Overworked Priests: How Deaconesses Can Help

August 19 at 7pm ET

Statistics show that an overwhelming majority of priests experience burnout. In the ancient church, priests had the support of deacons and deaconesses, who served in ministerial roles, alleviating many of the duties we expect our priests to be responsible for today.

This Zoom event will examine the damage burnout causes – to both clergy and laity – and how the revival of the female diaconate could help restore spiritual health and well-being in our churches today.

Panelists

Fr. Marc Dunaway has lived in Alaska since 1968 and has been pastor of Saint John Orthodox Cathedral in Eagle River since 1995. Saint John’s is a parish in the Antiochian Archdiocese and was part of the Evangelical Orthodox journey in the 1980s. Its ministries include Saint John’s School, the Saint James House, and the Eagle River Institute. He is married to Betsy and they are blessed to have four children and eleven grandchildren, all living nearby.

Presbytera Kerry Pappas is the Coordinator for Clergy and Seminarian Couple Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Center for Family Care Team. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a trainer and facilitator for Prepare/Enrich, a premarital and marriage enrichment program. She is a graduate of Gettysburg College (BA), Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (MA), and Adler Graduate School (MA). She has been married to Father Harry Pappas for 44 years and together they have three adult children and 6 grandchildren.  Her interests and hobbies include reading, exercise, movies and most of all, being a wife and yiayia.  She leads marriage and women’s retreats throughout the country, always learning from those with whom she engages. She is the author and presenter of the video series, “Time Out for Marriage”; and author of the Becoming One series.  She has also written numerous articles on marriage, and her first book on marriage, Becoming One, was recently published by Holy Cross Press.

Archdeaconess Angelic-Phoebe of Harare, Zimbabwe was ordained Deaconess on May 2, 2024, Holy Thursday. She was ordained in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa (the Orthodox Church in the continent of Africa) by His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim of Zimbabwe (Kykotis) in St. Nektarios Mission Parish at WaterFall. Deaconess Angelic is a respected member of the Orthodox community of St. Nektarios Mission Parish. For years, she has worked to engage the Orthodox youth of Zimbabwe and build a foundation of pastoral care within her community.  She has organized church school, mothers’ groups, and youth meetings. She is pursuing university education in order to better serve as an ordained member of the Orthodox Church. She is studying Geography and Environmental Studies, placing the sanctity of Earth at the forefront of her work.