Demetrius (Cushell)

Born in a family of Greek immigrants. He began his primary education in Spartanburg , South Carolina, then spent most of his primary and secondary education in Schenectady , New York. He graduated from high school in Spartanburg. After one year of study at Northwestern University, he was transferred to the theological school of the Holy Cross, which he graduated in 1963 with a bachelor of theology.

After a year of graduate studies at Yale School of Theology in New Haven , Connecticut, he worked at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archbishopric of North and South America for the next 17 years in various positions.

During his work in the archdiocese, he was involved in the development of the Orthodox Campus Ministry program under the auspices of SCOBA and served as its executive director. Part of this ministry included the publication of Concern, a quarterly journal for Orthodox college students. For seven years, he visited more than 1,000 student campuses throughout the United States and initiated ties with the national Student Christian Federation, the World Student Christian Federation, the Syndesmos World Orthodox Christian Brotherhood. At that time, there were more than 100 heads of Orthodox Christian Fellowship from US universities, an annual National Conference for students of Orthodox colleges was convened.

In 1971, he was appointed to the position of the first English editor of the new bilingual weekly archbishopric of the Orthodox Observer. He served in this capacity until 1981.

In 1981, he was appointed Archbishop of America Jacob (Cucusis) Executive Director of the new St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida.

March 20, 1983 was ordained deacon by the Bishop of Atlanta, John (Kallos) with the name of Demetrius. June 26, 1983 in St. Augustine was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Jacob of America at Pentecost. The date was not chosen by chance: the 215th anniversary of the landing of the first Greek colony on the North American continent in St. Augustine was celebrated. On the occasion of the consecration of the chapel at St. Fotiev’s National Shrine, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite by Archbishop Jacob.

In January 1985, he was appointed to serve simultaneously as the executive director of the newly created Orthodox Christian Mission Center, which was originally based on the St. Photius National Shrine. In this position, he oversaw the construction of a new mission center building and initiated key programs, including sending the first Orthodox missionary groups to Africa .

On May 18, 1998, by unanimous decision of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, he was elected titular bishop of Xanthos, vicar of the American Archbishopric.

On May 31, 1998, at the Cathedral of St. George in Philadelphia, he was ordained a titular bishop of Xanthos, vicar of the New York Metropolitanate. The consecration was performed: Archbishop of America Spiridon (Papageorgiu) , Metropolitan of Tiana Paisius (Lulurgas) , Bishop of Meloy Philotheus (Karamitsos) , Bishop of Apamea Vincent (Malamatenios) . On June 23, 1998, his intronization took place.

Bishop Demetrius moved to New York and was appointed Ecumenical Fellow of the American Archbishopric of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, as well as the Secretary General of SCOBA . In his final capacity, he oversaw various SCOBA initiatives, such as the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) and the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). He also initiated the annual Evening Service, held in New York for staff and delegates from the United Nations , co-sponsored by SCOBA and the Permanent Conference of Eastern Orthodox Church Hierarchs. He served for several years as acting chief secretary of the Holy Diocesan Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

Bishop Demetrios retired at the end of 2006, but nevertheless remained a special consultant in the Department of Inter-Orthodox Orthodox and Ecumenical Relations of the American Archbishopric. Lives in St. Augustine, Florida.

• List of living bishops of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople

• orthodoxwiki: Dimitrios (Couchell) of Xanthos
• Εκπληξη και συγκίνηση τους προκάλεσε η εκλογή τους από την Ιερά Σύνοδο. Πρωϊνή - 20 Μαϊου 1998
• Επίσκοπος Ξάνθου κύριος Δημήτριος. 23-06-1998. (Greek)
• http://www.antiochian.org/node/23589