Recognized as a pioneer in theology and psychology, Kyriaki A. Karidoyanes FitzGerald has dedicated herself to advancing the fields. She is considered one of the first female theologians in the U.S., and one of her main goals is to pave the way for more women to succeed in the industry. She also wants to make a difference in the lives of others and help them through various hardships. To achieve her goals, Dr. FitzGerald is currently serving as a psychologist and pastoral counselor in her Massachusetts-based private practice, as the co-founder and executive director of Saint Catherine’s Vision, Inc., and as an adjunct professor of theology at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Her relationships with the organizations began in 1999, 2000, and 2006, respectively.
Prior to this, Dr. FitzGerald garnered experience in roles like psychologist and addictions psychotherapist at the Gosnold Counseling Center, where she worked with people in recovery from various addictions and/or mental health concerns and created and implemented summer spirituality and addiction recovery psychotherapy groups, and theological consultant to the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. Her achievements with the latter include designing and implementing two international women’s conferences on behalf of the Orthodox Church in Syria and Turkey, editing and producing the book, “Orthodox Women Speak,” and consulting on programs and initiatives pertaining to faith and order. Dr. FitzGerald has also worked at the Paloma Christian Center for Psychology in Switzerland, St. Vladimir’s Seminary in New York, the Worcester Pastoral Counseling Center in Massachusetts, the Andover-Newton Theological School, and the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, among many other organizations.
To further spread her reach, Dr. FitzGerald has written and edited a wide variety of publications over the years. She has been translating the only reliable work in English on the ordination of women since the 1980s, and has published articles in Origins, The Anglican Theological Review, The Journal of Ecumenical Studies, The Greek Orthodox Theological Review, Ministerial Formation, and Ecumenical Trends. Additionally, Dr. FitzGerald was notably the editor for the “Encountering Women of Faith: The Saint Catherine’s Vision” book series, the author of “Persons in Communion: A Theology of Authentic Relationships” and “Women Deacons in the Orthodox Church,” and the co-author of “Living the Beatitudes: Perspectives in Orthodox Spirituality.” Her monograph, “A Call for the Rejuvenation of the Ministry of the Ordained Deaconess: Addressed to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the Secretariat of the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church,” was presented at the 2017 Bose Monastery Consultation on Women in the Church in Mongano, Italy, and was praised by the Metropolitan Seraphim of Zimbabwe and Angola for being an important and valuable resource. That piece was created in collaboration with Saint Catherine’s Vision.
Dr. FitzGerald prepared for her endeavors by earning a Bachelor of Arts in the Pre-Theology Seminary Program at Hellenic College in 1977, an advanced studies certificate from the School of Theology at Aristotelian University in 1979, a Master of Divinity at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 1980, and a PhD from Boston University in 1985. She also became a licensed psychologist and health services provider in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a fellow of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
When Dr. FitzGerald isn’t working, she enjoys sports, walking her German Sheppard, and swimming.