Athenagoras (Anastasiadis)

He graduated from primary and secondary school in Chicago, after which he entered the Greek Theological School of the Holy Cross in Brooklyn. In 1959, in his first year, he transferred to the theological faculty of the University of Athens , where he graduated in 1965 with a master 's degree in theology.

On December 19, 1965, he was ordained deacon with the name of Athenagoras in honor of Athenagoras the Apologist , patron saint of Athens , Patriarch of Constantinople.

In 1966, he was appointed Secretary of the Bishop of Rodostolk Timothy (Haloftis) , who manages parishes in Canada, and served as a deacon in Toronto.

July 21, 1967 at the Church of St. George in Toronto, was ordained to the presidency , after which he served in the Church of the Holy Trinity in London , Ontario, Canada.

In 1970-1973, rector of St. Nicholas Church in Ann Arbor , Illinois . At the same time he was writing a thesis at the University of Michigan , which he successfully defended in 1973, received a master's degree in Russian literature .

On August 14, 1973 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite , after which he served in New York , then was the protosynkel of the Diocese of Chicago of the American Archdiocese of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

He played an important role in the founding of the Orthodox Student Fellowships and was the first national coordinator of the Greek Orthodox Young Adult League in 1975.

From 1976 to 1978, he served as head of the St. Caralambia Temple in Niles, Illinois.

From 1979 to 1982 - rector of St. Nicholas Church in Flushing, New York.

On August 22, 1982, at Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York, he was ordained bishop of Dorily, vicar of the American Archdiocese .

He represented the American Archbishopric at numerous secular and religious events as a vicar bishop. Served as Secretary General of the Permanent Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of America . He was the official representative of the archbishop at the National Council of Churches , and also served as the national coordinator of the three main dialogues between the Orthodox Church in America and the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches. In 1987, in the presence of many cardinals and Roman Catholic hierarchs as well as many Orthodox hierarchs in America, Bishop Athenagoras was a guest at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City to celebrate the 1200th anniversary of the Seventh Ecumenical Council .

As the vicar bishop of the American Archbishopric, he led Greek Orthodox parishes in Connecticut and upstate New York, and also served as overseer at St. Basil's Academy in Harrison, New York.

In 1995, he explored the possibility of founding a new Hong Kong Metropolis and helped its organization.

After the creation of the Panama and Central American Metropolis , by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople on December 2, 1996, Bishop Athenagoras was unanimously elected the first Metropolitan of Panama. The intronization took place in January next year.

At that time there were only three priests and three communities, consisting mainly of Greeks - in Mexico, Panama and Venezuela, but soon the spread of Orthodoxy among the indigenous peoples living on the territory of the metropolis. According to Metropolitan Athenagoras, “you cannot raise a stone in Greece - you will find the relics of saints, martyrs, the righteous or fighters for the Orthodox faith everywhere ... Latin America is experiencing its Pentecost now, these days and years” ^[1]

On August 31, 2005, his department was renamed to Mexican.

• List of living bishops of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople

• His Eminence Metropolitan Archbishop Athenagoras on the website of the Mexican Metropolitanate
• George aneste