliated with the GTU and the University of California, the Institute is unique. It is the only independent and permanently endowed Orthodox educational center with a physical presence at a North American university. The Instit