Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA
During the October 2024 Assembly of Bishops meeting in Atlanta, Dr. Gayle Woloschak and Eric Namee received the first ever official recognition from the Assembly of Bishops for their dedication to Orthodox Christian Unity in the USA as lay leaders. Following their bestowals, the Executive Committee decided during their April 25, 2025 meeting to institutionalize an annual award: The Medal of Saint Theodora.
The Medal of St. Theodora is an annual award recognizing strong lay leaders of various backgrounds and fields who have contributed to the work and development of the Assembly of Bishops as well as Orthodox Christian Unity in general.
Saint Theodora convened the seventh ecumenical council and the Council of 879/880, which ended iconoclasm and preserved the unity of the Orthodox Church. As such, Orthodox Christian Unity is typically celebrated in conjunction with the commemoration of the restoration of icons on Sunday of Orthodoxy. Thus, Assembly of Bishops Sunday now coincides with the same and uplifts Saint Theodora as the patron Saint for the Assembly’s annual award.
The process for selecting the recipients is as follows:
- Annual public call for nominations.
- The AoB Secretariat evaluates the nominations and narrows the candidates down to two, one male and one female.
- The AoB Secretary presents the two candidates to the Executive Committee for approval.
- The Medal of Saint Theodora is awarded during the annual Assembly of Bishops meeting at the end of one of the liturgical services.
Candidates for the Medal of Saint Theodora possess the following attributes:
- Dedication to efforts that advance the mission of the Assembly of Bishops
- Commitment to cross-jurisdictional collaboration
- Exemplary in their professional field
If you would like to nominate someone to be a candidate for the 2025 Medal of Saint Theodora, please fill out the following form by July 31st: