Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago#Illinois

The Metropolis of Chicago traces its roots to 1923, when Rev. Philaret Ioannides became the city’s first Greek Orthodox bishop. Nearly twenty years later, Chicago became the "2nd Diocesan District" of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North & South America. That district would continue to coordinate the ecclesial growth of this major immigrant, industrial, and rail center on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan. Some of the first Greek Orthodox parishes were founded in Chicago.{{cite web |title=The Mission of the Greek Orthodox Parish in America - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Orthodox Church |url=https://www.goarch.org/en/-/the-mission-of-the-greek-orthodox-parish-in-america |website=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America |access-date=11 March 2025}}

A number of distinguished bishops served the diocesan community, including Meletios, Ezekiel and the late Timotheos of Rodostolon. Each brought unique talents to Chicago's Greek Orthodox and larger communities. This episcopal ministry excelled with the singular dedication of Chicago's Metropolitan Iakovos, who ministered for thirty eight years. A studied and accomplished liturgist, Athens-born Metropolitan Iakovos made a profound imprint upon the character of the Midwest’s Greek Orthodox communities.

On {{date|February 7, 2018}}, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople unanimously elected Nathanael Symeonides as the metropolitan of Chicago, succeeding Metropolitan Iakovos. He was ordained a bishop on {{date|March 17, 2018}}, in the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, New York City, and enthroned on {{date|March 24, 2018}} in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Chicago).{{Cite web|url=https://chicago.goarch.org/metropolitan/|title=Metropolitan of Chicago {{!}} The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago|website=Metropolis of Chicago|language=en|access-date=2022-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221161109/https://chicago.goarch.org/metropolitan/|archive-date=2022-02-21|url-status=live}} A dedicated and energetic servant of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the faithful of the Metropolis are poised to enter into a new period of growth under the guidance of her new metropolitan.

The majority of metropolis parishes are concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area, where immigrants arrived as early as the 19th century. The older parishes are found primarily in the older Midwestern industrialized cities, while newer congregations have followed demographic patterns in suburban and even rural/missionary contexts. Within recent decades, Metropolis churches have been built integrating traditional Byzantine forms; earlier structures, in contrast, often were acquired from other faith groups.{{Cite web|url=http://chicago.goarch.org/about-the-metropolis|title=History and Mission {{!}} The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago|website=Metropolis of Chicago|language=en|access-date=2022-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221120241/https://chicago.goarch.org/about-metropolis/|archive-date=2022-02-21|url-status=live}}

{{Incomplete list|date=January 2025}}

• Bishop Philaret (Ioannides) 1923 – 1930
• Bishop Gerasimos of Chicago 1943 – 1954
• Bishop Aimilianos (Laloussis) 1960
• Bishop Thimotheos (Haloftis) 1967 - 1977
• Metropolitan Iakovos (Garmatis) 1977 – 2017
• Metropolitan Nathanael (Symeonides) 2018 – Present

{{See also|List of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in the United States}}

The Metropolis of Chicago consists of thirty-four parishes in Illinois, with another twenty-four parishes in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, northern Indiana, and eastern and central Missouri. The general offices of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago are located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The diocese also runs two monasteries, the Holy Monastery of Transfiguration in Harvard, Illinois and the Holy Convent of Saint John Chrysostom in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.{{cite web |title=Monasteries - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Orthodox Church |url=https://www.goarch.org/monasteries |website=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America |access-date=29 January 2025}}

• Greeks in Chicago
• Diocese of the Midwest

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{{Religion in Chicago}}

{{Dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate}}

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Category:Dioceses of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Category:Greek-American culture in Chicago

Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in Illinois