BOSTON – Metropolitan Methodios of Boston on Sunday January 15 installed Fr. Paul Bebis as the new presiding priest of St. Philip parish in Nashua New Hampshire.

Fr. Bebis is the son of the late protopresbyter Constantine and Presbytera Irene Bebis and nephew of the late George Bebis, professor emeritus of Patristics at Holy Cross Theological School. Fr. Constantine Bebis served for more than a century as presiding priest at St. George parish in New Bedford, MA, and during the last few years of his ministry a new church was build in the near town of Dartmouth.

Fr. Paul, prior to his appointment to the St. Philip parish in Nashua, served for 11 years as presiding priest at Holy Trinity parish in Fitchburg Massachusetts.

He was born and raised in New Bedford, MA and was graduated from Emerson College in Boston, MA in 1982 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications. He also graduated from the Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline MA with a Master’s of Divinity Degree in 1994. Father Paul has also completed a Post Bachelors Teaching Degree at the University of Massachusetts in Elementary Education.

For many years, he was a newsman and sportscaster of WBSM Radio in New Bedford. He also has taught in the New Bedford Public School System.

Father Paul was ordained into the priesthood on October 8th, 2000 by Metropolitan Methodios. Father Paul has served at St. Nicholas in Enfield, CT, Holy Trinity in Fort Wayne, IN, and most recently at Holy Trinity in Fitchburg, MA. Father Paul is married to Presvytera Terry Bebis and has one son, Joshua.

Metropolitan Methodios called Fr. Bebis to embrace everybody, “those who participate in the life of the community and those for one reason or another don’t” and told him “to become a missionary.”

The cutting of Vasilopita followed in the community center as well as a luncheon for the entire congregation and Metropolitan Methodios gave small gifts to the children of the parish.

Fr . Bebis said in his speech, “your Eminence I would like to thank you for sending me to this beautiful church. I will give it all. Today a new chapter begins in my ministry and I pray that the Lord will continue to give me the strength to serve His Church.”

Parish council president Malcom Paradise told TNH that “St. Philip was blessed today to have our new spiritual leader, Fr. Paul Bebis, lead us in Liturgy for the first time, along with his Eminence Metropolitan Methodios. After liturgy, Fr. Paul and Presbytera Terry along with Metropolitan Methodios joined us and over a 100 of our faithful, catechumens, and friends for fellowship in our Agape Hall.”

He noted that, “last year a number of catechumens have been accepted into Orthodoxy and now worship every week with us. This trend appears to be continuing in 2023 with new faces coming today to join us in our faith.

As such, I believe our church has turned a corner and is growing, reversing 20 years of decreasing numbers. This can be seen as our stewardship has exceeded expectations the past two years.”

In the city of Nashua the pioneer Greek immigrants at the beginning of the 20th century had established two communities, St. Nicholas and the Annunciation, in the same neighborhood, but they were divided due to the political rivalry between the parties of Venizelos and the King in Greece.

In 1972, ‘a miracle’ happened and the two parishes were united into one unified parish under the name of St. Philip with its first priest Fr. Soterios Alexopoulos, who served the parish diligently for 25 years. Under his pastorship the parish of St. Philip flourished, with big congregations during the Liturgy as well as very strong Greek and Catechetical Schools directed by the late presbytera Eleni Alexopoulos.