Father John was ordained by His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus of blessed memory, to the diaconate in 2005, and to the priesthood in 2007. He was born in New Jersey, spent several of his early years in Germany, and then settled in El Paso, Texas. Raised in a Baptist household, Fr. John discovered the Eastern Orthodox Church in the 90s, entering the Church in El Paso via the Antiochian Archdiocese in 1994. Later that year, he and his Matushka Michaela headed east from Texas to the Metropolitan Washington DC area, where they’ve resided since.

Prior to the founding of St. Thecla’s in 2018 and its first services 2019, Fr. John spent 25 years in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Washington DC, where he sang in the choir, served in the altar and on the parish council, and taught Sunday school. In addition to serving St. Thecla’s, Fr. John is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM), and he supports the ongoing activities of the St. Seraphim Russian Orthodox Youth Camp, the Saint Herman Youth Conference, and other Orthodox activities.

Fr. Deacon Peter grew up in Houston, TX, and moved to the DC area as a teenager. He became interested in Eastern Orthodoxy in college, and was subsequently received into the Church in 2007. Prior to the founding of St. Thecla’s, he sang in the choir, rang bells, served in the altar, and taught Sunday school at Holy Apostles and St. John’s Orthodox Churches. In 2019, Metropolitan Hilarion of blessed memory ordained him to the diaconate.

In addition to his diaconal duties, Fr. Peter has published several books, including the Gospel and Epistle books and an Old Testament lectionary. He also constructed the bell system for St. Thecla’s.