BOSTON – An impasse is emerging in the process for selecting the President of Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA, a suburb of Boston. According to information from within the Archdiocese received by The National Herald there is a possibility that Archbishop Elpidophoros, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Board, will appoint a temporary president in order to conduct a new search for a president.

The impasse has arisen due to the fact that none of the three final candidates that were announced seems to have the capacity to gain the unanimous support of School officials.

The National Herald has learned that one of the finalists, Demetrios Logothetis, has withdrawn his candidacy.

On Tuesday, November 14, the meetings of the three final candidates for the presidency at the School with the Board, the faculty, and students began. Members of the search committee for the selection of a president coordinated the meetings, led by the committee’s chairman, Fr. Mark Leontis. Also present is the vice-chairman of the Board, protopresbyter John Magoulias, who has come from California.

The first to be examined was Logothetis, who, is also President of the Leadership 100 endowment fund and was considered the frontrunner for the presidency of the School, a choice that Archbishop Elpidophoros had initially favored. However, leaked information from the search committee indicates that the attitude of Elpidophoros towards Logothetis has changed. Moreover, during the meetings at the School, there seemed to be a negative reaction to some of Logothetis’ future plans regarding Hellenic College, the undergraduate institution, such as collaboration with other colleges in Boston or even its abolition. There were also concerns about the emphasis he wants to place on Hellenism at the School. According to the recent TNH interview with the outgoing president, George Cantonis, Hellenic College had 40 students last year and 60 this year.

It is no secret that there is a strong atmosphere against Hellenism, even among the staff of  the School. The message conveyed by Archbishop Elpidophoros through his behavior and speeches, also suggests the devaluation of Hellenism and the Greek language. Even at the event commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution, he spoke only in English, as he did at the graduation ceremonies in May, as was noted by The National Herald.

A phone message from The National Herald to Logothetis has gone unanswered, but it has come to the attention of TNH that the current preference of the Search Committee under Fr. Leontis leans towards Demetrios Katos, who served as the dean of Hellenic College for several years and later left to work for Northeastern University in Boston. Meetings with Katos were scheduled for Thursday, November 16, while meetings with Fr. James Katinas, who already works in the School’s Development Department, were scheduled for Wednesday, November 15.

On November 9, 2023, in the article titled ‘The Charter Issue Back in the Spotlight’, The National Herald revealed the names of three final candidates for the presidency and on November 9, The National Herald wrote the following about the recent meeting of the Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese: “Reference was made to the process of selecting a new president for Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology (HCHC) in Brookline, MA. However, Archbishop Elpidophoros refused to provide details or mention the candidates that the selection committee, chaired by Fr. Mark Leondis from Florida, has settled on, fearing that the information might leak to The National Herald.”

Furthermore, in the interview given by Cantonis on November 10^th, the following exchange took place:

“TNH:  Who is going to replace you?

“Cantonis: I have no idea. I am not involved in the search. I didn’t know who the finalists were until I read your article. In order to understand what is going on I read your articles regularly.”

The full text of the Archdiocese’s news release follows:

“The Hellenic College Holy Cross Presidential Search Committee is pleased to announce the candidates for the President. The final three candidates (alphabetical order) are: Rev. Dr. James Katinas, Dr. Demetrios Katos, Mr. James Logothetis.

During the twelve-week search, the Committee proactively sought to attract the most qualified candidates. The Committee personally contacted and requested names from the members of the Eparchial Synod, Hierarchs, Faculty of Holy Cross and Hellenic College, leaders in various Archdiocesan Ministries and Institutions. Additionally, they requested that members of the Board of Trustees and each priest serving in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, as well as key stakeholders and leaders in various Orthodox agencies in America, encourage highly-qualified people to apply for this position.

At the close of the twelve-week period, all of the applications received were reviewed and reflected upon through an extensive process. The Committee narrowed down the number of candidates to six.

Following the interviews and background checks, the Committee deliberated on each candidate’s responses, applications and resumes. After careful consideration of each candidate, three leading candidates emerged for the final selection process. The Committee is confident that these three candidates possess the necessary qualifications to lead HCHC as an effective President.

The candidates will visit the campus of Hellenic College Holy Cross for in-person interviews during the week of November 13, 2023, where they will have the opportunity to meet with: Hellenic College Faculty; Holy Cross Faculty; Student Body; Senior Staff; and the Board of Trustees. Members of the Search Committee will lead and facilitate the meetings.

Following the visits, the Search Committee will write a report on each of the meetings with candidates, along with their recommendations, and present them to the Board of Trustees at the November 30, 2023 Meeting.”