Scholarship Page

Scholarships from Antiochian Orthodox Benefactors

2023 Metropolitan Antony Bashir Memorial Scholarship: High school and college students (undergraduate students, only) from the Diocese of the Midwest are encouraged to apply. Up to four $1,000 scholarships will be granted; entering college and undergraduate students are encouraged to apply by June 1st, 2023.

St. Athanasius Online Academy Scholarship for Clergy Families

2023 SOYO Metropolitan Philip Youth Worker Scholarship

Francis Maria Scholarships, 2023

Through a generous gift of the Francis Maria Foundation for Justice and Peace, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America will once again grant several scholarships in the amount of $5,000 to students attending an accredited college.

Scholarships will be granted each July.

For the financial need section, which is worth up to 10% of the application, applicants will need to submit the page from their free FAFSA financial forms that show their Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Include this page with the application and be sure that the applicant and at least one parent sign that page.

Francis “Frank” Maria of Pumpkin Hill, Warner, N.H., who established the Francis Maria Fund for Justice and Peace, was born in Lowell, Mass., to Syrian Arab Christian immigrants. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and did advanced work through the BU/Harvard Extension Program. An English teacher and coach at Tewksbury, Lowell and Newton Schools in Massachusetts, he later served with the U.S. Marines, for which he developed leadership training programs during World War II. After the war, Mr. Maria was personnel manager for the Merrimack Manufacturing Co. and became known as an innovator and reformer. Later, he became an independent consultant and teacher, and undertook special assignments for government, industry and health care organizations.

Named by President Eisenhower to the U.S. delegation for the UNESCO general session in 1960, Mr. Maria served on numerous diplomatic, refugee relief and ecumenical initiatives.

Mr. Maria presided over the Federation (predecessor to Senior SOYO) Convention in 1950. He represented the Antiochian Archdiocese at the general assembly of the World Council of Churches in 1983 and served as a member of the Antiochian Archdiocese’s delegation to the National Council of Churches. He was a founder of the American Arabic Association (AMARA), and in 1981, he received its Distinguished Public Service Award. Metropolitan Philip presented Frank Maria the Antonian Gold Medal in 1993. The University of New Hampshire presented Mr. Maria an honorary doctoral degree in 1994.

Mr. Maria established the Francis Maria Fund prior to his death with a $100,000 donation. Following his death, the Francis Maria Foundation for Justice and Peace gave an additional donation of $125,000, bringing the current fund with interest earned to approximately $280,000. The Maria Foundation expressed its desire that 75% of the annual income from this Fund be used to grant scholarships to young people attending institutions of higher learning.

Those wishing to increase this scholarship fund may make donations to the Antiochian Archdiocese earmarked for the Francis Maria Scholarship Fund. For more information, contact Kh. Kathleen Purpura.

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Scholarships

Applications for two scholarships administered by the Department of Philanthropy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America are now available to students from Orthodox Churches affiliated with the Assembly of Bishops. The Malta Scholarship is for undergraduate studies, and the Paleologos Scholarship is awarded for graduate work of a non-theological nature. Each of these scholarships was established through generous gifts from dedicated Greek Orthodox Christians who wanted to provide financial assistance towards the education of young people from the Orthodox Christian community.

Applications can be downloaded from the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. For more information, please email [email protected]oarch.org. The deadline for submitting an application for these scholarships is May 20, 2023.

Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting Scholarship

The Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting offers two $1000 college scholarships each year to young men and women who have completed the highest award of their Scouting organization as well as the Alpha Omega religious award of the EOCS. Applicants must be seniors in high school; forms are due May 1. If there are obstacles to completion by that date and you wish to apply, please contact the chairman, Dr. M. E. Kotsonis.