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 ...
Savas (Zembillas) of Pittsburgh is the spiritual leader of the
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh which includes all of
Ohio and most of
Pennsylvania and
West Virginia. The Metropolis consists of 53 parishes and six monastic communities which minister to the needs of thousands of
Greek Orthodox faithful. The Metropolis offices are in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bishop Savas was elected to the office of Metropolitan of Pittsburgh on November 2, 2011, by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...
in
Constantinople, and was enthroned December 8, 2011 at
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Pittsburgh.
Early life and education
Metropolitan Savas was born Savas Zembillas in
Gary, Indiana, on June 11, 1957, the second of six children of Skevofylax ("Steve") and Stamatia (Georgiades) Zembillas. Graduating from Andrean High School in Gary in 1975, he entered
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthro ...
in
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 census the population was 15,828. Along with Augusta, Waterville is ...
, where he earned a BA in Philosophy and English Literature (1979). While at Colby, he performed as the lead singer for campus punk band Mick and the Malignants.
He also graduated from
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox 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
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and West ...
(1984, M.Div. with highest honors). He continued his studies at
Oxford University,
England, under the supervision of then
Bishop Kallistos Ware.
Early service
He served as parish priest of the Greek Orthodox Church of the
Annunciation
The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...
in
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropoli ...
(1995-1997), and was subsequently assigned (now with the honorary title of
archimandrite
The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...
) to pastor the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Demetrios in
Merrick, New York
Merrick is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. , the population was 20,130.
Geography
According to the United States Census B ...
(1997-1999).
Early episcopacy
Prior to his election to the throne of Pittsburgh, Metropolitan Savas served as the titular Bishop of
Troas (2001-2011),
Ordination announcement of Bishop-elect Savas
to Troas, from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese overlapping times when he was also the Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (1999-2009) and Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Church, Society and Culture (2009-2011).
Metropolitan Savas has been an active participant in the social network structures of the Internet, engaging issues of contemporary culture and society from an Orthodox Christian perspective. He has led numerous pilgrimages of young adults to Constantinople and the Holy Land, in addition to missionary teams to Kenya and Tanzania. He is presently the Chairman of the Committee for Church and Society of the .
See also
* Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh
* 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 H ...
* Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
References
Biographical Note of Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh
from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savas, Metropolitan
Living people
Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology alumni
21st-century Eastern Orthodox bishops
Eastern Orthodox metropolitans
Eastern Orthodox bishops in the United States
Colby College alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
People from Gary, Indiana