Fr. Constantine J. Raptis - Greek Orthodox Retired Clergy Association
All through his years at Campbell Memorial High School, he worked at odd jobs in pharmacies, restaurants and shoeshine parlors and on weekends he joined his father at his work in the industrious Youngstown, Ohio steel mills throughout World War II. Raptis excelled in his studies and in football and baseball, as well as a Greco-Roman wrestler. Upon graduation in 1945, he and his sister Katherine visited relatives in Tarpon Springs, Florida, for the January 6 Epiphany celebration, where he told his sister of his calling to the priesthood and his vision to return to this small town to serve its parish.
In the fall of 1945, he enrolled at the Greek Orthodox Theological Institute (Pomfret, Conn.) and completed his studies at Holy Cross Theological Seminary in Brookline, MA with the honor of salutatorian for the Class of 1951. Upon graduation, he interned for one year as a lay assistant to the pastor of Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Church in Hempstead, New York, where he met and married Evonne (Evanthia) Pantason in June, 1952.
Raptis was ordained a deacon by Bishop Ezekiel on July 14, 1952 in Hempstead and the following Sunday was ordained a presbyter by Bishop Demetrios in Ambridge, Penn. Two weeks later, he received his first assignment as pastor to the church of Zoodochos Peghe in Martins Ferry, Ohio where he served until February, 1955. That same year, Father Raptis was called to serve at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Tarpon Springs, as he envisioned on Epiphany Day 1945. Raptis, organized and officiated at twelve Epiphany services in Tarpon Springs, whose parish regularly hosted Archbishop Iakovos, and many State and national elected officials and fellow priests and classmates from nearby communities. In 1967, he was assigned to a larger community at the Annunciation parish in Sacramento, California, where he served for nine years.
In June, 1975, Raptis requested a leave of absence, to pursue another interest of his in construction, envisioning service to future Orthodox communities with plans for expansion and other building programs. While employed as a superintendent with a Fortune 500 construction firm in California, he continued to serve parishes that either did not have a full-time pastor, or to assist colleagues for other reasons.
Following his leave of absence, the Bishop of San Francisco requested for Raptis to serve on the part-time basis at Saint John the Baptist (Salinas, Ca.) for two years; and later accepting a full-time ministry at St. George (Fresno, Ca.) for six years, where he celebrated a well-deserved retirement in 1992.
But it did not end there. Father Raptis has continued to serve small parishes who for whatever reason, did not have full-time pastors. Since his official retirement, he has officiated the Divine Liturgy and Sacraments at the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in Great Falls, Montana for three years; the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Pueblo, Colorado for six years; and currently assists regularly at his home parish of Saint John the Baptist in Las Vegas, Nevada.
His commitment to the priesthood continues in service to fellow retired clergymen who cannot benefit fully from the present Archdiocesan retirement plan. For the past 15 years, Father Raptis, as one of its early members, has continuously served the Retired Greek Orthodox Clergy Association of America (RCA), whose emphasis is benevolence. In 1991, he began by serving as its Western States representative, then appointed archivist, treasurer, vice president, interim president and continues today as Vice President of the RCA and coordinator of the newly formed "Chats with Older Brothers Program" at Holy Cross/Hellenic College in Brookline, Mass., whose purpose is for students and graduates to share in the vast experiences of senior priests.
In addition to his 55 year ministry and parish responsibilities, he has served on the Archdiocesan Council (New York); as a member of the General Assembly National Council of Churches (Cleveland, Ohio); Western Diocesan Board Delegate (San Francisco); Vice President of Trinity School for Children (Yucaipa, Ca.); a lifetime honorary member of Guadalupe Homes (San Bernardino, Ca.); Vicar of the Central Valley (Diocese of San Francisco); established the Mission Church of St. Andrew (San Luis Obispo, Ca.); Board Member of the Saint Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center (Fresno, Ca.); Board Member of the International Orthodox Christian Mission Center (IOCC) (Saint Augustine, Fl).
In his civic duties, Fr. Raptis has also served as Chaplain at the University of Florida (Gainesville), the University of Tampa, Florida's Raiford Prison, and California's Folsom State Prison. While serving in California's state capitol. Raptis was the first Greek Orthodox priest to be confirmed by the State Senate to serve as Chaplain of the California Senate Legislature during the governorship of then Governor Ronald Reagan. He also served as a member of the State of Florida Welfare Board; Director of Sacramento Area Council of Churches, and Advisory Board Member for the Sacramento Housing Authority.
Married for 56 years, Father and Presvytera have three children, Billie Ann (El Dorado Hills, Ca.), John (Colorado Springs, Co.) and Maria (Huntington Beach, Ca.). They have two grandsons, Anthony and Costa.