AnnMarie Gidus-Mecera, Chair

AnnMarie became passionate about the woman’s role in Orthodoxy after research conducted for a paper she presented at the University of Leeds, and years of involvement in the Orthodox Church. She was convinced that the time was right to build awareness for the historical female diaconate and the potential that existed in restoration of this ordained role.

With a degree in journalism from Ohio University, AnnMarie has worked in the marketing field for 36 years. She has been an independent marketing strategist for three decades. AnnMarie wrote the religious education manual for pre-schoolers titled “A Way of Life: Introducing Your Children to the Orthodox Faith”, which has been called ‘by far the best resource for introducing pre-schoolers and younger children to the faith.’ She served for nearly 20 years as her parish Lay Vice-Chair, was a member of various OCA task forces, a Pre-Conciliar Commission, the OCA Diocesan Council for the Midwest Diocese, and the OCA Pension Board. AnnMarie also assisted Project Mexico with its Public Relations for several years.

Caren Stayer, Ph.D., Secretary

Caren earned her doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Byzantine history. She has taught the history of Christianity at the Pontifical College Josephinum, Oberlin College, and the Washington Theological Union. Currently, Caren teaches history and humanities in Columbus, Ohio, where she lives with her husband and daughter and attends an OCA parish.

Gust Mecera, Treasurer

Prior to retirement, Gust was a construction manager with the McDonald’s Corporation for 30 years. In that position, he was responsible for capital improvements with budgets between $5 and $40 million dollars. Prior to joining McDonald’s, Gus was a civil engineer with Franklin County in Columbus, Ohio.

He served on Parish Council as Building Committee Chair at St. Gregory of Nyssa Orthodox Church in Columbus, Ohio for over 25 years. He oversaw the $325,000 conversion of a former office building into the current church building; the $70,000 fellowship hall renovation; the $50,000 sanctuary beautification project, and currently, a potential one million dollar expansion project.

Gust was a Church School teacher for the high school class at St. Gregory’s for the past eight years. He and his wife Ann Marie have been married for 38 years, with two children: Juliana, and Justina, and a grandson.

Carrie Frederick Frost, Ph.D.

Carrie is a lifelong Orthodox Christian and a scholar of Orthodox theology. She was raised in a Carpatho-Russian parish, spent most of her adult life in a Ukrainian Orthodox church, and now attends a Greek church. Carrie received her doctorate in theology from the University of Virginia. Her dissertation, A Theology of Motherhood, offers a theological consideration of motherhood using Orthodox icons, hymns, and rites. Now she works on topics of motherhood, family, children, animals, theological anthropology, iconography, and theology in literature, and she will be teaching at Saint Sophia Orthodox Seminary in 2016. She resides in Bellingham, Washington with her husband and their five children.

Kyra Limberakis, M.T.S.

Kyra is Associate Director of the CrossRoad Summer Institute and Assistant Director of the Office of Vocation and Ministry at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.

She received her Bachelors from Villanova University and her Masters of Theological Studies from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry where she focused her studies on youth and young adult ministry as well as the ministry of women in the Church. Kyra’s experience in youth work includes serving as staff for her metropolis camp, Ionian Village, and CrossRoad—all programs that were part of her own faith formation. Her current work also includes running programs for undergraduate women at Hellenic College. In addition to working in full time ministry, Kyra has written articles on the topic of young women’s faith formation as resilient persons in and for the life of the Church. Since graduating, she has continued to take theology and ministry classes at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary while working full time.

The granddaughter of an Orthodox priest, she is committed to the education and ministry of young people for the future of the Church.

Teva Regule, Ph.D.

Teva was raised in the Orthodox Church and has been an active member for all of her life. For many years she was involved in the work of youth ministries in the Church, working on the national level of the American Romanian Orthodox Youth (AROY) and serving two years as the national president. During much of this time, she also worked in campus ministry, organizing and coordinating various Orthodox Christian Fellowships. For the past twenty years, her worked has focused on the ministry of women in the Church. For over fifteen years, she served as Managing Editor of the St. Nina Quarterly, a publication dedicated to exploring the ministry of women in the Orthodox Church and one which aims to cultivate a deeper understanding of ministry in the lives of all Orthodox Christian women and men. In addition, Teva served as an Orthodox consultant for a number of consultations on women and men in the church sponsored by the World Council of Churches.

A life-long student of theology, Teva completed her Master of Divinity degree at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 2007, graduating with highest distinction. In addition to the ministry of young people and women, she is very interested in the Church’s liturgical life. For the past few years, she has focused her studies on liturgical theology and history. She received her PhD in liturgical theology from Boston College.

Helen Creticos Theodoropoulos, Ph.D.

Helen has been active in the Orthodox Church and in theological education in various ways for many years. She received a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA, and both the Master’s and PhD degrees in Theology from the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Helen is currently adjunct professor at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology in Libertyville, IL, teaching the study of the Church Fathers, and Christianity in America. She is also currently Lecturer at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/ Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, and is a founding and current board member of the St. Catherine Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies.

In her home parish, Helen taught the high school Church school class for many years, and currently teaches the weekly adult Bible Study group and a bi-monthly adult religious education program. In addition, she has lectured to Orthodox and ecumenical religious groups on the local, diocesan, and national levels, and has presented papers at multiple conferences. Helen and her husband Evan are the parents of three daughters.