Since the end of the 2017-2018 Academic Year, four priests have been added to the ranks of our student body and alumni fellowship, as well as nine new deacons. This list only includes ordinations that took place during the summer of 2018 and the fall semester so far. More seminarians and alumni are scheduled to be ordained in the coming months, God-willing.
We keep them all in prayer as they continue in their ministries. Axios!
HOLY PRIESTHOOD
Priest Gregory Potter (M.Div. ‘18)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 29APRIL18 by the hand of His Grace John, bishop of the Diocese of Worcester and New England (AOCANA), at St. George in Norwood, MA
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 28JULY18 by the hand of His Grace Alexander, bishop of Ottawa, Eastern Canada, and Upstate New York (AOCANA), at St. George Orthodox Church in South Glens Falls, NY
Current ministry: Assigned as pastor at St. George Orthodox Church in South Glens Falls, NY
Educational and professional background: B.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University; Shortly thereafter, he was received into the Orthodox Church, and chanted, taught Sunday school, and studied at church while working at Starbucks for seven years
Priest Daniel Greeson (M.Div. ‘18)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, archbishop of Washington and metropolitan of All America and Canada, in Three Hierarchs Chapel, at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary, 3MAR17
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 25AUG18 by The Most Reverend Alexander, archbishop of Dallas, the South and the Bulgarian Diocese (OCA), at St. Anne's Orthodox Church, Oak Ridge, TN
Current ministry: Assigned at St. Anne's Orthodox Church, Oak Ridge, TN
Educational and professional background: Graduated from Vanderbilt Divinity School with a Master of Theological Studies in 2014; worked in title insurance industry
Priest Herman Fields (3rd-year Seminarian, M.Div. program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained by Metropolitan Joseph, Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Little Falls, NJ, 21JAN18
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 30SEPT18 by the hand of His Grace John, bishop of the Diocese of Worcester and New England (AOCANA), at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Danbury, CT
Current ministry: Student parish assignment at Virgin Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church, Yonkers, NY, under the mentorship of Rector, Fr. Christopher Eid
Educational and professional background: M.A., Oxford, Theology; St. Stephen's Certificate in Theology from the Antiochian House of Studies; worked in IT for ten years, as a web developer and project manager; moved to St. Vladimir's from Sweden, with wife, Anna, and children, Julia and Jacob
Priest George Katrib, Alumnus (M.Div. ’14)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained by His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, Houston, TX, 28JAN18
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 11NOV18 by His Grace BASIL, bishop of Wichita and Mid-America (AOCANA), at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Houston, TX
Current ministry: Assistant Pastor, St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Houston, TX
Educational and professional background: Bachelor’s Degree (BA) 2008, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL
HOLY DIACONATE
Deacon Symeon Halsell (2nd-year Seminarian, M.Div. program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 8JULY18 by His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, archbishop of New York and metropolitan of all North America (AOCANA), at the Antiochian Diocese of the West 2018 Parish Life Conference in Portland, OR.
Current ministry: Student parish assignment at St. Stephen the Protomartyr Orthodox Church in South Plainfield, NJ
Educational and professional background: B.A. in Sociology from California State University of Los Angeles; worked as supervisor for UPS for seven years and as Facilities Manager for his home parish for four years; served the Church before coming to seminary as an Orthodox middle-school teacher on Sundays, an altar server, and as an adult catechist to inquirers and catechumens
Deacon Brandon Gallaher (M.Div. ‘03)
Jurisdiction: Patriarchal Exarchate For Orthodox Parishes Of The Russian Tradition In Western Europe (under the Ecumenical Patriarchate), Deanery of Great Britain and Ireland
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 15JULY18 by His Eminence Archbishop Jean (Renneteau) of Charioupolis (Patriarchal Exarchate) at St. Anne’s Church in the Parish of Holy Prophet Elias, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Current ministry: Deacon at Holy Prophet Elias Parish, Devon, UK
Educational and professional background: B.A. in English and Philosophy from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; M.A. in Religious Studies focused on Patristics and Systematic Theology at McGill University, Montreal, Canada; D.Phil. from the University of Oxford, UK; Theological Subject Expert in the Press Office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate during the Holy and Great Council of Crete in June 2016; currently senior lecturer of Systematic and Comparative Theology and Orthodox chaplain at the University of Exeter and co-chair for the Eastern Orthodox Studies Group at the American Academy of Religion
Deacon Jarod (David) Winn (2nd-year Seminarian, M.Div. program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 23SEPT18 by the hand of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, archbishop of New York and metropolitan of all North America (AOCANA, at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY
Current ministry: Student parish assignment at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY
Educational and professional background: B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from Biola University; deputy sheriff in Orange County, CA
Deacon Christopher Dillon (2nd-year Seminarian, M.Div. program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 30SEPT18 by the hand of His Grace John, bishop of the Diocese of Worcester and New England (AOCANA), at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Danbury, CT
Current ministry: Student parish assignment at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Danbury, CT, under the mentorship of Fr. George Al-Dehneh
Educational and professional background: BA, UC Davis, History; M.Ed., UC Santa Barbara; CA Teaching Credential in Social Science, St. Stephen's Certificate in Theology from the Antiochian House of Studies; taught High School and Middle School History for eleven years; attends St. Vladimir's with wife, Claire, and children, James, Alexander, Peter and Isaiah
Deacon Philip Maikkula (M.Div. ‘18)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 13OCT18 by the hand of The Most Reverend Alexander, archbishop of Dallas, the South and the Bulgarian Diocese (OCA), at St. John of the Ladder Orthodox Church in Greenville, SC
Current ministry: Pastoral assistant at St. John of the Ladder Orthodox Church; campus minister to the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at Furman University and Clemson University.
Educational and professional background: BA in Philosophy from the University of Central Florida.
Deacon Basil (Brian) Crivella (3rd-year Seminarian, M.Div. program)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA), Diocese of the Midwest
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 28OCT18 by the hand of The Right Reverend Paul, bishop of Chicago and the Midwest (OCA), at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Yonkers, NY.
Current Ministry: Student parish assignment at Christ the Savior Church in Southbury, CT, under the mentorship of Fr. Vladimir Aleandro.
Educational and professional background: Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from Westmoreland Community College; served seven and a half years on active duty military service with the United States Coast Guard, taking part in search and rescue along with law enforcement operations on both Lake Michigan and in the Caribbean Sea; served as the Logistics Petty Officer at a search and rescue station on Lake Erie
Deacon Thomas (Shawn) Thomas (M.Div., ’16; Th.M. ‘17)
Jurisdiction: Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 27OCT18 by the hand of His Grace Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos at St. Thomas Chapel, Diocesan Metropolitan’s Residence (Aramana), Muttontown, NY
Current Ministry: Assists His Grace Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos; speaker at different retreats and conferences in both the Northeast American Diocese and the Diocese of South-West America
Educational and professional background: BS in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Deacon Timothy Aznavourian (2nd-year Seminarian, M.Div. program)
Jurisdiction: The Armenian Church, Eastern Diocese of America
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 1July18 by the hand of His Eminence, Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Ecumenical Director and Legate to Washington DC for the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, Armonk, NY
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Philosophy from Rhode Island College
Deacon Kuriakose (Alex) Abraham (M.Div., ’16)
Jurisdiction: Diocese of Northeast America of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 23OCT18 by the hand of His Grace Metropolitan Youhanon Mar Dioscorus at St. George Orthodox Church of Parampuzha, Kerala, India.
Current ministry: Assigned as spiritual adviser for annual Winter Summit conference for Malankara Orthodox college students
Educational and professional background: B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers University
