[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 168 (Monday, September 27, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO FATHER GEORGE POULOS

 Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the 
Very Reverend Father George Poulos, a deeply admired community leader, 
who turns 100 on September 30.
  Born in Massachusetts to Greek immigrants in 1921, Father George 
joined the priesthood in 1943. He began his studies in Connecticut at 
the Holy Cross Seminary in Pomfret. Upon graduating in 1948 from the 
Holy Cross Seminary in Brookline, MA, Father George served as a pastor 
of the Holy Trinity Church in Norwich, CT. Then, in 1956, he was 
assigned to the Church of the Archangels in Stamford, CT. In 2009, 
after over six decades of remarkable service, Father George retired. He 
still plays an active role at the Church of the Archangels, serving as 
pastor emeritus.
  I have been privileged to know Father George as a leader of courage 
and conviction, whose great work has touched countless lives. His 
vision and dedication enabled the Church of the Archangels to build an 
amazing, 11th Century Byzantine-style Greek Orthodox Church, which was 
consecrated in 1959. Later, in 1976, the church campus opened the Greek 
Cultural Center, which offered athletic amenities for church youth and 
banquet facilities for the entire community. In 1995, this center 
became the Stamford Athletic Club, providing invaluable services to the 
public.
  Father George oversaw the creation of Ionian Village, a summer camp 
youth program in Greece. Since 1970, it has hosted thousands of Greek-
American campers, giving them the opportunity to further explore their 
cultural history, religious roots, and language. Father George also 
established ``Byzantine Fellowship'' in America, and in his 30-year 
tenure as executive director, helped sponsor Greek cultural events in 
the United States and pilgrimages.
  Father George's tireless dedication to helping others has earned him 
enormous respect and affection, as well as official recognition. He was 
appointed as vicar general of the churches in Connecticut by the Greek 
Orthodox Archdiocese, and in 2017, he received an honorary doctorate of 
divinity from Holy Cross Seminary. Father George is a prolific author 
and is actively involved in community service, as chaplain of the 
Stamford Fire Department, vice president of the local Council of 
Churches and Synagogues, and a major in the U.S. Air Force Civil 
Patrol.
  I am honored to know Father George and his family for many years--
indeed, decades. I can attest firsthand to his wonderful generosity and 
loyalty as a friend and his love for humanity, as well as the warm and 
welcoming spirit of his congregants. I hope my colleagues will join me 
in congratulating the Very Reverend Father George Poulos, his wife, 
Christine, their five sons, and their six grandchildren on this 
milestone of Father George's 100th birthday.

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