Clergy wives across the Orthodox Church of America are deeply woven into the fabric of parish life. They participate in the liturgical rhythm of the Church, remain closely connected to the daily realities of their communities, and quietly serve in ways that often go unnoticed. Much of what they contribute happens behind the scenes—through steadiness, hospitality, discernment, adaptability, and faithfulness over time.

Yet meaningful connection with other clergy wives is often limited.

When connection does occur, it is usually incidental and episodic. Clergy wives may see one another at periodic national or diocesan events, at occasional deanery gatherings, or through chance reunions with friends from seminary days. These moments can be warm and encouraging, but they are brief. They rarely provide the time needed for deeper conversation, shared reflection, and mutual strengthening.

The Office of Pastoral Life wants to offer something different. Building on their clergy wives peer groups, they want to host gatherings that will create spaces for clergy wives and widows to connect not merely in passing, but with purpose. In these settings, relationships can form and mature. Conversations can move beyond surface exchange to thoughtful reflection on the realities of parish life, family life, and personal spiritual growth. Wisdom forged through lived experience can be shared freely, and burdens can be carried together.

Such purposeful gatherings cultivate genuine companionship and shared learning. They allow clergy wives to sharpen one another through conversation and attentive listening. Over time, this kind of relational depth strengthens not only each woman, but the entire clergy family.

Healthy clergy families contribute to flourishing parishes. When clergy wives are strengthened in their own faith, clarity, and resilience, what they bring to parish life becomes steadier and more life-giving. Strengthening clergy wives through intentional connection strengthens clergy families—and thriving clergy families contribute to flourishing parishes.

2026 OCA Clergy Wives Retreat Announced

This summer, for the first time, the Office of Pastoral Life will host an in-person Clergy Wives Retreat from July 27 to July 30 at the Antiochian Village in Bolivar, PA. Priests’ wives, deacons’ wives and clergy widows from across the Orthodox Church in America will gather for focused conversation, reflection, and fellowship in a setting designed specifically for them. Licensed counselor, physician, and Orthodox Christian coach, Dr Ioana Popa will lead the retreat. She will invite participants to explore how to incorporate the theme of this year’s retreat, Come Away and Rest, into their lives beyond their three days at Antiochian Village so that rest might bear fruit in their hearts, marriages, and ministries, for years to come.

Parishes are asked to support travel and registration costs to enable the clergy wives and widows in their parish to attend. This shared commitment reflects an understanding that investing in clergy families is an investment in the long-term health of parish life.
Those who wish to further strengthen this effort are invited to consider a donation toward the cost of the retreat. Your gift of $650 will underwrite the full cost of room and board for three days of rest and connection for one clergy wife or widow. $500 will create a travel scholarship. No donation is too small. In building intentional spaces for connection, the Church takes a practical step toward sustaining those who quietly sustain so much.

To learn more or to sponsor a clergy wife in full or in part, visit our sponsorship menu.

Clergy wives and widows interested in attending the retreat who are not already in the Orthodox Church in America’s Clergy Wives Directory will need to add themselves prior to the launch of registration in late April. Click here to update or add your contact information in the directory.

Written by Archpriest Nicholas Solak.

The monastic brotherhood of the Monastery of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk has announced the 122nd annual Memorial Day Pilgrimage to take place from May 22 to May 25, 2026. 

Pilgrimage events include Memorial Day Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and a healing service to the Mother of God.

We invite all singers to come join the St. Tikhon’s Festival Choir for the weekend!  Our Festival Choir will enjoy two days of rehearsals and singing for the Memorial Day Hierarchical Liturgy Monday morning.  Full details and registration for the festival choir can be found here.

All are welcome to join us for this wonderful, celebratory pilgrimage weekend!

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2026
4:00 PM Official Opening of the 122nd Pilgrimage Vespers & Matins –Monastery Church
All pilgrims are invited to dinner in the monastery dining hall.
7:00 PM Commencement Speaker at the Seminary Convocation Center

SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2026
9:00 AM Hierarchical Divine Liturgy – Monastery Church
A meal for all pilgrims in the monastery dining hall to follow.
1:00 PM 84th Commencement of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary
4:00 PM Resurrection Vigil – Monastery Church
Dinner for all pilgrims in the monastery dining hall to follow.

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2026
9:00 AM Hierarchical Divine Liturgy –Monastery Church
A meal for all pilgrims in the monastery dining hall to follow
4:30 PM Vespers and Matins – Monastery Church

MONDAY, MAY 25, 2026 – MEMORIAL DAY
7:30 AM Hours & early Divine Liturgy – All Saints Church
10:00 AM Hierarchical Divine Liturgy – Monastery Church
2:30 PM Healing service to the Mother of God – All Saints Church
4:30 PM Vespers and Matins and closing of Pilgrimage – Monastery Church
**Food vendors will be onsite all day Monday in the Bookstore parking lot.

The monastic brotherhood looks forward to welcoming everyone once again to St. Tikhon’s Monastery Memorial Pilgrimage.

