Matushki Meet-Up:
Find Your Sisters!

Join us for the

Clergy Wives Track
DOS Pastoral Conference

February 4–6, 2026

This year, the Diocese of the South’s Pastoral Conference is excited to offer a dedicated track designed specifically for our Matushki! Join us for three days of fellowship, spiritual enrichment, and mutual encouragement.

We’ve designed these days to leave you feeling encouraged and supported in your ministry. Our goal is to strengthen bonds among clergy wives in the DOS and to beta test programming for the entire OCA through our partnership with the Office of Pastoral Life’s national Clergy Wives Ministry (CWM).

We acknowledge that without the provision of childcare, this initial opportunity may not be accessible to all matushki and for that we apologize. Our hope is to create similar intentional programming for matushki at our diocesan assembly this summer that will be more broadly accessible due to its robust and well-established children’s programming.

The Details

Why Attend?

If our churches are to thrive, we need healthy clergy couples. This diocesan gathering, already established as an annual time of refreshment for our priests and deacons, is the perfect setting for clergy wife care. Come experience a variety of activities—from fun and casual to meaningful and formal—that will help strangers become sisters.

Just Imagine…

The Matushki Meet-Up is designed to complement the theme of the Pastoral Conference and intersperse moments of fun and fellowship. Travel with your husband to Winston-Salem, NC and Holy Cross Orthodox Church to participate in pieces of the conference as well as matushka-only chats and excursions.

What to Expect

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Relationships

Form new and deeper relationships among clergy wives for mutual encouragement.

Belonging

Foster a deeper sense of belonging within the Diocese, forming relationships with our hierarchs, deans, and administration.

Marriage

Strengthen your marriage and sense of shared mission with your husband.

Innovation

This is a pilot program for the entire OCA that can be replicated at any diocesan gathering.

Schedule Highlights

Our schedule is a blend of intimate women’s gatherings, inspiring keynote addresses alongside our husbands, prayer, a field trip, and a meal with our bishops.

Day 1

Wednesday

Registration, Tour & Welcome: Chair Massage & Mimosa Meet & Greet!
Join Husbands for Conference Talk: Dn. Seraphim Rolin — Parish Growth: Are we ready?
Book Club: Discussion of our featured CWM “One Book One Sisterhood,” Joy to Serve by Juliana Schmemann (reading optional)
Evening: Catered Dinner (Prissy Polly’s BBQ in the Church Hall) followed by an optional Lady’s Lounge (Hotel Lobby)

Day 2

Thursday

Worship: Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Holy Cross with priestly ordination of Dn Sergio Lopez to the priesthood
Join Husbands for Conference Session: Panel Discussion — Parish Growth: Models, Missions, and Money
Guided Discussion: Mka. Carrie Foley — Drinking from the Firehose: Sharing stories of awe and joy in the midst of church growth
Evening: Matushki Dinner with the Bishops at a lovely restaurant in town, followed by casual fellowship with our husbands at Broad Branch Distillery near the hotel

Day 3

Friday

Outing: A coffee house debrief about our time together and visit to Historic Old Salem, a living historical Moravian village in Downtown Winston-Salem
Conclusion: Join husbands at Holy Cross for Closing Prayer & Travel Blessing

Registration

Please note: To attend this track, your registration is bundled with your husband’s registration and you will need to book your hotel room together. This link has also been made available on the Pastoral Conference landing page (be sure not to double-book; each couple should only submit ONE registration containing both of their details). Due to facility size, there are only 20 spots available for Mutushki; any registrations over that number will be put on a waitlist.

There is no cost for this event beyond hotel and travel expenses.

For any questions, please contact Mka. Carrie Foley at clergywives@opl.oca.org.