[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 6, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H21-H22]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REVEREND CHRIS HADGIGEORGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
exceptional

[[Page H22]]

American and extraordinary human being who led with quiet strength, the 
Reverend Chris Hadgigeorge of Toledo, Ohio, who was laid to rest this 
week.
  Father Hadgigeorge served the Toledo community so wisely and so 
generously for over a half a century, anchoring his service at Holy 
Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, which he helped to elevate from a 
church to a cathedral during his service. He was 91. What an incredible 
life.
  Surviving are his beautiful wife, Presvytera Ann Hadgigeorge, who he 
married in 1948; daughters Pattie Senerius and Angie Bohland; son, 
William; sister, Presvytera Zafera Bartz; six grandchildren, and two 
great-granddaughters. He worshipped them all.
  He was born in Youngstown, Ohio, to immigrants from the Greek island 
of Samos. When he was growing up, he served as an altar boy. When the 
family went visiting with friends, children asked what he would like to 
play and he said: ``I would like to play church.'' So Father Chris 
would be the priest. As he said in a Blade interview back in 1998, he 
would marry his brother to one of the girls, and he would have a bag of 
marbles that he would use as his censer.
  Father Hadgigeorge attended Holy Cross, a school of Greek orthodox 
theology in New England, and was ordained in 1948. He served as pastor 
in a broad range of communities, including Indianapolis and Detroit, 
before arriving in Toledo. How lucky we have been.
  He served as pastor starting in 1960 and pastor emeritus after 1991, 
and he has been a leader for more than half of the North Toledo 
landmark church's existence. As I mentioned, it is now a cathedral due 
to his efforts.
  He had such an influence beyond the congregation he so dutifully 
served. The pastor recognized the changing needs, not only of the 
congregation, but of the community, as he saw his own congregation 
transition from U.S.-born members whose forebears arrived decades ago 
to more recent Greek and Cypriot immigrants. As his son said: ``I 
always called him a peacemaker.''
  He served as a board member of the Toledo Council of Churches and was 
active in the International Institute, building goodwill with every 
step and every word he uttered. He raised his article of faith far 
beyond the congregants of his own cathedral.
  He planted his congregations's commitment in the heart of Toledo and 
maintained it there at a time when it was really needed, before the 
community had transitioned to the new century when it was struggling. 
He led his community to oversee renovations to the church building as 
it was elevated to a cathedral, including the construction of a 
beautiful educational center and the purchase of surrounding property, 
while supporting the parish leaders' decisions to stay put and not 
move, not suburbanize. He felt that that congregation should control 
its own destiny and to grow where it was planted.
  Father Chris was enthusiastic when the parishioners decided to throw 
a festival in 1971. The Holy Trinity's Greek festival has become an 
annual affair in our region, bringing people back to the city and being 
so much a part of the revitalization of Toledo long before it was 
popular. He was a true leader. He was such a leader for us.
  ``There are many generations who knew Father Chris,'' said the 
Reverend Larry Legakis, who became Holy Trinity's pastor in July 2014. 
Reverend Legakis said: ``For some of the people in their eighties, they 
remember working side by side'' with Father Hadgigeorge. ``Some see him 
as a father and a grandfather. And he was with us for so long, others 
see him as a great-grandfather.'' Personally, this Congresswoman sees 
him as a friend.
  Our community is forever indebted to him, and the Greek American 
community he shepherded is an essential building block of the city of 
Toledo. We would be so much less without having their faith-filled 
commitment.
  May his family draw strength from his beautiful life and from the 
lessons that he taught us and from the city that he loved and the 
cathedral to which he gave his life. May his family be blessed and may 
he rest in peace.
  I would like to place in the Record as well the obituary that was 
printed in the Toledo Blade this week.

