Miami Greek church in 'dire financial straits;' priest stepping down
Theo Karantsalis
Father Stavroforos Mamaies, of Miami’s Saint Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral, caught church members by surprise on Sunday, April 30, when he abruptly announced he was leaving.
“If I have offended anyone, I ask for your forgiveness,” said Mamaies, who has headed the Miami church since 1997.
Father Stavroforos Mamaies, of Miami’s Saint Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral, caught church members by surprise on Sunday, April 30, when he abruptly announced he was leaving. “If I have offended anyone, I ask for your forgiveness,” said Mamaies, who has headed the Miami church since 1997. Two weeks ago, during holy week, a letter went out to parishioners alerting them that the “cathedral is on the verge of dire financial straits.” “We owe a combined total of $265,000 to the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid payroll taxes, Miami-Dade County and city of Miami for unpaid property taxes for 2009 and 2010,” the letter shows. “We are currently not in a position to sustain St. Sophia financially through the end of 2012.”
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April 29, 2012
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