Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

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Presiding Priest: Rev. Andrew J. Barakos, Economos

Fr. Andrew Barakos was born on December 14, 1961 in Berkeley, California. His parents, John and Eva Barakos raised him in Lafayette, California along with two older sisters and a younger brother. After graduating from Acalanes High School in 1980, Fr. Andrew attended Cal State Hayward as a biology major. After making a decision to change his major in 1984, Father Andrew received a calling to the priesthood. He enrolled at Hellenic College, Brookline, MA, in January, 1985. While on staff that summer at the Athenagoras Retreat Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, he met his future presvytera Andrea Contos from Denver Colorado. Presvytera Andrea holds a Bachelor in Education from the University of Northern Colorado. On December 28, 1986 they were married at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Denver. On May 16, 1987, Fr. Andrew graduated from Hellenic College with a Bachelor of Arts. On May 19, 1990, Fr. Andrew graduated with distinction from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology with the degree Master of Divinity.

As a seminarian graduate, Fr. Andrew was ordained a Deacon by Bishop Anthony of San Francisco, on March 17, 1991 at his home parish of the Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Oakland, California. On April 1, 1991, Fr. Andrew received his first appointment to St. Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles, California. On May 12, 1991, Fr. Andrew was elevated from the Deaconate to the Holy Priesthood on May 12, 1991. Presvytera Andrea gave birth to their first child Evan on August 17, 1992. Fr. Andrew and Presvytera Andrea received their second appointment on March 1, 1995 to serve the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. On May 3, 1995, Presvytera gave birth to their second son Nicholas. On March 27, 1998, Presvytera gave birth to their third son Alexios.

Since 1995, Fr. Andrew Barakos has been the priest of Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is currently, the vicar of the southwestern region of the Metropolis of San Francisco. Fr. Andrew is a board member of the Trustees, Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, the Metropolis Council of San Francisco and the Commission on Missions and Evangelism. He is a past member of the Archdiocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Fr. Andrew can be contacted at frandrew@cox.net

Liturgical Assistant: V. Rev. V irgil Suciu

Fr. Virgil Suciu is a retired priest under the Romanian Orthodox Church who has been a liturgical assistant at Assumption since 2005. Fr. Virgil assist's Fr. Andrew with hospital visitations and serves at Assumption in Fr. Andrew's absence. Fr. Virgil also assists area Orthodox Churches as a replacement priest.

Pastoral Assistant: Allan Boyd

The son of a deacon, Allan was raised in an Evangelical Christian tradition; being trained in the scriptures from the time he was a toddler. Straight out of high school, he immediately entered an Evangelical Seminary, where he met Danita, his wife of 28 years. (Allan and Danita have two children, Joshua, 27, and Faith, 23, who each live in Boston.) As an Evangelical, Allan was involved in various lay ministries-from helping to lead Youth Ministry Programs, to Teaching both Teen and Adult Sunday School, to Preaching. Eventually, an Orthodox priest from Santa Fe, NM began sending Allan books about Orthodox Christianity. For the next 6 years, he engaged in an aggressive scrutiny of the Orthodox Faith, until finally he and his family asked to be received as catechumens. After a year-long catechumenate, Allan and his family were received into the Orthodox Faith on Lazarus Saturday, 1999. During his first several years as an Orthodox Christian, Allan served the Church in the roles of Altar Leader; Camp Counselor; Church Sexton; Sunday School Teacher; Parish Council Member; and Radio Show Co-Host. In 2003, he began attending Hellenic College, where he completed his undergrad in Religious Studies. During that time, Allan's son Joshua-an exceptionally accomplished chanter-was ordained as a subdeacon. Additionally, Allan's wife, Danita, used her gifts to initiate a highly successful campus religious education program for the 50 children of seminary students. While an undergrad, Allan also served for two years as president of the Married Student's Association for both Hellenic College and Holy Cross, working as an advocate for campus family-life issues and the quality of life for the many children on campus. In 2006, he began attending Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology to work on his Masters of Divinity, where he focused on Youth Ministry and Restorative-Justice Outreach. A couple of summers ago, Allan traveled to Albania, where he met with Archbishop Anastasios, receiving some enlightening details about his Albanian missionary efforts. For 4 weeks there, Allan worked in an Albanian missionary summer camp as a storyteller, presenting the faith to Muslim and atheist children and teenagers. Last summer, Allan spent several weeks traveling through Greece and Turkey, where he visited ancient Christian holy sites, including a week-long pilgrimage through Mt Athos. Over the course of this last academic year, Allan worked an internship with a street outreach ministry in Boston, helping to feed, clothe and connect the homeless and marginalized with both physical and spiritual resources. Also, he recently created a dynamic, new website called The Living End , dedicated to telling the stories of Orthodox Christians doing outreach work, and providing resource information for those who wish to embark on various types of Christian social outreach. In March of this year, he participated in the first, annual, Holy Cross Preaching Competition, where the school's faculty judges awarded him with the highest score. Allan graduated on May 16th and will begin working with Assumption, under the guidance of Fr. Andrew Barakos, in the role of Lay Pastoral Assistant.