Home Church & Religion Archdiocese Mourns the Passing of Presvytera Nikki Stephanopoulos

Archdiocese Mourns the Passing of Presvytera Nikki Stephanopoulos

NEW YORK, NY –

Presvytera Nikki Stephanopoulos, 90, who served the Greek Orthodox church for decades, died at her home in Beachwood, Ohio on September 29, 2023. Her husband, Rev. Dr. Robert G. Stephanopoulos, was by her side.

Upon learning of her passing to the Lord, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros expressed the sadness and the appreciation of the Archdiocese stating: “Presvytera Nikki Stephanopoulos was a pillar of our Archdiocese for decades, and her passing into eternal glory is as much a loss for us, as it is a gain for her. I extend the deepest condolences of the Holy Eparchial Synod and the entire Archdiocese to Father Robert, an exceptional clergyman of our Church, and to her children and grandchildren. We shall always treasure her manifold contributions to our Church, and with a heavy yet grateful heart, we pray, may her memory be eternal”.

Archdiocesan Cathedral of The Holy Trinity, PRESVYTERA NIKKI STEPHANOPOULOS

The daughter of Andrew and Margaret Chafos from Rochester, Minnesota, Nikki graduated from Rochester High School and the University of Minnesota before moving to New York City with the Campus Crusade for Freedom. Then she met her future husband, a young seminarian, at a church youth convention, and they embarked on a shared journey of faith and family for more than sixty years.

The couple spent their first year in Athens, where Nikki edited the Athens Daily Post, before settling in their first parish — Saint Demetrios in Fall River, Massachusetts, where their four children were born. After eight years at the Church of our Savior in Rye, New York, they moved to Saint Constantine and Helen’s Cathedral in Cleveland for eight years. During that time, Nikki edited The Voice (a Greek-American newspaper in Cleveland) and was the founding editor of The Illuminator, the newspaper of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

In 1982, Father Stephanopoulos became the Dean of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City, and Nikki joined the Archdiocese, where she edited the Orthodox Observer and became Director of the Office of News and Information/Public Relations. During that time, she also served as the Orthodox press liaison in the Seventh Assembly of the World Council of Churches (Canberra, Australia, 1991), and the press officer for the visits of Ecumenical Patriarchs Dimitrios (1990) and Bartholomew (1997) on their visits to the United States. 

Archdiocesan Cathedral of The Holy Trinity, PRESVYTERA NIKKI STEPHANOPOULOS, FR. ROBERT STEPHANOPOULOS, NYC MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, FAMILY PHOTO WITH MAYOR BLOOMBERG

She also served as the editor of the LOGHIA magazine and the IOCC Newsletter (1992-94), and as the public relations director of Leadership 100 (1993-95).
Presvytera Stephanopoulos represented the Archdiocese and served in various capacities in many organizations including the National Interfaith Cable Coalition and National Council of Churches where she is a member of the governing board. She has also served in the boards of the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, the Garret-Medill Center for Religion and News Media, the Council of Churches of the City of New York and the organization Religion in American Life (RIAL).

She was the editor for various Archdiocese publications including Iakovos: The Making of an Archbishop (1996), Patriarch Dimitrios in the USA (1991), Tell the Good News…Public Information and Outreach (1991), the 30th, 35th and 37th Clergy-Laity Congress Albums, the Yearbook (2001-08) and various publications of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.

Presvytera Nikki Stephanopoulos, NYC, Archdiocesan Cathedral of The Holy Trinity

Upon her retirement in 2008, Archbishop Demetrios of America commended her “faithful and creative” work at the Archdiocese. “She has offered in an insightful and amiable way,” he said, “her service in the various tasks of the Church which needed her contribution, and she has been an excellent liaison with significant journalists in the New York area”.

Presvytera Stephanopoulos is survived by Father Robert, their four children, Mother Agapia, George, Marguarite and Andrew, her daughter-in-law Alexandra Wentworth, and her granddaughters Elliott Anastasia and Harper Andrea Stephanopoulos. Sharing their lives was her joy.

Funeral services will be held at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 3352 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Hts., OH on Monday, October 2, 2023 at 12 noon. A traditional Makaria luncheon will be offered at the Cathedral following the burial at Lakeview Cemetery. The family will receive visitors at the Cathedral on Monday, October 2 from 10:00 am – 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral Foundation.

Archdiocesan Cathedral of The Holy Trinity, PRESVYTERA NIKKI STEPHANOPOULOS, FR. ROBERT STEPHANOPOULOS, NYC MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
Archdiocesan Cathedral of The Holy Trinity, PRESVYTERA NIKKI STEPHANOPOULOS, FR. ROBERT STEPHANOPOULOS, AMBASSADOR MICHAEL SOTERHOS
Archdiocesan Cathedral of The Holy Trinity, PRESVYTERA NIKKI STEPHANOPOULOS, FR. ROBERT STEPHANOPOULOS
Archdiocesan Cathedral of The Holy Trinity, PRESVYTERA NIKKI STEPHANOPOULOS, FR. ROBERT STEPHANOPOULOS, ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS