NEW YORK – His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, who was recently named Patriarchal Vicar of the Metropolis of New Jersey, appointed as chancellor of the Metropolis Archimandrite Constantine Moralis, Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral of Baltimore, effective immediately. The Archbishop made the announcement at the Teleconference meeting of the Holy Eparchial Synod on Monday afternoon, October 12.  

The meeting was done in a calm and good atmosphere and in full cooperation. All the members of the Eparchial synod participated including Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, who was just suspended by the Ecumenical Patriarchate Metropolitan.

The Synod issued the following communique:

“On Monday, October 12, 2020, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America convened the Holy Eparchial Synod via videoconference for an extraordinary session to consider the current issues concerning the life of the Church.

Significant decisions were made, such as:

a) The expression of gratitude to His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy and Sacred Synod of the venerable center of Orthodoxy for the opportunity provided to the Archdiocese of America to draft a new Charter. This distinguished prospect is made even more profound in light of the celebration in the year 2022 of the first centennial since the inception of the Archdiocese. The compilation of the new Charter, with the collaboration of the Hierarchy, the clergy and the laity of the Church, will inaugurate the new centennial of Archdiocesan ministry, and for this reason two Committees will be commissioned with this great and sacred task: 1) An extensive committee in America, composed of representatives of the Holy Eparchial Synod, the clergy and the laity and 2) a second committee, assigned to participate in the Joint Committee that will be devised by our Mother Church, in order to convey and communicate the essence and the ideas of the former committee.

b) The validation of the Press Release of the Holy Archdiocese regarding the uninterrupted authority and continuous operation of all the Archdiocesan administrative bodies until the ratification and publication of the new Charter by the Patriarchate such as the Holy Eparchial Synod, the Archdiocesan Council, the Executive Committee, the Clergy Laity Congress and the respective administrative bodies of the Metropolises.

c) The dedication of upcoming meetings of the Archdiocesan Council to the formulation of the vision for the new Charter.

d) To ensure a dignified life with sufficient earnings, befitting to his hierarchal distinction and to the tradition of the Church, for His Eminence the Metropolitan Evangelos of Sardes, who has served the Archdiocese for many decades.

Lastly, the Archbishop announced the a) composition of the Executive Committee and the National Board of the National Philoptochos Society, b) the appointment of the V. Rev. Archimandrite Constantine Moralis as the Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey and the appointment of the Metropolitan Council of the aforementioned Metropolis and c) the dates for the ordinations to the Sacred Hierarchy of the Bishops-elect: His Grace Spyridon (Kezios) of Amastris on November 14th, His Grace Timothy (Bakakos) of Hexamilion on December 5th and His Grace Ioannis (Constantine) of Phocaea on December 19th of this year.

From the Office of the Chief-Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod.”

Archimandrite Constantine Moralis was born in 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland. He is the son of late Peter (born in Athens Greece, refugees from Asia Minor) and Sarah, (born in Mobile, Alabama, whose family was from Patmos and Egypt). He is the youngest of three children and was baptized and raised at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore, Maryland.

From the time he was nine years of age, he began serving in the Altar under Father Constantine M. Monios of blessed memory. He attended the local schools in the region and 1988, he began his studies at Hellenic College and graduated Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 1994. In 1996, he was ordained Deacon and Priest by Metropolitan Silas of New Jersey of blessed memory. In 2000, he was elevated to the dignity of Father Confessor by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America and in 2002 he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite by Demetrios and installed as Dean of the Annunciation Cathedral.

Father Constantine continued working diligently with the over 1,000 families of the congregation, serving as their priest in the downtown Baltimore. He established a number of programs for young people, and began the Annunciation Senior Center.  The Senior Center allowed the senior members of the community to come to a safe place and receive the highest caliber of care. Having received numerous awards and recognition, the Senior Center was the pride of Father Dean, along with the members of this parish.