In 2011 Fr. Nicholas Andruchow and his family moved to Tijuana in order to be the full-time priest of the St. Innocent Orthodox Orphanage and Project Mexico. His path leading to ministering through this pan-orthodox organization began decades previously in a life being guided by the Lord. Fr. Nicholas was raised in the Russian Orthodox Church growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts. After finishing his undergraduate degree in Restaurant Administration at Widener University, he joined the United States Peace Corps and served the impoverished for 2 & ½ years. In the solitude of the jungle of the Caribbean he found Christ as an adult and began his active pursuit of a life solely dedicated to the Lord. Shortly after finishing his tour in 1994 he was asked by Project Mexico to lead their business development program at the Orphanage. He worked for them for three years running their onsite pig farm and training the orphan boys in basic entrepreneurial skills. During that time he married his wife, Merilynn Kouris a Cretan from Salt Lake City, and started their family living two of the three years at the Orphanage. In completion of his time with the orphanage Fr. Nicholas began his studies for the priesthood at St. Vladimir’s seminary in New York. In graduating from seminary Fr. Nicholas was assigned to the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox mission parish of Flagstaff, Arizona. There he served for 9 & ½ years creating a full liturgical and parish community prepared to purchase a facility, which would be the permanent home for the faithful in that part of the country. In this time he was approached by Project Mexico to serve as the spiritual director for the only Orthodox Orphanage in North America. After much prayer and contemplation, Fr. Nicholas and his family, through the blessing of the Greek Orthodox hierarch, left parish life to serve the little ones in this trouble part of the world. This past June Fr. Nicholas was hired to be the Executive Director of Project Mexico and is now charged to lead this missionary organization for the next decade.
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About the Author: Rev. Fr. Gary
Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou began his ministry at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral on December 1, 2022. He is married to Presvytera Christie, and they are blessed with three children – Harrison (22), Jacob (21), and Elena (14).
Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou received his bachelor’s degree in Film Production and Screenwriting from California State University at Northridge (1995). In 1992, he met Presvytera Christie at St. Sophia Summer Camp while he was working for Universal Studios. His work with Universal led to a job with DreamWorks, but his calling to the priesthood intensified. He and Presvytera married on July 6, 1997, and the newlyweds moved to Holy Cross seminary 3 weeks later. Father received his Master of Divinity from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and was ordained to the Diaconate at St. Sophia Cathedral (May 27, 2001). On June 1, 2001 he was assigned to Ascension Cathedral in Oakland, and on September 9, 2001, was ordained to the Holy Priesthood, and worked closely with Fr. Tom Paris of blessed memory.
Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou was assigned to serve Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Camarillo, California in August of 2004. During his service as the Proistamenos of Saint Demetrios, he guided the parish through a successful capital campaign. The community purchased 4.1 acres and was able to move from a former Air Force chapel to an interim location of the city’s public library, ultimately arriving “home” at the Agape Building in 2015. The two-story, multi-use structure houses a chapel, reception hall, conference room, offices and classrooms. His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos celebrated the Thyranoixia (door opening ceremony) on May 31, 2015.
While serving St. Demetrios, Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou was appointed to FDF as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Thousands of faithful gather each year for the Folk Dance Festival, which is the largest gathering of Greek Orthodox youth in the world. It has expanded to focus on Faith, Dance, and Fellowship by offering workshops for parents, a choir competition, scholarships, Diakonia service projects, and a partnership with our esteemed Philoptochos to benefit worthy causes such as Feeding Children Everywhere, Compass Family Services, and Rise Against Hunger.
On November 2019, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America appointed Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou as the Director of Ionian Village, the official international summer camping ministry of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. It is located on a private facility on the shores of the Ionian Sea in the western Peloponnese. Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou gathered a team of young adults to lead youth from around the world in a life-transforming summer experience by bringing them closer to the Orthodox faith and exploring the rich Hellenic culture and history. Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou’s work was recognized by Leadership 100 in February 2022 and was presented the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Award for Achievement.
His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos expanded the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries in the Metropolis of San Francisco and in February of 2021, Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou was designated as the Pastor of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Metropolis of San Francisco. In this role, Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou worked with Clergy, lay leaders, parents, young adults and children to further develop youth ministry programs. He collaborated with a Young Adult on his first project. The program, Journey to Lent, brought 600 participants together, weekly, via Zoom, during the darkest days of Covid 19 isolation. Keeping young people connected to Christ and each other through the ministries of the Church is one of Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou’s strengths and passion.
Rev. Fr. Gary Kyriacou and Pres. Christie enjoy living in Southern California, where they both were born and raised. Returning to serve the Cathedral that introduced them to each other is truly by God’s Divine Providence. St. Sophia gave them their life together. In return, they now feel blessed to give their all back to St. Sophia. The Kyriacou family enjoys going to the beach, rooting for the Dodgers, and watching movies. They love sushi, traveling, playing Apples to Apples, and spending summers at St. Sophia camp.