Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Iakovos of Chicago (Michael Garmatis; April 4, 1928 – June 2, 2017) was Metropolitan of Chicago under the

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...

until his death on June 2, 2017.

Biography

Garmatis began his higher education in Athens, Greece, and continued his studies and service in the Boston area. He was appointed Archdiocesan

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of the Diocese of Detroit by Archbishop Iakovos in February 1968. One year later, he was elevated to the rank of Bishop by the Holy See of Constantinople. He was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

Bishop of Apameia (an Auxiliary Bishop of Archbishop Iakovos) on

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

Day of 1969, and appointed to the Diocese of Detroit as Bishop of that district. In 1971 Garmatis was appointed President of

Hellenic College Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (HCHC) is an Orthodox Christian liberal arts college and seminary in Brookline, Massachusetts. Its mission is to educate individuals for life and service in the Orthodox Christian co ...

and

Holy Cross School of Theology Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

in Brookline, Massachusetts, while remaining as administrative overseer of the Diocese of Detroit. He simultaneously served as the Bishop of the New England area during his five-year tenure as President of Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology. Garmatis was elected to the episcopacy of the

Greek Orthodox Church The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...

by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the

in 1969. He was enthroned by Archbishop Iakovos of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America on May 1, 1979, as the

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 Chicago at the Annunciation Cathedral. In November 1997, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate elected Garmatis to the active Metropolitanate of Chicago and

Exarch An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'', meaning “leader”) was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and ea ...

Ionia Ionia () was an ancient region on the western coast of Anatolia, to the south of present-day Izmir. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionian ...

. In this capacity, he served the

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago The Metropolis of Chicago is a metropolis of the Greek Orthodox Church, part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, in the North-Central Midwest, United States, with its see city of Chicago. The mother church of the Metropolis is Annu ...

as its Presiding Hierarch (''

proedros ''Proedros'' ( el, πρόεδρος, "president") was a senior Byzantine court and ecclesiastic title in the 10th to mid-12th centuries. The female form of the title is ''proedrissa'' (προέδρισσα). Court dignity The title was created in ...

''). The Diocese of Chicago consists of 34 parishes in Illinois, with another 24 parishes in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, northern Indiana, and eastern Missouri. The general offices of the

are located in Chicago, Illinois. Under Garmatis' leadership the diocese has increased its efforts to assist the homeless and those in need, as witnessed in the labors of the Diocesan Philanthropy Committee. He has founded new youth programs and established various local dialogue commissions with other faith communities. Garmatis also established the Bishop Iakovos Scholarship Assistance Program, the Bishop's Task Force on AIDS, the Diocese Junior Olympics, the Diocese Dance Festival, as well as numerous programs in religion and Greek education. Garmatis died on June 2, 2017, at the Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago following surgical complications at the age of 89.

References

Sources

Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago
from the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago
Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago Falls Asleep in the Lord
from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

External links

on the Orthodox Research Institute {{DEFAULTSORT:Garmatis, Iakovos 1928 births 2017 deaths Eastern Orthodox metropolitans Christianity in Chicago People from Chicago Greek Orthodox Christians from the United States Bishops in Illinois