Deacon
Rev. Deacon Athanasios Kartsonis was born in Teaneck, New Jersey to Demetrios and Demetra Kartsonis. The family moved from New Jersey to Jacksonville, Florida in 1978 and have been members at Saint John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church ever since. Deacon Athanasios, growing up, served as an altar boy and was tonsured a church reader by His Grace, Bishop John, of blessed memory. He graduated from Wolfson High School in 1987, attended and graduated from Florida State University in 1992, with a degree in Psychology. He married Diakonissa Christina in 1996, and together they have four children; Angelica, Katherine, Demetrios, and Anaryiros.
In the spring of 2010, with God’s grace and Metropolitan Alexios’ blessing, he was accepted to the Special Diaconate Program at Holy Cross Greek School of Theology and graduated in 2012. Deacon Athanasios was ordained to the Diaconate on February 3, 2013, by His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios. Because Deacons are primarily in service to their Bishop or Metropolitan, Rev. Deacon Athanasios serves not only St. John the Divine but travels to all the neighboring parishes in the Northeast Conference.