Orthodox Christians Welcomed Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos to Duluth

Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos was welcomed by Orthodox Christians to Duluth in a regional Church on March 5, 2017. He presided over the Liturgy at Twelve Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church. The event was attended by several parishioners from across northeastern Minnesota. This visit is a segment of an annual tour of 58 parishes in the Metropolis of Chicago, which is a division of six states. It is a 2,000 year old religion that uses first century, New Testament Greek including at the parish in Duluth. Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos shared a message of peace at the occasion, especially about the troubles faced by Christians in the Middle East.

He supports the Religious Freedom Resolution, and has also led the Divinity Liturgy at S.S. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Merrillville. He met with the state legislative leaders and parishioners from the Lake County during a reception to highlight the need to Support a Religious Freedom Resolution, which has been introduced in the 2017 legislative session.

Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos is a spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago. In 1992, he was ordained to the priesthood and in 1995 he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite by Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago. Since 1995, he served as an assistant and deacon to the bishop. Later in 2006, Demetrios was considered the Bishop of Mokissos, and in 2013 he was Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of Chicago.

Bishop Demetrios is the bishop of Mokissos of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago

Bishop Demetrios is a spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago. He was born to first generation of Greek-American, Christos and Merope Kantzavelos. While growing up he was an active participant in the Assumption Greek Orthodox Community. He received his graduate divinity degree with high distinction from Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1987. Later, he attended Chicago's Loyola University to pursue his post graduate doctoral work in the area of metaphysics.

In October 1989, Bishop Demetrios was ordained to the Diaconate. In 1992, he was ordained to the priesthood, and later in 1995, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite by Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago. Since 1995, he served as an assistant and deacon to the bishop.  On December 9, 2006, Demetrios was consecrated as the Bishop of Mokissos.

Bishop Demetrios established the Bishop's Task Force on AIDS, the first formal Orthodox Christian response to this pandemic in the western hemisphere. He has led many Hellenic organizations and cultural events, and is a regular contributor to publications in local as well as national media channels.