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Rev. Dr. Thomas FitzGerald:
Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America, has announced the appointment of Rev. Dr. Thomas FitzGerald as
the Dean of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.
In announcing the appointment, the Archbishop commended Fr. Thomas for his
outstanding service to the Church and the School as a priest, theologian,
teacher and author. The appointment followed the unanimous recommendation
of the Search Committee and the unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees
during its meeting on September 14-15, 2006.
Fr. Thomas FitzGerald is currently the tenured Professor of Church History
and Historical Theology. He began his teaching career at Holy Cross over
twenty-five years ago. A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, he received
his undergraduate degree from Suffolk University. He earned graduate
degrees in theology from Holy Cross School of Theology, Boston University
and the School of Theology of the University of Thessaloniki, where he
received his doctorate.
Welcoming the appointment of the new Dean, Fr. Nicholas Triantafilou,
President of Hellenic College/Holy Cross, said "Fr. Tom brings many years
of experience in theological education, pastoral ministry, administrative
leadership, and academic integrity to the office of the Dean. I
congratulate him on his new appointment and look forward to sharing in the
fruits of his labors."
Ordained a deacon in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1979 and a priest in
Brookline in 1981, Fr. Thomas was granted the rank of protopresbyter of
the Ecumenical Patriarchate by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in 2000.
He also serves as the pastor of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in
Manchester, NH.
Fr. Thomas is married to Dr. Kyriaki Karidoyanes FitzGerald, a theologian
and licensed psychologist. A noted author and lecturer on Orthodox
spirituality, she is the founder and coordinator of St. Catherine's
Vision, an association of Orthodox women theologians.
Active in ecumenical dialogues, Fr. Thomas represented the Ecumenical
Patriarchate as the senior Orthodox theologian at the headquarters of the
World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland, from 1994 to 1999. He
directed the Program Unit of Unity and Renewal, including the programs on
Faith and Order, Theological Education and Worship. He continues to
represent the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople at theological
meetings and ecumenical dialogues in this country and abroad.
For over two decades, he has been a member of the Orthodox-Roman Catholic
Bilateral Consultation in North America, currently serving as its Orthodox
executive secretary. He is also the chairperson of the ecumenical
commission of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in
America (SCOBA). He has been active in dialogues of the National Council
of Churches and the Massachusetts Council of Churches.
A past president of the Orthodox Theological Society in America , he is
the author of a number of books including: The Ecumenical Movement: An
Introductory History, The Orthodox Church, The Ecumenical Patriarchate and
Christian Unity and Turn to God: Rejoice in Hope. Recently, he has
co-authored with his wife the book Living the Beatitudes: Perspectives
from Orthodox Spirituality.
His scholarly articles dealing with Orthodox theology and history have
appeared in St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly, Sobornost, Ecumenical
Trends, Theological Education, Mid-Stream, and The Greek Orthodox
Theological Review. In his teaching, research, and writings, Fr. Thomas
has a particular interest in the issues of division and reconciliation,
reflected especially in the Ecumenical Councils of the Church and in more
recent dialogues.
He has been a visiting professor at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological
School, Boston College, and the Ecumenical Institute in Geneva. He has
lectured at the University of Thessaloniki, St. John of Damascus School of
Theology near Beirut, Boston University, The Catholic University,
Washington, St. Paul’s University in Ottawa, and the University of
Uppsala, Sweden.
Fr. Thomas assumed his responsibilities as Dean on September 15, 2006. In
his service as Dean of Holy Cross, he will bring unparalleled experience
as a priest, teacher, mentor, scholar and theologian. In addition to his
service at Holy Cross and in the Church in this country, he has
participated in theological conferences in over thirty countries. He has
also co-led study-tours to Greece, Turkey and the Middle East.
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