By the grace of God, and at the hands of Their Graces Bishop Makarios, Bishop David and Bishop Karas, and in the presence of clergy members representing the Coptic, Eritrean, Ethiopian, and Armenian Churches, Nicholas Siniari, Ecumenical Officer of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of New York & New England, was elevated to the rank of Deacon with the name of Gebre-Kristos Nicholas on April 29th, 2017 at St Anthony Coptic Orthodox Church in Medford, NJ.

In addition to his duties as Ecumenical Officer of the Diocese of New York & New England and with the Secretariat of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches, Deacon Gebre-Kristos Nicholas will continue in a service he has been a part of for the past several years, working with the youth and young adults of the canonical Eritrean Orthodox Diocese of North America. Deacon Gebre-Kristos Nicholas hold an MA in World History from Rutgers University and an MA in Applied Orthodox Theology from the University of Balamand and is planning to pursue his PhD in the near future.  He is married to Crystal Siniari, who is presently pursuing her own MA in Applied Orthodox Studies.  Their abiding passion is for the spread of the Orthodox Faith in North America, most particularly among English-speaking converts.