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Fr. Emmanuel S. Metaxas

Born: 1925
Died: February 23, 2011

Father Metaxas, Pastor Emeritus, of the Taxiarchae/ Archangels Greek Orthodox Church in Watertown, Massachusetts was born in Agrinion, Greece in the year 1925. He was the sixth child of five brothers and three sisters. His father was also a priest in Agrinion. When he was twelve years old, his family moved to Athens where his father was a priest at St. Demetrios Church in Kifisia. In 1941, and after his mother had died, his family moved to Kallithea, Ath- ens where his father was appointed priest to St. Nicholas Church. He finished his high school education in Kallithea and in 1944 he entered the School of Theology at Athens University. In March of 1947, having received an invitation from the Greek Archdiocese of New York, he came to Holy Cross Theological School in Brookline, Massachu-setts to further his education for the Priesthood and to serve the church in America. He graduated from Holy Cross June' of 1951 and continued his theo- legical studies at Andover-Newton Theological School. In 1953, he received a Master of Divinity degree. He was married in 1949 to Penelope (Penny) Manekas of Lowell, Massachusetts. He was or- dained Deacon on February 10, 1951 and on June 24 of the same year, he was ordained Presby- ter by the then Bishop of Boston Ezekiel Tsoukalas. His first assignment as a priest was to the An- nunciation Church of Woburn, Massachusetts where he served for two years. In September of 1953, he was transferred to the Taxiarchae Church in Watertown, Massachu-setts where he served for 58 years. He received the following pastoral honors from the Archdiocese. On February 26, 1956, Archbish- op Michael bestowed on him the Officium of Sakellarios. On June 22, 1958, Bishop Athenagoras appointed him as Father Confessor. On November 8, 1970, Archbishop Iakovos bestowed on him the officium of Economos, and on May 20, 1976, Archbishop Iakovos on him the officium of Proto- presbyter. On December I, 1983, he was recognized as "Man of the Year" in Middlesex County. During his fifty-four years at the Taxiarcha Church, he performed thousands of baptisms, marriag- es an funerals. From 1960-1965, he served as Chaplain for the Orthodox workers at the United States Arsenal in Watertown. For ten years between 1965 and 1976, he served as Chaplain at Boston University for all the Orthodox students. He also served assistant to the Orthodox Chaplain for the Brockton and Bedford Veterans Hospitals for twenty years. He was the first in this area to encourage patients from Greece seek treatment in Boston that were not available in Greece at the time. From 1960 to 1965, he brought eighteen patients from Greece for kidney transplants, all but one of which were successful. He assisted and worked closely with the late George Alevizos bring numerous blind children from Greece for therapy or surge at the Massachusetts-Eye and-Ear Infirmary: Other blind students were brought to Boston schools to fur- ther their studies. Also during the years 1960 to 1965, and with the valuable assistance the parish, especially of the Ladies of the Philoptochos Society, assisted 35 refugee families from Russia to come to America and aided them financially and otherwise to make a new home for themselves in the states. During the years 1967 to 1980, Father Metaxas assisted 200 young men from Greece to obtain permanent residency in the United States, guided them in their marriages and helped them to find jobs and homes and to establish themselves in their new country. He resided in Watertown with his wife, Presvytera Penny. They have three children-Stanley, Margaret and Stella and three grandchildren- James, Kimberly Anna and Michael and two great-grandchildren - Nicholas and Antonio. Father Metaxas entered the Mt. Auburn Hospital on February 1, 2011 and fell asleep in the Lord on February 23, 2011.

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