Greeks may have had contact with the West Coast as early as the 1600’s when the Cephalonian explorer Juan de Fuca claimed to have explored the Olympic Mountains outside of Seattle. By 1904, Greek Orthodox Christians had established a community on the West Coast founding the first parish in San Francisco. By 1922, when the Archdiocese was established, San Francisco was one of the four original Districts, which was comprised of parishes in San Francisco, CA; San Diego, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Oakland, CA; Sacramento, CA; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; Pueblo, CO; Price, UT and Salt Lake City, UT. Over the past century, the Metropolis of San Francisco has established itself as a vibrant center of Orthodoxy which now includes 67 parishes and two chapels in the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. There are also three dynamic monastic communities in Florence, AZ; Dunlap, CA; and Goldendale, WA. The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco is comprised of more than 1.2 million square miles of land and water – one of the largest territories in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which is under the spiritual guidance and jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Beginning in 1885 the first Greek immigrants who arrived in San Francisco worshipped in a Russian Orthodox church. Some of the earliest priests of the region travelled far and wide to minister to the needs of the faithful due to a lack of sufficient clergy. From these humble beginnings, the Metropolis developed from a District to a Diocese and now a Metropolis. This is a testament to the sophistication and commitment of our faithful. They have nurtured the seed planted in the soil of the West Coast to become a thriving and vibrant vineyard of Christ’s Gospel.

The distinguished Hierarchs who have served the Metropolis over the past century include Bishop Philaret (Ioannides) of Chicago, 1922–1927, locum tenens for San Francisco; Bishop Kallistos (Papageorgakopoulos) of San Francisco, 1927–1931; Bishop Eirineos (Tsourounakis) of San Francisco, 1941–1944; Bishop Athenagoras (Kokkinakis) of Elaia, 1950–1954; Bishop Demetrios (Makris) of Olympus, 1955–1967; Bishop Meletios Tripodakis of Christianoupolis, 1967–1979; Bishop Anthony (Gergiannakis) of San Francisco, 1979–1997; Metropolitan Anthony (Gergiannakis) of the Dardanelles, 1997–2002; Metropolitan Anthony (Gergiannakis) of San Francisco, 2002–2005; Metropolitan Gerasimos (Michaleas) of San Francisco, 2005–present.

The Gala first began in 2013 and has been a source of funding support for the expansion of our Metropolis ministries. So much has been accomplished over this past century, yet there is more to be realized through your generous support.

Tickets for this year’s Metropolis Gala on Saturday, October 28, are $300 per person, $150 for Young Adults (ages 18-30, maximum of two tickets per person) and Sponsorships are available online. Special pricing for weekend hotel accommodations is also available by calling 415-397-7000 (Group Name: Greek Orthodox Metropolis Gala 2023).

We hope you will join us!