The Greek America Foundation is proud to share the release of Grace Unbound, an acclaimed new book co-authored by Bishop Demetrios C. Kantzavelos and Patra McSharry Sevastiades.
This inspiring story explores themes of faith, resilience, and the human spirit, offering readers a profound reflection on life’s challenges and the transformative power of grace. With its combination of personal narrative, theological insight, and deeply human storytelling, Grace Unbound is both timely and timeless.
Bishop Demetrios is a longtime supporter of the Greek America Foundation. His pastoral leadership and commitment to preserving, promoting and perpetuating Greek culture, history and values have made a lasting impact on countless people in the U.S. and abroad. Through his writing and ministry, Bishop Demetrios continues to champion compassion, justice, and the preservation of culture—values at the core of our mission.
Grace Unbound is not only a celebration of meaningful storytelling but also an opportunity to support our work. All proceeds from book sales (see purchase link below) will directly benefit the Greek America Foundation—purchase a copy today.
About the book
The first step of any great journey can be the riskiest one of all. It is 1992, and the nation is reeling from the AIDS pandemic. When Fr. Demetri, a newly ordained Chicago-born priest, visits Bob—a man dying from complications due to AIDS, abandoned by his own parish priest out of fear—his life takes an unexpected turn.
That single act of compassion sparks a deeper calling to social activism, setting him on a path he never anticipated. Yet nothing prepared the hard-nosed priest for a face-to-face encounter with a convicted murderer years later. Andrew, who is scheduled to be executed in less than three weeks, maintains his innocence regarding the grisly crime. But when the governor of the state—the inmate’s last hope—refuses to show mercy, the priest must again face the true cost of his calling.
In this gripping true story of faith, justice, and redemption, one priest’s mission to save a single life becomes a fight to transform an entire system.
About the authors
Bishop Demetrios C. Kantzavelos has been an ordained clergyman for more than 30 years and a bishop for more than 18 years. He retired from active ministry in early 2023 after a long career with the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago. Between 1992 and 2017, he was a dynamic leader in social activism, earning numerous awards for his groundbreaking AIDS ministry and his successful advocacy to abolish the death penalty in Illinois. His extensive interfaith, ecumenical, and Greek Orthodox networks, growing media presence, and broad social connections in Chicago have made him a recognized figure. He has been featured over a dozen times in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer, radio, and YouTube. Bishop Demetrios resides in Chicago, Illinois, and in a rural village in the Peloponnese region of Greece.
Patra McSharry Sevastiades, who began her professional career editing scientific papers by Soviet emigre scientists, is the author of several children’s nonfiction books, including The Vietnam Veterans Memorial and The Hoover Dam. She edited Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation and The Gospel of Love: A Meta-Translation.