New York, September 29, 2020
Archimandrites Timothy, John, and Spyridon
The Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America held a regularly scheduled meeting yesterday, discussing a number of issues, including the elections of several new bishops for the Archdiocese.
According to the Archdiocesan report, the Synod reaffirmed its commitment to informing the public about “the crucial matter of the conversion of Hagia Sophia to an Islamic Mosque, which causes pain to every good-willing and civilized person, regardless of their religious background or ethnic origin.”
Its last matter of business was the election of 3 auxiliary bishops. The motions to elect Archimandrite Spyridon Kezios as an auxiliary bishop for Archbishop Elpidophoros, Archimandrite John Constantine for Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, and Archimandrite Timothy Bakakos for Metropolitan Nathanel of Chicago were validated.
According to the GOA Charter and Regulations Regarding Auxiliary Bishops, when a ruling hierarch requests an auxiliary bishop, he submits a list of three possible candidates to the Eparchial Synod, including his preferred candidate. The GOA Eparchial Synod then submits the list to the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Having received these lists of candidates for the 3 positions, the Eparchial Synod resolved yesterday to send them to the Synod in Constantinople with a petition for the canonical elections to be considered.
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Archimandrite Spyridon Kezios served as the parish priest at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Northridge, CA, from 1960 to 2004. Under his care, the parish grew from a mission to a community of more than 1,200 families. He founded the St. Nicholas parochial school, and established a home for boys and two Greek Orthodox senior citizen housing developments. He was also assigned as chaplain to the Los Angeles police department. He was also active in helping the Albanian Church after the fall of communism.
Archimandrite John Constantine was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in 1991 and was elevated to the rank of archimandrite in 1995. He served as a naval chaplain and in a number of parishes. In 2002, he was appointed as the Metropolitan of San Francisco’s vicar for southern California. On June 1 of this year, he was appointed Chancellor of the Metropolis of San Francisco.
Archimandrite Timothy Bakakos was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in 1980 and was elevated to the rank of archimandrite in 1984. He has served a number of parishes within the Metropolis of Chicago. He served as a chaplain for the Illinois Department of Mental Health for 10 years, and has served on a number of Church committees. Last August, he was appointed Chancellor of the Metropolis of Chicago.
