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Search Results: dokos (26)

Synod Defrocks Gounaris & Ehrs, Suspends Dokos

By Webmaster on April 25, 2016 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: The National Herald BY THEODORE KALMOUKOS NEW YORK – The Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America during its spring meeting decided to punish Rev. James Dokos of Chicago with a one-year suspension for stealing money from a trust fund established by a parishioner in Milwaukee, WI. Dokos pleaded guilty to felony theft on February 22, admitting to stealing more than $100,000. He repaid the money, and if he stays out of trouble for a year and performs 40 hours of community service, the felony theft charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor. The one-year punishment,…

Dokos/Kantzavelos Scandal Damages Parish in Illinois

By Webmaster on May 4, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald April 25 – May 1, 2015 edition To the Editor: The removal of Fr. Angelo Artemas and his replacement with Fr. James Dokos by Bishop Kantzavelos has caused irreparable and immeasurable harm to my parish, Sts. Peter and Paul in Glenview, IL. The spiritual damage of being ministered by a priest for two years who has been charged with felony theft by the Milwaukee, WI District Attorney is incalculable. My parish lost 54 donor families between 2012 and 2014. The scandal has divided the faithful between those who are calling for the removal of the Bishop/Chancellor…

Dokos Case Shows Lack of Church Leadership Skill

By Webmaster on February 22, 2015 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: The National Herald BY THEODORE KALMOUKOS The case of Fr. James Dokos, former presiding priest of the Annunciation Parish in Milwaukee has brought to light once again a lack of leadership in the Greek Orthodox Church, on the Archdiocesan and Metropolis levels. The Milwaukee DA has charged Dokos with theft of trust funds, and Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos with attempt to interfere with the judicial process. First of all Fr. Dokos should not have been involved with financial issues involving his parishioners including assuming the role of caretaker of the trust established by the Franczak family. Undoubtedly, this entire…

Fr. Dokos to be Indicted for Theft

By Webmaster on June 26, 2014 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: The National Herald CHICAGO, IL – The District Attorney’s office of the State of Wisconsin plans to indict Rev. James Dokos, priest of the Sts. Peter and Paul parish in Glenview, IL for theft (embezzlement). The charges follow a yearlong investigation of the Trust of an elderly parishioner who appointed Dokos as trustee. If convicted, Dokos may have to pay a fine up to $25,000 and face up to 10 years in prison. TNH reported last August that the whole issue started in 2008 Margaret Franczak, a parishioner at the Annunciation Church in Milwaukee, WI shortly before her passing…

Leader seeks Holy Week forgiveness for betrayed Greek Orthodox church in Wisconsin

By Webmaster on April 2, 2018 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories, Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories, Uncategorized

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Karen Herzog Not unlike the Apostle Peter, the Rev. James Dokos betrayed his church. While Peter denied knowing Jesus, Dokos embezzled more than $100,000 from Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Wauwatosa while serving as the parish priest. Dokos used the money to buy jewelry for his wife and to pay for lavish dinners and everyday expenses, according to court records. On Sunday, the start of Holy Week in the Greek Orthodox Church, the new leader of Midwestern Greek Orthodox parishes came to Wauwatosa to discuss betrayal, forgiveness, and trust — themes that particularly resonate with Christians this time of year. In advance of his visit, Metropolitan Nathanael Symeonides told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel…

Milwaukee Priest Excommunicates Parish Council Treasurer

By Webmaster on April 21, 2017 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: The National Herald by Theodoros Kalmoukos MILWAUKEE, WI – Rev. John Ketchum, priest of the Annunciation Church in Milwaukee, WI, excommunicated Parish Council Treasurer Patricia Galanis at the beginning of Holy Week, on April 8, the Saturday of Lazarus, for reasons, he said, of “disobedience to the Ecclesiastical Authority, the priest of the parish.” Galanis is the wife of former AHEPA Supreme President John Galanis. The parish is upset and nine of the fifteen members of the parish council including the president, Dr. Clemens Stoeckl, have resigned collectively. The situation was more painful for the entire parish because the excommunication…

