Oakland's Fr. Zeferis Elevated to Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne

Following the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy at Ascension Cathedral in Oakland, California on March 1, 2023, Fr. Athanasios (Tom) Zaferes was elevated to Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros. His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco and His Grace Bishop Ioannis of Phocaea concelebrated the Liturgy with the Archbishop.

Addressing Fr. Athanasios, Archbishop Elpidophoros remarked on his longtime service to the Church, saying, "You serve our Church for many, many years, with love, with devotion, with faithfulness, and with good fruits from your ministry."

In his remarks, Fr. Athanasios said, “For our Archbishop to make this journey out here to the West Coast… [it] was so that he can hear from us....We have to be thankful that we have such an Archbishop that is so willing to serve this Archdiocese in a way that will help us not only grow in numbers, which is always a good thing, but to deepen our Faith.”

Also in attendance at the Service were the Consul General of Greece in San Francisco, Mr. Socrates Sourvinos and the Honorary Consul of Cyprus in San Francisco, Mr. Nicolaos Theophanous.