Clergy

I was born in Bucharest, Romania, on September 26, 1987, and my middle name, Ioan (short for Ioannis), reflects one of the main feasts of our beloved church in Jackson; my father, Alexandru, served as a priest for 25 years before his passing in 2017. After studying Modern Greek in high school, I graduated from the University of Bucharest with a degree in Orthodox Theology in 2010, then continued my studies at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, where I earned a Master’s degree in Patristic Studies and completed my doctorate in 2019 with a thesis on spiritual theology in Byzantine monasticism. In 2019, I came to the United States to serve the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America as Secretary of the Department of Publications, and in 2020 I met my future wife, Alexandra, whom I married and with whom I have been blessed with two children, Daria Gabriella and Alexander Stavros. In 2022, I was assigned to St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Las Vegas, where I first served as Pastoral Assistant, and in 2023 I was ordained a Deacon and then a Priest by His Grace, Bishop Ioannis, serving the parish and overseeing its Youth Ministries. Above all, I believe that what matters most in parish life is our commitment to becoming saints and the willingness to make the effort and sacrifices necessary to walk that journey together.