LYNN — A pillar of the city’s faith community said goodbye to his parish Sunday morning in a heartfelt celebration of more than two decades of service.
The Rev. Father George Tsoukalas, 79, officially retired from his position as the pastor of St. George Greek Orthodox Church Sunday, after 25 years of overseeing the congregation. The church held its normal Sunday morning services, which were capped by a speech from Fr. Tsoukalas where he reflected on his time leading St. George as well as the relationships he developed with the community.
“All good things come to an end. The time has come to turn the reins to a new generation,” Fr. Tsoukalas told the hundreds gathered inside the church on a cold, windy morning, some of whom grew teary as he spoke. “I have the fondest memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life.”
“Thank you for the honor of being your priest. The people’s priest,” Fr. Tsoukalas continued.
Following the service, the church held a retirement celebration for Fr. Tsoukalas inside the Agganis Gym, which featured speeches from members of Fr. Tsoukalas’s family as well as the pastors of a number of other Greek Orthodox churches in the area, some of whom at one point served alongside Fr. Tsoukalas. St. George Parish Council President, church benefactor Tom Demakes, and Fr. Tsoukalas himself also spoke during the celebration.
Stephanie Tsoukalas La’Marca, Fr. Tsoukalas’ daughter, took the stage after an introduction from John Meklis, a member of the St. George Parish Council. In her remarks, she spoke of how her father has become “rich” during his time leading the parish, though not because of material possessions.
“My dad is indeed rich, not rich because of material possessions; rich because he is surrounded by so many endearing people,” La’Marca told the crowd. “He has given his complete dedication, his profound commitment, and his unwavering devotion to each and every one of his parish communities, Peabody, Nashua, Woburn, Jamaica, Haverhill, and Lynn.”
The Rev. Father Nicholas Anctil, the pastor of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in New Rochelle, N.Y., followed, and spoke of how his relationship with Fr. Tsoukalas and his family shaped his decision to pursue the priesthood.
“He’s one of a kind. But he taught all of us and I think I was his first seminarian. And I didn’t want to go to the seminary. I wanted to go become an architect,” Fr. Anctil said, recalling a conversation he had with Fr. Tsoukalas in the late 1970s. “He said ‘Nico, go one year, and if you don’t like it go to the other schools that you were pegged to go to.’ And I went. Once you go to the seminary for one year it takes on a beautiful life inside of you.”
“I’m not sure where those years went, and how quickly we blink our eyes because we had such a wonderful life together. Father George, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, all of us. … I cannot thank you enough,” Fr. Anctil continued, closing his speech.
Following Fr. Anctil was another man whose life was drastically altered by Fr. Tsoukalas, the Rev. Father Nicholas Pelekoudas, the pastor of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell, who served as a deacon and later as a priest, at St. George, before departing for Lowell.
In his remarks, Fr. Pelekoudas spoke about his trajectory from parishioner to priest at St. George, referring to Fr. Tsoukalas as a messenger of God, much like an angel.
“Throughout the whole time, not so much what people would tell me as what I should be, how I could be. It was because of Father George, who from a young age, attached himself to God, through the church,” Fr. Pelekoudas said. “What happened in my life … it was Father George who brought me closer to Christ, for remission of sins, and for life everlasting. To me, he will always be my Father, my spiritual Father, I love him dearly, I will always love him dearly.”
Argeros spoke next, and presented Fr. Tsoukalas with citations from Mayor Jared Nicholson and the Lynn City Council, congratulating him on his retirement, the reading of which brought thunderous applause to the gym.
“You will always be our father,” Argeros said at the close of his speech.
Following Argeros was the Rev. Makarios Niakaros, the pastor of The Holy Apostles Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Haverhill, who reflected broadly on the role of a priest and how Fr. Tsoukalas has fulfilled it over the course of his decades-long service.
“A priest tries to serve his people … and that’s what I think fuels the ministry of every priest, is the love of the people and I know that Father George wherever he has served … has gained the love and the respect of his people,” Rev. Niakaros said. “Father George is the person who, in whatever he does or says, displays and emulates his love for the people that are entrusted to his care.”
Rev. Niakaros gave way to Demakes, who spoke at length, reflecting on the qualities that led him to select Fr. George as the right person to lead St. George all those years ago and the way their relationship developed as they rebuilt and renovated the church.
“Father George has done a fantastic job. The same warm, humble man I saw in Lexington 26 years ago and made up my mind that I was going to bring him to Lynn because that’s what we wanted. We wanted a good theologian, we wanted a humble man, an honest man, we wanted a man of the people, and he’s a man of the people,” Demakes said. “A good priest, like a good teacher, is worth his weight in gold. In Father George’s case, that’s a lot of gold.”
As Fr. Tsoukalas made his way to the podium, the crowd leaped to its feet, with thunderous applause filling the gym as those assembled prepared to hear from their beloved priest one last time.
Fr. Tsoukalas began his remarks by reflecting on the day as a whole, noting that he felt “overwhelmed” by the immense love and support he received from his parishioners. He proceeded to then thank the staff of St. George, including the church’s sexton altar boys, and administrative assistant. He also advocated for the continuation of the Caring & Sharing program under the church’s new priest, Fr. Alex Orphanos.
“In closing, it has been my privilege, my honor to serve you, to serve this beautiful and historic community of St. George,” Fr. Tsoukalas said. “I love St. George’s, it will always be dear to me, you will always open up my heart and you will find this picture, you, that I love. Wonderful people, dedicated people that love their church and are proud to be stewards of this progressive and vibrant community.”
“Thank you for following me as we move this parish forward by accepting new challenges with faith, with love for Christ,” Fr. Tsoukalas continued. “May the peace of the Lord be with you always.”
