From Gregory Pappas, Originally published on The Pappas Post
I Never Write About Religion; This Time I had To
A breath of fresh air. That’s what this new book feels like. The story of how a Greek Orthodox bishop stepped outside his comfort zone—outside the safety of titles and expectations—and chose to stand with the people everyone else forgot.
Grace Unbound: The Sacred Activism of an Orthodox Bishop isn’t about rituals or dogma. It’s about courage, conscience, and compassion in action. Its subject, Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, also happens to be a dear friend of mine for more than thirty years.
This book is a beacon of hope and a challenge to all people of conscience: to live with integrity, to match values with actions, and to stand courageously for justice and compassion in a world that often rewards complacency.
My friendship with Bishop Demetrios began more than 30 years ago with a book—though not this one. He called me in protest after I featured Dinner with Persephone in Greek America Magazine, arguing that it maligned Greece and our culture.
That fiery phone call turned into a friendship, and over the decades I have had the privilege of walking a few steps behind him, watching as his convictions lead him into some of the hardest, loneliest battles a clergyman can fight.
The pages of Grace Unbound recount two of those battles in detail.
His ministry to people living with HIV/AIDS began when most priests turned them away. This wasn’t the exception during the epidemic—it was the rule. Fear and stigma had a grip on society, and the Church was not immune. Parish priests refused to visit the sick. Families kept quiet. Communities turned their backs. Bishop Demetrios did the opposite.
He launched the Bishop’s Task Force on AIDS, creating workshops, guidebooks, and pastoral resources so clergy could minister to the afflicted with dignity and compassion. At a time when those living with AIDS were seen as untouchable, he reminded Orthodox Christians of Christ’s words:
“I was sick and you looked after me.” (Matthew 25:36)
His fight to abolish the death penalty in Illinois was just as relentless. It began with visits to a Greek American prisoner on death row—a convicted murderer that no other clergy from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese would see.
“I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:36)
Those prison visits became the spark for an eleven-year-long campaign that helped end capital punishment in the state. For Bishop Demetrios, it was a matter of integrity: if Orthodox Christians claim to be pro-life, he argued, then that must mean all life—from cradle to grave. No government, no court, no jury has the right to take what only God can give. He carried that conviction into hearings, public debates, and private meetings with lawmakers until the law was repealed.
“You shall not kill.” (Matthew 19:18).
Again and again, he asked the only question that mattered: What would Jesus do? And then he lived the answer.
But what makes this book so compelling is that Bishop Demetrios’ greatest resistance did not always come from courts or legislatures—it often came from within his own Church and community.
Behind his back many of his own “brothers in Christ” criticized him for advocating and providing comfort to “the worst of the worst.” During his research for the book, he was even denied access to archives and critical documents (of his own work) that he left at the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago when he was reassigned to a new position.
Too many spiritual leaders, then and now, prefer the comfort of titles, appearances, or political favor and photo ops. Bishop Demetrios chose a different path, one that risked criticism, isolation, and misunderstanding.
Yet through it all, he never stopped standing with the marginalized, comforting the suffering, and speaking truth to power.
Over the years I’ve seen how his ministry focused on those others forgot. They became his flock. In his presence, people were not just tolerated but affirmed.
He made it clear, not just in words but in action, that they were people of infinite value, deserving of respect, belonging, and love without condition. Yes, the prisoners and the sick, the “worst of the worst,” as one of his fellow clergymen called them.
That is what Grace Unbound captures so powerfully. It isn’t simply the story of the remarkable work of a clergyman. It is a beacon of hope and a rebuke to complacency, a reminder that true greatness lies in selfless service to others.
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.