Ambassadors
Vincent Minucci, Program Coordinator
Vincent Minucci is a sixth year seminarian in Holy Cross. He is from Syosset, New York. This year will mark his fifth year working with the Sonia Belcher Ambassadors. In the spring of 2010, Vincent was promoted to program coordinator of the program. Youth ministry is something that is very dear to Vincent’s heart and he prays that his love and passion for this ministry comes out in the work that he does for the program. Vincent has served as a counselor at Camp St. Paul 2009 and 2010 (and also lead Orthodox Life in 2010), and a counselor at Camp Emmanuel and St. Nicholas Ranch in the summer of 2010.
Jonathan Resmini, Lead Retreat Staff
Jonathan Resmini is a sixth year seminarian in his final year of Holy Cross. This year he will begin his fifth year working with the Sonia Belcher Ambassadors. He has also had the beautiful opportunity to serve as lead retreat staff for the past three years. Along with his experiences connected with the Ambassadors he has had many other youth ministry positions including the Metropolis of Boston Camp and Retreat Ministry, the CrossRoad summer institute, and as a parish youth director at Saint Demetrios in Weston, MA for a number of years. He has developed a deep love for youth ministry which keeps him inspired as he continues his studies here at Holy Cross and in his pursuits outside this institution.
Sarah Begley, Lead Retreat Staff
Sarah Begley is a graduate of Holy Cross School of Theology with a Masters of Theological Studies. She currently resides at HCHC with her husband Philip, a second year MDiv, while working on her ThM thesis regarding cross-religious studies. She hopes to someday teach at the collegiate level. Sarah grew up not far from the school in Methuen, MA where her father is the priest at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church. She has been involved in youth ministry for a number of years having spent five summers at the Antiochian Village as a counselor and three years as a staff member for the CrossRoad Institute.
Steven Christoforou
Steven Christoforou is a second year student in the Masters of Divinity Program at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He hails from New York, where he graduated first in his class from the Bronx High School of Science. He went on to study history at Yale University, and then graduated from Fordham University School of Law cum laude.
Steve spent seven years as a Sunday School teacher in his home parish, and spent the summer of 2010 as a counselor at Camp Saint Paul. He also spent a year as a parish council member, with a special emphasis on youth ministries. Steve absolutely loves spending time with youth and seeing them take their first steps in the Church towards sainthood. He finds he has more to learn from them than he could possibly ever teach.
Rebecca Raney
Rebecca Raney is a second year in the Masters of Divinity
program. She is from St. Louis, MO. She has previously worked as a Youth Director
and Pastoral Assistant before deciding to come to Holy Cross to pursue
theological studies.
Rebecca is excited about the Ambassadors Program because she loves
to connect with youth and try to make The Truth accessible, creative, and a
little unconventional so that it sticks and they are challenged to think beyond
there present horizons or understandings.
I see so much potential and energy in our Youth and I hope to use my
skills of motivation, encouragement, and getting people to think realistically
and deeply about their lives to plant small seeds in their hearts and minds and
to let them know that such an incredible place like Holy Cross and Hellenic
College exist for them to pursue their questions, dreams and spiritual
struggles further.
Cassandra Garibaldi
Cassandra Garibaldi is in her second year at Hellenic College. Her major is Religious Studies. In June 2008 she attended CrossRoad. This is where she found out about Hellenic College, and fell in love with it. At that time she was a junior in high school, and was planning on going to a community college after high school. Through CrossRoad she learned more about Hellenic College, and decided to go there. She is so glad that she made that decision! Hellenic College is a very special place, and I am blessed to be apart of it.
Christian Siskos
Christian is currently enrolled at Hellenic College / Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology because of one main focus – Christ. Everyone, is here to get a firm foundation of what our Church is, where our Traditions come from, and to what end are we headed. In the near future He sees himself continuing in Youth Programs so that he may be able to bring Christ to the youth of the Church.
Nicholas Lionas
Nick Lionas was born in Rochester, Michigan. He is a huge Detroit Tigers Fan and loves his home state. Much more than that, he loves his parents Jim and Helene who raised him in an Orthodox Christian home and for that he is very blessed. He is also blessed with two older brothers, Mike and John who have been incredible role models for him. Nick has gone to the Metropolis of Detroit Summer camp every summer since he was seven and this summer he spent his 52nd week there; a full year of his life has been spent at a Greek Orthodox summer camp. Nick graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor degree in Communication in May of 2009. Immediately upon graduation, he moved to Indianapolis where he worked for Orthodox Christian Fellowship. In January of 2010, the tug of the heart to come to Holy Cross and work towards his Master of Divinity degree, became a reality. Nick has a passion for youth and young adult ministry and hopes to make it a big part of his future in the Church. Ultimately, Nick prays he can live out an Orthodox Christian vocation by answering Christ’s call to love God with all that he is and by loving his neighbor as himself in every situation he is in.
