His Eminence, the Most Reverend Archbishop Iakovos Coucouzis of America, was the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America from 1959 till 1996, making him the longest serving Bishop in that capacity.
He was also the founding president of SCOBA in 1960, and served thus until his retirement in 1996. Iakovos was well known for his work to make orthodoxy visible in American Society and for his tireless work in civil rights.
Iakovos was born Demetrios A. Coucouzis on the Greek island of Imvros, Turkey, to Maria and Athanasios Coucouzis, one of four children, including two sisters and a brother. He enrolled at the Ecumenical Patriarchal Theological School of Halki at the age of 15, where he earned a master's degree in Orthodox theology, graduating in 1934, with high honours.
Demetrios was ordained to the diaconate in 1934, receiving then the name Iakovos, and he served as a deacon to Archbishop Athenagoras, later Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1940, Iakovos was ordained to the Priesthood in Lowell, Massachusetts, serving in different churches within Connecticut, St. Louis, and New York, and also serving as the assistant dean of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1942, he was appointed as dean of the Annunciation Cathedral in Boston and served in that capacity until 1954. During this time, he earned a master's degree in Sacred Theology from Harvard Divinity School in 1945, and became a U.S. citizen in 1950.
In 1954, Iakovos was elected to the episcopacy and appointed as Bishop of Melita by the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, being consecrated the following year. In 1956, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan. Between 1955 and 1959, he served as representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1959, he became the first Greek Orthodox Archbishop to meet with a Pope of Rome in 350 years, visiting Pope John XXIII as a special emissary of Patriarch Athenagoras.
He was elected as Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America on February 14, 1959, by the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople and on April 1 of that year, Iakovos was enthroned as Archbishop of America at Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City.
Shortly after his appointment as Primate of Greek Orthodoxy in the Western Hemisphere, Archbishop Iakovos founded the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), serving as its President until his retirement in 1996. It was his first major step in attempting to bring about Orthodox Christian unity in America, a cause he championed and with which he was strongly associated for all the years of his episcopacy.
Archbishop Iakovos made national headlines while marching alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for civil rights in the 1960's, an act which characterized his commitment to social justice as part of the ministry of the church.
In January of that same year, he accompanied Patriarch Athenagoras to Jerusalem to meet with Pope Paul VI and then later to Rome, where the two Primates declared a lifting of the Anathemas of 1054.
In 1974, he initiated a campaign to assist Greek Cypriot refugees following the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus.
In 1994, Iakovos presided over the historic Ligonier Meeting in Western Pennsylvania at which the assembled American Orthodox bishops came together, expressing their essential unity and denouncing the notion of constituting a "diaspora." His leadership was strongly influential at this meeting, and it is believed that fears that he was going to have himself declared "Patriarch of America" led to his forced retirement at the age of 85, on July 29, 1996, by Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, with whom Iakovos had a long standing rivalry.
On April 8, 2005, the Archbishop was admitted to the Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, suffering from a pulmonary ailment, and he reposed on April 10. His funeral was held on Thursday, April 14, at the Holy Trinity's Cathedral in New York City, and his burial was held on Friday, April 15, at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.
Along the years, the Primate received a number of honorary degrees from 40 colleges and universities, improved parish organizations and enhanced roles of the Archdiocesan Council, the Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress, and the Ladies Philoptochos Society, established departments of church and society and youth ministry, expanded work of Saint Michael's Home for the Aged and Saint Basil Academy, founded the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund, guided the reorganization and accreditation of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and established Hellenic College. He furthermore established the St. Photios National Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida and was a personal friend to nine U.S. Presidents, religious and political leaders worldwide.
He was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, bestowed by President Jimmy Carter on June 9, 1980, and was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1986. He served for nine years as co-president of the World Council of Churches, vice-president of the National Council of Churches Triennium from 1967 till 1969, and established dialogues with Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews.
He was also the founding president of SCOBA in 1960, and served thus until his retirement in 1996. Iakovos was well known for his work to make orthodoxy visible in American Society and for his tireless work in civil rights.
Iakovos was born Demetrios A. Coucouzis on the Greek island of Imvros, Turkey, to Maria and Athanasios Coucouzis, one of four children, including two sisters and a brother. He enrolled at the Ecumenical Patriarchal Theological School of Halki at the age of 15, where he earned a master's degree in Orthodox theology, graduating in 1934, with high honours.
Demetrios was ordained to the diaconate in 1934, receiving then the name Iakovos, and he served as a deacon to Archbishop Athenagoras, later Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1940, Iakovos was ordained to the Priesthood in Lowell, Massachusetts, serving in different churches within Connecticut, St. Louis, and New York, and also serving as the assistant dean of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1942, he was appointed as dean of the Annunciation Cathedral in Boston and served in that capacity until 1954. During this time, he earned a master's degree in Sacred Theology from Harvard Divinity School in 1945, and became a U.S. citizen in 1950.
