Rev. Fr. Alex Chetsas

I grew up in Newburyport, MA (Annunciation Church) and have been happily married to Brandy Elser since 1996—we met in graduate school at Salem State and have been inseparable ever since. We have lived in Millis, MA since 2011 and have three children: Phoebe, 25; Abraham, 21; and Roman, 13. We also steward a lovely (and probably too large) flock of chickens, several adorable rabbits and, yes, even a charming “mini” pig.

I was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios in 2001—and to the Holy Priesthood by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony, of blessed memory, in 2002. I’ve served at parishes in Los Angeles, CA, Tallahassee, FL, Weston, MA and Nashua, NH, before coming to our beloved Saint Gregory Church in September of 2020.

Throughout my ministry, I’ve been especially drawn to certain aspects of Church life: youth ministry, marriage counseling, the intersection of popular culture and the tenets of our faith, social action/community outreach and the possibility for institutional transformation within the Church—specifically, how can we better actualize the great time, talent and treasure of our faithful and look more and more like the dynamic Church described in the Book of Acts.

In the end, I love parish life—the Sacraments, programs, ministry endeavors, outreach, sense of community, friendships … the people. And I believe in personal and communal striving, pushing ourselves for the sake of the Gospel. Further, I feel when we open the arms of the Church and embrace the greater community with open minds and abounding love, everything just gets more hopeful, more exciting, more inviting and more like what it should be: a true foretaste of the Kingdom of God.