SAN FRANCISCO, CA –
The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco celebrates over 100 years of ministry on the West Coast with a magnificent black-tie Gala held at the Westin St. Francis on Union Square, 335 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA on Saturday evening, October 28, 2023.
The Gala honors the Metropolis’ fourteen ministries, the extraordinary leadership of the Hierarchs who have served the Metropolis over the past century and celebrates the presentation of the 2023 Theofanis Economidis Award to His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco.
According to a press announcement by the Metropolis of San Francisco, “the ministry of Metropolitan Gerasimos has been marked by his proactive and visionary leadership, initiating programs such as Family Wellness, Clergy Continuing Education, Orthodox Parish Leadership, Missions and Evangelism, Greek Language and Culture, Stewardship, Church Music, Christian Education, and expanded Youth and Young Adult ministries, among others. The Metropolis is a thriving center of resources and programs designed to enrich the work of our parishes, support our clergy in their ministries, and provide for the spiritual, educational, and cultural enrichment of our faithful”.
“Throughout his broad and diverse ministry over four decades, His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos has emphasized our connection to the Archdiocese and our Mother Church in Constantinople, with the guiding message that the unity of our faith is of the utmost importance for the growth of the Church”, the statement adds.
George and Christine Psefteas are the Gala Co-Chairs.
Beginning in 1885 the first Greek immigrants who arrived in San Francisco worshipped in a Russian Orthodox church. Some of the earliest priests of the region travelled far and wide to minister to the needs of the faithful due to a lack of sufficient clergy.
While the Greek Orthodox Christians founded the first parish in San Francisco in 1904, the Archdiocese was established in 1922. San Francisco was one of the four original Districts, which comprised parishes in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Sacramento, CA, as well as Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, Pueblo, CO, Price and Salt Lake City, UT.
Since its founding, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco has demonstrated the enduring power of devotion and the transformative impact of faith in Jesus Christ. Its faithful have nurtured the seed planted in the soil of the West Coast to become a thriving and vibrant vineyard of Christ’s Gospel and they are united by their unwavering commitment to the Orthodox faith and their love for each other.
As our journey unfolds, the Metropolis will continue to support the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Ecumenical Patriarchate as a shining light, guiding its faithful to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Over the past century, the Metropolis of San Francisco has established itself as a vibrant center of Orthodoxy which includes 67 parishes and two chapels in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
There are also three dynamic monastic communities in Florence, AZ; Dunlap, CA; and Goldendale, WA.
Comprised of 1.2 million square miles of land and water, the Metropolis of San Francisco is one of the largest territories in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which is under the spiritual guidance and jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Eight hierarchs have served the Metropolis of San Francisco over the past 100 years: Bishop Philaret (Ioannides) of Chicago, [1922 – 1927], locum tenens for San Francisco, Bishop Kallistos (Papageorgakopoulos) of San Francisco, [1927 – 1931], Bishop Eirineos (Tsourounakis) of San Francisco, [1941 – 1944], Bishop Athenagoras (Kokkinakis) of Elaia, [1950 – 1954], Bishop Demetrios (Makris) of Olympus, [1955 – 1967], Bishop Meletios Tripodakis of Christianoupolis, [1967 – 1979], Bishop Anthony (Gergiannakis) as Bishop of San Francisco, [1979 – 1997], as Metropolitan of the Dardanelles [1997 – 2002] and as Metropolitan of San Francisco, [2002 – 2005] and since 2005, Metropolitan Gerasimos (Michaleas) of San Francisco serves as the spiritual leader of the region.
The Gala first began in 2013 and has been a source of funding support for the expansion of the San Francisco Metropolis ministries.
