Presbytera: The Life, Mission, and Service of the Orthodox Priest’s Wife
Presbytera Athanasia Papademetriou
ISBN 978-0-972466-14-1
About the Book
This book describes the Orthodox Christian priest’s wife as she shares her husband’s ministry. It is set in an Orthodox context, is rich in theology and tradition, and refers to many historical and biblical sources. At the same time, it is based on the author’s practical experience as a priest’s wife. Because priests’ wives are a diverse group of women, this book provides a wide range of information for their use. It will be valuable to the wives of priests and seminarians from all Orthodox jurisdictions, as well as to clergy and others interested in learning more about the life of the Orthodox priest, his wife, and their family.
From the Foreword by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople
At the side of the priest, the priest’s wife is called to be the powerful arm that supports him … we especially experienced great joy and emotion because you, a good presbytera (priest’s wife), worked diligently and very generously to author a book on the role of the priest’s wife in the Church, thus filling a significant gap in the bibliography relating to this topic.
From the Preface by Metropolitan Methodios of Boston
Presbytera Athanasia Papademetriou’s new book is a comprehensive overview of the life of an Orthodox Christian presbytera (priest’s wife). This thorough review of the place of women in the Church, the history of married priests and their wives, the call to the ministry, marriage, family life, service (diakonia), spiritual growth, parish life, and many more interesting topics will prove interesting to priests, seminarians, and their wives.
About the Author
As an Orthodox priest’s wife, Presbytera Athanasia Papademetriou has shared her husband’s ministry for many years in Greek Orthodox parishes throughout the United States. She is a retired librarian at Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, in Brookline, Massachusetts. She resides with her husband, Father George C. Papademetriou, in Needham, Massachusetts.
