Miami Greek Church in ‘Dire Financial Straits;’ Priest Stepping Down

V. Rev. Archimandrite D. Stavroforos Mamaies[/caption]Source: The National Herald | Theo Karantsalis

Father Stavroforos Mamaies, of Miami’s Saint Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral, caught church members by surprise on Sunday, April 30, when he abruptly announced he was leaving.

“If I have offended anyone, I ask for your forgiveness,” said Mamaies, who has headed the Miami church since 1997. Two weeks ago, during holy week, a letter went out to parishioners alerting them that the “cathedral is on the verge of dire financial straits.” “We owe a combined total of $265,000 to the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid payroll taxes, Miami-Dade County and city of Miami for unpaid property taxes for 2009 and 2010,” the letter shows. “We are currently not in a position to sustain St. Sophia financially through the end of 2012.”