Dimitri Tsakas

The Reverend Father Dimitri Tsakas is the rector of the Greek Orthodox Church of St George, Brisbane, and the Vicar-General of the Fourth Archdiocesan District of Queensland and New Guinea, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.

Biography

Dimitri was born in Brisbane in 1966, where he would subsequently attend Junction Park State School and Brisbane State High School. He then moved to Townsville, where he completed an Social Work degree, attaining honours in Social Policy.

After his graduation, he worked with disadvantaged groups in Northwest Queensland, from Townsville to Hughenden in what was then called the Department of Social Security. During this time, he married Michelle in 1988.

In 1989, they moved to Brisbane, where Dimitri practised social work in psychiatric disability; in 1991, he became a practising Family Court Counsellor in the Family Court of Australia, Brisbane. In May of this year, Dimitri was ordained by Archbishop Stylianos of Australia to the diaconate at the Church of St George, where he was assigned to serve. He began a ministry of teaching, bringing many Orthodox back to the Church.

At the end of 1994, Dcn Dimitri was ordained to the priesthood at the Church of St George. Soon after, he moved to Sydney, where he began studies at St. Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College, simultaneously serving parishes in Sydney. After his graduation from St Andrew's in 1997 with a Bachelor of Theology, he was again placed at the Church of St George, Brisbane, first as assistant priest, then as rector.

On the retirement of V. Rev. Fr Gregory Sakellariou from the position in 2000, Fr Dimitri was made Archepiscopal Vicar of the Fourth Archdiocesan District of Queensland and New Guinea. Subsequently, in 2001, Fr Dimitri was elevated to the rank of Economos.

In 2007, Fr Dimitri was awarded a Masters of International Relations with Distinction from Macquarie University, focusing on Turkish and European Union relations

During the Brisbane floods of 2011, Fr Dimitri led the community in helping those affected by floods, a position that continued in helping those in and around Townsville in the aftermath of Cyclone Yasi. He was awarded a Queensland Flood Hero award by the then-Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh, for his leadership and efforts.

He also serves the Church as a member of the Archdiocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, the Board of Governors of the Bribie Island Youth Retreat and Recreation Centre, and as a Board Member of Greek Orthodox Community Care, Brisbane. In the broader community, he is a member of the State Minister's Cultural Diversity Roundtable, and a member of the Queensland Police Ethnic Advisory Group. He is a founding organiser of the Queensland Police Commissioner's Annual Multi-Faith Dinner, and remains keenly involved in several intercultural dialogues and initiatives, while retaining accredited membership in the Australian Association of Social Workers with specialisation in Mental Health.

External links

Sources

• Biography, on the website of the Greek Orthodox Community of St George.
• [1]

Articles

• Sermon on the Publican and the Pharisee.
• Article in 1999, within the Voice in the Wilderness, on The Prodigal Son.
• Article in 2000, within the Voice in the Wilderness, on Church Etiquette.
• Article in 2004, within the Voice in the Wilderness, on the Importance of Confession.
• A book on incarnational theology, That Our Joy May Be Complete, in which Fr Dimitri has an essay on the Orthodox viewpoint.
• Article on the response of the Greek Orthodox community to the 2011 flood and cyclone crises
• An article by Fr Dimitri Tsakas on the Church's response to the 2011 flood and cyclone crises.

Succession box: Dimitri Tsakas
Preceded by: V. Rev. Fr. Gregory Sakellariou 1961-2000	Archepiscopal Vicar of the Fourth Archdiocesan District of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia 2000-present	Succeeded by: —

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