Visit of Bishop Dimitri

In the early 1970s Bishop Dimitri came to our church. He is shown in the photo here, with Al Joseph, Andy Babish and some other, unidentified people. While the occasion of the visit is not known to this blogger, much is known about Bishop Dimitri, a most remarkable man indeed.

One of the appealing things about him is how his personal story can connect with the many converts in the OCA. He was born in 1923, in Teague Texas, in a family of Baptists, but as a teenager both he and his sister converted to Orthodoxy, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church in Dallas.

He served in WWII as a Japanese language instructor, and later used his Spanish language skills as a missionary to Mexican Americans. He became associated with the "Metropolia," our predecessor body, in the 1950s, being made a priest in 1954. Later, in the 1960s, he became bishop of the New England district and for a time was our parish Bishop. The church is fortunate to have such a diversity of talent and gifts as shown in leaders like Bishop Dimitri. Christianity Today has an informative article on him by Frederica Matthewes-Green. Read it and learn about his "Tex-Mex Orthodoxy!"