The Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church recently had a big weekend: a centennial celebration. Many exciting activities and events took place over the weekend of August 19-21.
Metropolitan Isaiah Chronopoulos is the presiding hierarch of the metropolis of Denver, which puts the state of Utah under his jurisdiction. Currently, Chronopoulos has 14 states under him and is responsible for 50 Greek Orthodox perishes from Canada to Mexico. Although that means that he presides over Price’s particular church, he stated that he would have been eager to attend regardless of an invitation.
Chronopoulos is one of four children that came from Greece with his parents after the First World War, where he was raised in New Hampshire and Manchester. According to Chronopoulos, he had always been interested in religion as a teenager. Visiting all kinds of churches, including Roman Catholic and Jewish Synagogues, he states that he gained a fair knowledge of most religions.
Particularly interested in the differences of religions, Chronopoulos recalls instances of being raised in New Hampshire that spotlighted different religions. One instance that comes to mind for him is the memory of having Roman Catholic neighbors that would not associate with him, which prompted the question of “why?” in his mind.
After high school, Chronopoulos and his family moved to Los Angeles, wanting a warmer climate. While in California, he entered into the military under the US Marine Corps, touring at the end of Korean conflict. After two years of active duty, he was placed in the reserve. A friend that Chronopoulos was close with in New Hampshire, and was always able to talk religion with, graduated the seminary. He approached Chronopoulos and prompted him to go, assuring him that he would be kicking himself in five years if he did not.
Once he attended the seminary, he felt at home and comfortable, which led to the decision to complete six years of study. He then did a post-graduate in Istanbul, Turkey. Once Chronopoulos had completed his studies, he entered into holy priesthood as a celibate priest. He has since been a priest for a little over 50 years.
Having been to a number of centennial celebrations, Chronopoulos states that he enjoys seeing traditions kept alive.
“The thing that is significant is that our people have faithfully preserved our religious and cultural traditions,” Chronopoulos stated.
Chronopoulos states that he witnesses people in our society today growing up and having no particular background of any kind, which he sees as a breakdown of a family structure. That is why he is so proud to witness stability and tradition in the church. The Greek Assumption church was organized in 37 A.D. and has continued ever since.
“I attribute this to the power of God, not only human will,” said Chronopoulos.