Fr. Aaron Warwick

ALMSGIVING AS MERCY GIVING

In his presentation, Fr Aaron will explore the three parables in Matthew 25: the parables of the ten virgins, the talents, and the sheep & goats. Matthew 25 is an important Gospel, from which the Orthodox Church reads on Judgment Sunday, as well as during Holy Week and the service of Holy Unction. These three parables are linked by a common theme - the impending judgment and the criterion for entrance into the Heavenly Kingdom - taking the mercy we first received from God and sharing and multiplying that with those in need. After providing a detailed exegesis to help us understand the context and meaning of the original text, Fr Aaron will then discuss the practical implications of these parables, and how we may find ourselves seated at the right hand with the sheep in Matthew 25’s concluding parable.

The V. Rev. Fr. Aaron Warwick serves at St. Mary in Wichita, KS. Father Aaron graduated with his Master’s in Divinity from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York, in May 2009. Father Aaron was ordained a presbyter by His Grace, Bishop Basil of Wichita, on May 6, 2007. He was elevated to Archpriest on September 12, 2021, by His Grace Bishop Basil.

During his seminary years Father Aaron served as a part-time assistant at the Antiochian Archdiocesan Cathedral of St Nicholas in Brooklyn, New York. He also served as a full-time assistant pastor at St Michael Orthodox Church in Louisville, Kentucky, between his seminary graduation and assignment to St. Mary. He is co-host to Teach Me Thy Statutes, a weekly podcast on the Ephesus School Network.

Prior to seminary, Father Aaron graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Accounting major) from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Between college and seminary, Father Aaron worked for the Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha as a corporate auditor. During that time he also served St. Mary Orthodox Church in Omaha as a chanter, youth group leader, and parish council member.