As a Russian Orthodox Christian priest, the Rev. Greg Joyce knows a thing or two about spiritual guidance. “I care for the spiritual needs of my parishioners and others who ask me for help,” he says. “It is more of a way of life than a denomination.”
Joyce, who grew up in Houghton, Mich., received his bachelor’s degree from U-M’s School of Education (SoE). He attended the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, N.Y., the only orthodox Christian seminary in North America that still instructs primarily in Russian, before returning to Ann Arbor in 1996 to study for his master’s at SoE.
Photo by Austin Thomason, U-M Photo Services.
Joyce now is the process of completing his doctoral degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and has perfected the balance between the church, his education and his career as an administrative specialist for U-M’s Cardiovascular Center (CVC).
Combining areas of human resources, finance and IT support, Joyce helps the CVC in nearly every aspect, from interviewing a job candidate to advising an employee on his or her benefits, and from fixing a computer glitch to trouble-shooting a payroll problem.
“There is no such thing as a typical day,” Joyce says. “The daily novelty of the job is what I like best. I might not know what I will do on any given day when I walk through the door, but I know I will be engaged and that I will be helping people solve their problems.”
As both an administrative specialist and an Orthodox priest, Joyce knows how to lend a helping hand in different ways. “I am a better priest because of my work at the CVC, and I am a better CVC employee because of my work at the church.”
Joyce’s work as a priest at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Church in Dexter, helps him get positively involved with his parishioners’ lives. “Whether it be visiting the hospital after a mother gives birth to marrying a young couple to serving a funeral for one of our parishioners,” he says. “The priest is part of all major milestones of an Orthodox Christian’s life.”
His success as a priest, however, would not have been possible without the support of the CVC. “The CVC administrative team allows me the flexibility to fulfill my duties at the CVC, while also leading my parish,” he says.
Joyce’s private life is kept equally as busy with his family. “Keeping up with the activities of (three kids) is enough to keep one busy,” he says. But Joyce still manages to sneak away now and then. “When I can,” he says. “I like to play golf.”
In all of his endeavors, whether it is at St. Vladimir’s, the CVC or at home with his wife and children, Joyce hopes to help others in any way possible. “If people need my help and I am able to (help),” he says, “then I feel fulfilled.”
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