Saint Olympia Orthodox Church in Norwood
We welcome Father Gregory, and Presbytera Krista Fedorchak along with their newborn son, 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
