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Home || Ministries & Organizations || Our History || Calendar || Contact Us || Donations Fr. Anthony Bio [Home] || <--Go to Chapter 1 || -->Go to Chapter 3
Autobiography of Father Anthony Kosturos
Father Spyridon Spyropoulos faced a serious challenge to his pastorate in the middle 1930s. Father Vasilios Lokis had been appointed to the Holy Trinity parish on Seventh Street. Unfortunately, the parish council ruled to an extent that it barred the parish from accepting the by-laws of the Archdiocese. Father Lokis could not tolerate this situation. He decided to leave Holy Trinity and come to Saint Sophia, where Father Spyropoulos served. He was welcomed by the parish and, since Father Lokis was an Archimandrite (celibate), Father Spyropoulos agreed to let him be the pastor of the parish. Father Lokis was a dynamic preacher and fund-raiser. Not too long after he became pastor, the lien imposed on the parish by the Bank of Italy for money owed the bank was lifted through payment of the debt. At that point, Father Lokis initiated the parish's being named "Annunciation." The world "Annunciation" means "good news." Since the parish was now free of debt, the good news of its extrication from debt was"good news." A new era was to begin. Father Spyropoulos Leaves the Parish Father Spyropoulos decided to leave Saint Sophia, not because he had "stepped down" to allow Father Lokis to be the pastor since he was celibate and an Archimandrite. He knew the parish council preferred to have this new, dynamic preacher and fund-raiser at the helm of the parish. He accepted this "demotion" with grace and good disposition. I heard all about this by listening to my parents talk about it at home. My feelings about this change were confusing. On the one hand, I had an abiding loyalty to Father Spyropoulos. On the other hand, Father Lokis was accepted in the parish, even by Father Spyropoulos, and he was very talented. At first I felt what had occurred to Father Spyropoulos was unfair. Once I realized that Father Spyropoulos had willingly ceded his position as pastor to Father Lokis and agreed to serve with him, I felt better. Not too long after this change, and incident took place in church which confused me further. At a Sunday Liturgy, Father Lokis wanted to emphasize the need for the congregation to participate in Holy Communion since many of the immigrants, especially fathers, neglected to do so. In the spirit of "concession", "economy", he invited everyone to receive Holy Communion, even if some had eaten breakfast, to give them a "fresh start." Father Spyropoulos protested openly. His conscience could not restrain him from expressing his disagreement. I heard about this because I had not attended Liturgy that day. I remember being ill. When I heard this, I was exasperated. "How dare this new priest do this?" I said to my mother. "This is wrong." My mother agreed, but also urged me to take this episode in stride, since priests were responsible for their own actions, and perhaps, this celibate priest knew more than she or I about matters like this. Father Spyropoulos departed soon after the liturgical incident, which caused quite a stir in the parish. Most agreed with him, but they preferred to give Father Lokis the benefit of the doubt. I became upset and said. "How dare this new priest give everyone Holy Communion without proper preparation?" I thought again. Now this new priest had to prove himself to me, to show me he was concerned about the standing traditions and practices of the Orthodox Church. Added to this was my being troubled by Father Spyropoulos' departure. He had been my first spiritual mentor. He had allowed me to serve as an acolyte (altar boy). He had encouraged me to learn how to read and chant hymns and scriptural passages. His leaving literally jarred me. Time would bring healing, as I began to appreciate the talent of Father Lokis. Some time after all this occurred, I was coaxed by choir members to join the tenor section of the church choir. Even though I was not yet in high school and my voice was beginning to change, the choir director, Eugenia Agnost, was willing to take a chance on me. She began to teach me the violin. I imagine she saw some potential in my being able to hold my own. After all, she was teaching me how to read the scales of music, pressing me to strike notes on the violin accurately, and encouraging me to do my best to advance musically. Besides, she needed tenors. As I began to sing in the choir, my caution about Father Lokis began to dissipate. He was dynamic, he was charismatic, and he was very pleasant. There were times, though, when his temper got the best of him. You stayed out of his way until he "cooled down." Fortunately, he had the characteristic of apologizing to those who had been victims of his anger once he regained his composure. He readily admitted his fault. "You know me," he would say,and "You know that I care for you." The people respected this kind of humility. I have never forgotten Father Spyropoulos or Father Lokis. Each became an integral part of my growing up in the Church. One memory stands out in my mind regarding Father Spyropoulos. Archbishop Athenagoras had visited Saint Sophia when Father Spypropoulos was still pastor. Father asked me to recite a long prayer of the Orthros Service. When I had finished, the Archbishop turned to Father Spyropoulos and remarked: "Why even some priests can't recite this prayer by heart." Of course, I was being complimented, but I could not understand why the Archbishop would mention deficiencies in priests in my presence. I was just a youngster. My respect for the priesthood was so deep. Today, I realize that the Archbishop was expressing his frustration over the lack of education by some ordained to the priesthood. A vivid memory of Father Lokis is when he reprimanded me for posting impressive posters of the classic movie "King of Kings" on the walls of the stairs leading up to the narthex. The choir was sponsoring the movie, and I was in charge of publicity. The posters were religious, but somewhat Hollywoodish. Father erupted. "Who did this?" "I did," replying sheepishly. Fr. Anthony Bio [Home] || <--Go to Chapter 1 || -->Go to Chapter 3 |