Kyra Limberakis is our Woman of the Week, nominated for her roles at Orthodox Volunteer Corps, CrossRoad, and St.Phoebe Center for the Deaconess. You see her here standing with her family with her grandfather the priest (she’s the youngest, just in front of him) and with her future husband on the day they both graduated with their master’s degrees. We asked her to tell you how she ended up working in church ministry:
“I find it difficult to share the story of how I got to work in full-time ministry for the Orthodox Church without first sharing the story of my grandparents. Both sets of my grandparents were deeply involved in the Greek Orthodox Church; my Dad’s dad (Papou) was a priest and my Mom’s parents helped found their Church community in the Philadelphia area where my Nene was a leader in Philoptochos. Church was the center of their lives, the place where they established community, and what shaped the rhythm of their lives. Naturally, that rhythm of life was instilled in my Mom and Dad who followed in suit to raise me and my three siblings in the Church.
“From a young age I had a natural curiosity about the faith. One story that reflects this curiosity happened when I was 5 years old. It was a typical Sunday when my Papou was serving Divine Liturgy. In the middle of the Liturgy, I decided I wanted to see what he was up to and go help so I snuck away from my parents and ran right through the royal doors to stand next to him at the altar table. My parents reflected that they could hear the old Yiayia’s gasp and parishioners quietly laughing. At that moment, my Papou simply patted my head and scooted me back to my parents. Later at coffee hour, my Papou pulled me aside and said he wanted to show me something. He took me through the side door of the altar to show me where the icons were blessed. Instead of scolding me or telling me what I did was wrong, he saw my curiosity as a teaching moment, an opportunity to teach me more about the faith. While I certainly didn’t realize it as a 5 year old, I look back at that moment as a seed being planted; a seed that led to my desire to study theology.
“Fast forward to middle school and high school when my summers were filled with attending our Metropolis camp, Ionian Village, and eventually the CrossRoad Summer Institute my senior year. I loved camp and was fortunate enough to have incredible counselors and leaders who engaged my relentless questions about the faith, and in particular, some amazing female counselors. Camp was where I felt most alive.
“When I attended CrossRoad as a highschool student, Fr. Thomas Hopko was our theology professor and his courses blew my mind. It was like a whole world of Orthodox theology had been opened up to me. CrossRoad was a fire hydrant of information about the faith and I couldn’t get enough of it. That summer, Mary Long was the director of the program, and I remember thinking how amazing it was that a woman could study theology and then get a full time job working for the Church. I didn’t even know that was a possibility! That summer, A LOT of seeds were planted in my heart.
“I went on to Villanova University for my undergrad (go wildcats!) and while I majored in communications, deep down I felt this itch to study theology and pursue ministry. My summers throughout college my summers continued to be filled with camp but now as a counselor.
“My senior year of college, a lot of my friends decided to take a year of service before applying to jobs or grad school. Several of them did the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Augustinian Volunteer Corps, and Teach for America. I too wanted to take a gap year to fully immerse myself in a life of service and was looking for an Orthodox community to do this with, much like my Catholic friends, but nothing like it existed. So I decided to take the plunge and explore studying theology at the graduate level. This was a scary decision but one I knew I had to try. My oldest sister is a lawyer, my other sister is a doctor, and my brother is a dentist. Studying theology wasn’t exactly the professional career I, nor my parents, thought would be part of my future. At the end of the day, my parents supported and trusted me in my decision to pursue ministry and I am forever grateful to them for that.
“I decided to go to Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry where I received a scholarship and was able to focus my studies on youth and young adult ministry and the ministry of women in the church. Throughout my masters program, I took courses at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology through the Boston Theological Institute so my graduate studies often felt split between those two worlds. Those years were so formative for me and opened my eyes to ideas about theology and ministry that I had never considered. I also met my husband during that time who had done the Jesuit Volunteer Corps himself. To say he has been instrumental in my faith journey and work in the church is an understatement.
“After grad school I was offered a job to work for the CrossRoad Summer Institute where I served for 7 years. It was not lost on me how significant it was that I was able to get a full time job working for the Orthodox church as a young woman right out of grad school. Those years were filled with the stories and questions of incredible young people. Their stories changed me, gave me insight into the suffering, hope, wisdom, compassion, and questions of their generation. While I know I failed several times in my ministry to these young people, I believe they made me a more compassionate person and helped me grow in my ministry. They also affirmed what I felt when I was their age…that young people are hungry to serve and make an impact on our world.
“Which leads me to Orthodox Volunteer Corps (OVC), the ministry I serve at now. OVC is the type of program I wanted when I was in college and what I saw some young people at CrossRoad yearning for too…a ministry focused on service to those most vulnerable in society rooted in an Orthodox community. OVC has been a dream since college and to be one of their founding staff is humbling and overwhelming (in the best way possible).
