New York, NY - His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, has announced that Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos, has assumed several responsibilities at the Archdiocese effective September 1st.

Bishop Dimitrios, 60, will be the Archdiocese liaison to International Orthodox Christian Charities(IOCC) and the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC). He will also be responsible for the Ecumenical Affairs Office, the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) and Home Missions.

Archbishop Spyridon ordained Bishop-elect Dimitrios (Couchell) of Xanthos to the episcopacy at St.George Cathedral, Philadelphia, on Sunday, May 31, l998. He was elected by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on May 18th.

A native of Greenville, SC, His Grace attended Northwestern University and graduated from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 1963. He has been executive director of the St. Photios Foundation in St. Augustine, FL since 1981 and executive director of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center since 1984. He began working for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in 1964, initiating the campus ministry program. He went on to serve as Executive Secretary of the Campus Commission of SCOBA; president of SYDESMOS, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth Organizations, and from 1971-81 was English editor of the Orthodox Observer.