Dr. Kyriaki Karidoyanes FitzGerald is an adjunct Professor in Theology at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA. She is also a licensed psychologist and certified pastoral counselor with an office in Sandwich, MA.
She is a co-founder of St. Catherine’s Vision, an association of women theologians and other lay leaders. This is an endorsed organization of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America.
Dr. FitzGerald received the Masters of Divinity degree (M.Div.) from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and a Certificate of Graduate Studies from the School of Theology of the University of Thessaloniki, Greece where she specialized in Dogmatic Theology. She received her doctorate degree (Ph.D.) from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Boston University majoring in Pastoral Theology and Psychology, with an emphasis in Liturgical Theology.
She also has taught courses in Theology, Pastoral Theology and Spirituality at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, the Ecumenical Institute in Geneva, Switzerland, for the clinical faculty of Andover-Newton Theological School and elsewhere.
Dr. FitzGerald represents the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople at ecumenical and inter-faith conferences. She has served on the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. On behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, she designed and facilitated two international conferences for Orthodox women in Damascus (1996) and Constantinople (1997). She served as the only Orthodox Christian from North America on the bilateral conversations with the Old Catholics probing the issue of the ordination of women. More recently, Dr. FitzGerald served on the International Orthodox-Jewish conversations in Jerusalem, Israel.
She is the author of Women Deacons in the Orthodox Church: Called to Holiness and Ministry and Persons in Communion: A Theology of Authentic Relationships. She edited, Orthodox Women Speak: Discerning the ‘Signs of the Times’, and Encountering Women of Faith: The St. Catherine’s Vision Collection, volumes 1 and 2. She co-authored with her husband, Fr. Thomas FitzGerald, the popular study, Living the Beatitudes: Perspectives in Orthodox Spirituality. Together with St. Catherine’s Vision, Dr. FitzGerald is presently helping develop a series of studies, writing retreats and theological conferences for women and men engaging the theme of Divine Compassion (i.e. the “eleos” of God), an issue at the heart of what it means to be a human person and a member of the Church.