I was born in Newark, N.J., Novem­ber 3, 1924. My father's name was George Demosthenis Rexinis and my mother's Eugenia Nee Christakis Rexi­nis.Both were born in Kastorion, Sparta, Greece. When I was six years of age, we all went to Greece to live. I finished the Gymnasion in Sparta, Greece and then I went for one year at the Univer­sity of Athens.

In May, 1946 when the war was over, the Government of the United States wanted all young American citizens to return to the United States, which was the best way for me to return to my na­tive country.

The first thing to do was to find a job, because I had no one to support me. As always, the relatives were very accommodating and they helped me a lot. I worked until November 1946. Then I decided to go to our Theological School, in Pomfert, Conn., to study and become a priest. I graduated in June 1950, from Brookline, Mass. Because I had no one to help me financially, I worked during the summer to make expenses for the winter.

After my graduation, I went to Chicago where I found my future wife Theano A.Tomaras. She was born in Chicago April 24, 1925. She was elementary school teacher for 35 years in the Chicago Public schools.

We were married at Saint Andrews Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago, December 30,1950. On February 12, 1951, I was ordained by the Bishop of Chicago, Gerasimos, to a Deacon. I was assigned to serve at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago until October 15, 1951. At which time I was ordained by the Bishop Gerasimos to the priesthood.

After I was ordained to the priesthood, I substituted for a couple of months at the South Bend, Indiana Greek Orthodox Church of St. Andrews. November of 1951,I was assigned to serve two communities outside of Chicago. The Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Chicago Heights and the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Kankakee, Illinois. In 1952, I was assigned by the late Archbishop Michael as the Greek Orthodox Chaplain of the Hines, Illinois V.A. Hospital. I spent two days a week attending to the spiritual needs of all the Orthodox patients. After a couple of years being the Chaplain there, I ask the director of the hospital, and received permission to make a room for a Greek Orthodox Chapel. I brought a beautiful Αγ?α Τρ?πεζα (Altar Table) from Greece and the icons were Byzantine style. I served this hospital until I left Chicago in November, 1966.

In January 1958, I was transferred to the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George in Chicago. While I was there, many improvements were made. We remolded the whole church building. The church edifice upstairs and the hall downstairs. We also built a two story educational building behind the church. The first floor housed offices and the second floor had rooms for Sunday school and Greek school. We decorated the interior of the church with beautiful Byzantine icons painted by the talented iconographer John Terzis. While I was priest there the membership increased from 134 to almost 350 families. The Sunday school went from 34 to 190. The Greek school also increased significantly. We even had our own buses to transport the children.

In November, 1966, I was transferred to Montgomery, Alabama, to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation. I started serving this community in December, 1966. I served there until January, 1973. In 1973, I served for a while the community of SS. Markella and Demetrios at FT. Walton Beach, Florida. In June, 1973, I was then assigned to the Saint Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Unfortunately, because of family problems, I served this community for only a few months. Then in March, 1974, I was assigned by the late Archbishop lakovos and Bishop of Atlanta then lakovos to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Tranfiguration in Charlottesville, Virginia where I served this community until I retired in September, 1998.

To serve this community was a great challenge. After the members of the community began to talk to each other, which took quite few months, the real work began. In 1975 we started the pledge system which, of course, replaced the dues system. It was very successful. In 1975 we, also asked permission from the Diocese to allow the Harrisonburg Orthodox community to be members of the Charlottesville community. Mr. Jim Stratos, the chanter, accompanied me to Harrisonburg three to four times during the year for holy services I performed for our parishioners. Divine Liturgy three to four time a year and Holy Unction during Holy Week. I always visited our parishioners there once or twice a month.

I also visited our parishioners in Orange, VA. Culpepper, VA. and Waynesboro, VA. In 1975 we started at the end of September of each year, to have a welcome luncheon for the new and old Orthodox students at the University of Virginia and the Orthodox professors. The students started to come to church services, and many of them participated in our different holy services during the year, some as readers on Fridays during Lenten season and some as speakers for the Greek Independence Day celebration. Then we helped them to start the Orthodox Christian Club, which, later it became Hellenic Club.

In the first decade you could see great progress in our community. The re­building of the Sunday and Greek Schools, renovations needed in the church and community center, and the growth in membership with the coming of new families, Greek, Russian, Bulgarian, Ethiopian, Serbian and Ukrainian. From 64 families I found when I went there, they were increased to 209 pledged members before I retired.

The 91 's' brought a change for our community. For the first time in the history of our community a woman became president of the parish council.

1993 was an exceptional year of spiritual progress. Siava Medvedkin and his wife were coming to our church services. He was a visiting Russian scientist, and was an associate of Robert Kretsinger, a UVA biology professor. When the Communist Party lost in Russia the government asked Siava to return to Russia. He asked for help from the people of his city in Puschino. The Charlottesville community then made Puschino our adopted sister city. We collected thousands of dollars, dry food, medical supplies and equipment, and clothing which we sent to them. In 1994, I put together a small group and we visited Moscow and Puschino (which is 90 miles south of Moscow). The people we visited were so surprised, they all had tears expressing their love, appreciation and joy. That visit was really an unforgettable experience.

On every Thanksgiving Day, after the Divine Liturgy, everyone, including members, friends and the relatives of our members who came to Charlottesville from out of town, were invited to the community center where there was a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. The church and the community center were both full every year as we all celebrated Thanksgiving together. No charged.

On Easter, for Agapi service, everyone came because after the service we had prepared the Easter lamb with all the trimmings for everyone. Again the church and the community center were packed. No charged.

The last great event was the 50^th anniversary of our community. A gala celebration took place October 1996 with almost three hundred people in attendance for a dinner dance. In retirement, I now serve the small community of Saint Peter's Greek Orthodox Church in Danville, VA. I have one daughter, Eugenia. She is married to Ron Splinter. They have one daughter Emily.