The “Leadership Formation for Women and Girls in Lay Ministries” panel at the 2026 Clergy-Laity Congress brought together five leaders to discuss leadership pathways and active ministries led by women across the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The panelists presented examples of parish and metropolis leadership, music ministry, and outreach programs addressing domestic abuse, hospice care, grief support, homelessness, and poverty. The session aimed to encourage every parish to envision, develop, implement, and strengthen pathways to parish and ministry leadership that empower women and girls as active contributors to parish life.
Barbara Harris, founding board member of St. Catherine’s Vision and current St. Phoebe Center board member, moderated the panel, while the V. Rev. Dr. Stelyios Muksuris delivered concluding remarks. Panelists included Dr. Helen Theodoropoulos, Orthodox theologian, retired professor, and St. Phoebe Center board secretary; Joyce Spanakis, President of the Metropolis of Pittsburgh Philoptochos and former parish council president; Michelle Marie Kotsagrelos, retired educator, Metropolis Council member, and Vice President of the Metropolis Philoptochos Board; Elizabeth Hawkins, MDiv, senior staff chaplain at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and endorsed chaplain of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; and Amy Hogg, Protopsaltria at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Pittsburgh, co-host of A Sacrifice of Praise, and founder of the St. Miriam Byzantine Choir.
Spanakis, the panel’s first speaker, urged women to actively seek help and intentionally grow their networks. She emphasized the need to shift the traditional perception of Philoptochos away from simply being “in the kitchen” to recognizing it as an engine of structural work, strategic leadership, and high-impact philanthropy—ranging from local parish initiatives to major makarias (mercy meals). She challenged local chapters to connect fully to the national Philoptochos sisterhood rather than operating in isolation.
Kotsagrelos shifted the focus to the challenges women face directly at the parish level. Recalling her early days in parish governance, she described navigating an “old boys’ club” where she was initially one of only two women serving alongside 14 men. Kotsagrelos said women are too often relegated to background work, but she used that time to learn the inner workings of the church and what it means to be an effective leader. Her advice to women: “Just get involved and do it. Share your ideas.”
Kotsagrelos noted that this persistence benefits the entire community, observing that when women claim their space, the church as a whole grows because everyone becomes a true part of the body of Christ. She also called on church leaders to actively recruit rather than wait for volunteers to step forward. “We need to ask for volunteers,” she said. “When you see someone with leadership potential, explicitly ask them.”
The discussion turned to professional lay ministry with Hawkins, who described how chaplaincy work adapts to the individual needs of each patient—whether that involves coordinating Eucharistic support, praying at the bedside, or simply listening. Hawkins, who works in pediatric palliative care, often ministers to patients who are not Orthodox. She said she draws on her Orthodox values even as she adjusts her language to meet people where they are.
“My work is affirming a lot of grief with patients and family members feeling, ‘I didn’t think my life would look like this, but it does,’” Hawkins said.
She urged church leaders to open pathways for the next generation: “Encourage any young girl to be a leader just as you would a boy.” She said parishes should consider how to cultivate the gifts of every child, whether through athletic ministries or youth groups, and suggested offering free Philoptochos memberships to young girls and women to bridge the generational gap.
Hogg discussed her role in the musical life of the church. Despite building a Pan-Orthodox women’s choir, she said the path was difficult, citing experiences with bullying, sexist comments, and sexual harassment. She said meeting regularly with her priest and a therapist helped her find the confidence to continue serving.
Hogg said she does not believe her male peers are “ill-intentioned,” noting that because the chanting world has historically been dominated by men, they often don’t think to create women’s choirs or account for the mechanics of the female voice.
“It took many years to understand that women need to make space for other women,” Hogg said. “I’ve tried to create places where women can grow and feel supported.” She urged male leaders to ask women directly how to support them, noting that many are unaware of subtle discomforts—such as male chanters pitching hymns at a register difficult for women to join.
The session concluded with a powerful pastoral address from Fr. Stelyios, who closed the panel by challenging the audience to move beyond passive support and actively cultivate the structural and cultural transformations discussed by the speakers.
Fr. Stelyios closed the panel by urging attendees to move beyond passive support and actively pursue the structural and cultural changes discussed by the speakers. Attendees walked away with practical ways to foster and expand opportunities for women and girls to lead and serve within their own church communities and nurture vibrant ministries that respond to both spiritual and social needs.
