Home || Ministries & Organizations || Our History || Calendar ||
Contact Us || Donations
Fr. Anthony Bio [Home] || Fr. Anthony Bio [Home] || <--Go to Chapter 11 || -->Go to Chapter 13
Autobiography of Father Anthony Kosturos
Chapter 12
Home with the Family
The end of October, 1948, my parents, Presvytera and I reached Ramona Street, where my parents lived and where I had grown up. My brothers
and cousins, uncles and aunts were curious, and perhaps anxious, about my having set aside the life of a celibate priest to marry a young
woman from Lowell, Massachusetts. Who was this woman who had attracted my attention to marry her? A few at a time, they gathered to greet
my parents after their long trip and meet Presvytera. It became apparent that they took an immediate liking to her. Her smile was
infectious, and her purity of character was obvious. It wasn't too long before the family realized why I had changed my mind and become a
married priest.
Los Angeles
Archbishop Athenagoras had appointed me to be an assistant to the pastor in Los Angeles. I was informed to proceed immediately there.
Presvytera and I left for the Annunciation parish in that city the first part of November. We were on our way to our adventure of priestly
service. We arrived there, were set up in a hotel temporarily, and visited the church to become acquainted with the pastor and the parish
staff. The church was quaint. It seated approximately three hundred persons. In back of the church a hall took care of meetings, Sunday
School, Greek School, and Assemblies. It was only proper that I introduce myself to the pastor. To my dismay, Father Arsenios Palikaris,
who had served in Oakland for many years and had a legendary pastorate there, informed me that he would be leaving the following Sunday.
He had been there just to "fill in" until the new pastor was appointed. When I asked him who that would be, he said he did not know.
"Son, I am leaving in two weeks. This Sunday, we have abaptism after Liturgy. Observe what I do, because you will be on your own after
next week." You may imagine the shock I experienced. Here I was, twenty-three years old, ostensibly appointed as an assistant to the
pastor, and I was now told that I would be my own assistant.
First Liturgy in Los Angeles
Father Palikaris and I shared the conducting of Liturgy on Sunday. Many who were attending the Liturgy were surprised to hear the voice of
a very young-looking priest assisting at Liturgy. They had not been prepared for my arrival. They were curious and showed this when they
came up for antitheron (a portion of the Eucharistic loaf which is not Holy Communion but distributed to the congregation after Liturgy).
They kissed my hand, as I handed them the portion, with respect and reverence, but I couldn't help but notice that they were "sizing me
up." I couldn't blame them. I was the first American-born priest they had seen serving.
Adjustment
After Liturgy with Father Palikaris, a gentleman named Mingos, who was of Corinthian background and had learned my father had emanated from
Corinth, Greece, invited Presvytera and me to lunch. He ascertained that no one from the Board or other parish committee had extended us an
invitation. We found his gesture thoughtful. At the same time, we wondered why no parish official had bothered to share our first official
day there. Perhaps, we surmised, they did not know when we would arrive. Yet, some of the parish officials were in church. This caused me
to adjust to the fact that the parish was not "priest-oriented." I knew that this parish did not abide by the general by-laws of the
Archdiocese. Much work had to be done to make them "priest-conscious" and come to recognize the leadership role a priest plays in parish
life. It wasn't too long when my attendance at a Board meeting indicated that the priest was considered to be subservient to the Board of
Directors, who felt that parish decisions were to be made by them without much desire for input from the priest. There were two or three
Board members who felt otherwise.
A Place to Settle
With Presvytera ensconced in a hotel, nauseous from pregnancy, a parishioner helped me find a place for us. Initially, we rented a room
with bedroom and kitchen in a complex, with a man in the immediate room beyond our walls. It was uncomfortable for us, but the owner of
the building was gracious to us and respected Presvytera and me. I was particularly concerned about her safety when I was not there, but
she experienced total respect from the renter in the separated room. That was a time when men respected women and did not harbor ulterior
thoughts or engage in inappropriate behavior, especially toward a priest and his wife.
Alone
The following Sunday, Father Palikaris informed the congregation he was leaving, and exhorted the parishioners to treat me well in spite of
my youth. I now felt alone, determined to do my work with spirit and dedication. When would the new pastor arrive? For three years I
served the entire Los Angeles basin by myself. It was an arduous task. Initially, no auto. The parish did not provide one. I went to the
office of the parish by streetcar. Soon, my parents bought a car as a gift. They recognized that the parish was not concerned really how I
traveled from home to office or office to home. With the car, I had the freedom to serve on a wider scale. Distance in Los Angeles was a
major challenge. It could take twenty to twenty-five minutes just to drive to a hospital. Now I had my own transportation, and nothing
could stop me from putting myself into high gear. I was young, zealous, enthusiastic, and determined to serve well. My challenges now
began to emerge.
Fr. Anthony Bio [Home] || <--Go to Chapter 11 || -->Go to Chapter 13
|
