BOSTON – Just a few days before the start of the new academic year at Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA, a suburb of Boston, there have been sudden resignations of key personnel, both in administration and academia. Specifically, the Dean of the School of Theology, Fr. Eugen Pentiuc, who assumed the deanship on January 1, 2024, requested to be relieved of his duties for the upcoming academic semester due to “health reasons,” as stated in an informational memo sent by the School’s President, Demetrios Katos, to the faculty and staff. Despite this, Fr. Pentiuc will continue to teach during the semester. According to Katos in his memo, “Fr. Pentiuc will resume his duties as Dean when his health allows.”

Fr. Pentiuc, who hails from Romania, was appointed as a professor of the Old Testament at the School in 1998, and in 2009 he received tenure as a professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages. Additionally, since 2018, he has held the Chair of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins, which was endowed named in honor of former Archbishop Demetrios of America.

It should be noted that Fr. Eugen Pentiuc succeeded Fr. George Parsenios as Dean of the School, who also resigned “for health reasons” while simultaneously taking on priestly duties at the community of St. Nicholas in Lexington, MA. He continues to teach New Testament courses at the School of Theology.

Faced with a stalemate, President Katos Appointed Bishop Antonios of Synadon as Acting Dean during Fr. Pentiuc’s absence. Bishop Anthony, who was born Avramopoulos and shortened his last name to Vrame, is the Director of the Holy Cross School of Theology Press, will serve as acting Dean in the absence of Fr. Pentiuc. Bishop Antonios is one of the most scholarly clerics of the Archdiocese. He served as Director Religious Education, which is his specialization, for many years, specifically from January 2007 until August 2021, when he was transferred to the Holy Cross Orthodox Press. Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzus was appointed as his successor the Department of Religious Education.

Bishop Anthony hails from Chicago and has studied at DePaul University and the University of Chicago. He also studied at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, where he earned his Master of Divinity degree, and at Boston College, from which he earned his Doctorate in Catechetical Education. He moved to Boston in 1986 to study at Holy Cross and join the ranks of the clergy. After his graduation in 1989, he held various positions, including the directorship of Religious Education, as well as the Athenagoras Patriarchal Institute, which is located at University of California, Berkeley. He is a professor of Catechetical Education at Holy Cross and has also taught at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union. He has completed postgraduate studies and specialization at Boston College.

Additionally, a few days ago, the Director of Student Life, Dean of Students, Fr. Patrick O’Rourke, suddenly resigned. According to a memo from President Katos, “he will assume the position of Proistamenos (presiding priest) in a community of the Archdiocese.” Fr. Patrick O’Rourke will leave the School on September 20, 2024.

Katos announced the appointment of the current Assistant Director of Student Life, Archimandrite Bartholomew Mercado, as the new Director. Archimandrite Bartholomew is also the Ecclesiarch of the School and a professor of Canon Law.

According to sources of The National Herald, a professor of Greek Language and Greek Studies is leaving Hellenic College and the School of Theology, as she has secured a position at another university in the United States. The same sources indicate that this year’s incoming class has more freshmen than in previous years, with some of them being of advanced age, approaching 50 years old, while others are younger. The data and numbers will be announced in two weeks during the official start of the academic year.