Aphrodite Skeadas

Immigrating to America at age five with her parents and siblings from Lakonia, Greece, Aphrodite recalls her Yiayia praying daily in a mountain chapel to our Most Holy Theotokos. As a child and young adult Aphrodite attended the Prophet Elias Church, Yonkers, NY where she married Peter James Skeadas. She received her Philoptochos “basic training” at the Church of Our Savior, Rye, NY while raising their two young children Constantina and Nicholas and serving as Secretary and as President of the Rye Philoptochos Chapter.

Having been appointed by His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos of blessed memory to the National Board of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Aphrodite has uninterruptedly served on the National Board since then. She has served as National Philoptochos Assistant Treasurer, National Philoptochos Treasurer and National Philoptochos President of the Society. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America appointed Aphrodite as Protocol Officer of the National Philoptochos Society for the 2020-2022 term.

Aphrodite participated on several pilgrimages to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, most recently last year under the leadership of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros. In 2014 on the Apostolic Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, she represented the Society at the historic Papal/Patriarchal meeting of His Holiness Pope Francis and His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew. In 2013 she accompanied the Philoptochos stewards to the Phanar on the Philoptochos Pilgrimage to Constantinople for an audience with His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew. In 2008 His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios led a delegation to Moscow to meet with Patriarch Alexy II of blessed memory where Aphrodite represented the National Philoptochos Society. Aphrodite currently serves as Communications Chair of the newly established Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation.

Embracing the values of our Orthodox Christian teachings close to her heart, Aphrodite has served the underprivileged and the disenfranchised through the noble Philoptochos ministry for over 40 years. She feels supremely blessed for the opportunity to collaborate with her Philoptochos Sisters for the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.