ANDOVER, MA – Over 450 people from the Arlington, Lowell, and Greater Boston areas of Massachusetts attended a luncheon on November 4 at the Andover Country Club to honor and support Fr. Nicholas Kastanas, former priest of the St. Athanasius the Great parish in Arlington. Over a hundred more could not participate due to space limitation.
Fr. Kastanas was St. Athanasius’ presiding priest for 28 years but was dismissed in July, 2017 by Metropolitan Methodios of Boston. The dismissal created turmoil in the parish, the vast majority of the parishioners reacting via mass exodus, creating dire consequences for a parish that was one of the most advancing and promising in New England and in the Archdiocese as a whole. Some parishioners now attend neighboring parishes, such as Annunciation of Woburn, and others simply do not attend church services at all anymore.
CREDIT: Organizing Committee
Over 50 families removed their children from the St. Athanasius Greek School and established their own called Greek Group Tutoring, teaching the students Greek language, history, and culture. As The National Herald reported, the local hierarch of Boston unsuccessfully attempted to ban the Group from marching in Boston’s Greek Independence Parade on April 22; the decision of the Federation of Hellenic American Societies of New England, led by Bill Kafkas, ensured that the children were included.
Fr. Kastanas and his wife, Litsa, children, and grandchildren, were present at the luncheon. Hundreds ran toward them and greeted them, hugging them, and many were crying. Former Sunday School Director Ioannis Moutsatos offered the prayer before the meal.
Elissa Bowling spoke on behalf of the Organizing Committee. “Thank you all so much for making the effort to be here as we show our enduring love and support for our community, and for Fr. Nick, Presbytera Litsa, and their family. We deeply appreciate your commitment, and I for one am so happy to see all of these familiar faces in one place again.
“Being part of our wonderful community taught me to love and be close to our Greek Orthodox faith. It is difficult for me to put into words how much growing up in this community has meant to me, and I think we all feel it each time we get together. To me, this community exemplifies caring and giving, and showing up in support of one other.”
She said Kastanas’ “love, compassion, encouragement, and support to all of us has enriched us personally and spiritually and built our community. That’s why we’re all here today.”
As TNH reported, Metropolitan Methodios imposed liturgical suspension on Kastanas, cutting off his salary and medical insurance, leaving him and his family without any means of support.
Although Archbishop Demetrios of America knows what has transpired and has placed the parish in a difficult position, he has taken no action. This apparent indifference is not new regarding parishes under Methodios’ metropolis, where Methodios has created significant problems, including at Transfiguration in Lowell, which many dedicated parishioners left.
Meanwhile Fr. Anthony Evangelatos was appointed priest at St. Athanasius, while the assistant priest, Fr. Aaron Walker was transferred to the St. Spyridon parish in Rhode Island.
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