Biography

Fr. Rick is an ordained priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America since 1995 and is currently serving Saints Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Glenview, Illinois, assigned by Metropolitan Nathanael of the Metropolis of Chicago in August 2019. He is in the inaugural cohort for the Metropolis Clergy Leadership Accelerator program (2023-2024) and was the first presbyter to participate in the Metropolis Multi-Source Feedback Parish Program.

His service also includes Chicago Clergy Syndesmos President (2022-2024), Archdiocese Presbyters Council (APC 2022-2024), Vicar of Clergy Wellness (since 2020), Chicago Metropolis Spiritual Court (2020-2022), Hellenic American Police Association (HAPA) chaplain (since 2022).

Fr. Rick earned a doctoral degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University (2019). His thesis is on Clergy Stress and Burnout. He is a graduate of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Master of Divinity,1994), and the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Marketing,1988).

Fr. Rick serves as a Frontline Chaplain doing disaster response for International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) since 2013. One of his deployments served the Minnesota National Guard, State Patrol and Minneapolis police after the 2020 riots. He has received several certifications for critical incident response including training and experience gained as a volunteer chaplain for the Saint Paul Police Department (SPPD) 2005-2019.

Fr. Rick previously served St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota (1999 – 2019), and as spiritual advisor for the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry of Minnesota (OCPM-MN) 2010-2019, Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) campus ministry 1999-2019 including starting the OCF chapter at St. Thomas University in Saint Paul. He was the coordinator for the Minnesota Eastern Orthodox Christian Clergy Association (MEOCCA) Cooperative Catechism program (2003-2019) and presiding priest of the Greek Orthodox Spiritual Court in Minnesota (2008-2019)

He is married to Presbytera Jane (Donovan) since 1990 and has an adult son, Theodore (Anna). Fr. Rick was ordained to the diaconate in 1994 and the priesthood in 1995 by Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago.

Fr. Rick previously served Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Westchester, Illinois (1994-1997) and Kimissis tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church in Racine, Wisconsin (1997-1999). During those years, he occasionally served at the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. John Chrysostom in Kenosha, Wisconsin, participated at the Metropolis Fanari Camp, and was a member of the Racine Clergy Association and the Orthodox Clergy Syndesmos of Wisconsin.