Michael Gavrilos
Michael Gavrilos is a senior in Holy Cross Seminary and will receive his MDiv in May. Right after high school he came to Hellenic College where he graduated in May 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies. There are many people that influenced him during his life and some of them were students here either in Hellenic
College, or Holy Cross. He thanks God for where he is right now and hopefully can inspire more people to attend beautiful HC/HC.
Andrew Pavlakos
Andrew Pavlakos is a first year student of Holy Cross. He graduated from Hellenic College in May, 2010. Andrew has been a part of the Ambassadors' Program for 3 years. Growing up as a Greek-American he only spoke English at home, but once he entered Hellenic College he took the opportunity to learn Modern Greek and even studied abroad in Athens. This summer Andrew, along with fellow students from Holy Cross and from St. Vladimir's Seminary participated in a mission’s practicum with Fr. Luke Veronis in Albania.
Niko Tzetzis
Niko Tzetzis hails from Syracuse, NY. He is a 2009 graduate from Binghamton University with a B.A. in Political Science. Additionally, he has been the Orthodox Life Director at the Metropolis of Detroit Summer Camp for the last 2 years, and he has been a camper/counselor at St. Timothy Summer Camp in Upstate NY for as long as he can remember. His experiences growing up with his closest Orthodox friends in a wonderful community at St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Church in Syracuse helped bring him to his studies here at Holy Cross. He is excited to be working with the great crew we have from HC/HC, and eager and willing to get out and encounter the youth across the country.
Arielle Tselikis
Arielle is from Old Orchard Beach Maine and is majoring in Religious Studies B-graduating this year. She is applying to law school in international relations and immigration and plans to work in Refugee Services or some kind of non-profit. Arielle did an internship this summer at Catholic Charities in Refugee Services. This is her second year as an RA, and has been involved with Metropolis of Boston Camp and metropolis retreats, as well as been class secretary for the last 3 years. She volunteers for the Foundation for Faces of Children, a nonprofit promoting awareness and providing resources for children with craniofacial diseases. She has younger brothers, and enjoys ballet and traveling.
Nikolas Karloutsos
Nikolas P. Karloutsos earned his B.A. in History and Hellenic Studies from New York University in 2004 and is currently a second-year seminarian at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in pursuit of a Master of Divinity. He was born and raised in Danbury, CT where his father continues to serve as parish priest of the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, Nikolas most recently lived in New York City and worked as a corporate paralegal before coming to Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (“HCHC”) in the summer of 2009. He and his wife Meghan, a first grade teacher in Mattapan, MA, live in Dendrinos Village on the campus of HCHC and are grateful for the many wonderful opportunities to participate in the HCHC family’s worship, theological learning and fellowship and for the chance to explore Boston’s rich history, diverse culture and natural beauty. Nikolas prays and hopes he may further his understanding and experience of our Orthodox faith at HCHC in order to faithfully bear witness to His Divine Love and Gospel to future generations, ever thankful to God for His countless blessings and infinite mercy.
Dn. David Hostetler
Dn. David Hostetler was raised by parents who are officers in The Salvation Army—a protestant church that was founded by a Methodist preacher in the 19th century. He met his wife, Nora, while he was serving in the U.S. Navy and through her became familiar with the Greek Orthodox Church. The Church opened her arms and he was received into Orthodoxy in August 2000, four months before his first son was born.
The decision to pull up stakes and follow this calling was a gradual one. His father is a clergyman, and some folks thought that he might follow him into The Salvation Army. He sometimes felt like he was running away from his calling. But now it seems that he was not so much running away from his calling as he was running into God’s plan and purpose for his life. He still does not know what God has in store for him, but he finally feels as if he is in the right place. He was ordained to the diaconate on August 22nd, 2010 and serves at St George’s Church in Lynn, MA while he finishes his last year at the seminary.
Stella Hondros
Stella Hondros is attending Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Theological seminary where she is earning her Masters of Divinity Degree. Raised in Atlanta with her three sisters, she has served as a counselor for youth retreats. A couple summers ago, Stella served as a counselor for the summer program on campus called CrossRoad, which is designed for high school juniors and seniors to pursue their vocation as orthodox young people. She enjoys serving the Church and is looking forward to serving full time when she graduates.
