The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople elected unanimously on May 5, 2014 the Very Reverend Archimandrite Cleopas Strongylis as the Metropolitan of Sweden and All Scandinavia, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website reports. The Metropolitan-elect served as Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral in Boston since 2009, and before that served as pastor of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell, Massachusetts from 2004 to 2009.
On a personal note, I have been a life-long member of Lowell's Holy Trinity Church -- viewed as the most beautiful Greek Orthodox Church in the world by many church architects -- and I was friendly with Metropolitan-elect Cleopas while he was its pastor. Moreover, I attended church services at Boston's Cathedral a few times since 2009, and he still remembered my name.
His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America upon the announcement of the election stated: "We congratulate His Grace, Metropolitan-elect of Sweden and All Scandinavia, Cleopas Strongylis on his election and wish him strength and grace from above as he will shepherd parishes in Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be always with the newly elected Metropolitan in his diakonia." (The Greek-derived word "diakonia" may be defined as "ministry" or "service.")
Metropolitan-elect Cleopas was born in Athens in 1966. In 1994 he graduated summa cum laude from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, with a Master's degree in Sacred Theology. In 1996 he was awarded a Doctorate of Theology from the Theological School of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki in Greece.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment