Francis Maria Scholarship

The 2024 Francis Maria Scholarship being offered for adults and young adults in good standing in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. Applicants must be a U.S. or Canadian citizen entering any of the first four years of an accredited undergraduate college or university.

This year, we increased the amount of the award to $10,000 per student to help meet the challenges of high tuition costs. With this Premier Scholarship, we hope to encourage more Orthodox young people to seek higher education becoming stronger, well-educated, Orthodox Christian leaders.

Application Instructions: Complete the following pages Forms A, B, C and provide all requested materials. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Do not send resumes, photos, or letters of recommendation. Only use the pages provided. Give Form D, Pastor’s Evaluation, to your Priest. All materials must be received by May 10th, 2024.

Include the following material:

• Student and Parent Information Form (Form A) Parents fill out the financial section showing total income for both parents. This form must include all 3 signatures.
• Church and School Activities Form (Form B) Important Page: Carefully list your church service involvement and community activities.
• Short Essay (Form C) The Essay is your opportunity to tell us about your faith.
• Pastor’s Evaluation Form (Form D) The Pastor’s Form must be signed and sent directly from the Pastor of your Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese parish. If the applicant is the son or daughter of the Pastor, have Form D filled out by your Father Confessor or another Orthodox Priest.
• Official Grades and Test Scores High School students must send signed transcripts and college students must send College and High School transcripts directly to Scholarships@OrthodoxYouth.com. Be sure they include your SAT or ACT Scores. Canadian students who have not taken the SAT or ACT are exempt from this requirement.
• E-mail your completed Application to: Kh. Kathleen Purpura, Director. Do not send your application by USPS mail, overnight, registered, or certified mail. We will only accept applications sent to Scholarships@OrthodoxYouth.com. 

Through a generous gift of the Francis Maria Foundation for Justice and Peace, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America will once again grant several scholarships in the amount of $10,000 to students attending an accredited college.

Scholarships will be granted each July.

For the financial need section, which is worth up to 10% of the application, applicants will need to submit the page from their free FAFSA financial forms that show their Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Include this page with the application and be sure that the applicant and at least one parent sign that page.​

​Francis "Frank" Maria of Pump­kin Hill, Warner, N.H., who established the Francis Maria Fund for Justice and Peace, was born in Lowell, Mass., to Syrian Arab Christian immigrants. He earned a bachelor's degree from Boston University and did advanced work through the BU­/Harvard Extension Program. An English teacher and coach at Tewksbury, Lowell and Newton Schools in Massachusetts, he later served with the U.S. Marines, for which he developed leadership training programs during World War II. After the war, Mr. Maria was personnel manager for the Merrimack Manufacturing Co. and became known as an innova­tor and reformer. Later, he became an independent consultant and teacher, and undertook special assignments for government, industry and healthcare organizations.