                     [From The Blade, Jan. 3, 2016]

 The Rev. Chris Hadgigeorge (1924-2015): Orthodox Priest Unified Greek 
                           Community, Parish

                 (By Mark Zaborney, Blade Staff Writer)

       The Rev. Chris Hadgigeorge, a leader of what is now Holy 
     Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, as pastor and pastor 
     emeritus, for more than half the North Toledo landmark's 
     existence, died Thursday in his Sylvania Township home. He 
     was 91.
       He died in his sleep, his son William said. The cause was 
     not immediately known. He had surgery recently to replace a 
     heart valve and put in a pacemaker, but he did not appear ill 
     and took part in liturgies at Holy Trinity for much of 
     December.
       The Holy Trinity community was organized in June, 1915, and 
     has worshiped at its distinctive home on Superior Street 
     north of downtown since 1919. Father Chris arrived as pastor 
     in 1960.
       ``There are many generations who knew Father Chris,'' said 
     the Rev. Larry Legakis, who became Holy Trinity pastor in 
     July, 2014. ``For some of the people in their 80s, they 
     remember working side by side. Some see him as a father and a 
     grandfather, and he was with us for so long, others see him 
     as a great-grandfather.''
       Holy Trinity was consecrated as a cathedral in 1966, 
     ``because of his leadership,'' said George Sarantou, a former 
     parish council president.
       Father Chris oversaw renovations to the building and the 
     educational center and the purchase of surrounding property 
     while supporting parish leaders' decision to stay put.
       ``He felt we should control our own destiny,'' said Mr. 
     Sarantou, Toledo finance director and a former member of the 
     city council. ``He was a good solid leader who understood 
     what our needs should be. He got the job done with his quiet 
     but effective leadership. He knew how to motivate people.''
       Father Chris was enthusiastic when the parish threw a 
     festival in 1971, and Holy Trinity's Greek festival has 
     become an annual affair.
       ``He loved the city and the community. It was home,'' his 
     son said.
       The pastor recognized the changing needs of the 
     congregation, from the U.S.-born members whose forebears 
     arrived decades ago to more recent Greek and Cypriot 
     immigrants.
       ``He was a great unifier in the Greek community. He could 
     work with all groups, young and old,'' Mr. Sarantou said.
       His son said: ``I always called him a peacemaker.''
       ``I'm speaking as a son now,'' William Hadgigeorge said. 
     ``He would never lecture me about God's way. It was always 
     the right way; do the right thing, even when others aren't 
     looking.''
       Father Chris retired as Holy Trinity pastor in 1991. 
     Afterward, he was interim pastor of a Springfield, Ohio, 
     church for several months but stayed in Toledo.
       He was named a protopresbyter in the church by Archbishop 
     Iakovos in 1973, and received the patriarchal cross from 
     Patriarch Bartholomew in 2006.
       Father Chris was born Aug. 3, 1924, in Youngstown, to 
     Paraskevi and William Hadgigeorge, immigrants from the Greek 
     island of Samos. He was an altar boy growing up and sang in 
     the choir. When the family went visiting and friends' 
     children asked what he'd like to play, ``I'd say, `Let's play 
     church,' '' Father Chris told The Blade in 1998. ``And I 
     would be the priest. I would marry my brother to one of the 
     girls. I would have a bag of marbles that I used as my 
     censer.''
       He was a 1942 graduate of Youngstown's East High School. He 
     went to Holy Cross, a school of Greek Orthodox theology in 
     New England and was ordained in 1948. He was a pastor in 
     Indianapolis and Detroit before arriving in Toledo.
       He'd been a board member of the Toledo Council of Churches 
     and was active in the International Institute.
       Surviving are his wife, Presvytera Ann Hadgigeorge, whom he 
     married March 7, 1948; daughters, Pattie Senerius and Angie 
     Bohland; son, William; sister, Presvytera Zafera Bartz; six 
     grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters.
       Visitation will be from 1-9 p.m. Monday in Holy Trinity 
     Greek Orthodox Cathedral, with Trisagion prayers at 7 p.m. A 
     vesperal liturgy at 9 a.m. Tuesday will be followed by 
     funeral services at 11 a.m. in the cathedral. Arrangements 
     are by the Ansberg-West Funeral Home.
       The family suggests tributes to Holy Trinity's memorial 
     fund.

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