Metropolitan Anthony of San Francisco was the first Metropolitan

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco is an ecclesiastical territory or metropolis of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Pacific region of the United States, encompassing the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and ...

, a

metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

of the

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its current primate is Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. Archbishop On May 11, 2019, the church's Hol ...

, under the spiritual authority of the

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...

. His first bishopric was that of the Eighth Archdiocesan District of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese with headquarters in Denver, Colorado. He was subsequently enthroned as Bishop Anthony of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

as the first bishop of the newly formed Greek Orthodox Diocese of San Francisco. He became titular Metropolitan of the

Dardanelles The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...

, but retained leadership of the diocese. When diocese was elevated to the status of Metropolis of San Francisco, Metropolitan Anthony was named the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of San Francisco.

Education

Anthony Gergiannakis (b. Avgeniki,

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

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, March 2, 1935), after basic elementary education, entered the Ecclesiastical School of Agia Trias (Holy Trinity) in

Chania Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion. The muni ...

, Crete. Upon completion, he went to the renowned

Halki seminary The Halki seminary, formally the Theological School of Halki ( el, Θεολογική Σχολή Χάλκης and tr, Ortodoks Ruhban Okulu), was founded on 1 October 1844 on the island of Halki ( Turkish: Heybeliada), the second-largest of the ...

of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, where he received his degree in Orthodox Theology in 1960.

Early career

As a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, Fr. Anthony served Greek Orthodox parishes in

Ansonia, Connecticut Ansonia is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. Located on the Naugatuck River, it is immediately north of Derby, and about northwest of New Haven. The population was 18,918 at the time of the 2020 census. The ZIP code for ...

(Holy Trinity Church);

Chicago Heights, Illinois Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 census. In earlier years, Chicago Heights was nicknamed "The Crossroads of the Nation". Currently, it is nicknamed "The Heights". Geograp ...

(Assumption Church); and

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(Assumption Church). In 1974, he was named Dean of Saint George Cathedral in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

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Leadership

Anthony set up and expanded a number of programs in the metropolis, including the forming of the annual Greek Folk Dance Festival in various locations. He was involved in education in cultural and religious themes. He was also instrumental in the founding of three Orthodox monasteries in the metropolis
Saint Anthony's Monastery
in

Florence, Arizona , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = Main Street original town-site of Florence Arizona National Register of Historic Places.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Main Street of the original town ...

, the Monastery of the Theotokos the Life-Giving Spring in

Dunlap, California Dunlap is an unincorporated community in Fresno County, California. It lies at an elevation of . It has a population of 131. It is located approximately east of Fresno. In the 1800s Dunlap was a rest stop for passengers of the stage coach and ...

(where his body is interred), and

Saint John the Forerunner John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

Monastery in

Goldendale, Washington Goldendale is a city and county seat of Klickitat County, Washington, United States, near the Columbia River Gorge. The population within city limits was 3,760 at the 2000 census and 3,407 at the 2010 census, a 9.4% decrease. It is situated in ...

."St. John the Forerunner Greek Orthodox Monastery"
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References

*Article "A Reflection on the Life of His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony, 1935-2004", Fr. John Bakas, Dean, St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Los Angeles, California.
10-Year Anniversary of the Passing of Metropolitan Anthony
from the website of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco. Viewed Dec. 11, 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gergiannakis, Anthony 1935 births 2004 deaths Greek emigrants to the United States Eastern Orthodoxy in California Religious leaders from the San Francisco Bay Area Greek Orthodox Christians from the United States 21st-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Eastern Orthodox metropolitans Eastern Orthodox bishops in the United States