Father
Matthew Garrett
Rev. Matthew Garrett was raised in the Orthodox Faith with a great appreciation for icons. At 14 years old, his father arranged for him to spend the summer working for Philip Zimmerman at the St. John of Damascus Icon Studio at the Antiochian Village. Father Matthew quickly grew enamored with the process of painting icons, and spent much of his free time over the next several years reading about icons, looking for interesting prototypes to paint, working at the studio, as well as painting at home.
Since his graduation from St. Vincent College in Latrobe PA, Father Matthew has set up a studio and continued to grow as an artist and to develop his own style. He prefers complex compositions, and the challenge of bringing harmony to the many details. His work ranges from larger than life size murals to postage stamp-size icons.
For more than twenty years he has widely exhibited his work and given lectures on iconography, and his work can be found in many churches and private homes in the US and abroad. In addition, Father Matthew has been teaching iconography workshops since 2010.
Father Matthew has also served the Church as a chanter, Sunday School teacher, and Parish Council Chairman. In 2009, he moved to Boise, ID and married his wife Lisa. On November 13, 2011 Matthew was ordained to the Diaconate by +Archbishop KYRILL of San Francisco to serve at Saint Seraphim's Orthodox Church (ROCOR) in Boise ID. In 2018, Father Matthew was ordained to the Priesthood by +Bishop Irenei of Richmond and Western Europe at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Seattle. He continues to serve at Saint Seraphim's Church as an assistant priest. Father Matthew and his wife have three children.