On April 29, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America announced the appointment of Archdeacon Dionysios Papiris as Director of the Office of the Archbishop, effective June 1, 2026. Archdeacon Dionysios succeeds Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Fr. Panagiotis Papazafiropoulos, who has served as Director of the Office from June of 2023.
Archdeacon Dionysios will continue to serve concurrently in his present role as Archdeacon of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, an office to which he was appointed by Archbishop Elpidophoros in 2020.
In announcing the appointment, Archbishop Elpidophoros stated:
“Archdeacon Dionysios has served our Sacred Archdiocese with dedication, diligence, and a deep love for the Church. He has demonstrated exceptional pastoral sensitivity, administrative ability, and unwavering commitment to the mission of our Sacred Archdiocese. I am confident that in this new responsibility he will continue to serve with the same zeal, humility, and spirit of ecclesiastical order that have long characterized his ministry. It is with great joy and enthusiasm that I announce his appointment as Director of my office, and I look forward to his continued contribution to the life and witness of our Church in America.”
A native of New York City, and a graduate of the Greek American School of Saint Demetrios in Astoria, Archdeacon Dionysios earned his Bachelor’s degree from Hellenic College in 2012 and his Master of Divinity, with High Distinction, from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 2015.
Prior to his appointment at the Archdiocese, he served the Holy Metropolis of Boston in several capacities, including as Archdeacon to Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, Director of the Office of the Metropolitan and Metropolis Ministries, and Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, where he oversaw pastoral, educational, and youth ministry initiatives throughout the Metropolis.
Since 2020, Archdeacon Dionysios has served as Archdeacon to Archbishop Elpidophoros, the principal liturgical aide of the Archbishop. He assists the Archbishop in the coordination of major ecclesiastical events, pastoral visits, inter-Orthodox and interfaith engagements, official pilgrimages, and liturgical celebrations and services throughout the United States and abroad.
Archbishop Elpidophoros also expressed his gratitude to Fr. Panagiotis Papazafiropoulos for his service in the Office of the Archbishop and offered his blessings as he begins his new ministry as Executive Director of Leadership 100:
“I also wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Father Panagiotis Papazafiropoulos for his faithful and dedicated service as Director of my office since June 2023. Father Panagiotis has served our Archdiocese for more than a decade with integrity, steadiness, and deep commitment during an important time in the life of our Church. Beyond his dedicated priestly ministry, he is a loving husband and devoted father whose beautiful clergy family stands as an example worthy of admiration. As he now assumes his new responsibilities as Executive Director of Leadership 100, I offer him my paternal blessings and every good wish for continued success in this important ministry of stewardship and service to Orthodoxy and Hellenism in America.”
