The founder of the Hellenic Orthodox Youth Group of Cape Town
is the Very Reverend Archimandrite Panteleimon P. Labadarios.
The Very Reverend Georgios Panteleimon Labadarios was born on the island of Kalymnos, Greece, on the 14th of May, 1955. His parents Pentelis and Kalliope Labadarios are both from Kalymnos and have five children: Irene, Themis, Micahel, Maria and Georgios. They emigrated to the U.S.A. in 1958. In America the lived in Bridgeport, Conn., until September 1968, and then returned to Kalymnos.
In 1974 he matriculated from the Niceforion High School in Kalymnos and enrolled himself in the Highest Church School of Rizarios. After his graduation in 1976 he became entered into the Holy Monestary of St. Panteleimon in Kalymnos, became a monk and received the name Efthymios. On the 20th May, 1980, he was ordained Decon by the late Archbisop Isidoros. On the 6th of December, 1983, he was promoted as Presbyter by His Eminence Nektarios, Archbishop, of Kalymnos and received the name Panteleimon.
In 1982 he enrolled in the Capodistrian University of Athens, Department of Theology and received his Honours Degree (Theology) in 1986. He also studied at the Rand African University (RAU), South Africa, and has a Master Degree in Classics.
The Very Reverend Panteleimon Labadarios is a well known artist in Byzantine
Art and has worked on the restoratin of old Ecclestiastical Work of Art. He
assisted in the restoration of historical churches such as:
In 1987, he was appointed by the late Patriarch Parthenios to assist the spiritual needs of the English speaking Orthodox Christians in South Africa. In 1992, he was appointed as the General Preacher of the Hellenic Orthodox Archdiocese of Good Hope. In 1993 he returned to Greece for family reasons and was appointed as the Genereal Preacher of The Archdiocese of Kalymnos. In 1995 he was appointed as a teacher of Orthodox Theology at The Hippocratian High School of Cos, and served at the PArish of St. Paul Linopati.
In March 1997, The New Patriarch of the Hellenic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and of All Africa, Petros the 7th, appointed him as His Delegate for the Archidiocese of Good Hope.
The Very Reverend Panteleimon Labadarios, is the author of many theological, historical and liturgical books concerning the Hellenic Orthodox Christian Faith written in both languages, English and Greek.
He is the founder of The Hellenic Orthodox Youth Group of Pantanassa in Johannesburg and The Hellenic Orthodox Youth Group of St. George in Cape Town.
