Constantine "Gus" Perialas

Perialas, Constantine "Gus"

His Eminence Metropolitan Epiphanios of Vryoula, in the world Constantine "Gus" Perialas, passed away on Monday, May 9, 2011. Constantine was born January 23, 1935, in Ithaca, NY. He attended Cornell University and was a graduate of Syracuse University and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He also did Graduate work at Fordham University, entered into Ph.D. candidacy at Syracuse University, was the debate coach at Syracuse University and a secondary school teacher of English, Speech and Drama. He held a certificate in Educational Management from the School of Business of Harvard University. For 29 years, he served as Professor of Speech Communication at Ithaca College and also held esteemed positions including Department Chairperson and Vice President for Student and Campus Affairs. The college established the Perialas Prize in Epiphanios' honor in 1997. In 1984, Constantine was ordained to the priesthood (taking at that time the name Epiphanios) and in 1985, just one year after being ordained a priest, he was elevated to Archimandrite, the highest rank of a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church. He served in a variety of parishes, including St. Catherine's in Ithaca for 15 years and the Assumption (Koimisis of the Theotokos) Greek Orthodox Church in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, from which he was elected Metropolitan. On April 12, 2003, The Holy Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople unanimously elected the Very Reverend Archimandrite Epiphanios Perialas as the first Metropolitan of Spain and Portugal. In March of 2007, Metropolitan Epiphanios informed the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of his intentions to retire. The Holy Synod then elected him as Metropolitan of Vryoula after which he returned to the U.S. in mid-summer 2007. Epiphanios also helped establish the first Greek Orthodox Metropolis in Hong Kong and was the former consultant to Patriarch Bartholomew for his visit to America in 2000 and the Philippines in 1998. Constantine was predeceased by his parents, Georgia and Alexander Perialas and his brother, John Perialas. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Doris Perialas; nephew, Alexander Perialas and his wife, Kristina Perialas; niece, Valerie Perialas and her partner, Jenny Crabtree; great-niece, Melissa Littlefield and her husband, Spencer Schaffner; great-nephew, Jonathan Littlefield and his wife, Sheila Littlefield; and his great-great-nephew, Isaac Sosnoff. The family would like to thank Dr. John Costello, Hospicare, Teresa Allen and the staff and residents of Old Hundred for their compassion, care and friendship, with special thanks to Epiphanios' friend Susan Pitkin. Visitation will be held at St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church on Friday, May 13, 2011, from 4 to 7 p.m. with Trisagion Services scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Funeral services will be held at the church on Saturday, May 14, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. Interment will be in Lakeview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church, 120 W. Seneca St., Ithaca, NY 14850 or to Hospicare, 172 E. King Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850. Arrangements are by the Bangs Funeral Home.