KANSASVILLE, WI – Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago, spiritual leader of all Greek Orthodox parishioners within Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota as well as large portions of Missouri and Indiana, visited the St. Iakovos Retreat Center in Kansasville on Friday, April 21. The yearly visit of the Metropolitan to this part of Wisconsin was for the official yearly opening of the St. Iakovos Retreat Center with the service of the Feast Day of the St. Iakovos Retreat Center Chapel; the Chapel of the Life-giving Spring (Ζωοδόχος Πηγή).
The day began with Hierarchical Divine Liturgy officiated by Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago. Following this service, a lunch hosted by the St. Iakovos Retreat Center Board took place.
Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago has served as the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago since May of 1979. Under his leadership the Metropolis has increased its efforts to assist the homeless and those in need, as witnessed in the labors of the Metropolis Philanthropy Committee. He has founded new Youth programs, established various local dialogues with other faith communities and continues to work with area religious leaders in promoting justice and truth in our society.
The establishment of the St. Iakovos Retreat Center, which serves as the site of the Summer Fanari Youth Camp amongst other activities, is an accomplishment of the Metropolitan’s years of organizing and fundraising. The St. Iakovos Retreat Center is a 137-acre facility featuring the 11-acre Friendship Lake with over 50 acres of pinewood forest. The St. Iakovos Retreat Center is a unique facility offering a peaceful setting for overnight retreats and camps, as well as a beautiful environment for celebrations such as weddings and family reunions.
Archons Hold Retreat
The Metropolis of Chicago’s Archons held their 2nd Annual Archon Business Retreat on Saturday, April 22, at the St. Iakovos Retreat Center in Kansasville. During the retreat, Metropolis of Chicago Archon news was reported and National Archon-related events discussed.
The guest speaker for this year’s retreat was James Skedros, the current dean of Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA, and the Michael G. and Anastasia Cantonis Professor of Byzantine Studies. Dr. Skedros centered his lecture on the importance of the city of Constantinople for the past, present, and future of the Patriarchate.
A graduate of Holy Cross, Professor Skedros received his ThD from Harvard Divinity School in the History of Christianity in 1996. From 1996 to 1998 he was Assistant Professor of Orthodox Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has been on the faculty of Holy Cross since 1998. His teaching and research areas include popular religious practices in Late Antiquity, Byzantine Christianity, the lives of early Christian and Byzantine saints, pilgrimage, and Christian-Muslim relations. He is also Lecturer on New Testament Greek at Harvard Divinity School where he has been teaching Greek since 2000.
In addition to his book on the historical development of the veneration of the early Christian martyr Demetrios (St. Demetrios of Thessaloniki: Civic Patron and Divine Protector, 4th-7th c. CE), he has published several journal articles as well as entries in important references works (The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity; The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity; The Orthodox Christian World) and in several books dealing with the veneration and commemoration of saints. He is a double recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, both for the study of Byzantine saints in Thessaloniki.
More information is available online at www.chicago.goarch.org, on the Archons at www.Archons.org, and on Holy Cross Hellenic College at www.hchc.edu.
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