The clergy who serve Saint Herman Church are dedicated to the preaching of the Gospel, the evangelization of every soul in the Mat-Su Valley (and beyond), and preservation of the Orthodox Christian faith as that treasure that was “once and for all delivered to the saints.” Jude 1:3
Very Reverend Father Matthew Howell
Fr. Matthew Howell is the pastor of Saint Herman Antiochian Orthodox Church in Wasilla, Alaska. He and his wife, Kh. Anastasia, have been married since 2005. They have five children and an array of animals on their hobby farm, including Nigerian dwarf goats, a miniature horse, chickens, rabbits, a barn cat and a dog.
He grew up as an altar boy at Saint Athanasius Antiochian Orthodox Church in Sacramento, California. He served as a deacon for two years at Saint John Orthodox Cathedral in Eagle River, Alaska, and has served continuously as pastor of St. Herman Church since the day of his ordination to the priesthood in 2013. In October 2024 he was elevated to the rank of Archpriest during the celebration of his parish’s 30th anniversary. In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, his ministries include working for Saint Athanasius College in program development, leading pilgrimages and mission trips, serving as a session priest for the Antiochian Village Camp’s Arch Week Program, and serving on the Orthodox Church Capital Improvement Fund executive board.
He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with majors in management and marketing from the University of Alaska Anchorage; a Master of Divinity from Saint Tikhon Orthodox Theological Seminary; and several units of Clinical Pastoral Education from Saint Athanasius College.
Reverend Father Deacon Thomas Ross (Retired)
Deacon Thomas Ross was ordained a deacon on April 1, 1987 at Saint John Orthodox Cathedral in Eagle River, Alaska by the hand of His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip Saliba of thrice-blessed memory as part of the mass conversion of the Evangelical Orthodox Church. He has served at Saint Herman Church in Wasilla since 2005, and continues to serve when and where possible even after his official retirement in 2018.
Dn. Tom has been happily married to his wife, Susan, and basks in the love of four children, many grandchildren, and now multiple great-grandchildren.
Right Reverend Bishop Anthony Michaels – Presiding Hierarch
His Grace Bishop Anthony lives in Los Angeles, California, and presides over the western region of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. He was born Richard Anthony Michaels on the feast day of St. Anthony the Great (1/17/56) to Anthony & Gertrude Michaels and was baptized at St. Symeon the Stylite Antiochian Orthodox Church.
in Ironwood, MI. He was raised with his sister, Joanne, and brother, Craig. Bishop Anthony’s father is Lebanese and his mother is Serbian. As a teenager, he was active in all varsity athletics at Ironwood High School, including as starting quarterback of the football team..
Bishop Anthony earned his B.A. in Literature, Science & the Arts, with a double major in History and English Literature. He graduated as valedictorian and earned a Master of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, NY. He has a reading knowledge of biblical Greek and is currently studying Arabic.
Bishop Anthony taught modern philosophy at Gogebic Community College in Ironwood., before becoming a pastoral assistant and youth director at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, for 2 years. He and fellow seminarian Fr. Patrick Kinder held positions of youth coordinators at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Akron, OH, while they toured the country giving concerts and retreats as part of the group KERYGMA. He also spent 2 years in Nashville, TN, at St. Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church in Franklin, TN, recording with Fr. Kinder and Fr. Michael Shanbour. His Grace has lectured extensively in North America, speaking to youth groups and church retreats for various jurisdictions beside his own.His Grace was ordained to the diaconate on 9/18/04, and to the priesthood on 9/19/04 at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in West St. Paul, MN, by the laying on of hands of Bishop Antoun. He was able to serve his home parish for 7 months before he was given his next assignment to lead the faithful of St. John Chrysostom Church in Fort Wayne, IN.Bishop Anthony inspired and oversaw the design and construction of the new church facilities in Fort Wayne. On the 6th anniversary of his ordination to the Holy Priesthood, he had the great honor of hosting His Eminence Metropolitan Philip for the consecration of the new church on 9/19/10, and he was also elevated to the dignity of Archimandrite by the laying of the hands of the Metropolitan. On 9/11/11, Bishop Anthony was consecrated as Auxiliary of the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest, for the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. The consecration took place at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in the Partriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand, in Balamand, Lebanon. His names day is January 17 (St. Anthony the Great).
Most Reverend Metropolitan Saba Isper – Archbishop of New York and North America
His Eminence, the Most Reverend Saba Isper, is the Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East and the Holy Synod of Antioch elected His Eminence to lead the Archdiocese during its extraordinary session on Feb. 23, 2023, in Balamand, Lebanon. Read more about Metropolitan Saba here.