Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil
Our Community
Our Ecclesiarch
His Beatitude, the Most Reverend
Metropolitan JOHN GREGORY
In June of 2014, His Beatitude Metropolitan JOHN GREGORY with Saint Thomas the Advocate for Christ to the Forgotten co-founded the Convergent Catholic Communion, a progressive network of ministers, ministries and churches and was elected to serve as their Presiding Minister in October 2016. In 2018, His Beatitude was elected the first Presiding Bishop of the Convergent Catholic Communion, and in 2021, by consent and vote of the people, he was elevated to Metropolitan and Primate.
His Beatitude, the Most Reverend Metropolitan JOHN GREGORY serves as Eparch of the Eparchial Connexion of Saint John Chrysostom. His Beatitude Metropolitan JOHN GREGORY also serves as Rector of the Cathedral Parish of Solomon's Porch PHX, well as the Ecclesiarch for the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil.
Our Protos
The Reverend Father Deacon Uriel Patrick-Joan, obf – Originally from the southern charm of Georgia State to the serene landscapes of the Pacific Northwest in 2013, his profound spiritual journey led him to embrace different traditions along the way.
In 2015, he found a spiritual home in the Anglican Communion, where he was baptized and confirmed at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Seattle, WA. Before his transition to the Eastern traditions of the Church, Father Uriel Patrick-Joan lived a devout life as a habited Religious Brother within a Franciscan in the Order of Saint Francis within the Anglican Communion.
A significant turning point occurred on the Feast of Saint Patrick in 2019 when Father Uriel Patrick-Joan was chrismated into the Holy Orthodox Church in Toledo, OH, embracing the richness of Eastern Orthodoxy. Partnering with Father Matthew Christopher, he established the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil on the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles. Their shared vision was to continue their monastic callings and Religious Professions within the Eastern Christian Tradition. In a memorable ceremony at The Falls Retreat Center of Saint Miriam in May 2021, Deacon Father Uriel Patrick-Joan was commissioned to the Minor Orders of Cleric, Doorkeeper, Reader, and Exorcist.
A moment of great honor came in October of 2021, during the Hierarchical Visit of Metropolitan John Gregory. Both Father Uriel Patrick-Joan, obf and Hierodeacon Matthew, obf were tonsured as Stavrophore (life professed) to the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil.
The Commissioning to the Subdiaconate followed on March 20th, 2022, presided over by The Reverend Father Iakovos Athanasios in The Colony, Texas, reaffirming his dedication to his sacred duties and seminary studies with the Convergent Catholic Communion. Father Uriel Patrick-Joan was ordained to the Holy Diaconate on the Sunday the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 2023.
When not immersed in his spiritual pursuits, Father Uriel finds solace near water, indulges in the study of photography, eastern mysticism, and relishes in all things music.
Our Oikonomos
The Reverend Hieromonk Seraphim Titus, PM, obf - Of South Carolina, serves as Oikonomos-Administrator and Ecumenical Relations Liaison for the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil, as the Director of Ecumenical Affairs for the the Convergent Catholic Communion, and also serves Associate Pastor of Saint Bonaventure Parish in Summerville, South Carolina.
Our Abbot
The Reverend Father Matthew Christopher, OCR, obf - Originally from Washington State, Father Matthew is devoted to the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, emphasizing the universal love that calls us to love God and our neighbors above all else.
During his youth he discovered God's grace and love in his local Eastern Christian Church. This experience led him to be baptized and chrismated in the Antiochian Orthodox Church, marking moments when he first felt a monastic and clerical calling. Sadly, due to his sexuality, Christopher faced rejection from the Church he called home, which led him to take a 10-year hiatus from organized religion.
Later, Father Matthew found solace and acceptance in a local Episcopal parish known for its inclusiveness. He embraced the Anglican Communion, and during a moment of private prayer at his then parish, he vowed to God that if the compulsion to drink was eliminated, he would dedicate his life to the service of the Church. Father Matthew [and his husband] eventually became avowed Franciscans with the Order of Saint Francis within the Anglican Communion.
In his pursuit of theological education, Father Matthew Christopher and his family were received into an autonomous Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction in 2018, and with training under his Hierarch, he was subsequently ordained to the Diaconate on the Feast of Saint Patrick the Enlightener of Ireland in 2019. Seeking further theological education, Father Matthew, his husband, and their family relocated from Seattle to Toledo, Ohio, where they also established the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil in the winter of 2020.
On October 2nd, 2021, during the Hierarchical visit of His Beatitude, the Most Reverend Metropolitan John Gregory, tonsured Hierodeacon Matthew Christopher, obf and Father Uriel Patrick-Joan, obf as Stavrophore (life professed) monastics.
In February 2023, through the leading of the spirit, Father Matthew and his husband relocated to Phoenix, where in July he also serves the Associate Curate of Solomon's Porch.
By the Grace of God, Father Matthew has been living one day at a time since 10/23/2012.
Our Diaspora
As a dispersed Religious Community, we are blessed to commission and establish local diaspora houses and hermitages connected through our fraternal Vows to the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil. Our diaspora currently includes:
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Mother of God, Our Lady of Wildflowers Monastery - Mother House, Peoria, AZ
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The Skete Chapel of Saint Dymphna - Monastery Chapel of the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil, Peoria, AZ
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Saints Olympias and Kateri Conventual House, Snohomish County, WA
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Orthodox Hermitage of Saint Ioánna tis Loraínis, Pacific Northwest
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Protecting Veil of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Blessed Mary Hermitage, Lowcounty, SC