The Rev. Dr. John Palmer was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Graduating from Fredericton High School in 1999, he immediately enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts programme at St Thomas University (Fredericton) from which he graduated with first-class honours and distinction in Philosophy in 2003 on the strength of his Honours Thesis, 'Reason and Scriptural Revelation in Book I of Richard Hooker's 'Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity'. He went on to post-graduate studies at Durham University, where he produced an M.A. thesis entitled, 'Image and Analogy in Augustine's De Trinitate and the Dionysian Corpus', graduating in 2006. In 2007, Fr John moved to Thessaloniki, Greece and began doctoral studies in theology (specifically, homiletics) at Aristotle University immediately after completing Modern Greek studies at the School of Modern Greek Language. He was awarded the highest mark attainable, Arista, for his doctoral thesis, 'The Homiletic Work of Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh', in 2013.
Fr John was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in 2011, serving at St Anthony's Church in the Metropolis of Thessaloniki under the watchful eye of renowned Patristic scholar Fr Theodoros Zisis. In 2013 he returned to Canada, was ordained to the Holy Priesthood, and was assigned to the Holy Lady of Vladimir Mission (OCA) in St John's, Newfoundland, Canada, where he and his wife, Matushka Constantina, have served ever until October 2021.
A frequent invited speaker in broad circles, from parishes to university settings, Fr John has continued his scholarly work amid his pastoral obligations. Perhaps most notable is his translation and editing of 'Following the Holy Fathers: Timeless Guides of Authentic Christianity', a collection of Fr Theodoros Zisis' articles; his books entitled 'For Mind and Heart: St Nektarios as Teacher' and 'From Ashes and Ruin: Selections from the Writings of St Gennadios Scholarios'; and an article, 'St Kosmas the Aitolian (1714-1779) as an Educator'
For Mind and Heart:
St. Nektarios as Teacher
Author: St. Nektarios of Pentapolis
Translator: Rev. Dr. Fr. John Palmer
St Nektarios of Pentapolis (1846-1920) was both a careful student of the art of teaching and a tireless teacher. The present work aims to present and analyze his labors with the sphere of education as well as furnish translations of his core writings on the topic. By these means he is shown a strong proponent of the view that education is properly understood as formation of the whole person, rather than the simple imparting of information.