Clergy
Fr. Thomas Manuel was born in Boston, Massachusetts while his father (Fr. John Manuel presiding priest at St. Nicholas Virginia Beach) attended Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He is the second of four siblings and comes from a loving family who have Christ and the Church as the center of their lives. He holds a B.A. in International Politics and Spanish Language from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia (2010) and a M. Div. from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston, Massachusetts (2014).
Following his graduation from Holy Cross, Fr. Thomas worked as a Youth Director and Pastoral Assistant at the Annunciation Cathedral in Norfolk, Virginia. It was in Norfolk that he met his now wife Presvytera Elizabeth and were married in 2017. Presvytera Elizabeth is a native of Norfolk and attended Virginia Tech where she completed a B.A. in Psychology (2013). While serving in Norfolk, Fr. Thomas also was the director of the Metropolis of New Jersey youth camp program, Camp Good Shepherd Virginia, from 2015 to 2018. In 2019 Fr. Thomas and Presvytera Elizabeth followed a calling to becomes missionaries through the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) in Guatemala and Southern Mexico. Dozens of local communities in
Fr Thomas Manuel, Presvytera Elizabeth, Vasilios and Athanasios
Guatemala and Mexico came into the Orthodox Church in 2010 and Fr. Thomas and Presvytera Elizabeth left home to offer their talents to fortify Orthodoxy among the faithful. Aside from his priestly duties, Fr. Thomas directed and taught at the small seminary of San Andrés and Presvytera Elizabeth directed the music ministry, helping train both local choirs and seminarians. In 2020 Fr. Thomas was ordained to the diaconate by Archbishop Elpidophoros in New York and in 2021 was ordained to the priesthood in Bethesda, Maryland.
In February of 2023 Fr. Thomas was assigned to Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Dulles, Virginia where he continues to serve as the presiding priest. Fr. Thomas and Presbytera Elizabeth have two young boys, Vasilios and Athanasios. In his free time Fr. Thomas enjoys the outdoors, especially running and hiking, considers himself an amateur history buff and loves to get lost in a good boardgame.
Please contact Fr Thomas to schedule any of the following:
Baptisms, Weddings, Confessions, 40-Day Blessings, Memorial Services, Hospital Visits, as well as for all other Pastoral Needs/Concerns.