Biography of His Eminence, Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey

 

His Eminence, Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey was born Evangelos Koufallakis on the island of Rhodes, Greece. He is the second of four children of Ioannis and Stergia Koufallakis. He completed his primary education on the island of Rhodes. In 1990, he was accepted at the historical Ecclesiastical School of Patmos, also known as Patmeada, where he was first introduced to, and later mastered, Orthodox Byzantine Music and Hymnology.  

 

On April 29, 1993, Evangelos was tonsured a monk at the Holy and Sacred Monastery of Panagia Paramethea, at which time he received the name “Apostolos.” On June 20, 1993, Father Apostolos was ordained to the holy Diaconate by his spiritual father, Metropolitan Apostolos of Rhodes. He served the Metropolis of Rhodes as the deacon to the Metropolitan and after one year received the Offikion of Archdeacon.  

 

In October of 1995, Father Apostolos passed the General Panellenian exams and was accepted at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in the area of study of Pastoral and Social Theology. During his theological education, Father Apostolos was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on July 28, 1996, and received the Offikion of Archimandrite by Metropolitan Apostolos of Rhodes. In March of 2000, having broadened his theological education, Father Apostolos graduated with the degree of Master of Divinity from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.  

 

On October 11, 2001, Archimandrite Apostolos traveled to the United States of America to further enhance and expand his knowledge of theology. The following year, Archimandrite Apostolos was accepted to Boston University School of Theology in the Master of Sacred Theology program, with a major in Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics. The degree of Master of Sacred Theology was conferred upon him in May of 2004.  

 

During his graduate studies in Boston, His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston assigned Archimandrite Apostolos as the visiting priest at the Annunciation Church in Brockton, Massachusetts. After offering his service to the parish of the Annunciation, Metropolitan Methodios appointed Archimandrite Apostolos as the Proistamenos of the historic parish of St. George in Southbridge, Massachusetts. In September of 2003, Archimandrite Apostolos was transferred and assigned as the Proistamenos of the Saints Anargyroi parish of Marlborough, Massachusetts.

 

In March of 2004, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America appointed Archimandrite Apostolos Koufallakis as the Dean of the historic Cathedral of St. Demetrios in Astoria. In November 2004, the president and the members of the Society of Patmos granted Archimandrite Apostolos the title of honorary president. On March 20, 2008, at the Greek Independence Day Celebrations, Archimandrite Apostolos received a Citation of Honor from Mrs. Helen M. Marshall, President of the Borough of Queens, for his “profound devotion to the Greek Orthodox Church and to the Greek American Community.” In March of 2009, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America appointed Archimandrite Apostolos Koufallakis as the director of the Archdiocesan Hellenic Cultural Center.

 

In November 2011, Archimandrite Apostolos was appointed as the Chancellor of the Metropolis of San Francisco by His Eminence, Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco. On November 28, 2014, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate unanimously elected Archimandrite Apostolos to the rank of Auxiliary Bishop and was given the title Bishop of Medeia. His ordination took place on December 20, 2014, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York. On October 1, 2018, His Grace was appointed Chief Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. On January 9, 2019, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America appointed Bishop Apostolos of Medeia to be the Spiritual Advisor of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society.

 

His Grace, Bishop Apostolos was tasked with the planning and organization of the Enthronement Service and celebration of His Eminence, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, which took place on June 22, 2019. He was also entrusted by the Archbishop as the President of the Planning Committee, which organized the first Monastic Synaxis in our sacred Archdiocese in Roscoe, New York, from September 21-22, 2019. Additionally, Bishop Apostolos was appointed by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America as the President of the Coordinating Committee for the National Greek Education Conference held in Flushing, New York, on November 9, 2019. Bishop Apostolos had the distinct privilege of organizing the virtual 45th Biennial National Clergy-Laity Congress held from September 9-10, 2020, in which more than 1,200 delegates participated, more than any other National Clergy-Laity Congress in the history of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

On February 3, 2021, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America assigned His Grace, Bishop Apostolos of Medeia to assume the liturgical and pastoral responsibilities and needs of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey.

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On July 24, 2023, His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos upon the recommendation of His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was unanimously elected by the members of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as the Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey.