Our Hierarchs
His Beatitude, John X, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East
His Beatitude John X was born in Latakia, Syria, in 1955. Raised in a home focused on education, virtue, and faith, he is the son of Manah Yazigi, a teacher and poet, and Rozah Moussi, of Lebanese origin. He has three siblings, including a Metropolitan and a nun.
He studied at the University of Techrin in Latakia, initially in Civil Engineering, but also excelled in church music, forming choirs and training them in traditional chants. He earned a Bachelor of Theology from the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology at Balamand in 1978, followed by a Doctorate in Theology from the University of Thessaloniki in 1983. His doctoral thesis, “The Service of the Holy Baptism: A Historical, Theological, and Liturgical Study,” was published. Additionally, he studied church music at the Higher Institute of Byzantine Music in Thessaloniki.
His Eminence, the Most Reverend Saba Isper
His Eminence, the Most Reverend Saba Isper, is the Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East and the Holy Synod of Antioch elected His Eminence to lead the Archdiocese during its extraordinary session on Feb. 23, 2023, in Balamand, Lebanon.
His Eminence leads and oversees the Archdiocese’s parishes, missions, departments, institutions and organizations in the United States and Canada from the headquarters in Englewood, New Jersey. The auxiliary bishops aid him in his administration across the continent.
The Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Jeremy Davis
The Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Jeremy Davis grew up in Wichita, Kansas, in an Evangelical Protestant family. He studied religion and history at Friends University, where his growing interest in Christian tradition led him to explore Orthodoxy. After attending a Divine Liturgy at St. George Cathedral in Wichita in his final year, he was deeply moved by the experience and was chrismated on Holy Saturday in 1998.
Fr. Jeremy earned a Master of Divinity from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (2001-04) and spent a year in Australia on a mission trip. After returning to Wichita, he was ordained to the diaconate in 2006 and the priesthood later that year. He served at St. Elijah Church in Oklahoma City until 2016, when he became the pastor of Holy Ascension Church in Norman. In 2017, he was elevated to Archimandrite.
In 2021, Fr. Jeremy was appointed Protosyngellos of the Archdiocese and in 2024, he was named Archiepiscopal Vicar for the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest. He is also the author of Welcoming Gifts: Sacrifice in the Bible and Christian Life (2022) and The Cellarer’s Celery (2021), and serves as executive board chairman of St. Vladimir’s Seminary.
Our Local Clergy
V. Rev. Fr. John Hogg
V. Rev. Fr. John Hogg is a graduate of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. He was assigned to Holy Cross in May of 2012 and he was made the pastor in the summer of 2015. Fr. John and his wife, Kh. Darcy, and their four daughters and two sons couldn’t be happier to be a part of such a wonderful parish. Fr. John did his undergraduate degree in Russian and Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Pittsburgh. He is able to provide pastoral care in a variety of languages for anyone who needs it.
V. Rev. Fr. Gregory Hogg
V. Rev. Fr. Gregory Hogg is a priest attached to our mission. He completed his undergraduate studies at Grove City College (B.A., 1978) and earned a Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary (1982). Fr. Gregory then went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Indiana University in Bloomington (1997), where his dissertation focused on a critical edition, translation, and essay of Barlaam of Calabria’s Ethica Secundum Stoicos, a work from the 1340s. His academic interests include Medieval Philosophy, Stoicism, and the intersection of ancient philosophical traditions with Christian thought—especially in the context of Byzantine Christianity. He is also a member of the advisory council for the Russian Studies department at Grand Valley State University.
Alongside his academic work, Fr. Gregory is deeply engaged in campus ministry, having co-founded chapters of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) at Grand Valley State University, Hope College in Holland, and Calvin College in Grand Rapids. Both Fr. Gregory and Fr. John are actively involved in fostering the Orthodox Christian presence on these campuses, supporting students and faculty in their spiritual and intellectual journeys.
Dn. Nektarios Huelsman
Dn. Nektarios Huelsman began his theological journey at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and served as a Lutheran pastor for five years. After embracing the Orthodox Christian faith, he has now been a member of the Orthodox Church for over ten years. His transition was deeply spiritual, drawn to the ancient traditions and sacramental life of Orthodoxy.
A fun fact is that Fr. Gregory, now an Orthodox priest and his Lutheran godfather from back then, has known Dn. Nektarios since childhood. Their connection remains strong. Today, as a Deacon, Dn. Nektarios serves his Orthodox community, offering both pastoral care and a unique perspective shaped by his journey from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy.