The Very Rev. Fr. Thomas Zain was born on May 12, 1967 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to George and Lorraine Zain. He is the youngest of four children. After high school, he attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI where he received two B.A. degrees in June of 1989, one in Marketing and the other for Russian Language. In the fall of 1990 he enrolled in St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary where he studied for two years. His final year was spent at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. It was there that he received his Master of Divinity Degree in May 1993. After completing his M.Div. degree Fr. Thomas studied Arabic language and Byzantine Music at the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology at the University of Balamand in North Lebanon from 1993-1994.

Fr. Thomas married Claudia Yacoub of Brooklyn, NY on May 28, 1994. He was ordained a deacon on July 3, 1994 by His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP and a priest on July 17, 1994 by His Grace, Bishop BASIL. He was assigned to St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church in Wilkes-Barre, PA in August 1994, and to St Nicholas Cathedral in August 1997. Fr Thomas and Claudia welcomed their first child, Simone Marie on October 1, 1997, their second child George Thomas on September 11, 2002 and their third child, James Elias on August 10, 2010. Father Thomas was elevated to the dignity of Archpriest by His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP of thrice-blessed memory on June 5, 2005. He was appointed the Vicar-General of the archdiocese on December 25, 2011 by Metropolitan PHILIP and continues to serve in that capacity under HIs Eminence Metropolitan SABA.

In addition to his duties at the Cathedral,  Father Thomas is the Vicar-General of the Archdiocese which is one of the two highest positions a  priest can hold in the archdiocese. In addition to being dean of the Mother Cathedral of the archdiocese, he assists the Metropolitan in the Archdiocese Headquarters in Englewood, NJ.  As Vicar-General, he serves as an officer of the Archdiocese and a member of the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees. In this capacity, his duties often include representing the Metropolitan at various inter-Orthodox functions and other ecumenical and cultural events in the Greater New York City area and elsewhere and is often involved in planning special events and functions for the Archdiocese.

Father Thomas serves as the chairman of the Department of Liturgics and the Department of Interfaith and Inter Orthodox Relations and co-chair of the Department of Statistics and Credentials. He also serves on several committees and departments of the archdiocese including ordination and seminarian reviews and the Department of Clergy Insurance and Retirement. He formerly taught the archdiocesan seminarians as a lecturer in pastoral theology, teaching Antiochian Liturgics at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, NY from 2003 until 2018. 2024 will mark Fr. Thomas' 30th anniversary of his ordination to the diaconate and holy priesthood as well as Fr. Thomas and Khourieh Claudia's 30th wedding anniversary.