We welcome Father Gregory, and Presbytera Krista Fedorchak
along with their newborn son, Christopher.
The Baptism of Christopher
A Brief Biography: Fr. Gregory and Pres. Krista Fedorchak
Fr. Gregory Fedorchak is a recent graduate of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in
South Canaan, PA. He grew up within the loving embrace of the Orthodox Faith—alongside his
parents, grandparents, and parish family—at Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Endicott, NY. He
went on to obtain his BS in Biomedical Engineering with a specialty in Cell and Tissue Engineering
from the University of Rochester. During his undergraduate studies, Fr. Gregory was an active
member of Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church, served as president of the Orthodox Christian
Fellowship (OCF), and was awarded a Take Five Scholars Program Fellowship which enabled him to
study abroad in Athens, Greece and even journey to Mount Athos for a transformative Fall Break pilgrimage.
Fr. Gregory’s next academic juncture led him to Ithaca, NY to pursue his PhD in Biomedical
engineering at Cornell University, where he researched and developed therapies for rare muscular
dystrophies and heart diseases. While in Ithaca, Fr. Gregory attended Holy Apostles Orthodox
Church in Lansing, NY, a two-year-old mission at the time of his arrival. Consequently, Fr. Gregory
grew alongside this budding mission, where he sponsored many newcomers to the Faith, directed the
choir, taught Sunday School, and served for two years as Parish Council President. As always, God
provided the increase (Luke 6:38) and Fr. Gregory received much more than he gave. Through his
involvement at Holy Apostles, and indeed the Church as a whole throughout his life, God bestowed
upon him countless blessings, including spiritual mentors, Godchildren and Koumbari, lifelong
friends, and eventually, his wife, Presbytera Krista.
After completing his PhD, Fr. Gregory worked for several years as a biomedical researcher,
first as a postdoc at Cornell, and then for a startup company in Syracuse, NY. It was during this time
that the call to serve God and His Church more fully became louder and eventually unignorable.
After all, “To whom much is given, much is required” (Luke 12:48). So, in the Fall of 2021, Father
and Pres picked up and moved to northeastern PA to be formed as clay in the potter’s hands(Isaiah
64:8) at St. Tikhon’s Seminary and Monastery.
The experiences of the past three years—such as completing a summer internship at All
Saints in Olyphant, PA, doing prison ministry at SCI Waymart, and participating in several ministries
connected to St. Andrew’s Camp—have stretched and formed the hearts of this young clergy couple.
Having undergone invaluable spiritual, pastoral, and liturgical formation, the Fedorchaks are now
ready to “go and tell of all the Lord has done” (Luke 8:39). They are eager to serve the Diocese of
New York and New Jersey, under the omophorion of His Eminence Archbishop Michael, and to
share the immense grace they have received. In their new parish community, Fr. Gregory and Pres.
Krista will work faithfully and diligently to establish an outpost of the Kingdom of God—where
those suffering from anxiety, fragmentation, and purposelessness can find a life of peace, wholeness,
and purpose, in Christ.
Pres. Krista had a similar blessed upbringing, growing up attending Holy Cross Greek
Orthodox Church in Pittsburgh, PA. She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in
Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, and works as a registered dietitian offering one-on-one
nutrition counseling. You can find some of her work on Ancient Faith where she hosts a podcast
Food Freedom through Christ, and co-authored the newly released book Crowned: An Orthodox
Christian Wedding Guide. Father and Pres have recently welcomed a newborn son, named
Christopher!
The Parishioner of St Olympia Orthodox Church, want to thank Archbishop Michael
for assigning Fr Gregory to our Parish
Clergy Attending Fr Gregory' Installation
Fr Gregory Graduation at St Tikons Seminary
Pres Krista, Fr. Gregory, and Archbishop Michael
Fr Gregory's Installation as Rector,
St Olympia Orthodox Church
Today we said "see you soon" to our dear Fr. Nikolay
who has served us joyfully and lovingly for the past two years
Our 2024 Current Projects at St Olympia
PROTECTING OUR STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS
We have finished scraping, priming, and painting the exterior trim of four stained-glass altar windows in the altar. These are ready for the plexiglass storm windows needed for both protection and energy efficiency—this will keep the altar cooler in summer and warmer in winter! To date, we have raised approximately $1500 of the $2,800 needed for all four windows. Please contribute toward this project. Every little bit helps. Go to https://saintolympiaorthodoxchurch.org/ to donate online or send a check to St. Olympia Orthodox Church, P.O. Box 122, Canton, NY 13668.
RUGS
Our new rugs are now fully funded. What a beautiful enhancement of the nave. Many thanks to those who have generously contributed to this purchase!
ALTAR FLOOR FIXED
Our thanks to Robert Docker for enlarging and crafting a new trap door to the crawl space under the altar and filling other holes in the floor. The old door was a dangerous tripping hazard. Robert also carved a new cross for the top of the Tomb of Christ (Kouvouklion) used for Holy Week and also built a liturgical table to match the iconostasis.
SUMMER CHURCH PROJECT – Re-mortaring the stone foundation and re-sloping the ground.
Our church project for the summer is about to begin. All workers at all skill levels welcome!
Phase 1 begins on June Saturday, June 15th at 10 am. Ted Ritzko will lead this project kick-off by showing people how to remove old mortar, mix and apply new mortar in the gaps in our foundation. The more willing hands we have, the faster this will go. No previous mortaring experience necessary. If we do not finish within the day, we will continue in the late afternoon on the following days. Rain dates for start of project: Sunday, June 16th after church and Saturday, June 22nd at 10 am. If you are willing to help, please text or call Ryan Carr (315)705-3927 or email ryancarr007@hotmail.com. Please mark your calendars!
Phase 2 will be scheduled upon completion of Phase 1. This will involve re-sloping the earth on the north and west sides of the church so that water doesn’t flow towards the foundation and into the basement. We will spread stone and then topsoil. When that is done, we will need to reseed the lawn.