St. Peter the Aleut Grants provide numerous opportunities

The Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry of the Orthodox Church in America is making available limited grants through its Saint Peter the Aleut Grant Program to make it possible for youth and young adults to participate in a variety of opportunities.

Grants are available to any youth or young adult seeking to offset costs of attending retreats, workshops, or conferences, or to visit an OCA seminary or monastery to discern a vocation.  In addition, clergy and lay persons may apply for assistance to offset the costs of continuing education in the field of youth ministry.

The following programs are examples of the types of activities and events eligible for full or partial coverage through the program:

Youth Conference
The 2014 “One” Pan-Orthodox Youth Conference in New Jersey.
  • “One” Pan-Orthodox Youth Conference - November 29, Roseland, NJ.  Join hundreds of our brothers and sisters from Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Churches for a day-long retreat while offering a display of unity with our brothers and sisters being persecuted in the Middle East.  The speaker for the day will be His Grace, Bishop John [Abdalah] of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.  Find more information at www.oneorthodox.org.
  • Festival Young Preachers
    OCA youth at Festival of Young Preachers, 2014.
  • Festival of Young Preachers - January 2-5, 2015, Dallas, TX.  Join the delegation of OCA youth, young adults, and seminarians attending the annual Festival of Young Preachers.  The annual event offers an opportunity for youth and young adults to practice their oratorical, evangelism, and apologetic skills in an inter-denominational context with the support and guidance of Orthodox clergy.
  • 2015 Pan-Orthodox Camp and Youth Workers’ Conference - January 22-24, 2015, Latrobe, PA.  This annual conference offers an opportunity to join lay and clergy youth workers from across North America for professional development and continuing education in the field of youth and camp ministry.  Several workshops and keynotes will be offered on the theme “Walking Alongside our Youth.”  More information is available here.
  • College Retreat at Antiochian Village - February 27-March 1, 2015, Latrobe, PA
    A new retreat for college-aged Orthodox Christians at Antiochian Village will be held in the coming year. Sign up for this opportunity for spiritual growth and fellowship while celebrating the Sunday of Orthodoxy together at the close of the weekend.  Registration is already open.

  • Visit an OCA Seminary or Monastery - Ongoing.  At anytime, youth and young adults who have obtained an appropriate blessing may apply for a grant to help cover the costs of visiting an OCA monastery or Seminary to aid in the process of discerning a personal vocation.

Those individuals interested in applying for a grant for any of the above programs may contact Andrew Boyd, OCA Youth Director, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) [UPDATE as of June 8, 2017: contact David Lucs, new OCA Youth Director, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)] or submit a completed application.  Grants will be awarded throughout the year.  Applicants who are members of the Orthodox Church in America will be given first priority.  Priority also will be given to applicants who demonstrate the financial support of a local OCA parish or diocese.

The grant application may be found here.