About
Fr. George reposed in the Lord on January 15, 2025. May his memory be eternal!
Fr. George was a retired priest and active member of the Holy Transfiguration community. He often celebrated the Divine Liturgy and other Services, as well as offering his advice and guidance to the church’s various ministries.
He had three children (Tasi, Dean and Vicki), one son-in-law (Evan), one daughter-in-law (Christina), and four grandchildren (Nicholas, Alexander, Demetra and George). In 1998, Father moved to Woodstock, Georgia.
Background
Fr. George was born on May 6, 1930, in Ano Dorion, Messinia, Greece. He received his secondary education at the High School of Kyprarissia, attended the High Church Seminary in Patras, and completed his military service. In 1956, he was ordained a deacon and later a priest. Fr. George served parishes in Greece and in the Republic of Panama before immigrating to the United States in 1959.
His first parish in the U.S. was St. Elias the Prophet in Dubuque, Iowa. Then, in 1967, he moved to the parish of St. George in Des Moines, Iowa, where he served until his retirement in 1996. During his thirty-seven years of service to the Diocese of Chicago, Father was bestowed with the distinctions of Spiritual Father Confessor, Steward, and Protopresbyter. Fr. George also served on the Archdiocesan Mixed Council.
He earned both a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Arts (MA) degrees in American Education from Loras College in Dubuque. He was awarded a lifetime certification by the State of Iowa for his studies in Pastoral Education and Clinical Pastoral Education, along with Graduate Studies at Drake University in Des Moines. While serving the parish in Des Moines, Fr. George also worked as a counselor, for several years, at Dowling Catholic High School, then at the Central Iowa Alcoholism Center, and finally for nineteen years at the United States Department of Veterans Affair’s Alcohol and Drug Dependency unit.