“I return to the idea of it being difficult to tell my story because as I re-read this it seems like things just fell into place for me and my faith journey was smooth sailing. That is far from the truth. There have been doubts, frustrations, resentment, and hurt. But if I’ve learned anything from my studies and life working for the church, those challenges are part of a life of faith. I just hope that in whatever small way I can continue in the footsteps of my grandparents to help plant seeds for the next generation.”
Axia!
Our Woman of the Week is Kyra Limberakis, nominated for her work in church ministry. You see her here representing Orthodox Volunteer Corps at this year’s Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Clergy-Laity Congress, and teaching on two occasions at CrossRoad. We asked her to tell you how she sees women’s faith formation:
“Through my work in youth and young adult ministry, I have been privileged to accompany young people in their exploration of faith, listen to some of their deepest questions about vocation, identity, and belonging, and to hear their stories of joy, suffering, and hope. Over the years, I have felt particularly called to mentor young women in their faith, fostering their sense of purpose and vocation as Christian women, encouraging them to use their voice, and to be active members of their communities. This has presented some unique challenges though.
“One of the questions I would hear over and over again from them was about women’s role in the church. Many of the responses they had previously received to this question were vague, dissatisfactory, uninspiring, or even hurtful. Some of these young women—who were thriving in their academic, social, and personal lives—did not see themselves thriving in the Church. They struggled to see how they fit into the liturgy, unlike the young men I worked with, who could see the clear potential for roles in ordained ministry and altar-serving.
“While it is evident that in many parishes women play a critical lay role in parish life, from parish council and Philoptochos to Sunday school, choir and youth work, there generally remains a lack of education, support, and explicit discussion about women’s roles in the Church that leaves many women questioning their place, and moreover, makes them feel like passive observers in the Liturgical life. This status quo goes against the essence of what Liturgy truly is - the work of ALL the people towards Christ’s mission here on earth.
“These questions led me to explore examples from within our tradition that would offer them a sense of purpose and belonging but also a sense of hope for what could be. I would share the lives of female saints like St. Photini, the first person to whom Christ first revealed Himself as the Messiah, and Mary Magdalene, who we call equal to the Apostles, to St. Phoebe the Deaconess, a disciple of St. Paul. I would share more modern examples of women serving as pastoral assistants at parishes, chaplains at hospitals, iconographers and professors of theology at universities and seminaries. I would share about organizations like the St. Phoebe Center for the Deaconess who does tremendous work to educate and advocate for the revival of the ordained deaconess. I wanted them to know that women have had, and continue to have, a significant role in building up the Kingdom. We, as humans, just have to make sure we are living up to our theology that reflects the inherent dignity of women and their essential place in the body of Christ.
“But beyond all the examples of the significant roles women have played in the life of Christ’s Church, I would ask them about their hopes and desires for belonging in the church; I would ask them to share their journey of faith and try my best to listen with compassion and empathy. What became abundantly clear for me was that no one asked a question about ‘women’s roles in the church’ without there being a story behind it of some sense of isolation, hurt, or confusion. I realized that above all else, I had to listen for the story behind the question. For me, that’s what ministry is all about. It’s listening to people’s stories, their joys, their suffering, and offering compassion in the ways we know Christ would. It’s also about taking the time to educate ourselves on what our Orthodox Tradition really reflects about women’s roles in the church because there’s more than meets the eye. A great deal of pain has been caused by people addressing these types of questions with misinformation and bad theology. Our ability to answer the questions of young people with compassion and theological dignity is directly related to whether or not they will see the Orthodox Church as a place of spiritual nourishment for the rest of their lives.”
As usual, we asked Kyra Limberakis, our Woman of the Week, about her morning routine. You see her here teaching at CrossRoad. She also shared with you a preview of how her prayer corner will be laid out:
“I want to be a morning person when I grow up. I thought having a baby would force me to be a morning person but well…that’s been a bust. Until I grow up, my mornings will consist of waking up around 4/5am to nurse my 5 month old son, falling back asleep for as long as he’ll let me, snoozing 5 times and then eventually beginning my rushed and slightly chaotic morning routine while I pass by my husband who has already walked the dog, had his morning coffee and read the news for the day. As the daughter of a dentist, brushing my teeth is the first thing I do.
"Perhaps it’s embarrassing to admit this but most days, because I’m rushed, I say my prayers during my bathroom routine and then use the daily readings app to read the Epistle and Gospel of the day. On good days, I’m able to find a moment to be silent and pray the Jesus Prayer in front of my icon corner. Once I’m dressed, I prepare my breakfast (usually oatmeal) and pour myself a glass of homemade cold brew (yes, I am a millennial) which I then bring to my desk and eat while I begin the work day at my home office.”
Thank you, Kyra!