In 1954, Iakovos was elected to the episcopacy and appointed as Bishop of Melita by the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, being consecrated the following year. In 1956, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan. Between 1955 and 1959, he served as representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1959, he became the first Greek Orthodox Archbishop to meet with a Pope of Rome in 350 years, visiting Pope John XXIII as a special emissary of Patriarch Athenagoras.
He was elected as Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America on February 14, 1959, by the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople and on April 1 of that year, Iakovos was enthroned as Archbishop of America at Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City.
Shortly after his appointment as Primate of Greek Orthodoxy in the Western Hemisphere, Archbishop Iakovos founded the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), serving as its President until his retirement in 1996. It was his first major step in attempting to bring about Orthodox Christian unity in America, a cause he championed and with which he was strongly associated for all the years of his episcopacy.
Archbishop Iakovos made national headlines while marching alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for civil rights in the 1960's, an act which characterized his commitment to social justice as part of the ministry of the church.
In January of that same year, he accompanied Patriarch Athenagoras to Jerusalem to meet with Pope Paul VI and then later to Rome, where the two Primates declared a lifting of the Anathemas of 1054.
In 1974, he initiated a campaign to assist Greek Cypriot refugees following the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus.
In 1994, Iakovos presided over the historic Ligonier Meeting in Western Pennsylvania at which the assembled American Orthodox bishops came together, expressing their essential unity and denouncing the notion of constituting a "diaspora." His leadership was strongly influential at this meeting, and it is believed that fears that he was going to have himself declared "Patriarch of America" led to his forced retirement at the age of 85, on July 29, 1996, by Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, with whom Iakovos had a long standing rivalry.
On April 8, 2005, the Archbishop was admitted to the Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, suffering from a pulmonary ailment, and he reposed on April 10. His funeral was held on Thursday, April 14, at the Holy Trinity's Cathedral in New York City, and his burial was held on Friday, April 15, at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.
Along the years, the Primate received a number of honorary degrees from 40 colleges and universities, improved parish organizations and enhanced roles of the Archdiocesan Council, the Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress, and the Ladies Philoptochos Society, established departments of church and society and youth ministry, expanded work of Saint Michael's Home for the Aged and Saint Basil Academy, founded the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund, guided the reorganization and accreditation of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and established Hellenic College. He furthermore established the St. Photios National Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida and was a personal friend to nine U.S. Presidents, religious and political leaders worldwide.
He was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, bestowed by President Jimmy Carter on June 9, 1980, and was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1986. He served for nine years as co-president of the World Council of Churches, vice-president of the National Council of Churches Triennium from 1967 till 1969, and established dialogues with Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews.
His Eminence, the Most Reverend Archbishop Iakovos Coucouzis of America, was the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America from 1959 till 1996, making him the longest serving Bishop in that capacity.
He was also the founding president of SCOBA in 1960, and served thus until his retirement in 1996. Iakovos was well known for his work to make orthodoxy visible in American Society and for his tireless work in civil rights.
Iakovos was born Demetrios A. Coucouzis on the Greek island of Imvros, Turkey, to Maria and Athanasios Coucouzis, one of four children, including two sisters and a brother. He enrolled at the Ecumenical Patriarchal Theological School of Halki at the age of 15, where he earned a master's degree in Orthodox theology, graduating in 1934, with high honours.
Demetrios was ordained to the diaconate in 1934, receiving then the name Iakovos, and he served as a deacon to Archbishop Athenagoras, later Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1940, Iakovos was ordained to the Priesthood in Lowell, Massachusetts, serving in different churches within Connecticut, St. Louis, and New York, and also serving as the assistant dean of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1942, he was appointed as dean of the Annunciation Cathedral in Boston and served in that capacity until 1954. During this time, he earned a master's degree in Sacred Theology from Harvard Divinity School in 1945, and became a U.S. citizen in 1950.
In 1954, Iakovos was elected to the episcopacy and appointed as Bishop of Melita by the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, being consecrated the following year. In 1956, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan. Between 1955 and 1959, he served as representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1959, he became the first Greek Orthodox Archbishop to meet with a Pope of Rome in 350 years, visiting Pope John XXIII as a special emissary of Patriarch Athenagoras.
He was elected as Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America on February 14, 1959, by the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople and on April 1 of that year, Iakovos was enthroned as Archbishop of America at Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City.
Shortly after his appointment as Primate of Greek Orthodoxy in the Western Hemisphere, Archbishop Iakovos founded the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), serving as its President until his retirement in 1996. It was his first major step in attempting to bring about Orthodox Christian unity in America, a cause he championed and with which he was strongly associated for all the years of his episcopacy.
Archbishop Iakovos made national headlines while marching alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for civil rights in the 1960's, an act which characterized his commitment to social justice as part of the ministry of the church.
In January of that same year, he accompanied Patriarch Athenagoras to Jerusalem to meet with Pope Paul VI and then later to Rome, where the two Primates declared a lifting of the Anathemas of 1054.
In 1974, he initiated a campaign to assist Greek Cypriot refugees following the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus.