In his message, His Beatitude reflects on stewardship as the faithful care of all that God has entrusted to the Church, with particular attention to clergy and their families. He speaks about the weight carried by parish priests and the often unseen sacrifices of clergy wives, reminding the faithful that caring for those who serve the Church is not a luxury but a responsibility and an investment in the life of the parish. When clergy and their families are strengthened, the parish is strengthened.

This year, the OPL Clergy Wives Retreat will be held July 28-31 at Antiochian Village in Ligonier, PA, and the OPL Pastoral Retreat will take place September 29 - October 2 at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL.

Registration for the Clergy Wives Retreat opens April 20, and registration for the Pastoral Retreat opens May 4.

Parishes are encouraged to support their priest and his wife by assisting with registration, travel, and parish coverage during their absence. Supporting these retreats is a concrete way to practice stewardship for the health and future of our parishes.

Watch Metropolitan Tikhon’s message below:

On Sunday, March 22, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon attended the funeral of the newly departed His Holiness Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, who fell asleep in the Lord on Tuesday, March 17, at the age of 93, after nearly fifty years of primatial service to the Georgian Orthodox Church.

His Beatitude traveled to Tbilisi on Saturday, March 21, accompanied by His Grace Bishop Vasily of San Francisco and the West. Joining them was Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk, Dean of the Representation Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine in Moscow.

Upon arrival, His Beatitude was received by a delegation of the Georgian Orthodox Church headed by His Grace Bishop Saba of the Georgian Diocese of North America. The delegation escorted His Beatitude to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, where Patriarch Ilia was laid. There, His Beatitude and His Grace offered a litya for the repose of the Patriarch and conveyed condolences to His Eminence Metropolitan Shio, Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, as well as to the hierarchs, clergy, and faithful of the Georgian Orthodox Church. On this occasion, His Beatitude also expressed the prayers and fraternal solidarity of the Orthodox Church in America during this time of mourning.

On Sunday, March 22, His Beatitude attended the Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity Cathedral, presided over by Metropolitan Shio, followed by the funeral service, presided over by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. His Beatitude attended the services alongside the primates and representatives of several local Orthodox Churches, as well as delegations from around the world, bearing witness to the deep respect and love held for the late Patriarch.

His Beatitude’s presence at the funeral underscored the fraternal bonds between the Orthodox Church in America and the Georgian Orthodox Church, and the unity of the Orthodox Church in prayer for the repose of His Holiness.

His Beatitude is scheduled to return to the United States on Monday, March 23.

Read His Beatitude’s Remarks at the Funeral

On March 15, His Beatitude presided at the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at Our Lady of the Sign Cathedral (ROCOR), in New York City. Concelebrating with His Beatitude were His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad.

Also serving with His Beatitude and His Eminence were Archpriest Andrei Sommer, cathedral dean, Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America, Archpriest Seraphim Chemodakov, Hieromonk Theognost (Kogan), and Deacon Nicholas Ilyin.

The responses were sung by the choir under the direction of Mr. Vadim S. Gan.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, His Beatitude, His Eminence, and the clergy venerated the Cross and exchanged greetings. After greeting His Beatitude, His Eminence presented him with a cross made in Jerusalem. His Eminence also presented Fr. Alessandro with a cross.

His Beatitude expressed gratitude for the gift and presented His Eminence with a relic of the newly-glorified St. Olga of Kwethluk.

A lenten meal, prepared by the sisterhood, was then enjoyed in the cathedral hall.

Earlier that weekend, on March 14, His Beatitude celebrated the All-Night Vigil at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Serving with His Beatitude were Fr. Alessandro, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Rector of Three Hierarchs Chapel, and other seminary clergy. At the conclusion of the Vigil, His Beatitude had the opportunity to greet the students, staff, and seminary community, reminding everyone of the necessity to keep Christ’s Cross central in our lives.

The meeting opened with prayer, after which the session was called to order by Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America. Following a review of the agenda and the roll call, the Council approved the minutes of the Regular Fall 2025 Session and the Special Winter 2025 Sessions. The Council then conducted its regular business by reviewing and discussing reports that had been previously submitted in writing and presented during the sessions.

During the first day of meetings, the Council heard the report of His Beatitude, who addressed various matters concerning the life of the Orthodox Church in America. His Beatitude reflected on his work overseeing the stavropegial institutions, the work of the Chancery, and his responsibilities in the Archdiocese of Washington. He also offered an overview of several recent pastoral visits and travels. The Metropolitan further addressed the difficult situation within the wider Orthodox world, as well as the concerns and suffering of many people in light of the various conflicts affecting different parts of the world.

The Council also received the report of the Chancellor, Fr. Alessandro, who offered a brief reflection on the work of the Central Administration and highlighted several aspects of the Chancery’s work, including updates on personnel, ongoing projects, workflow developments, and the progress of the Chancery relocation.

The Council then heard the report of Priest David Bozeman, Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America, who reflected on his work during the past six months in his new role.

Additional presentations were given by Mr. Mark Hamilton, General Counsel of the Orthodox Church in America, who offered the legal report, and by Mr. Gregory Honshul on behalf of the Property Committee of the Metropolitan Council.

The Council also received the Treasurer’s report from Mr. Andrew Smith, Treasurer of the Orthodox Church in America. On behalf of the Finance and Investment Committee, Mr. Smith presented an amended 2026 Budget, which was approved unanimously by the Council.

