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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-128
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLULMBIA
November 3, 2015
To posthumously honor Reverend Dr. John T. Tavlarides and recognize his more than 50 years as the senior priest and later dean of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, founded in 1904 and located at 36th Street and Massachusetts Avenue since 1955.
WHEREAS, John Theodore Tavlarides was born November 26, 1939 in Stamford Connecticut.
WHEREAS, John Tavlarides’ father worked as a cook and was a chanter at a Greek Orthodox church across the street from the family home, and the church served a large part of the family’s life;
WHEREAS, John Tavlarides graduated in 1953 from Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, was ordained the same year, and served as a priest at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York;
WHEREAS, Reverend Tavlarides also did graduate work at the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York, and Catholic University and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, and received a doctorate in ministry in 1996 from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, New York;
WHEREAS, Reverend Tavlarides arrived at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral (“St. Sophia”) in 1956 as the first American-born priest to serve at Washington, D.C.’s oldest Greek Orthodox congregation;
WHEREAS, during his 55 years in the pulpit, he was considered an innovative and sometimes controversial leader, guiding his congregation of about 1500 parishioners through periods of growth and cultural change;
WHEREAS, prior to Reverend Tavlarides’ introduction of bilingual liturgy in 1961, services at St. Sophia had been conducted primarily in Greek;
WHEREAS, Reverend. Tavlarides instituted classes for the study of the Greek language and Orthodox traditions, and Byzantine music and Greek chanting were a regular part of the cathedral’s religious services;
WHEREAS, Reverend Tavlarides’ signature achievement was an educational program called Inquiry Into Orthodoxy, offered primarily to adults and to people interested in converting to the faith, and he led the 10-week lecture series for 50 years;
WHEREAS, Reverend Tavlarides also participated in many ecumenical efforts in Washington, D.C., including presidential inaugurations and the Pageant of Peace;
WHEREAS, in the 1960s and 1970s, Reverend Tavlarides spearheaded an ambitious remodeling of St. Sophia, which was meant to evoke the authentic feel of a Byzantine-era church;
WHEREAS, the restoration, which spurred a Byzantine revival movement at other churches, transformed St. Sophia into one of the country’s most striking and ornate houses of worship of any faith; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Tavlarides, who retired from St. Sophia in 2011, passed in 2015 and is survived by his wife of 62 years, Harriott Anastasiadis Tavlarides, and 5 children: Nia Stratos, Theodore Tavlarides, Christopher Tavlarides, Mark Tavlarides, and Demetri Tavlarides.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLULMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Rev. Dr. John T. Tavlarides Posthumous Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia salutes, recognizes, and honors Rev. Dr. John T. Tavlarides on his illustrious ministerial service and his influence on the course of Saint Sophia’s history, which is believed, without contestation, to be that of no previous single priest.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
