Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis was born in Whittier, California.
He graduated from Whittier College in 1994 with a degree in History.
He wrote a book entitled “Byzantium Comes to Southern California: The Story of the Los Angeles Greeks and the Building of St. Sophia Cathedral” which was published by Light and Life in 1994.
Fr. Stavros entered Holy Cross Seminary in the fall of 1994.
He married his wife Lisa in 1995.
In 1997, Father Stavros was ordained as a Deacon by the late-Metropolitan Anthony of St. Francisco at St. Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles. He served for one year as the Deacon to His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston.
In May 1998, Father Stavros was ordained to the Holy Priesthood at the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Brookline, MA, and shortly thereafter graduated from the seminary. His first assignment was as the Proistamenos of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Enfield, CT.
In 2000, Father Stavros was transferred to the Metropolis of Atlanta, to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in Asheville, NC, where he served from 2000-2004. While in Asheville, Father Stavros became the director of St. Stephen’s Summer Camp for the Metropolis of Atlanta. He remains as the overall chairman and co-director at present.
In September 2004, Father Stavros was again transferred to St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Tampa, FL, where he has been serving ever since.
During his tenure, St. John the Baptist has grown from 220 families to 450 families at present. The church has many thriving programs, especially in the liturgical ministry, the GOYA, and the Bible study. Father Stavros leads a Bible Study on Tuesdays, teaches an Orthodoxy 101 class each semester, and holds 2-3 adult retreats each year in the parish.. The Prayer Team Ministry, a daily reflection authored by Fr. Stavros which began in February 2015, has produced nine books:
- Let All Creation Rejoice: Reflections on Advent, the Nativity and Epiphany
- The Road Back to Christ: Reflections on Lent, Holy Week and the Resurrection
- Blessed is the Kingdom, Now and Forever: Reflections on the Divine Liturgy
- Let Us Be Attentive: Reflections on the Sunday and Feastday Scripture Readings of the Orthodox Church
- Engaged: Called to Be Disciples: Reflections on What it Means to Be a Christian
- Commissioned to be Apostles: Love, Worship, Community, Learning, Service
- The Heart of Encouragement: 176 Reflections to Build You Up and Empower You to Build Up Others
- The Greatest Story Ever Sung: Reflections on the Hymns of Holy Week in the Orthodox Church
- Unto the Healing of Soul and Body: Encouragement for Restoration and Reconciliation in a Broken World
He and his wife, Presbytera Lisa, reside in Tampa with their son, Nicholas.
