New York, NY – Archon Ekdikos, the Honorable B. Theodore Bozonelis, was unanimously elected by the National Council to the office of National Secretary, with the blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and at the nomination of the National Commander Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis. Judge Bozonelis fills the position previously held with distinction by Archon Ekdikos, John Halecky, Jr., National Vice Commander. The election took place on December 11, 2014 at the first regular National Council meeting following the Annual Meeting of Archons, in accordance with the Bylaws. “Archon Judge Bozonelis brings to the office his legal expertise and unwavering commitment to preserve and protect the Ecumenical Patriarchate as demonstrated by his leadership in the various initiatives of the Order,” stated National Commander Dr. Anthony Limberakis.
Judge Bozonelis has been an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, since 2007. He has served as a Regional Commander for the Metropolis of New Jersey and is a member of the National Council serving as Vice Chair of the Legal Committee, Chair of the Grants Committee, and Chair of the Patriarchal Properties Committee where he assists the Ecumenical Patriarchate on legal issues for the return of confiscated properties and developing a legal status and standing for the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey.
Archon Bozonelis was a participant in the Archon 2010 First International Conference on Religious Freedom held at the European Union Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, “Religious Freedom: Turkey’s Bridge to the European Union”, and was the Co-Chair in the Archon 2013 Second International Religious Freedom Conference held in Berlin, Germany, “Tearing Down Walls: Achieving Religious Equality in Turkey”. He was selected to be a member of the official Ecumenical Patriarchate Delegation to the 2014 Apostolic Pilgrimage to the Holy Lands, Jerusalem, where His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and His Holiness, Pope Francis, met to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the meeting of their predecessors, Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI.
Judge Bozonelis has been a steward of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Westfield, New Jersey for over 35 years. He has been a member of the Holy Trinity Parish Council since 1995 serving as Vice-President and two terms as President of the Parish Council, and serves on the Finance, Bylaws, Administrative, Stewardship, and Building Fund Committees. He has also been active in the Metropolis of New Jersey, reviewing and writing the Bylaws for parishes throughout the Metropolis, serving as Parliamentarian at Metropolis (then Diocese) Clergy Laity Assemblies and a legal advisor to the Metropolis. He was the lay representative of the Metropolis (then Diocese) to the Archdiocesan Charter Committee on the revision of the Charter creating Metropolises.
Judge Bozonelis was nominated by the Governor of New Jersey and confirmed by the State Senate as a Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey in 1990. He served in all divisions of the state judiciary until 2011. He was a presiding judge in the Criminal Court, Equity and Family Divisions. In 2003 he was appointed as the assignment (chief) judge for Northern New Jersey Counties, where he oversaw the administration of the state courts and 56 municipal courts. In that capacity, Judge Bozonelis also served as a member and chairman of the State Judicial Council, which supervises the overall state judiciary. He is married to Helen (Koutras) Bozonelis, an editor and author, and together they reside in Chatham, New Jersey. They have two adult children, Justin and Lia.
