Fr. Phillip Dage was received as a child into the Orthodox Church at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in 2000 with his family. After graduating from Wayne State University, Fr. Phillip spent a year and a half in Guatemala refining his Spanish vocabulary while serving the thriving Orthodox community in Aguacate. Witnessing the love for God of the indigenous Mayan people he served, it was there in Guatemala that Fr. Phillip first began to contemplate the path of ordained ministry. After returning home, Fr. Phillip worked as a high school teacher and was a dedicated member of Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral. In 2021, Fr. Phillip followed the calling and enrolled at St. Tikhon’s Seminary, graduating in the Spring of 2024. He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on Holy Theophany, January 6th, 2024.
Fr. Phillip was married to Matushka Veronica in June of 2023 and they welcomed their first-born son, Gabriel, the next year. Mtka. Veronica enjoys singing in the Church choir and has recently received training for church choral directing. She hopes to utilize her skills at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral. Fr. Phillip and his family are thrilled to serve the church community in which he first encountered the Orthodox Faith. Growing up in southwest Detroit, it is a great joy for Fr. Phillip to be able to serve the community that he was raised in as the Cathedral Dean.
Today, Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral serves a meal every Sunday to the whole neighborhood where everyone is invited, including the homeless, the impoverished, and those in need. As an inner-city church, Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral takes Christ’s command to love our neighbors seriously. God willing, we hope to expand our ministries, by offering Orthodox services in Spanish (the neighborhood around the Cathedral is predominately Hispanic) and by partnering with local schools to help the children.
Although not a mission parish, Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral is a missionary-minded congregation. We strive to bring the love of God beyond the walls of the Church and into the greater community. We invite you to help us in this holy work. Thank you for your prayers.
Share The Faith with Orthodox Christian Mission to America is a Pan Orthodox missional Priest fund to supplement with monthly stipends the income of Priests who work overwhelming bi-vocational hours, so they can dedicate more time to family and ministry and less time to secular work. You can bring relief to Fr Philip and other Priests like him by clicking the button below.
