TheLeader VOLUME XXVI ISSUE1 Winter2025 - Flipbook - Page 30
G R A N T S
AT
W O R K
Clergy Wife Peer Groups Implemented
The Center for Family Care’s Clergy Family Initiative
received $22,000 from Leadership 100 to initiate Clergy
Wife Peer Groups to address the widespread loneliness
many Presvyteres throughout the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese experience as reported in the 2021
Danielsen Institute Study. The support enabled the
Center to respond to the recommendation of the
Institute to establish such groups and offer Presvyteres a
sacred space for mutual care, support and accountability,
according to Presvytera Kerry Pappas, Coordinator for
Seminarian and Clergy Couple Care and Fr Alexander
Goussetis, Director of the Center for Family Care.
On February 1, 2023, Presvytera Eleni Christakos was
hired as an independent contractor with the title of
Coordinator for Clergy Wife Peer Groups. Since her
hiring,
• 25 facilitators for the peer groups have been trained
virtually by Fr. Alexander Goussetis, assisted by
Presvytera Kerry Pappas.
• A survey was sent to all the presvyteres in the GOA to
garner interest in the groups, with a total of about 120
women responding.
• The Center for Family Care partnered with the
National Sisterhood of Presvyteres to collaborate in the
rolling out of the program.
• 15 new groups have been formed—some launched late
spring and others will launch in September.
• Total participants in all Presvytera groups total 90.
• An in-person retreat for all facilitators was planned and
executed in January 2024.
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• Follow-up online meetings with the trained facilitators
will meet quarterly.
The Center for Family Care hosted an in-person retreat
in January 2024 for all Clergy and Clergy Wife
facilitators in Titusville, FL. The time was spent
expanding the skill set needed to facilitate groups,
including the formation and sustaining of peer groups,
content development during group meetings,
troubleshooting group dynamics, and presentations by
Orthodox therapists on the self-care of the facilitators.
A second Retreat for Trained Clergy & Presvyteres
Facilitators is planned for later 2025.
• The coordinator continues to advertise peer groups via
flyer and presentations and administer surveys to collect
pertinent details from clergy wives interested in
participating in peer groups throughout the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
• The participants continue to be sorted and matched
with trained facilitators.
• The in-person facilitator retreat in January 2024 offered
continuing education and encouragement for the
facilitators.
• Support and sample material for groups continue to be
provided to facilitators for initiating and sustaining peer
groups.
