Commemorated on January 16

Papa Dimitri (Gagastathis) was born in the Greek village of Platanos on August 1, 1902 to Christos and Katherine Gagastathis, who were devout parents. His education ended at grade school since his parents were too poor to enable him to continue. His life was centered on the village church where he served his priest as an altar server and would often imitate his priest by “playing church” at home. Leaving school in 1917 he became a shepherd and while watching the flock on the hills around the village passed the time reading the lives of the Saints and “whatever Christian book I happened to find”. 

After his mandatory military service, he married Elizabeth Koutsimpiris from his village in February 1928. He continued his education at a seminary and on May 24, 1931, he was ordained deacon. Two days later he was ordained priest. He had nine daughters with his wife. The oldest five were married and the youngest became a nun. He served as the parish priest of his village at the Church of the Archangels in Platanos for forty-two years. Due to his deteriorating health, he resigned on October 1, 1973. He was an inspiration to many in his illness. He lived within his home as a saint and fell asleep peacefully in the Lord on January 29, 1975. Papa Dimitri was buried behind his beloved parish church of the Archangels in Platanos.

He was canonized as a saint by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople with the Holy Synod of Bishops in July of 2025. He is remembered each year on his feastday: January 16.

More about this new saint here: https://roca.org/oa/volume-xviii/issue-161/papa-dimitri-gagastathis-a-simple-priest-of-our-days/

By the hand of Petros Angelis