Biography of Very Reverend
Archimandrite Ambrose Bitziadis-Bowers




  • Parish Clergy: Very Reverend Archimandrite Ambrose Bitziadis-Bowers
  • Phone: 1 215 627 4389
  • Email: aabowers964@icloud.com

Very Reverend Archimandrite Ambrose Bitziadis-Bowers born in Thessaloniki-Greece. He finished his elementary and high school education in Thessaloniki Greece. In 1989 he received his MDiv. in Pastoral Theology from the Theological School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. In 1985, he was ordained a Deacon and in 1990 was ordained a Priest and Archimandrite at the Archdiocese of Athens-Greece. As a Deacon and military chaplain, he served from 1985 to 1988 at the Holy Metropolis of Eleftheroupolis, Kavala, Greece and from 1988 to 1994 to the Holy Archdioceses of Athens, Greece. As a Priest and Archimandrite, he served at the parishes of St. Prophet Elias of Penteli, and Hagia Zoni Kypselis of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens. During his time at the Archdiocese of Athens he served in addition to his pastoral duties and as an active Ierokyrikas (Preacher) of the Athens-Kypseli region and as the youth director of the same region.
In 1995 he came to the United States, upon invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America to continue his ministry, serving from 1995-1996 as the Chief Secretary of the Holy Archdiocese and the Holy and Eparchial Synod in America. From 1996 to today he appointed as a presiding priest in various parishes of the Holy Archdiocese of America and the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey: St. George GO Church Asbury Park, NJ, St. George GO Church in Clifton, NJ, Annunciation GO Cathedral in Norfolk, VA, and St. George GO Cathedral in Philadelphia, PA. From 2015 to 2018 he served as the Vicar of Philadelphia and Greater Delaware Valley of the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey and the Ecumenical officer of the same Metropolis. He was the chairman of the Spiritual Court of the Delaware Valley region of the Metropolis of New Jersey and was a member of the Metropolis of NJ and Archdiocesan Council of the Holy Archdiocese of America.


When he was the presiding Priest at the Annunciation GO Cathedral in Norfolk, VA he established the Mother Maria Skobtsova’s Community Outreach Program a ministry where those in need can seek food and clothing, and other assistance, like social, emotional and spiritual. The mission of this ministry was to provide much needed physical and spiritual nourishment to homeless and low-income men, women, and children of the Norfolk area, and inspired by the work of Saint Maria Skobtosva to the poor. The ministry catered close to 100 people twice a week to anyone in need without judgment or discrimination.

At St. George GO Cathedral in Philadelphia, since his appointment, he assisted to the major renovation program and capital campaign of the legendary 200 years-old Cathedral collecting so far close to 1.2 million dollars.
Upon his arrival to the Unites States, he continued his graduate education by attending between 1997 and 1999 graduate studies in Theology (MTh) at Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ. From 1999 to 2002 he attended MBA studies in Healthcare and Non-for-Profit Organizations Management at Monmouth University, Long Branch, NJ, defending a dissertation with the title: The Cost Effectiveness Analysis Method in the Preventative Care. In 2002 he attended at Harvard School of Business the Executive Education Program studying Mergers and Acquisitions for Non-for-Profit Organizations. From 2009 to 2013 attended graduate studies (MTh), in History and Theology at the Immaculate Conception, Theological Seminary, Seton Hall University, Orange, NJ, where he graduated with distinction, defending a dissertation with the title: The Donatist Movement in the 4th Century North Africa Church. In 2015 he graduated with distinction with his MTh of the Theological School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, defending a dissertation with the title: The Notion of Martyrdom in North Africa Church in Accordance with the Teaching of St. Augustine. From 2012 to 2016 he attended PhD Studies in Ancient Church History and Patristics at the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki-Greece, where he graduated with distinction, defending a dissertation with the title: The Veneration of the Martyrs in Accordance with the Latin and Greek Fathers of the 4th and 5th Century Christianity. In 2022 he concluded his post-doctoral research at the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with the title: The Role, the Sacredness, and the Cultural Memory of the Martyrs’ Tombs in the 4th and 5th Century Christianity. He is also the author of The Popes and the History of Papacy and American Christianity, and of several theological publications. He accepted recently at the Villanova University as a post-doctorate fellow researcher and assistant professor of History and Systematic Theology doing research in the comparative theological study with the title: “The Anthropology of Evil, the Problem of Theodicy and Its Anthropological Conditions in the Theological teachings of St. Gregory of Nyssa, Pope Benedict the XVII and Bishop George Berkley.”
He participated in various national and international pan-orthodox and ecumenical conventions as representative of the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey and Holy Archdiocese of America. He speaks fluently Greek and English, and he is in command of Italian, French and Latin.


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