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Born in New York City in 1961 to John
and Magdalene Kourounis, the Most Reverend Evangelos Kourounis
attended the Greek-American parochial schools of St. Eleftherios
and St. Spyridon in New York City. He enrolled in Hellenic
College, in Brookline, Massachusetts from which he graduated
in 1983 and then continued his studies at Holy Cross Greek
Orthodox School of Theology graduating in 1986 with a Masters
of Divinity Degree. In 1988 he attended the Ecumenical Institute
of Bossey of the University of Geneva, Switzerland from
which he received a Cerificate of Ecumenical Studies.
He was ordained to the Holy Diaconate
February 1, 1987 and to the Holy Priesthood on July 30,
1989 by Bishop Philotheos of Meloa. His Eminence Archbishop
Iakovos elevated him to the rank of Archimandrite on March
30, 1991. He served as Deacon to the Orthodox Center of
Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambessy, Geneva in 1987-1988,
as Deacon to Archbishop Iakovos and Assistant Director of
Archives of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in 1988-1989.
From August 1989 until September 1993 he served as Assistant
to the Dean of St. Demetrios Cathedral in Astoria, New York.
He served as Chancellor of the Diocese
of New Jersey for six years from 1993-1999. He served as
Director of the Registry of the Archdiocese from 1996 to
2001, and as President of the Spiritual Court for the Archdiocesan
District from 1996 until April 2003. The Holy Synod of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate unanimously elected Metropolitan
Evangelos on April 12, 2003, on the recommendation of the
Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese of America.
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His Eminence Metropolitan
Evangelos of New Jersey
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The “Mega Minima” (Official
Declaration of the Election) was read on May 9, 2004 at
the Archdiocesan Chapel of St. Paul. His Eminence Archbishop
Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America,
assisted by other hierarchs, ordained the Very Reverend
Archimandrite Evangelos Kourounis to the Episcopacy on Saturday,
May 10, 2003 at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
The Enthronement or Installation of the Metropolitan of
New Jersey took place on Sunday, May 11, 2003 at the Cathedral
of St. John the Theologian, Tenafly, New Jersey.
Metropolitan Evangelos succeeds Metropolitan
Silas and Bishop George of New Jersey. With the new Charter
granted to the Archdiocese by the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
the Diocese of New Jersey, which was established in 1977,
was elevated to a Metropolis. Therefore, Metropolitan Evangelos
is the first hierarch enthroned as Metropolitan of New Jersey.
The Metropolis is comprised of fifty-three
parishes in New Jersey, the Greater Philadelphia area, Delaware,
Maryland and Virginia. Archbishop Demetrios stated: “I
am sure that by the Grace and strength from God, the new
Metropolitan of New Jersey will prove to be a true imitator
of our Good Shepherd Jesus Christ and will lead the devoted
flock of his God-saved Metropolis to ‘springs
of living water (Rev. 7:17).’” |
