His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in the western United States, will receive the HAPS AXION Award in San Francisco on Sunday, February 11, 2018. The Hellenic American Professional Society of California (HAPS) will present the award at its 41st annual Greek Letters Day luncheon, to be held at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 1:00 p.m.
The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco is comprised of 67 parishes in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii. “Since his enthronement twelve years ago, Metropolitan Gerasimos has led with great distinction the Pacific Rim’s burgeoning and expansive Hellenic American community – from the Golden Gate to balmy tropical isles, from Alaskan and Puget Sound fjords to the southwestern desert – enriching our spiritual lives and renewing our cultural ties to our beloved Mediterranean motherland,” HAPS President Nicholas Stamatakis said.
HAPS bestows the AXION Award upon individuals who have made significant achievements in a professional, academic or scientific field or in the humanities. Over the past 40 years, recipients have included political leaders, business executives, distinguished scientists, and college professors. Founded in 1961, HAPS is the preeminent organization of Hellenic American professionals in northern California.
Metropolitan Gerasimos is a native of Kalamata, Greece. At Hellenic College in Brookline, Massachusetts, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1973 and a Master of Divinity in 1976. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1979 and was called to serve as Archdeacon to His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, a position he held until 1996. Concurrently, he was appointed Dean of Students at Hellenic College/Holy Cross from 1980 until 1984. As college administrator, he assisted in upgrading administrative services infrastructure.
His Eminence has deep theoretical and practical expertise in psychology. He received his Doctorate in Counseling and School Psychology from Boston College in 1993. University Press published his doctoral dissertation, “Intellectual Deficiencies in a Substance Abuse Population.” He worked in the V.A. Medical Center Outpatient Clinic in Boston in the 1990s. He has authored numerous papers and taught college courses on psychology. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association.
Since his enthronement as Metropolitan of San Francisco on April 2, 2005, His Eminence has expanded ministries and developed new programs. He has a collaborative partnership with the Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the West. Regular meetings, annual Pan-Orthodox Clergy retreats, and the joint celebration of the Sunday of Orthodoxy are cornerstones of this effort.
Luncheon reservations ($60 per person; discounts for children) are available through HAPS Corresponding Secretary Jason Bezis at 925-962-9643 or haps1821@gmail.com.