Parish Clergy

Fr. Elias Pappas was raised in Cliffside Park, NJ, at the parish of the Church of the Ascension in Fairview, NJ, where his father has been the presiding priest since 2001. He is the fourth of five children born to his parents, Fr. Christos and Presvytera Maria Pappas.

Upon graduating from high school, Fr. Elias began his Studies at Hellenic College Holy Cross, where he was involved with many ministries and programs, including the Philoxenia House, local Orthodox Christian Fellowship Chapters, and the Campus Beautification Committee. Also, he was a counselor for the CrossRoad Institute, and he established a Patristic Book Club. In addition to these programs, he worked at the Archbishop Iakovos Library, and he was a Sonia Belcher Ambassador, where he would travel across the United States in order to hold religious retreats and to promote the school. One of the most important experiences he had was being selected as a steward of the Great and Holy Council, which took place in Crete, Greece in 2016. He spent two months preparing for the Synod, and he was involved with the logistics and security details of the Council.

Fr. Elias received his Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Studies with a minor in Classics in 2019, and his Masters of Divinity Degree in 2021. While at the school, Fr. Elias met his wife,Presvytera Despina, who was also a student at Hellenic College. Presvytera Despina grew up in Stroudsburg, PA. She is a daughter of Fr. Theodore Petrides and Presvytera Cristen, who serve at Saints Constantine and Helen Church in Reading, PA. Fr. Elias and Presvytera Despina were married in December 2019, and in January 2021, they welcomed their first child, Christos Timotheos. Then, in March of 2023 they welcomed their Second son, Theodore.

Fr. Elias was ordained to the Diaconate in his home parish at the Church of the Ascension, Fairview, NJ, on the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, March 28, 2021. He served at the Holy Cross Chapel until September 2021, and then he was officially assigned as the Assistant Priest to the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on January 1, 2022. He was ordained to the Priesthood by Archbishop Elpidophoros at the Cathedral on January 8, 2022. On December 1, 2022, Fr. Elias was assigned as the Assistant Priest to the Cathedral of St. Paul in Hempstead, NY.