Former Priests

We remember the beloved priests who have served our parish, and we thank them for their dedication, sacrifice, and spiritual guidance.

1.  Fr. Dean Gigicos 1965-1970
2.  (not clear)
3.  Fr. Anthony Photius Pentikis 1971-1974
4.  Fr. Michael Rymer 1975-1983
5.  Fr. Peter Salmas 1983-1988
6.  Fr. George Patides 1988-1989
7.  Fr. Cyril Loeb 1989-1992
8.  Fr. George Bessinas 1992-1996
9.  Fr. Dean Kouldoukis 1996-2002
10.  Fr. Nicholas Gamvas 2002-2006
11.  Bp. Anthimos of Olympos 2007
12.  Fr. Demetrius Dogias 2007-2008
13.  Fr. John Angelis 2008
14.  Fr. John Kuehnle 2008-2013
15.  Fr. Alexander Leong 2013 to present (See dedicated page, "Our Priest".)
 
 
 

Fr. John Kuehnle  2008-2013

Fr. John Kuehnle was born on Long Island, NY and raised upstate in Corning, NY. He received his BA in French and Spanish from SUNY Albany (1976).

Raised as an Episcopalian, he realized as a teenager that the Episcopal Church’s teachings just didn’t “add up,” and began exploring alternatives. Following graduation from university, he encountered Orthodox Christianity and was chrismated in December of 1976.

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Fr. John Angelis  2008

Fr. John Angelis was born in Greece in 1937, immigrating to the United States in 1956. He graduated from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary in 1962; from Harvard Divinity School in 1965; and from the Graduate School of Theology of the University of Thessaloniki in 1966. He has served parishes in the Mid-West, the Northwest and Southwest of the United States during his 53 years of Church ministry. Fr. John has published “Ink and Pen” (poems) and “Spiritual Meditations for All Seasons.”

Fr. John is married to Anna, and God has blessed them with three children and five grandchildren. He is now semi-retired although very active in service to communities throughout the Metropolis of San Francisco.

 

Fr. Demetrius T. Dogias  2007-2008

The Rev. Father Demetrius T. Dogias was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on 9 March 1939, to Thales and Mary Dogias, both of whom were originally from the island of Andros, Greece. In September of that year the family moved to Poughkeepsie, New York, where Father received his primary and secondary education, and which he considers his hometown.

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Bp. Anthimos of Olympos  2007

On November 19, 1934, George Draconakis was born to Nicholas and Kalliopi in Kastelli, Meramvellou, Crete. He attended school in his village until going to Neapolis for public high school. Then in 1951, he entered the prestigious Patriarchal Theological School in Halki, Constantinople. Graduating Cum Laude from this sacred institution in 1956, he immediately began working at the Ecumenical Patriarchate under the direction of the late Patriarch Athenagoras.
 
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Fr. Nicholas V. Gamvas  2002-2006

Place of Birth: Fitchburg, MA

Seminary: Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline MA, Class of 1979

Professional Degrees: A.A., B.S., M.S., (Biology); M.Div., (Theology); Diploma-(Greek Education); D. Min. (Clinical Psychology); Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology)

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Fr. Dean W. Kouldukis  1996-2002

(BIO PENDING)

 

Fr. George Bessinas  1992-1996

The Rev. Fr. George Bessinas is a native of Veria (Βέροια), Greece. Upon graduation from high school in 1982, he came to the United States as a foreign exchange student. He continued his studies and in 1987 earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Seattle Pacific University, in Seattle, WA. In 1987, he enrolled in the graduate program of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA. In the spring of 1990, he earned his master's of divinity degree and in the fall of the same year, he was ordained to the holy priesthood. Fr. George is married to Presvytera Chrysanthie (Zografos) Bessinas, a native of Houston, TX, and they are the parents of three sons and a daughter, Nicholas “Niko”, Christopher, Andreas, and Sotiria. Fr. George’s parents reside in Veria, and his brother with his family in Thessaloniki, Greece. Presvytera Chrysanthie’s mother resides in Houston, TX and her sister with her family in Katy, TX.

 

Fr. Cyril Loeb  1989-1992

The Very Rev. Archimandrite Cyril Loeb, a priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, fell asleep in the Lord on September 4, 2010. He was 72.

Father Cyril was born Edwin Martin Loeb on March 29, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. Son of the late Carl and Ruth Loeb, he spent his early years on Chicago's North Side where he was active in Boy Scouts of America, earning the rank of Eagle Scout in 1952. He graduated from Senn High School and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois.

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Fr. George Patides  1988-1989

"I have been teaching for quite a number of years, even before I retired from being a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church (22 years). (From another source: "Fr. George N. Patides requested to be laicized in a letter to Metropolitan Alexios dated May 13, 2005.") My Bachelor's is in Philosophy and Religion from Hellenic College in Brookline, MA. My first Master's program was at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, also in Brookline, where I received a Master's of Divinity. The Master's of Education program I was in was at Northern Arizona University (M.Ed. in Counseling and Human Relations)." 

 

Fr. Peter Salmas  1983-1988

Fr. Peter Salmas was born and reared in Southern California and attended Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Northridge, California. Following high school, he attended and graduated from Hellenic College with a bachelor of arts in Sociology in 1971 and a master of divinity from Holy Cross Theological School in 1974.

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Fr. Michael Rymer  1975-1983

(BIOGRAPHY PENDING)

 

Fr. Photius Pentikis  1971-1974

The Very Rev. A. Photius Pentikis was a devoted servant of the Lord for nearly 70 years, always maintaining the highest standards for his priesthood in the many parishes he served,” noted Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco. “I had the opportunity to be with Father Photius this past September and was always uplifted by his genuine spirit.”

Fr. Photius was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 16, 1922, to James and Thespina Pentikis and lived there with his family until he completed high school.

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Fr. Dean Gigicos  1965-1970

Fr. Dean Gigicos was born in Troy, Ohio on February 15, 1941. He attended public school and graduated from Troy High School in 1959. His parents, George Chris Gigicos and Anna Kiriakou Gigicos owned and operated Mayflower Maid Candies.

Fr. Dean is a 1965 graduate of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Theological School. Upon his graduation, he moved to Denver, Colorado where he served as lay assistant, Youth Director and Greek School Teacher at the Assumption parish of Denver, Colorado. He also attended University of Denver School of Theology.

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