Source: patriarchikoidryma.gr
CONFERRAL OF AN ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICE ON MR. VASILIOS ANAGNOSTOPOULOS
On August 28, 1994, Vasilios Anagnostopoulos, Emeritus Professor of the Holy Theological School of Halki (former member of the Board of Directors), was honored by His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople with the ecclesiastical office (offikion) of Teacher of the Church.
CONFERRAL OF AN ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICE ON MR. GEORGIOS PATRONOS
April 2014
The office of Archon Teacher of the Gospel of the Great Church of Christ was conferred upon Georgios Patronos, Emeritus Professor of the University of Athens (former member of the Board of Directors).
The investiture of the new Archon of the Throne took place yesterday afternoon at the Church of Saint Marina in Ano Ilisia, attended by former students and academic colleagues of Professor Patronos. Representing Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Metropolitan Nathaniel of Kos bestowed the office upon Professor G. Patronos in a ceremony held at the conclusion of the evening service of the Great Compline. The Patriarchal Letter was read by Archimandrite Symeon Voliotis, General Episcopal Vicar of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens. The ceremony concluded with the proclamation in honor of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Source: dogma.gr
CONFERRAL OF AN ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICE ON MR. IOANNIS LAPPAS (Former Chairman of the Board)
Thomas Sunday, May 27, 2014
On Thomas Sunday, May 27, following the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin in Papagou, Metropolitan Sotirios of Pisidia, at the recommendation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, formally invested Ioannis Lappas, Doctor of Theology, as Archon Teacher of the Gospel of the Great Church of Christ, in accordance with ecclesiastical tradition.
This high distinction was awarded by the Patriarch “through his personal Patriarchal favor and goodwill” to honor and reward Mr. Lappas for his zealous and devoted service in the missionary fields of the Church in the Far East.
It should be noted that Mr. Lappas was not only an active member and Chairman of the Board of the Patriarchal Foundation of the Far East Mission for many decades, but also a professor at the St. Nicholas Orthodox Theological Seminary in Seoul. Many of his students continue to serve today as priests in Korea, the Philippines, India, and Indonesia.
Source: Holy Metropolis of Pisidia
CHRYSANTHI CHALKIOPOULOU
Mrs. Chrysanthi Chalkiopoulou is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Patriarchal Foundation of the Far East Mission. Her presence in the Foundation is particularly significant because her family history is inseparably linked with the history of Orthodox missionary work in the Far East, especially in Korea.
Mrs. Chalkiopoulou is the niece of the Greek military chaplain Archimandrite Andreas Chalkiopoulos, the priest who heard the confessions of the soldiers of the 3rd Company before the legendary Battle of Hill Harry (June 17–18, 1953) during the Korean War.
Greece’s participation in the Korean War (1950–1953) rekindled interest in Orthodoxy in Korea.
More specifically:
“Through the efforts of this priest, Orthodoxy found its way back to Korea. The history of Orthodoxy in Korea began in 1900, when the Patriarchate of Russia sent a missionary delegation. Difficult years followed, including the persecution of Orthodox Christians by the Japanese, who had occupied the peninsula.
In 1953, after the end of the Korean War, the Greek Expeditionary Corps restored the Church of St. Nicholas, which had been destroyed during the war, through the initiative of the Greek military chaplain Archimandrite Andreas Chalkiopoulos. At the same time, the Orthodox community of Seoul was reorganized.
The Greek clergy of the Expeditionary Corps sought, as much as possible, to support the Orthodox Koreans. They resumed celebrating the Divine Liturgy in Seoul and began searching for the native Orthodox population. Through a fundraising effort among Greek military personnel, St. Nicholas Church was renovated, and Orthodox Koreans gradually returned to Seoul. The first Divine Liturgy in the restored church was celebrated on November 29, 1953, by Archimandrite Andreas Chalkiopoulos.
Subsequently, the Orthodox community considered the Korean Boris Moon (Moon Yi-Han) the most suitable candidate for the priesthood. Born in 1910, he attended the Orthodox Mission School. Although he had not received formal theological education, he diligently fulfilled his duties through personal study. He was deeply devout, never absent from church services from a young age, and actively participated in all church activities. For many years he served as assistant and secretary to Fr. Alexios Kim, a prominent Orthodox clergyman who ministered in Korea before the 1950 war, and he was well acquainted with church affairs.
However, for Boris Moon to be ordained, he needed to travel to Tokyo, where the nearest canonical Orthodox bishop to Korea was located. In 1954, there were no diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, and Koreans were not permitted to leave the country. A way therefore had to be found to get Boris Moon to Tokyo.
Archimandrite Andreas Chalkiopoulos, chaplain of the Greek Expeditionary Corps, intervened with the American military. Disguised as an African-American U.S. soldier, Boris Moon was included in a group of Marines traveling to Japan and reached Tokyo aboard a U.S. military transport aircraft, accompanied by Fr. Andreas.”
