Registration Now Open for First OCA-Wide Clergy Wives Retreat
Registration is now open for the 2026 OCA-Wide Clergy Wives Retreat, hosted by the Office of Pastoral Life of the Orthodox Church in America.
The retreat will take place July 27–30, 2026, at the Antiochian Village Conference and Retreat Center in Bolivar, Pennsylvania. The theme for this year’s gathering is “Come Away and Rest.”
“This retreat marks the first OCA-wide gathering of its kind for clergy wives across the whole Church,” said Matushka Carrie Foley, program director of the Clergy Wives Ministry of the Office of Pastoral Life. “It will bring clergy wives and widows together for prayer, encouragement and connection. Set within the peaceful grounds of the Antiochian Village, the retreat will offer time to step away from the ordinary demands of parish life, build relationships, share wisdom and be strengthened for the life of ministry before them.”
The Office of Pastoral Life’s Clergy Wives Ministry, continues to develop intentional opportunities for clergy wives to gather, learn from one another, and support the health of clergy households and parish communities.
The retreat will include worship, presentations, small-group conversations, and time for rest and fellowship.
Parishes are encouraged to support the participation of their clergy’s wives by assisting with registration and reasonable travel expenses whenever possible. Healthy clergy households help strengthen parish life, and the participation of clergy wives in this retreat is a meaningful investment in the broader health of the Church.
Matushka Carrie emphasized that parish support is not only practical, but also a meaningful expression of love and gratitude. “Clergy wives pour out their lives for the church. They support their husbands’ ministries in a myriad of ways both seen and unseen. They do not seek acknowledgement, let alone awards, for what they do. We’re already seeing a deep desire to attend, and we want to make sure no one is turned away for financial reasons. When parishes and individuals help underwrite this retreat—whether by sponsoring a participant or contributing to scholarships—they become part of that care. It’s a beautiful, tangible way to honor their ‘little mothers’ who give so much. I’ve been deeply encouraged by the generosity we’ve already seen, and I’m hopeful others will join in making this possible for even more women.”
Individuals who wish to support this first OCA-wide Clergy Wives Retreat are invited to make a contribution toward the cost of the gathering. To garner support from the broader church, a Sponsorship Menu has been established. Gifts will help make the retreat more accessible and strengthen the Office of Pastoral Life’s growing work with clergy wives across the Church.
For more information, contact:
Office of Pastoral Life
Orthodox Church in America
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Who This Retreat Is For
- Wives of priests and deacons in the Orthodox Church in America
- Clergy widows
- Women new to clergy life
- Retired clergy wives
About the Office of Pastoral Life
The Orthodox Church in America’s Office of Pastoral Life supports the well-being of clergy and their families, the foundation of parish life across North America. Believing the health of the Church is inseparable from the health of her clergy, the Office offers programs that build resilience, connection and pastoral joy. Programs include Thriving in Ministry peer-learning groups, Financial Health Initiatives, quarterly Synaxis Gatherings, Retreats and Clergy Wives Ministry. In partnership with bishops, dioceses, parishes and our generous donors, the Office of Pastoral Life helps create sustainable conditions in which priests, deacons and their families of the Orthodox Church in America can flourish spiritually, vocationally and personally through every season of parish ministry.