The Very Reverend Father Theophilos P. Theophilos
January 19, 1922 – December 16, 2011

Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral, San Francisco
1971 - 1987

The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco has announced the passing of the Reverend Father Theophilos P. Theophilos, age 89, on December 16, 2011, following a brief illness. Father Theophilos fell asleep in the Lord peacefully, in the presence of his beloved family.

“We are saddened by the passing of Father Theophilos P. Theophilos (Theophilopoulos),” stated His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, as he presided over the a memorial service on Sunday, December 18, 2011 at the Annunciation Cathedral, San Francisco, where Father Theophilos served, with distinction, as its Dean, from 1971 until his retirement in 1987. “Father Theo has truly been a gift from God, to this community and to all the communities where he served, radiating the love of the newborn Christ for his people, for his family and, in a special way, for our young people, encouraging and leading them by example. I recall his beautiful smile, his devotion, and his humility,” His Eminence went on to say, recounting his first meeting with Father Theo in his home parish of the Holy Trinity, in Montreal, Quebec. “Father Theo was especially devoted to his family, with his Presbytera Zoe always at his side, along with his beautiful children, Peggy, Peter, Ioanna and Constantine, his 11 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, who were gathered around him, chanting the Paraklesis Service, just before he fell asleep in the Lord. Our heartfelt sympathy is extended to them and to all who are mourning the passing of their loving husband, father, and grandfather, our fellow-celebrant and cherished friend,” His Eminence concluded. “May he rest among the saints, among all those whom we recalled in the Gospel Reading for this Sunday before Christmas.” “He was our priest, a priests’ priest, a mentor, a cherished friend,” added Father Stephen Kyriacou, Dean of the Cathedral. “The seeds of God’s Word, which he planted here have inspired generations of faithful and have set the Cathedral on a firm foundation for generations to come.”

Father Theophilos P. Theophilos was born in Montreal Canada on January 19, 1922. He was the first born son of Panayiotis and Panayiota Theophilos, from the village of Longaniko, Greece, near Sparta. He graduated from Baron Byng High School in 1938 at the age of 16. At 17, he was the youngest student to enroll in the newly established Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, then located in Pomfret, CT. Father Theo was placed in charge of the infirmary, due to his background in first aid with the Boy Scouts of Canada. He was awarded a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1943.

Father Theo’s first assignment was as a lay assistant and youth coordinator at St. Spyridon Church in New York City. There he met his future wife, Zoe Geotas, who was involved in the youth activities of the parish. They were married in a ceremony involving the entire parish and over 20 clergymen, on September 24, 1944. Father Theo was ordained to the Deaconate in his home parish of the Holy Trinity in Montreal, Quebec and to the Holy Priesthood at the St. Spyridon Church in New York City, both by the late Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, who at the time was the Archbishop of North and South America. He was assigned to the St. Spyridon Church in New York for the next five years. In 1949, he was assigned to the St. Haralambos Church in Canton, Ohio, where he served for eight years. From 1957 until 1966, Father Theo served in his home parish, in Montreal, as assistant to Father Salamis. In addition to his numerous liturgical duties, he was very involved in the Ecumenical Movement. He served two terms as President of the Greater Montreal Council of Churches. He also served as Orthodox Chaplain of Sir George Williams University and of Douglas Psychiatric Hospital. He was instrumental in building the St. Panteleimon Orthodox Chapel for the spiritual needs of the patients and staff of that hospital. In addition, he served as President of the Eastern Orthodox Clergymen’s Association in the Greater Montreal area, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Bible Society of Montreal. He was named National Chairman and Commissioner of the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Boy Scouts Association of Canada.

In 1966 Father Theophilos was appointed Dean of St. Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles, where he served until 1971. While there, he organized the Southern California Council of Orthodox Clergy, and served as Vicar General for the Southern California parishes. He worked with the Guadalupe Homes for Children (now Trinity Homes), serving as a director and, for several years, as Secretary of the Board.

In 1971 Father Theophilos was named Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral in San Francisco. There, he established the first Greek Orthodox Youth Camp in Yosemite National Park. In 1973 he organized the first Greek Orthodox Boy Scout Troop the Cathedral and also served the community via his weekly radio broadcasts. Until his retirement in 1987 he served as Archdiocesan Vicar of the then Diocese of San Francisco.

