Konstantinos CHalvatzakis

Fr. Konstantinos Chalvatzakis was born in Thessaloniki in 1929. He studied Theology at the University of Thessaloniki. Part of his military service was spent as a reserve second lieutenant during the Korean War. He taught as an educator in various high schools both in Greece and abroad. In 1955, he was ordained a priest in Kavala by his uncle, the Metropolitan of Kavala and later Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Chrysostomos. He successively served as a parish priest for Orthodox Greek communities in Calcutta, India. From his base there, he supported the presence of Greeks in Bangladesh and other neighboring countries. He also served in Korea again, as a parish priest for the Greek-Korean community in Seoul, as well as in Montreal, Canada, and in Michigan, USA. Today, he serves at the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in Thessaloniki, located at Hippodrome Square. He began writing and publishing works during the Korean War, when, as a correspondent for the Greek expeditionary force, he sent reports to the Greek press about the lives of Greek soldiers. His best reports were published in his first book, titled "Korea - Great Hours." During his service in Calcutta, India, he repatriated to Greece a vast wealth of documents and material treasures left by Greeks in India. Many of these writings from the past three centuries were published in daily and periodical press. In addition to theological and religious studies, the author systematically engaged in historical narratives and novels.