The final report of the first day was presented by the members of the Internal Auditing Committee and delivered by Matushka Sharon Hubiak. The first session concluded with closing remarks from His Beatitude.

During the second session of the meeting, held on Thursday, March 12, the Council heard the report of the Pension Board presented by Archpriest John Dresko and Ms Melanie Ringa. Father John also presented six clarifying amendments to the Pension Document, which were approved by the Metropolitan Council. The Metropolitan Council’s liaison to the Pension Board, Mr. David Lane, offered brief remarks expressing gratitude to the members of the Pension Board for their faithful and dedicated work.

The Council also received an overview of the work of the various departments of the Orthodox Church in America from Archpriest Justin Patterson. Father Justin also presented an update on the Church Planting Grant program and reported on the work of an ad hoc committee currently developing a new parish revitalization initiative, which will be presented to the Council for further consideration in the coming months.

The Council then welcomed Archpriest Nicholas Solak, Director of the Office of Pastoral Life, who offered his report on the various programs overseen by the Office. Fr. Nicholas also spoke of the upcoming National Clergy Retreat and Clergy Wives Retreat later this year.

Finally, Archpriest Peter Robichau, Chair of the Governance Committee of the Metropolitan Council, presented an update on the work of the committee and reported on the progress of the Metropolitan Council Handbook. Time was also allotted for open-floor discussion among the members.

In his concluding remarks, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon expressed his gratitude to the members of the Metropolitan Council for their continued dedication and service to the Church, and he offered words of encouragement in light of the many challenges presently facing the world. He noted that it is understandable to have feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and fear but reminded them that the Church navigated many difficult periods throughout her history before.

His Beatitude also reflected on the rise of artificial intelligence and encouraged a dispassionate consideration of the topic, since “the singular emphasis of the AI enterprise is on the cognitive work of the brain and the intellect (and what we might call in the Church, thoughts). As we know, machines cannot pray. They cannot fast. … They have no heart. And it is the heart — according to Saint Gregory (whom we commemorated last Sunday), according to the whole hesychast tradition, and according to the Gospel itself — that is the organ of our salvation.”

His Beatitude closed his remarks by noting that Saint Gregory Palamas might be a key to facing these other upcoming challenges since he is “a preeminent theologian of apophatic theology who articulates with the greatest clarity what it means for a human being to enter into genuine communion with a God who is, by nature, beyond all human knowing.”

The meeting concluded with prayer.

Minutes and reports from the Spring 2026 Session of the Metropolitan Council will be posted on the Orthodox Church in America website as they become available.

The Diocese of the Midwest announced today that the 2026 Parish Development Forum will be held at Saint Luke’s Church in the Chicago suburb of Palos Hills, IL. The Forum will begin at 1:00 PM Thursday July 9 and conclude before noon on Saturday July 11, 2026.

The Parish Development Forum is a clergy and laity conference dedicated to exploring the challenges facing contemporary Orthodox parishes, delivering actionable ideas and good practices valuable to parish leaders, and creating mutually supportive relationships among participants.

“The 2026 Forum theme will be “St. Tikhon’s Vision for the Church in America: An Experiment for Parish Life”, noted Archpriest Stephen Frase, Clergy Chairperson for the Forum. “Saint Tikhon was a transforming figure for Orthodoxy in America following his arrival to America in 1898.  He found a fledgling Church operating under significantly different conditions than in historically Orthodox countries.  What he encouraged was, in many ways, an ecclesial experiment—faithful to Orthodox Tradition, yet, adapted to a radically new social environment. His vision and important contributions included an emphasis on English language worship, active lay ministry, conciliar parish and Church governance and leadership, a missional expansion of Orthodoxy through extensive parish planting, an emphasis on adult faith education and laying a foundation for a unified, local, self-governing Church in America. Principles that continue to be significant for today’s American parishes.”

“This will be the twelfth Parish Development Forum,” said Joseph Kormos, Forum Lay Chairperson. “While no Forum was held in 2025 due to the OCA’s 21st All-American Council, the 2024 Forum attracted an active group of parish leaders from six OCA Dioceses, the Antiochian Archdiocese, the Greek Archdiocese, and from Ukrainian Orthodox parishes in the US and Canada.  The agenda will include keynote presentations, facilitated small group discussion, time to forge interparish connection and relationships and daily worship. Keynote contributors will include Professor Scott Kenworthy, historian and author of a recent book on the life of Saint Tikhon, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, former OCA Chancellor and Professor at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Father Nicholas Anton of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in America and others.

“Our Chicago location provides an excellent conference setting. The host parish is 22 minutes from Chicago Midway Airport and ten minutes from I-294. Over half of the OCA’s parishes are within a manageable drive of the site,” noted Mr. Kormos.

Forum registration will be online only and will begin in mid-May. To maintain an atmosphere of fellowship and dialogue among attendees, registration will be limited to 80 persons.  A block of rooms has been reserved at a local hotel at special Forum rates.

Questions and enquiries may be directed to Mr. Kormos at joekormos1@gmail.com.