AMORGOS, Greece | Protopresbyter Thomas Synodinos, dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, was honored on Amorgos for 40 years of priestly service, receiving two crosses of distinction during a public tribute on the island where his life began.
The tribute in Loza Square centered on Synodinos’ long ministry in Athens and his continuing ties to Amorgos, with local authorities and church leaders crediting him for work that linked parish service with the protection of ecclesiastical and cultural heritage.
Amorgos Mayor Eleftherios Karaiskos said the municipality was paying “a debt of honor, gratitude and recognition” to a priest who had remained closely connected to his birthplace. He cited Synodinos’ parish and ecclesiastical work, his role in protecting and restoring Byzantine monuments, promoting church and cultural heritage, and supporting initiatives in health, infrastructure and culture.
In a message read by Protopresbyter Paraskevas Despotidis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew referred to Synodinos’ quiet service to the people of the Church and his contribution to safeguarding ecclesiastical and cultural heritage, including the restoration of important monuments and the creation of church museums in Athens and Amorgos.
Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria and All Africa, who spoke of his long relationship with Synodinos, presented him with the Cross of the Senior Taxiarch of the Order of the Parabalani. Archbishop Hieronymos of Athens and All Greece also sent one of his personal priestly crosses, presented by Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia and Philadelphia, together with the archbishop’s appreciation and gratitude.
Archbishop Hieronymos, in a separate message read by Metropolitan Gabriel, praised Synodinos’ spiritual formation, diligence, method and ecclesiastical ethos, from his service in the Metropolis of Demetrias to his long ministry in the Archdiocese of Athens. Synodinos previously served as chancellor, or protosyncellus, of the Archdiocese of Athens under the late Archbishop Christodoulos, one of whose closest and most trusted associates he was.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni highlighted the cultural dimension of Synodinos’ work, especially his contribution to promoting the ecclesiastical and historical heritage of Athens and Amorgos. Metropolitan Kallinikos of Paronaxia, in a message read by Archimandrite Dorotheos Venetsanopoulos, described the tribute as a “just initiative” by the municipality toward a distinguished son of the island, and Synodinos was offered a faithful copy of the miraculous icon of Panagia Ekatontapyliani.
Synodinos described Amorgos as the “mother and craftswoman” of his life and called the evening a moment of thanksgiving and reflection. He thanked God for the gift of the priesthood, his family, spiritual fathers and colleagues, recalled his childhood on the island, the influence of the late Elder Epiphanios Artemis and the late Archbishop Christodoulos, and the trust and paternal support he received from Archbishop Hieronymos.
He said the honor was not for him alone but for all clergy who serve the Church quietly. The priest’s greatest mission, he said, is to stand beside people with love, humility and discernment, asking that the evening’s applause be understood as recognition for every unseen cleric who daily bears the cross of the priesthood.
The event closed with Mayor Karaiskos presenting Synodinos with an honorary commemorative plaque for his long service to the Church, the island and society.
