Fr. Pedro Sarsamă

Fr. Pedro Sarsamă is a third-year seminarian at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and a member of the graduating Class of 2026. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where he grew up at St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Cathedral. He met his wife, Matushka Keely, in Cleveland, and together they began their family there. God has since blessed them with five children, ages 12, 10, 7, 5, and 9 months. In Cleveland, they attended St. Luke Antiochian Orthodox Church before moving near Matushka Keely's hometown in Wisconsin in 2017. There they became members of St. Matthew Orthodox Church in Green Bay, part of the OCA Diocese of Chicago and the Midwest, which later sent them to St. Tikhon's Seminary.

When asked about his path to seminary, Fr. Pedro explains that ministry among the homeless has been a central part of his life since the summer before his freshman year of high school, more than twenty years ago. Before seminary, and whenever possible during seminary, he has remained engaged in that work. His academic background includes broad studies in the liberal arts and humanities before earning a bachelor's degree in Economics. Professionally, he worked in the nonprofit social service sector, serving in roles that included grant writing, program evaluation, accreditation management, assisting with the operations of Ohio's largest public men's homeless shelter, supporting a vocational training program for incarcerated women preparing for release, and participating in other community initiatives. After moving to Wisconsin, he managed large-scale information technology projects for both a Fortune 500 company and the largest regional agricultural bank, directing multimillion-dollar project portfolios while also overseeing corporate community involvement initiatives. Outside of work, he enjoyed spending time with his family, community service, woodworking, painting, hiking, snowshoeing, and mountain biking.

Reflecting on his vocational journey, Fr. Pedro says that before moving to Wisconsin he began the distance-learning theological program through the Antiochian House of Studies. With the encouragement and blessing of his parish rector and the ever-memorable Archbishop Paul, he completed the program and served his parish in numerous capacities, including as an altar server, reader, youth educator, and organizer of remote parish education programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Archbishop Paul encouraged him to pursue residential seminary education in order to receive a fuller formation than distance learning could provide. With the blessing and support of his successor, Archbishop Daniel, Fr. Pedro and his family made the nearly 1,000-mile journey to St. Tikhon's two and a half years ago.

When asked what he loves about St. Tikhon's, Fr. Pedro says it is difficult to narrow his answer to just one thing. He explains that his family chose St. Tikhon's because of the unique relationship between the seminary and the monastery and the spiritual formation fostered through its fuller liturgical life. He says that this has become one of the greatest blessings of his formation. He also treasures the brotherhood among the seminarians and the broader community, relationships that have sustained his family through difficult times while making the joyful moments even richer.

He is equally grateful for the academic life at St. Tikhon's, where he says the faculty and administration have worked tirelessly to build an increasingly rigorous theological education grounded in the life of the Church. He especially appreciates the opportunity to study with Fr. Demetrios Harper, whose world-class theological training and advanced elective seminars have enriched his education.

Fr. Pedro concludes that all of these aspects of life at St. Tikhon's come together in what he describes as "a beautiful tapestry of formation," preparing him and his classmates to go forth as faithful stewards of Christ's holy Church.

When asked what he loves about St. Tikhon's, Fr. Pedro says: