A Special Visit from His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and all of Scandinavia
.jpg)
November 20, 2024
Dear Cathedral Family,
It is with great pleasure that our Cathedral Community welcomes H.E. Metropolitan of Sweden and All Scandinavia, The Very Reverend Cleopas Strongylis to officiate The Liturgy on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
H.E. Metropolitan Cleopas Strongylis served as Dean at our Cathedral from 2009 to 2014. During His tenure at our Cathedral, Fr. Cleopas worked collaboratively with all our Cathedral constituents.
He aimed to strengthen our Youth Programs, introduced a Children’s Musical Group, strengthened our Greek School, Sunday School and GOYA Programs, and introduced the very successful monthly Speaker Series Program.
He was instrumental in collaborating with several organizations among the Greek American Community (The Federation of Greek American Communities of New England, The Hellenic Medical Association, The Greek Institute, The Consulate General of the Hellenic Republic in Boston, The Hellenic University Associations of the Metro-Boston prominent Colleges and Universities), enhanced Church attendance by personally reaching out to young couples and to our College & University students. Additionally, he served as the Director of Greek Education for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston. During his tenure in Boston, he taught at high school and college levels. His ultimate achievement during his tenure at our Cathedral was the Spiro & Anastasia Davis Hall & Chapel renovations.
A native of Greece, Metropolitan Cleopas attended the Rizareios Ecclesiastical High School and furthered his studies at the Theological School of the University of Athens and proceeded to complete a two-year graduate studies program in Canon Law at same University. He received his Master of Arts degree from Durham Theological School in England. He continued his studies at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, graduating with a master’s degree in sacred theology. He continued with his doctoral studies in the Old and the New Testament at Boston University Theological School and Harvard Divinity School. In 1996 he was awarded a Doctor of Theology from the Theological School, at The Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki.
Ordained a Deacon in 1989, a Presbyter in August 1992, it was bestowed upon him the offikion of Archimandrite. While at the Holy Cross in Brookline, he worked as personal theological secretary to Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, who at the time was serving as President of Hellenic College / Holy Cross. He was appointed Director of the Department of Registry, Adjunct Professor of Patristics and taught at the Seminary’s graduate school for the subsequent three years. In 1996, he was appointed as the Presiding Priest at The Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Corona, NY, where he served until 2004. From 2004-2009, he served the Greek Orthodox Community of Holy Trinity, in Lowell, MA. In 2009, he was asked to serve as the Dean of the Cathedral.
In 2014, Archimandrites Cleopas Strongylis was elected Metropolitan of Sweden and all Scandinavia where He shepherds Orthodox Parishes in Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway.
He has published nine books and many papers in various prestigious theological and historical journals. He is fluent in Greek, English and Hebrew and has knowledge of Latin, French and Italian.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Metropolitan Strongylis to our Cathedral on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
James Tringas, Parish Council President,