Father Theophilos moved to Palm Desert in 1987 and, while there, helped establish the St. George Greek Orthodox Church, where he served until 1990. In 1993 Father Theo was called to fill a temporary vacancy at the Sts. Constantine and Helen Church in Vallejo, and ended up staying there for three years. Active his whole life, Father Theophilos continued to serve with youthful vigor and enthusiasm, with love of God, and love for His Church. A Trisagion Service was chanted on Wednesday, December 21, at 7:00 p.m. The Funeral Service was held on Thursday, December 22 at 11:00 a.m., preceded by the Divine Liturgy, at 9:00 a.m. The services took place at the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 3459 Manchester Avenue, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. Father Theophilos was interred in the Greek Section of the El Camino Cemetery, Cardiff-by-the-Sea.

May the memory of this exemplary priest and his labors for our Holy Orthodox Church be eternal!

A “Link” to Those in Need

On Stewardship Sunday, December 4, a number of tables were put out in the Korinthias Hall to represent the different ministries and programs offered by the Cathedral. Community Link and Youth Groups had tables connected to one another, and in doing so, three young adults became new members of Community Link. Welcome to new Link members Alexandra Knoles, Elly Cazanis and Kathleen Arnolfo!

Community Link, now in our eighth year of existence, is a group of Annunciation parishioners who meet once a month on a drop-in basis to visit members of our community who may be confined due to illness or age. We travel to hospitals, nursing homes and private residences. Many of those we visit no longer have family or friends to support them and just need to know there is someone who cares. A short visit or phone call can lift one’s spirits a great deal. If anyone in the community knows of any other home bound parishioners to add to our list, please contact Pauline Oetzel at poetzel@hotmail.com. Community Link will be making visits this month on January 21, beginning in the Cathedral Conference Room at 9 am.

Philoptochos News

Greetings and best wishes to all as we enter the New Year 2012. May this year be most prosperous, productive and healthy for all and may it be a banner year of growth for our Cathedral.

We look forward to hosting two very important events in the month of January. We invite you to join us for Vasilopita and lunch on January 8, 2012. On that day we will honor past Philoptochos President Angie Leventis (please see the attached flyer). As we are making bread and serving lunch we ask that you please respond. We also may be selling some of the extra breads we prepare.

Our annual Crab Feed takes place on Friday, January 27, 2012. This year marks the 30th anniversary of this fun and gastronomic event. We invite you to celebrate with us and eat some of the best crab in town. So don’t wait! Send in your reservations early by filling out the response tear form of the flyer found in this month’s Herald. This truly is a fun event and one you won’t want to miss!

Click above to open a printable pdf reservation form

We wish to thank all our members for their very generous donations to our Angel Tree Project. Chair Vivian Curd says that the goal was to provide 20 gifts for needy families from the Hamilton Family Resource Center and 30 gifts for children from the SF Boys and Girls Club. The Coordinators from both organizations related that our Community far exceeded their expectations with your gifts and generosity. Kudos to all of you!

	Click on a photo to see a larger view

I look forward to seeing you all of you at our January events. Kalo Neo Etos to all.

With warmest regards and love In Christ,

Patricia Aleck, President

Stewardship Sunday A Great Success

Our thanks to all the members of the Annunciation Cathedral family, especially the members of the Cathedral 2012 Stewardship Committee - Chris Kyriacou, Perri Nager, Niko Stathopoulos, Nick Svetcoff, and Gus Vouchilas - for organizing last month’s Stewardship Sunday on December 4. A special thank you to Niko and Chris for filming our Cathedral youth over the month of November and presenting the short video in the chapel following liturgy, where all of our parishioners were able to hear their beautiful thoughts and feelings about our community and giving to the Lord. Also, many, many thanks to Mrs. Georgia Vouchilas, who once again cooked a wonderful meal for the entire community that morning!

In addition, many thanks to the parishioners that offered to represent a ministry they are involved in at the “ministry fair” in the hall during the luncheon – namely, John Counduris for Community Link, Denise Yeilding for Sunday School, Pamfilia Zambelis for Greek School, Kathleen Arnolfo, Elly Cazanis, and Alexandra Knoles for Youth Groups, and Pat Aleck and Vivian Curd for Philoptochos.

Many of our parishioners have already sent in their stewardship cards during the month of December, and we thank you for this. We welcome any pledge cards during this month as well, given that our ministries and programs are restarting in early 2012, and they will need our support.

Please note that the commitment cards this year have two areas where we would welcome your input: not simply the section to fill in your pledge to the church, but also the column of programs in which one can offer their talents. Each of us has God-given talents that we can contribute to our community and help one another, and assist the Lord in His work for us. Let us, as a community, experience the beautiful statement that was said during liturgy last month, “the freedom of giving.”

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Jan 2012 Herald
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.