By the grace of God, St. Vladimir’s Seminary faculty member and alumnus Fr. Nicholas Belcher was elevated to the rank of archimandrite on Saturday, May 9. The elevation took place at St. George Orthodox Church in Little Falls, NJ, by the hand of His Eminence Saba, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
Several members of the Seminary community attended the elevation, including His Grace Bishop John (Abdalah), Fr. Bogdan Bucur, Fr. Michael Nasser, Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, and other alumni and seminarians. Among the seminarians were several of Fr. Nicholas’ students from the Antiochian Archdiocese.
The Right Rev. Archimandrite Nicholas is an instructor in Antiochian Liturgics at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and directs field education for the seminarians of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Fr. Nicholas serves as pastor of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Little Falls, NJ. He also chairs the Antiochian Archdiocese’s Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministries. Fr. Nicholas served as the first president of Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries (OYM) and remains with OYM as a board member and spiritual advisor. He has also served as hierarchical assistant to the Metropolitan of the Archdiocese and worked for twelve years at Hellenic College Holy Cross—nine years as the Dean of Students and three years as the Assistant Director of the Office of Vocation & Ministry and Director of CrossRoad Institute.
Archimandrite Nicholas completed his M.Div. degree at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 2005 and holds a B.A. and B.S. from The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina.
Fr. Nicholas and his beloved wife Sonia, who reposed in the Lord in 2008, have one son, Andrew. May her memory be eternal!
May God grant Archimandrite Nicholas many years! AXIOS!
