A Message from Fr. Alexander
This is my personal site, and its theme is “In God’s Hands.” I can’t tell you how blessed I am to welcome you. May God, the Holy Spirit, utilize this effort for His gracious purposes, in participation of His Great Commission directive! ”And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching … St. Matthew 28:18–20. It is abundantly clear that world events have changed the way we live today. Now more than ever we must make prayer and fellowship an integral part of our day. I believe that God will bless each one of us praying for those facing various trials, tribulations, calamities, and spiritual and physical ailments. Please feel free to post comments, or make prayer requests for someone in need. May the peace and strength of our Lord and Savior be with you in this earthly journey in His Image and Likeness! Yours in Christ, Fr. Alexander.
Biography
Fr. Alexander J. Kurien is a senior priest of the Indian Orthodox Church and a member of the Senior Executive Services (SES) of the United States Government in Washington, D.C.
Fr. Alexander came to the United States of America after completing high school (pre-degree) from Bishop Moore College. He is the youngest son of Koshy Kurien and Pennamma Kurien of Kadackal House, Pallipad, near Haripad.
Upon completing Bachelor of Arts in religion and business, Master of Philosophy, and Master of Divinity, he was ordained as a deacon in 1983 by late His Grace Philipose Mar Theophilos of the Mumbai Diocese and late His Grace Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios of the American Diocese. On June 28, 1987, he was ordained to priesthood for the Kottayam Devalokam Chapel by late His Holiness Baselius Mar Thoma Mathews II in the blessed presence of His Holiness Baselius Mar Thoma Mathews I, late His Grace Mathews Mar Epiphanios, and late His Grace Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios.
He served at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church of Tampa, Florida during the first two years after his ordination. In 1989, he was appointed as the officiating priest of St. Thomas Orthodox Church of Baltimore, Maryland, and St. Gregorios Orthodox Church of Greater Washington, D.C., and became the vicar of both in 1990. After serving 18 years as the vicar of St. Gregorios Orthodox Church of Greater Washington, where he acquired a church campus consisting 4.5 acres of land and church facilities in 2000, he took a sabbatical from the day-to-day administration of the parish in 2007.
He has conducted religious services in over 50 countries and had official meetings with Holy Patriarchs of Russian Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox Church in Constantinople and Jerusalem, Georgian Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Church, Syrian Orthodox Church from Damascus; and the Archbishop of the Albanian Orthodox Church in Tirana, Albania. He continues to enjoy his ministry and serving various parishes in close coordination with and under the guidance of the Metropolitan of the North East American Diocese of the Indian Orthodox Church, His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos.
Fr. Alexander leads a well-balanced spiritual and secular life. In addition to the theological studies, he has completed Master of Business Administration in Finance, Master of Science in Strategic Planning, Chartered Financial Analyst, Fellow of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, Counselor of Real Estate Valuation, Certified Business Valuer, and Member of the Appraisal Institute.
He has served as the Director of the Office of Strategic Planning at the United States Department of State in Washington D.C for 16 years. In September 2014, he was appointed as the Deputy Associate Administrator of the Office of Asset and Transportation Management within the Office of the Government-Wide Policy. As the Deputy Associate Administrator, he is responsible for developing and implementing effective government-wide policies and guidance to provide a structured framework for agencies to achieve economical and effective management processes for government assets policy program areas, including aircraft and motor vehicles, personal property, real property, transportation, mail, passenger travel, and relocation allowances and entitlements. This Office also manages several interagency committees to promote best practices, transparency, and accountability, and provides advice for establishing and managing Federal advisory committees, as mandated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
He has over 33 years of multi-year long-range strategic planning, transactional, and consulting experience in international real estate with over $120 billion in real estate transactions and consulting in over 147 countries on five continents. His expertise includes oversight and commitment to federally-directed management requirements for the government’s real properties, which includes developing and implementing effective policies, operating and maintaining federal assets in the right condition at the right cost, disposing of excess and underutilized properties, and obtaining “best value.”
He is married to Anna (Ajitha) of Kallelil house, Karthikapally, and they have been blessed with three children: Alyssa, Natasha, and Elijah.
He says his priesthood began by answering the call; not only the call to enter seminary, but to keep answering that call every day of my life. For him, being a priest has been an awesome honor and responsibility. Personally, the ordination was not an end but a beginning to grow in new ways. According to Achen, growth can be exciting and painful, and has met these opportunities with an openness of mind and heart. He has embraced the human condition and challenging circumstances with the eyes of my faith. To be of service to His people, a channel of God’s grace has been the heart of his ministry. Nothing gave him greater joy than to have served His people, especially at a significant or difficult time in their lives when they were at a crossroad.
His family and friends helped put everything in proper perspective. Ajitha, his dearest friend, and wife for 25 years, their beloved children Alyssa, Natasha, and Elijah have kept him rooted in who he is, sometimes quite pointedly. His father, late Koshy Kurien, who planted in him a strong Christian faith based foundation and his father-in-law, late Varghese Mathew, who guided him to become a strong leader as well as excel in everything, are the heroes of his life. The spiritual guidance and shepherding of his spiritual fathers, the Elder Archimandrite Amilianos of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras on Mount Athos in Greece and Very Right Reverend Archimandrite Dionysios of the Sacred Monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross have been invaluable.
While priesthood called him to reveal God’s presence to others, he also knew that God always stood before and behind and beside him. Therefore, he has never acted alone and never relied entirely on his own attributes. He is so grateful to God, Blessed Holy Virgin Mary, all holy saints, Diocesan Metropolitan, his wife and children, and friends for being his strength and refuge. He asks for your continued love and prayers.