Published by The National Herald, February 11, 2005

C. Kotseas Gives $1M To Parish

b y Theodore Kalmoukos
Special to The National Herald

WORCESTER, Mass. – Businessman Charles (Constantine) Kotseas donated $1 million to the community of the St. Spyridon’s Cathedral in Worcester. Mr. Kotseas, the son of Greek immigrants from the northern Greek town of Ioannina, was born and raised here and has been actively involved with his church community from a very young age.

Mr. Kotseas, 80, married his wife Helen at the Cathedral when it was still located on Orange Street. Their four children and six grandchildren were all baptized in the same church.

The Kotseas family decided to pledge $1 million to St. Spyridon last year, spurring the start of a $4.5 million expansion the church has been dreaming about for 50 years. Church members were reportedly struck dumb when the amount of the Kotseas contribution was disclosed.

The church expects a schematic for the master plan to be completed in March, with architects presenting three to five project designs to choose from. Construction documents are scheduled to be complete in June or July, with a groundbreaking set for September 2005.

Architects from Beery Rio Architecture & Interiors of Virginia held a series of presentations recently, focusing on getting input for the project, which will happen in two phases.

The St. Spyridon Family Center will be an extension of the existing community center and will include a gymnasium, athletic center and meeting rooms, as well as a cultural center with an amphitheater or function room. The idea behind the expansion is to address the changing demographics of the parish and provide a central place for parishioners and the community to come together.

The Greek American octogenarian, whom his friends know for his generosity and warm-hearted smile, said he has always tried to invest in the church throughout its growth, and last year, he decided it was time to give back in a bigger way.

"I always said God gave me the opportunity to make the money I made. He was good to me, and I want to give something back," he said.

Two weekend’s ago, the St. Spyridon community held the three-day kickoff for a capital campaign to fund the construction of a new Family Center that the church hopes will knit together its ever-growing parish and the community at-large.

"We’ve been looking to do this for a long time," said Parish Council President William Kiritsy. "We had a five-year plan to add onto the facility and provide education, and recreational activities based on our spiritual foundation for our parish and the Orthodox faith in our community."

The Kotseas donation sped up the schedule considerably, since the only stipulation on the gift is that St. Spyridon's breaks ground this fall. Church officials hope to have the project completed within three years.

"I always did things for the church, ever since I was a young man. But I always had it in me to do more and more," Mr. Kotseas told the National Herald at a press conference held jointly with Mr. Kiritsy, Construction Committee Chairman Demetris Vasiliades and Parish Communications Director Christina Andrianopoulos, who is also co-chair of the project’s Fundraising Committee.

Mr. Kotseas said his wish to make this particular donation was first inspired when Cathedral Pastor Rev. Constantine Palaiologos mentioned the construction of the Center during a Sunday Liturgy a few months ago.

"I then couldn’t stop thinking about it. I began to slowly coordinate my personal property. I wanted to make sure that I would keep enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life. I transferred my business to my children who, if the decided to liquidate it, would become millionaires. Then I told myself that they didn’t need anything more from me," Mr. Kotseas said.

His four daughters did not object to his donation, he added. "Why would they? I’ve given them enough."

Mr. Kotseas used to run a food market together with his brother. He eventually began investing in the stock market and real estate. "I didn’t tell my wife anything about this donation initially," he told the Herald. "There was so much to explain." His wife is ill, he added, and he takes care of her "day and night."

When asked if his real estate business would be in a position to make future contributions, "I’m already 80, I can’t ask God any extensions," he said smiling. "I’m not afraid of dying, I never was," he added.

Mr. Kotseas then discussed his first steps as a businessman. "I started with $600. It was borrowed money."

He said he has visited Greece frequently, especially Ioannina, where he has a family home.

He recalled being present when the St. Spyridon Cathedral’s new edifice was erected on Russell Street in 1952, and the fundraiser which was held then. "Whoever gave the most money would get the church key," he said. "Someone gave $3 thousand, and I gave $1,500. If I had known beforehand, I would have found the extra $1,500."

Mr. Kotseas has been donating food products to the community’s annual events for years. "I don’t want it all for myself," he said about his tendency to share his possessions. "I’m not impressed by big houses. I have a regular home. But I like cars," he confessed with a smile. "Especially Mercedes."

Mr. Kotseas’ only term in order to finalize the donation to the community was that the Center’s construction would begin this September. "Sometimes we (Greeks) like to procrastinate," he said.

Asked about whether the community has considered establishing a Day School, Mr. Vasiliades said that it was within the community’s future plans. "Maybe in five to 15 years," he said. "With the Family Center and the renovation of our current facilities, we are taking an important first step," he said, adding that the Center aims to attract the community even more to Church activities. "It will give the opportunity to those who do not come to our church often to see that it is a strong and vibrant place," he said.

Mr. Kiritsy said, "St. Spyridon’s is doing very well," and that the community aims to do its share in promoting Hellenism in America.

Mrs. Andrianopoulos agreed: "I feel it very strongly that we must continue Greek traditions and its Orthodox values," she said. "That’s what I try to teach my children."

Opening the Cathedral’s doors to the surrounding community may mean bringing back an arrangement similar to one between the church and the Worcester public schools, which ended two years ago.

The church provided space in 1995 for a Doherty satellite school, an annex to the Worcester public school system. A state-of-the art facility with classrooms equipped with new audio- visual resources will allow the church to host both parish and community activities.

"The days of three generations of the Greek community living within walking distance of the church are gone," states a fact sheet provided by the Parish Building Committee. "The vision for the Center is to continue to unite all members of the Orthodox faith, while opening its doors to the Worcester community."

Mindful of the new Family Center’s presence across from Elm Park – one of oldest parks in the country – the St. Spyridon’s community recognizes its need to include the surrounding community in its expansion plans.

"We’re very excited, and we’re looking to bridge our project and help revitalize the area by providing a facility that aesthetically mirrors what is already here," Mr. Kiritsy said. "We will work with the City Council and with the Elm Park Community."

The above incorporates information from a story published by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette on January 31 ("St. Spyridon Plans $4.5M Expansion; Kotseases give $1M Jumpstart" by Melanie Mangum).