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Metropolitan Gerasimos was born in Kalamata, Greece to Nicholas
and Anastasia Michaleas. Upon successful completion of his elementary
and secondary school education in Greece, he immigrated to the United
States. In 1970, he enrolled at Hellenic College in Brookline,
Massachusetts, where he received his B.A. with High Honors in 1973. That
same year, he was admitted to Holy Cross School of Theology, where he
completed his M.Div. Degree in 1976 with High Honors.
In 1977 he joined the administration
of Hellenic College/Holy Cross, serving as Registrar until 1979. During
his tenure in this post, he organized and updated the Registrar’s
Office, creating the Office of Admissions and Records for the school.
He was ordained to the diaconate in
1979 and was called to serve as Archdeacon to His Eminence Archbishop
Iakovos, a position he held until 1996. Concurrently, he was appointed
Dean of Students at Hellenic College/Holy Cross from 1980 until 1999. As
Dean, he created the “Orthodox Actionline,” the first Archdiocesan
telephone ministry directed towards those who do not have substantive
ties to the Church. Eventually, this ministry became an official part of
the Office of Field Education at Holy Cross.
Also during his tenure as Dean of
Students at Hellenic College/Holy Cross, he became centrally involved in
the success of various programs benefiting future priests of the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America and their families. Specifically, he
organized and monitored programs that evaluate and assist individuals at
Hellenic College/Holy Cross with development in both their emotional and
spiritual growth. These programs have been modified to suit the needs of
the institution’s current student population.
In 1984 he enrolled in the Master’s
Degree Program in Counseling and School Psychology at Boston College.
After receiving his degree in 1986, he entered the doctoral program. He
received his Doctorate in Counseling and School Psychology in 1993. His
doctoral dissertation is titled, “Intellectual Deficiencies in a
Substance Abuse Population.”
While maintaining his position as
Archdeacon and Dean of Students, he was appointed a member of the staff
of the Outpatient Clinic of the V.A. Medical Center in Boston, a post he
held until 1996.
In 1998, he became Director of
Admissions and Records at Hellenic College/Holy Cross. In 2000, he
became Administrative Assistant to the Rev. Nicholas Triantafilou,
President of Hellenic College/Holy Cross, a post he held until he was
elected Bishop of Krateia by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate in December of 2001. He was appointed by His Eminence
Archbishop Demetrios as Chief Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod of
the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. As Chief Secretary, he
assisted the Synod in the promulgation and realization of its decisions.
In the area of academic achievements,
he taught courses in Psychology at Hellenic College, as well as courses
on Teleturgics at Holy Cross. Since 1985, he has been Senior Lecturer in
the field of Personality and Psychology at Northeastern University,
University College. The University Press of America published his
dissertation in 1994. He is the author of a number of articles published
in periodicals in the area of psychology, and is a member of the APA
(American Psychological Association) and the ACA (American Counseling
Association).
On February 22, 2005, the Holy and
Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate selected him to be the new
Metropolitan of San Francisco. On April 2, 2005, His Eminence Archbishop
Demetrios of America will preside over the Enthronement Ceremony at the
Ascension Cathedral, Oakland. Metropolitan Gerasimos will celebrate his
first Divine Liturgy the following day, April 3, 2005, at the
Annunciation Cathedral, San Francisco.
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