Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony of San Francisco Dies Following Short Illness
AGGreen
Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony of San Francisco Dies Following Short
Illness
December 25, 2004
New York, NY - His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony, spiritual leader of the
Greek
Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, died today, December 25, 2004,
following a
short illness. Metropolitan Anthony was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma, a
rare form of cancer, in November. He was 69 years old.
In announcing the passing of Metropolitan Anthony of San Francisco, His
Eminence
Archbishop Demetrios of America, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in
America, deeply moved, issued the following statement:
"Today, at the evening of Christmas day, a very prominent and beloved
Hierarch
of our Church in America, Metropolitan Anthony of San Francisco, was called
by
Jesus Christ our Lord to leave this perishable world, and meet Him, and be
forever with Him in the company of the saints and the righteous. His life
epitomizes the statement by St. Paul the Apostle, 'If we live we live to the
Lord, and if we die we die to the Lord' (Rom. 14:8).
Deeply saddened by the sudden separation, we are comforted by the certainty
that
our beloved brother is with God, leaving behind a precious legacy of a total
dedication to Christ and His Church, an amazing episcopal work, a remarkably
strong love for the people, a burning passion for Orthodoxy, and a joy for
multidimensional ministry. We are sure that now the Holy Metropolis of San
Francisco has a permanent, strong ambassador to God in the person of her
departed Hierarch and we fervently pray for the repose of his soul among the
great saints and pastors of the triumphant Church in heaven."
According to Father Paul Schroeder, Chancellor of the Metropolis of San
Francisco, a Trisagion (Prayer) Service will be held at the Annunciation
Cathedral, San Francisco on Tuesday, December 28 and the Divine Liturgy and
the
funeral service will take place on Wednesday, December 29 at the Ascension
Cathedral, Oakland, CA.
Archbishop Demetrios will preside over the Divine Liturgy and funeral
service at
the Cathedral. In both services, members of the Holy Eparchial Synod will
concelebrate with the Archbishop, assisted by clergy of the Metropolis.
Metropolitan Anthony was enthroned as the first bishop of the newly-created
Diocese of San Francisco on June 7, 1979. He served as the Bishop and later
Metropolitan of San Francisco for over twenty-five years, overseeing the
western
states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and
Hawaii.
Metropolitan Anthony was born March 2, 1935 in the village of Avgeniki on
the
island of Crete, Greece, the third of six children, growing up during the
brutally difficult years of the Nazi occupation. He attended the
ecclesiastical
school of Chania, Crete; following graduation he entered the internationally
renowned Halki Theological School of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople, receiving his degree in Orthodox Theology in 1960. He was
ordained a deacon on July 27, 1958, and a priest on September 29, 1960.
After his ordination to the priesthood, he came to the United States to
pursue
graduate studies and serve the Church in this country. While serving as a
parish
priest, he earned a Masters of Divinity at Yale University and pursued
doctoral
studies in Contemporary Church History at the University of Chicago, and in
Russian and Balkan History at the University of Wisconsin. In 1974, he was
appointed Dean of the St. George Cathedral in Montreal, Canada, where he
remained until his elevation to the episcopacy on May 21, 1978. As titular
Bishop of Amissos, he served the Eighth Archdiocesan District in Denver,
Colorado, until his election as Bishop of San Francisco in 1979.
During that time, he was responsible for a tremendous expansion of
ministries
and programs, an unparalleled period of vitality and renewal. His tenure saw
the
founding of over twenty new parishes and missions in the Metropolis of San
Francisco, as well as the establishment of three monasteries. He was the
founder
of St. Nicholas Ranch, the Greek Orthodox Conference and Retreat Center
located
in the Sierra Nevada foothills. He was also the driving force behind the
construction of the Monastery of the Theotokos the Life-Giving Spring on the
premises of St. Nicholas Ranch.
Metropolitan Anthony of San Francisco developed the annual Metropolis Folk
Dance
Festival into the largest exhibition of authentic Greek folk dance, costume,
and
music in the world. Together with the Metropolis Philoptochos, he created
the
Bishop Anthony Student Aid Endowment Fund, a multi-million dollar
scholarship
account providing funding for seminarians and students from the Metropolis
to
attend Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline,
Massachusetts. He served as a member of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the
Archdiocese of America. He proved a source of inspiration for countless
thousands, not only Greek Orthodox faithful, but also religious and civic
figures who recognized in him a great leader and a true man of faith.
wewonyou...@hotmail.com
AGGreen
<wewonyou...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1104264169.6...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
We won, you lost. Ha! Ha!
liberal stuff! True Orthodoxy does not compromise itself with
spiritually dead liberals like you or that other dead guy. Good
riddance!
Alexander Arnakis
<wewonyou...@hotmail.com> wrote:
The above screed has very little to do with Christianity, of whatever
stripe.
Rule one is that we don't speak ill of the dead. If you can't think of
anything nice to say, don't say anything.
But then you don't really believe what you write, do you?.....
We won, you lost. Ha! Ha!
break! LOL!!!
AGGreen
"Alexander Arnakis" <inv...@address.none> wrote in message
news:bnl9t0hus11h6aq91...@4ax.com...
***I've kill-filed this sick-o.
Alexander Arnakis
<wewonyou...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>LOL!!! Arnakis the heretic spouts crap about Christianity? Give me a
>break! LOL!!!
I venture to say that I'm more of a Christian than you are.