In 1994, Iakovos presided over the historic Ligonier Meeting in Western Pennsylvania at which the assembled American Orthodox bishops came together, expressing their essential unity and denouncing the notion of constituting a "diaspora." His leadership was strongly influential at this meeting, and it is believed that fears that he was going to have himself declared "Patriarch of America" led to his forced retirement at the age of 85, on July 29, 1996, by Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, with whom Iakovos had a long standing rivalry.
On April 8, 2005, the Archbishop was admitted to the Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, suffering from a pulmonary ailment, and he reposed on April 10. His funeral was held on Thursday, April 14, at the Holy Trinity's Cathedral in New York City, and his burial was held on Friday, April 15, at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.
Along the years, the Primate received a number of honorary degrees from 40 colleges and universities, improved parish organizations and enhanced roles of the Archdiocesan Council, the Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress, and the Ladies Philoptochos Society, established departments of church and society and youth ministry, expanded work of Saint Michael's Home for the Aged and Saint Basil Academy, founded the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund, guided the reorganization and accreditation of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and established Hellenic College. He furthermore established the St. Photios National Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida and was a personal friend to nine U.S. Presidents, religious and political leaders worldwide.
He was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, bestowed by President Jimmy Carter on June 9, 1980, and was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1986. He served for nine years as co-president of the World Council of Churches, vice-president of the National Council of Churches Triennium from 1967 till 1969, and established dialogues with Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews.
He was also the founding president of SCOBA in 1960, and served thus until his retirement in 1996. Iakovos was well known for his work to make orthodoxy visible in American Society and for his tireless work in civil rights.
Iakovos was born Demetrios A. Coucouzis on the Greek island of Imvros, Turkey, to Maria and Athanasios Coucouzis, one of four children, including two sisters and a brother. He enrolled at the Ecumenical Patriarchal Theological School of Halki at the age of 15, where he earned a master's degree in Orthodox theology, graduating in 1934, with high honours.
Demetrios was ordained to the diaconate in 1934, receiving then the name Iakovos, and he served as a deacon to Archbishop Athenagoras, later Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1940, Iakovos was ordained to the Priesthood in Lowell, Massachusetts, serving in different churches within Connecticut, St. Louis, and New York, and also serving as the assistant dean of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1942, he was appointed as dean of the Annunciation Cathedral in Boston and served in that capacity until 1954. During this time, he earned a master's degree in Sacred Theology from Harvard Divinity School in 1945, and became a U.S. citizen in 1950.
In 1954, Iakovos was elected to the episcopacy and appointed as Bishop of Melita by the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, being consecrated the following year. In 1956, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan. Between 1955 and 1959, he served as representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1959, he became the first Greek Orthodox Archbishop to meet with a Pope of Rome in 350 years, visiting Pope John XXIII as a special emissary of Patriarch Athenagoras.
He was elected as Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America on February 14, 1959, by the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople and on April 1 of that year, Iakovos was enthroned as Archbishop of America at Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City.
Shortly after his appointment as Primate of Greek Orthodoxy in the Western Hemisphere, Archbishop Iakovos founded the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), serving as its President until his retirement in 1996. It was his first major step in attempting to bring about Orthodox Christian unity in America, a cause he championed and with which he was strongly associated for all the years of his episcopacy.
Archbishop Iakovos made national headlines while marching alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for civil rights in the 1960's, an act which characterized his commitment to social justice as part of the ministry of the church.
In January of that same year, he accompanied Patriarch Athenagoras to Jerusalem to meet with Pope Paul VI and then later to Rome, where the two Primates declared a lifting of the Anathemas of 1054.
In 1974, he initiated a campaign to assist Greek Cypriot refugees following the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus.
In 1994, Iakovos presided over the historic Ligonier Meeting in Western Pennsylvania at which the assembled American Orthodox bishops came together, expressing their essential unity and denouncing the notion of constituting a "diaspora." His leadership was strongly influential at this meeting, and it is believed that fears that he was going to have himself declared "Patriarch of America" led to his forced retirement at the age of 85, on July 29, 1996, by Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, with whom Iakovos had a long standing rivalry.
On April 8, 2005, the Archbishop was admitted to the Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, suffering from a pulmonary ailment, and he reposed on April 10. His funeral was held on Thursday, April 14, at the Holy Trinity's Cathedral in New York City, and his burial was held on Friday, April 15, at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.
Along the years, the Primate received a number of honorary degrees from 40 colleges and universities, improved parish organizations and enhanced roles of the Archdiocesan Council, the Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress, and the Ladies Philoptochos Society, established departments of church and society and youth ministry, expanded work of Saint Michael's Home for the Aged and Saint Basil Academy, founded the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund, guided the reorganization and accreditation of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and established Hellenic College. He furthermore established the St. Photios National Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida and was a personal friend to nine U.S. Presidents, religious and political leaders worldwide.
He was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, bestowed by President Jimmy Carter on June 9, 1980, and was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1986. He served for nine years as co-president of the World Council of Churches, vice-president of the National Council of Churches Triennium from 1967 till 1969, and established dialogues with Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews.
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