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Dimitrios (Couchell) of Xanthos

No change in size, 04:32, March 2, 2007
"Archdiocesan Mission Center" isn't meant to be a descriptive term; that was the legal name of the entity. Therefore, it should be capitalized.
In 1981, Couchell was appointed by the Archbishop of America, [[Iakovos (Coucouzis) of America|Iakovos]], as the executive director of the new [[St. Photios National Shrine (St. Augustine, Florida)|St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine]] in St. Augustine, Florida. On March 20, 1983, James Couchell was ordained a [[deacon]] by [[John (Kallos) of Amorion |Bishop John of Atlanta]]. It was at this time that he took the name ''Dimitrios''. Deacon Dimitrios was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Archbishop Iakovos on [[Pentecost]] Sunday, [[June 26]], 1983, in St. Augustine. The date was significant: it marked the 215th anniversary of the landing in St. Augustine of the first Greek colony on the North American continent. On the occasion of the consecration of the shrine's Chapel of St. Photios, Archbishop Iakovos elevated Fr. Dimitrios to the rank of [[archimandrite]].
In January of 1985, Fr. Dimitrios was appointed to serve concurrently as the executive director of the newly founded [[Orthodox Christian Mission Center|archdiocesan mission centerArchdiocesan Mission Center]], which initially was based at the St. Photios Shrine. Fr. Dimitrios oversaw the construction of a new facility for the mission center and initiated key programs, including the sending forth of the first Orthodox mission teams to Africa.
=== Bishop ===
On May 18, 1998, the [[Holy Synod]] of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople unanimously elected Fr. Dimitrios as an auxiliary bishop to Archbishop Spyridon of America with the title Bishop of Xanthos. The new bishop was consecrated to the episcopacy on May 31, 1998, at the [[Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. George]] in Philadelphia by Archbishop Spyridon, [[Paisios (Loulourgas) of Tyana|Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana]], [[Philotheos (Karamitsos) of Meloa|Bishop Philotheos of Meloa]], and [[Vikentios (Malamatenios) of Apameia|Bishop Vikentios of Apameia]].
Bishop Dimitrios relocated to New York and was appointed as Ecumenical Officer of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, as well as general secretary General Secretary of SCOBA. In this latter role, he exercised oversight of various SCOBA initiatives such as OCMC and [[International Orthodox Christian Charities]]. He also initiated the annual vespers service held in New York for the staff and delegates of the United Nations, jointly sponsored by SCOBA and the [[Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Church Hierarchs.]] He also served for several years as Acting Chief Secretary of the Eparchial Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Among the other posts held by Bishop Dimitrios have been
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