Born: 1930
Died: 2007

Born in a small town on a small island in Greece in 1930, Father Anthony Sirigos waited 17 years to meet his father.  An only child, he was raised in the picturesque and historic town of Kastro on the island of Sifnos by his mother Calliope. His need for a father was met by personally by the local priests and spiritually by Jesus Christ.  After the depression, the Second World War and the Greek civil war his father, Constantinos, who had supported his family as a merchant seaman based mainly in Boston, was finally able to bring his family to America.   Anthony Sirigos first met his father in 1947. He was a good man, but didn't know what to make of his only child's desire to become a priest, even though Greek Orthodox priests can marry and provide their parents with grandchildren! His devout mother did not like the idea either.

Father Anthony learned English at East Boston High, earned his High School diploma at the High School of Commerce when his family moved to New York, and studied for two years at City University of New York before serving two years in Korea with the U.S. army. In 1959 he journeyed to Greece and met and married his bride, Catherine Kyliti, who also grew up without a father.

The responsibilties of taking care of and supporting his parents who were often ill, and then supporitng his own family made attending seminary impossible. He was, however, very active in parish life wherever he lived, as a member of the choir, chanter, parish council member, Sunday School teacher and founder and director of the Three Hierarchs Sunday School worship services.  Many children of the 60's and 70's sing the hymns during liturgy today thanks to the efforts of the little man with the bell. He persuaded his employer, the late restauranteur and community leader William Spiropoulos, to make the substantial donation that led to the establishment of the high school named in his honor at the Saint Nicholas Church in Flushing.

When Father Anthony Sirigos arrived in the United States, he immediately became active in Boston's Cathedral of the Annunciation.  His Pastor, Father Dimitrios, who later became Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America, encouraged him in his dream of also serving God as a Greek Orthodox priest.  When he moved to New York and began to raise a family in Brooklyn it seemed as if his dream would never be realized, but he never lost hope, and he would often express his wish to Archibishop Iakovos to be ordained by his own hand.   After many years of parish-based training and service at the Annunciation Church in Manhattan and the Three Hierarchs church in Brooklyn, under Fathers John Nasi, Angelo Gavalas and Eugene Pappas, Anthony Sirigos was  ordained Deacon  on New Year's Day 1984 not by his beloved Archbishop Iakovos but by Bishop Methodios, now Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, whose own dreams of ordination Father Anthony encouraged when the Metropolitan was working his way through school.   He was ordained a priest the following year.  After serving as an assistant priest at the Three Hierarchs Church in Brooklyn for 17 years, he was appointed pastor of Brooklyn's Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.

Father Anthony Sirigos is survived by his wife Catherine, children Constantine, Calliope and Dimitra, sons-in-law Rev. Alexander Papagikos, and 7 grandsons: Michael, Anthony, Nicholas, Alexander, Alphonse, Anthony and Panagiotis.