Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology

Origins Archbishop Athenagoras of America soon after his enthronement became convinced that a seminary was needed in America to prepare American born man for the priesthood. At the 1936 Clergy-Laity Congress, he announced that the school would open next year in Pomfret, Connecticut, on an estate owned by the Archdiocese, bought for a song during the Great Depression. In 1937, Pomfret seminary was established as The Greek Archdiocese Institute, which would soon become known as Holy Cross Theological School. The seminary reached its current location in 1947, when it moved from Pomfret to Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1974, Hellenic College was first accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, and the Holy Cross Theological School was first accredited by the Association of Theological Schools the same year. 21st century In the spring of 2019, the college was warned by the state of Massachusetts and its accreditor of financial problems. This led to college announcing measures to ameliorate financial difficulties, and the resignation of the institution's then president, Christopher Metropulos. By late 2019 and early 2020, Hellenic College Holy Cross was put on probation by the NECHE, and considered at risk of losing its accreditation. The college was removed from probation in March 2021, with the NECHE finding progress in relevant areas. == Organization and administration ==

Demetrios S. Katos is the current president of HCHC. The institution is also administered by a Board of Trustees. The chairman of the institution's Board of Trustees is Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. ==Academics==

Degrees Hellenic College offers programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology offers graduate programs of study leading to the degrees of Master of Divinity (M.Div), Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.), and Master of Theology (Th.M). Accreditation Since 1974, Hellenic College has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), and Holy Cross School of Theology has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). Hellenic College Holy Cross is the only accredited Orthodox Christian college, seminary, and graduate school of theology in the United States and the Western Hemisphere. Holy Cross is also a member of the Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium. At that time, HCHC had 15 full-time faculty and 18 working part-time, with 3 assistants also employed. ==Campus==

Hellenic College Holy Cross is located on a campus in Brookline, Massachusetts, just outside Boston. The campus is located on the former Weld estate. It is notable for having been the longtime practice site of the Boston Celtics. The institution is located near the Holy Transfiguration Monastery, which is part of the non-canonical Holy Orthodox Church in North America. ==Other programs and activities==

Other educational programs The Semester of Faith program allows undergraduate students from outside HCHC to continue working towards a bachelor's degree while studying at Hellenic College for a semester. In 2025, HCHC and the Boston College Woods College of Advancing Studies, started a program in which students can complete the core curriculum at HCHC, and then transfer to Woods College to receive one of six career focused majors. HCHC administers summer programs for those who do not study full time at the college. One, called CrossRoad is a ten-day, vocational exploration program for Orthodox Christian high school graduates and rising seniors. Two sessions are held on campus each summer. The Pappas Patristic Institute is a seminar based program that focuses on readings in the Church Fathers. This program is geared towards undergraduate and graduate students. Greek Orthodox Theological Review Starting in 1954, the faculty of the institution have published The Greek Orthodox Theological Review, a journal publishing scholarly works related to Orthodox Christianity, particularly Greek Orthodoxy. ==Notable people==

Notable faculty • Georges Florovsky • Eugen J. Pentiuc • John Romanides • Nomikos Michael Vaporis Notable alumni • Bishop Andrei of Cleveland • Archbishop John of Tiranë, Durrës and All Albania • Archbishop Nikitas (Lulias) of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain • Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (did not graduate) • Metropolitan Evangelos (Kourounis) of Sardes, titular bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople • Metropolitan Gerasimos (Michaleas) of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco • Metropolitan Isaiah (Chronopoulos) of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver • Metropolitan Methodios (Tournas) of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston • Metropolitan Nicholas (Pissare) of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit • Metropolitan Savas (Zembillas) of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh • Bishop Andonios (Paropoulos) of Phasiane, auxiliary bishop and Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America • Bishop Demetrios (Kantzavelos) of Mokissos, auxiliary bishop and Proistamenos of the St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine • Bishop Dimitrios (Couchell) of Xanthos, titular bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople • Bishop Kyrillos (Abdelsayed), auxiliary bishop for Christian Education and Dean of St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Theological School in the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii • Demetrios Constantelos • Emmanuel Lemelson • Alexander Karloutsos Interments • Archbishop Iakovos (Koukouzis) of America • Bishop Gerasimos (Papadopoulos) of Abydos • Metropolitan Silas (Koskinas) of New Jersey ==References==