Executives of the OCF

Below are some brief descriptions of the 2008-2009 OCF organizers. The whole executive team is really happy to be involved in OCF and excited about getting the year started. At this time, there is also one vacant executive position, that of the Director of Finance. If you are a student, alumni, staff, or faculty at the University of Toronto and you think you would like help us manage our budget and organize a fund raiser, we would like to hear from you! Drop us a line at ocfuoft@gmail.com .

President: Nikita

I’m a third year Computer Science major at UTM, the Mississauga Campus of U of T. I belong to Christ the Saviour Orthodox Cathedral, where I serve as a parish council member, webmaster, Reader, choir member, and general jack of all trades. In my free time I like to go squirrel-watching, read about Canon Law, do all sorts of weird stuff on my computer (sometimes it results in useful things being produced), and listen to a myriad of assorted types of music. By the end of my life I hope to achieve the modest goal of speaking every language on earth, but if not, then at least French.

Director of Events: Nicholas Wheeler

My name is Nicholas Sivulka Wheeler, and I am a first-year doctoral student in the Centre for Medieval Studies in the University of Toronto. I took my undergraduate degree in History from Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C. The son a Carpatho-Russian family (on my mother’s side) from Cleveland, Ohio, and baptized there, I am a communicant of the Orthodox Church in America; my past spiritual homes have included the OCA St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, the ROCOR Hermitage of the Holy Cross and St. Panteleimon in Wayne, West Virginia, and the former Sourozh-diocese parish church of the Annunciation in Oxford, England. Being a graduate student in a fairly arcane discipline, I hope one day to teach … ; and in the meantime I volunteer, sing (badly) in choir, speak French (badly) whenever the occasion happens to present itself, haunt Hart House Library, and generally get myself into trouble about town. Cheers!

Director of Marketing: Suzi Dumitrescu

I’m currently in the first year of my Masters of Arts in Linguistics, and thoroughly enjoying being a grad student! This is my second year at OCF, and I’m really excited to work with the other execs, with our Chaplain, and get to know all our members. My background is Romanian, but I currently worship in Fr. Nicholas’ English-language OCA Mission (coincidentally called St. Nicholas). When I’m not studying linguistics intensively in school, I like to read pop theology (my favourite author is Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, aka Bishop Kallistos Ware, aka Timothy Ware), pop linguistics (especially Steven Pinker) and fiction (anyone have any good recommendations?). I also like to cook non-fussy foods and desserts.

Chaplain: Fr. Nicholas Young

A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Father Nicholas Young was born in 1969 and grew up in Toronto. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a Honours Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English Literature and Russian Studies.

He began attending Christ the Saviour Cathedral (OCA) from 1990 where he sang in the choir and served as a Reader for many years. Obeying the call to priestly service, Fr. Nicholas began theological studies at St. Tikhon Theological Seminary and graduated with a Masters in Divinity with distinction three years later.

Fr. Nicholas was ordained to the deaconate by Metropolitan Herman in May 2006 and to the Holy Priesthood by then-Bishop Seraphim in October 2006. Currently, Fr. Nicholas is the priest in charge at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Mission, which, blessed by His Eminence Archbishop Seraphim, celebrated its first Divine Liturgy on November 12th 2006.

Father Nicholas is also the official Orthodox Chaplain at the University of Toronto, and started the Orthodox Christian Fellowship there in the Fall of 2007.