Directors
Our Youth Ministries are lead by a dynamic group of people that brings the Orthodox Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ alive for our youth and young adults. We invite you to learn more about them.
Directors and Heads Of Youth Ministry (Alphabetical by Jurisdiction)
His Grace Bishop Andrei of Cleveland
Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America
Youth Director
Fr. Chris Shadid
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Camp Director, Antiochian Village
Email: frchris@avcamp.org
Fr. Chris Shadid serves as the Camp Director of the Antiochian Village Camp in Bolivar, PA. He has served at the Village in a variety of positions since 2007. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and a Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. He lives at the Village with his wife Sophia, their son Luke, and their two dogs Belle and Louie.
Erin GhataAntiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministries - Youth Ministry
V. Rev. Fr. Philip Tolbert
Director, Bulgarian Orthodox Youth Apostolate
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada & Australia
Bulgarian Patriarchate
Email: sttheophan@sbcglobal.net
The Very Reverend Father Philip Tolbert is an archpriest in the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada & Australia (Bulgarian Patriarchate), and has been the Director of the Bulgarian Orthodox Youth Apostolate since the departments creation in 2006, at that time bringing to it nearly two decades of prior experience in ministry with Orthodox youth, young adults and families in a wide variety of parish, regional conferences and camp settings.
V. Rev. Stephen Loposky
Director of Youth of Camp Nazareth Retreat and Conference Center of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America and Administrator
Email: fr.stephen.loposky@gmail.com
Very Rev. Stephen Loposky was ordained priest on July 12, 1998 by His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos of blessed memory. Fr. Stephen served as the parish priest for St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Corning, NY for 11 years before being assigned as the Administrator of Camp Nazareth Retreat and Conference Center in 2009. Camp Nazareth is the Youth Camp for the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America. Fr. Stephen was subsequently appointed as the Director of Youth for his Diocese. He lives at Camp Nazareth with his wife, Pani Daria, and their 4 children -- Samuel, Joshua, Nicholas and Anna.
Eva Konstantakos
Director, Y2AM
Email: coming soon
Danielle Geeza
Orthodox Church in America
V. Rev. Fr. Dr. David G. Subu
Email: frdavid@stmaryorthodox.orgFr. David Subu has been working with the youth of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America in the OCA since 1998, having served as lead teacher and assistant director for many years at Camp Vatra (Senior Camp, ages 14-17). He completed an M.A. from Western Michigan University in Comparative Religion (1997), an M.Div. from St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (2000), and a D.Min. from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (2018). He is a full-time parish priest in Falls Church, Virginia, just outside our nation’s capital.
Serbian Orthodox Church in North, South, Central America
Fr. Stefan Djoric
Fr. Stefan Djoric was born and raised in Serbia. After finishing high school and after many years of playing basketball, he studied at the college of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade. After finishing his studies in Belgrade, he came to St. Vladimir’s Seminary in NY where he finished his M.A. and ThM degrees. Currently, Fr. Stefan is a parish priest at St. Nicholas Church in Monroeville-where he lives with his wife Marina and daughter Saveta. He is also pursuing his PhD at the University of Münster, Germany.
Na
talie Kapeluck-Nixon
Chairman Orthodox Youth Directors in North America
Director, UOC of USA Youth & Young Adult Ministries
Email: uocyouth@aol.com
Natalie has served as the Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA since 2000. Her role as National Youth Director also encompasses supervision and planning of the camping ministry programming. She obtained her B.A. in the arts from Point Park College in Pittsburgh, PA. Ms. Kapeluck-Nixon sits on the Board of Directors for Orthodox Christian Fellowship and currently serves as the Chairman of the Orthodox Youth Directors in North America.
Kathleen McKinnon
Intern with the Orthodox Youth Directors in North America
Email: kathleenm77@hotmail.com
Kathleen has been a youth director at St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Ottawa, Canada for 6 years after completing the St. Stephen’s certificate program in Applied Orthodox Theology. She is also a 1st year Master’s student at Carleton University in Ottawa studying Eastern European and Russian Studies researching democratization in the Baltic States and has completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in History and German. She loves to help youth connect to their faith and grow closer to God. She would like to contribute to this on a larger scale through being part of the Orthodox Youth Directors of North America as an intern and hopes to apply what she learns to parish ministry.