Judge to priest who stole $100K from church: You abused position of trust

By Webmaster on February 22, 2017 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories, Uncategorized

Source: The Chicago Tribune by Tony Briscoe and Kate ThayerContact ReportersChicago Tribune A Greek Orthodox priest from Chicago who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $100,000 from his church had his felony theft conviction reduced to a misdemeanor Wednesday. A judge in Milwaukee agreed to instate the lesser conviction after the Rev. James Dokos satisfied the terms of his yearlong probation, including 40 hours of community service, which he fulfilled by volunteering in a Chicago church. Dokos, 64, will continue to avoid jail time if he pays a $5,000 fine within the next year, officials said. While leading Annunciation Church in…

“Spiritual” Courts: An Unholy Joke

By Webmaster on March 10, 2016 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald BY THEODORE KALMOUKOS Analysis I had written about the so-called “Spiritual” Courts some years ago. The reason that I decided to write about the issue once again is the recent case of Rev. James Dokos, who pled guilty to embezzling funds. And entered into a differed agreement with the authorities in order to avoid imprisonment. There are two types of “Spiritual” Courts. The First Degree, which is convened on the local level at the Metropolis and the Second Degree on Archdiocesan level. Specifically, the Eparchial Synod itself becomes a “Spiritual” Court. The First Degree Court submits…

George D. Karcazes

Secret Letter from Metropolitan Iakovos

By Webmaster on February 29, 2016 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Friends, As promised, I am sending you a copy of the Motion filed by Dokos’s attorneys to file “under seal” a letter from Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago. The contents of that letter remain secret and should be released to the public, now that there has been a disposition of the case. Whatever the contents of that letter may be, it is obvious from the response of the State, and from the subsequent ruling of the Court denying the defense motion to dismiss the criminal charge on 1st Amendment “Separation of Church and States” grounds and because “this should be handled…

Handling of priest’s theft did real harm to Greek Orthodox Church

By Webmaster on February 23, 2016 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Chicago Tribune By John Kass, Contact Reporter If you stole $100,000 from a church, a reasonable person would expect that you’d get some jail time for your crimes. If a poor kid was charged with stealing a fraction of that much cash from a sandwich shop, chances are that jail would be waiting. But a Wisconsin priest stealing from a church trust, a priest with a fondness for luxury goods and fine restaurants, a priest with a powerful ally in the Chicago Greek Orthodox church hierarchy? Well, that’s a different story, because that’s no poor kid. That’s a holy man with…

Priest pleads guilty to stealing from Milwaukee parish

By Webmaster on February 22, 2016 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: WTMJ-TV Milwaukee More than $100,000 was taken. by Pete Zervakis MILWAUKEE — A local priest accused of stealing more than $100,000 from his former parish between 2008 and 2012 pleaded guilty in a Milwaukee County courtroom on Monday. According to a criminal complaint, Father James Dokos, longtime priest at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, stole more than $100,000 from a trust fund that was supposed to be used primarily for the building of the church’s cultural center. Under the conditions of a deferred prosecution agreement accepted by the judge Monday, Dokos must perform 40 hours of community service over the…

Plea deal in works for Greek Orthodox priest charged with theft

By Webmaster on February 10, 2016 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Chicago Tribune by John Keilman Chicago Tribune A Greek Orthodox priest charged with stealing more than $110,000 from a church trust fund has reached a tentative plea deal with prosecutors, authorities said Wednesday. The Rev. James Dokos, who lives in Chicago, is accused of taking the money from a $1.2 million fund he controlled at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee and spending it on himself, family members and other church officials. The Milwaukee County district attorney’s office charged Dokos with theft in 2014, two years after he had left Annunciation to become head of Sts. Peter and Paul Greek…

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Search Results: dokos (26)