Metropolitan Methodios Appoints the Rev. Dr. Demetrios Tonias as Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral of Boston
Metropolitan Methodios Appoints the Rev. Dr. Demetrios Tonias as Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral of Boston
In a letter to the Parish Council of the Cathedral dated November 10, 2014, His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios wrote, "Taking into consideration the pastoral needs of the Metropolis of Boston, I appoint the Rev. Dr. Demetrios Tonias as Dean of the Cathedral. Fr. Demetri has served our Metropolis in several communities with distinction, zeal and honor. He is greatly loved in the parish he is currently serving in Watertown. I am grateful to him for accepting my appointment to the Cathedral in order to begin a new chapter in its history. I have asked him to particularly reach out to the greater ecumenical and interchurch community and to college students studying in greater Boston. I pray that his tenure at the Cathedral be marked with much success."
Fr. Tonias will begin his new ministry as Dean of the Cathedral on December 1, 2014, after having served as the Proistamenos of the Taxiarchae Parish of Watertown since September of 2008. Prior to Watertown, he served the Holy Trinity parish of Concord, New Hampshire.
The Rev. Fr. Demetrios E. Tonias, B.S., M.Div, Th.M., Ph.D.
The Rev. Dr. Demetrios E. Tonias is a Greek Orthodox priest and ecumenical officer of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston. Prior to entering seminary, Fr. Tonias was a professional engineer and member of the Adjunct Engineering Faculty of Union College in Schenectady, New York. He is the author of several works on civil engineering, including an award-winning textbook on Bridge Engineering. In 1996, Fr. Tonias left his career as a professional engineer to pursue Holy Orders in the Greek Orthodox Church. He attended Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts where he graduated with the degree of Master of Divinity in 1999 and Master of Theology in 2006, both with highest distinction. Fr. Tonias was ordained to the deaconate in May of 1998 and the priesthood in March of 1999. Presently, Fr. Tonias is the pastor of the Taxiarchae/Archangels Church in Watertown, MA. In the course of his ministry, Fr. Tonias helped bring numerous students to the Greek Orthodox theological school in Brookline and his love of teaching and theological inquiry moved him to pursue further graduate studies.
Fr. Tonias graduated from Boston College with a Ph.D. in theology where he specialized in Jewish-Christian relations with a focus on the Eastern Christian-Jewish dialogue in general and the early church Jewish-Christian relationship in particular. His doctoral dissertation, entitled, “Abraham in the Works of John Chrysostom,” examined the numerous references to the great patriarch of the Jewish bible by the fourth century Christian preacher and bishop. A book based on his dissertation was published by Fortress Press in March 2014. As a result of his studies, Fr. Tonias is involved in a variety of ecumenical and interfaith dialogues where he represents His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston. Presently, Fr. Tonias serves on the board of the Massachusetts Council of Churches. He also serves on the inter-religious and Jewish-Christian convening panels of the National Council of Churches and as a consulting scholar for the International Council of Christians and Jews.
Fr. Tonias’ theological publications include two textbooks, which he co-authored and are used to teach liturgical Greek at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Fr. Tonias has given lectures on Church History and Orthodox Theology and was invited to speak at a conference on Jewish-Christian relations sponsored by the World Council of Churches in Istanbul, Turkey. Fr. Demetri’s family includes his wife, Presbytera Maryann and their four children Allan, Elias, Catherine, and Josephine.
