Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos was invited as a guest faculty to the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin on March 10, 2017. He spoke on “Mount Athos in Context: Art, History, Ritual and Spirituality of Eastern Orthodox Monoasticism” Symposium. The University of Wisconsin - Madison Department of Art History organized “Holy Mountain: Icons from Mount Athos and Photographs by Frank Horlbeck” in the Oscar F. and Louise Greiner Mayer Gallery at the Chazen Museum of Art. Mount Athos is a UNESCO listed world heritage site, also known to be one of the most sacred sites for Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It has 20 working monasteries, their dependencies, and a rich cultural heritage dating back as far as the tenth century. Bishop Demetrios was welcomed by the Dean and other faculty members of the University. During the event, Bishop said, “I will conclude this most cursory introduction to what is perhaps of greatest importance and influence of Mount Athos on the faithfu
Demetri Kantzavelos is the auxiliary bishop of Mokissos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He is also the chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago. He was born in Chicago, the con of Christos and Merope Kantzavelos. He grew up in the “Assumption” Greek Orthodox Church of Chicago. Demetri Kantzavelos attended Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, from where he obtained his graduate divinity degree “with high distinction” in the year 1987. Subsequently, he pursued post-graduate doctoral work in the philosophy program of Chicago’s Loyola University, concentrating in the area of metaphysics. On December 9, 2006, Demetrios was elected as the Bishop of Mokissos. Demetri Kantzavelos has received worldwide recognition for his human rights activities & interfaith outreach. He has served as a board member and past two-term President (2003–2005) of the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Recently, he re