Rev. Fr. Andreas Papayiannis

Father Andreas Maclean Papayiannis was appointed as the Proistamenos (Presiding Priest) of Dormition of the Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church in February, 2016. He previously served as the Proistamenos of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Flagstaff, Arizona. Father Andreas was ordained as a Deacon and as a Priest by His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco.

Father Andreas was awarded a Master of Divinity degree, with High Distinction, by Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, Massachusetts, in May, 2012. Previously, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Charleston, South Carolina. For fifteen years prior to going to Holy Cross, he worked in the field of corporate finance as a controller and financial analyst.

Father Andreas was born in southwestern Ontario to a European father and American mother. He was raised in Waterloo, Ontario where he attended St. John’s-Kilmarnock School and Kitchener Collegiate Institute. He was tonsured as a Reader at St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church of Redondo Beach, California. Father and his future Presvytera, Maria,  were married at St. Katherine in Redondo Beach. Fr. Andreas and Presvytera Maria have two children, Alexandra-Panagiota and Ioannis.

In August, 2009, Father Andreas “left the world” and went to seminary to begin his second career and true vocation. While a seminarian, Fr. Andreas was assigned to Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Greek-speaking, historic community. There, he re-established GOYA and assisted the priest in pastoral and administrative duties. He also served an internship with the Chancellor of the Metropolis of Boston, where his responsibilities included Leadership Development and OCF coordination. After graduation from Holy Cross, Fr. Andreas served Metropolitan Methodios as his Deacon.

Father Andreas has been honored by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky by being commissioned a Colonel and Aide-de-camp. To relax, Father enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, baking prosphora, reading, watching classic movies and fishing.