 Reverend Father Athanasios Gregory George was born on July 17, 1937, in Belvidere, IL. He is married to Demetra Jeanne (Xenakis). They have four children: Rebecca, Christina, Joanna, and Paul. On March 19, 1972, Athanasios (Tom) was ordained to the Holy Diaconate at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Detroit by His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Apameia. He served almost all of his Diaconate at the Sts. Constantine and Helen Church of Detroit.
On September 14, 1974, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Detroit by the late Bishop Demetrios of Olympos. On October 1, 1974, he was assigned by Archbishop Iakovos to the Presbyter of the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Flint, Michigan, where he served for twenty-one years. On October 2, 1983, Fr. Tom was elevated by Bishop Timothy of Detroit to the rank of Confessor and Steward (Oikonomos) and on September 28, 1986, to Protopresbyter at the consecration of the Assumption Church in Flint, Michigan. While in Flint, Fr. Tom instituted the annual Greek Festival and directed a $1.5 million dollar building expansion program which was completed in 1981. He was also instrumental in forming the Holy Cross Society, a Pan Orthodox cooperative endeavor which united the three canonical Orthodox parishes in Genesee County. Fr. Tom was also involved in ecumenical work. He was instrumental in the institution of the Apostolic Clergy Association comprised of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Byzantine Catholic and Anglican clergy. On October 1, 1995, he was appointed by His Grace Bishop Maximos of Pittsburgh (Locum Tenens of Detroit) to assume the position of Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral of Detroit from where he retired in September 2012. |