БИОГРАФИЯ ЕПИСКОПА ПАФОСА ТИХИКУС
Born on 8 December 1981 (Memorial Day of Apostle Tychikos) at Mesana village, Pafos: He was named Marios.
- He is the sixth and last child of Christodoulos and the late blessed Frideriki from Salamiou and Mesana villages, Pafos, respectively.
- He studied at the Holy Seminary of “Saint Barnabas” at Nicosia and completed both cycles of studies, the three-year lower cycle and the two-year higher cycle (1999 to 2004).
- Following his graduation, he resided in the Pafos Metropolis for a year, preparing for the entrance exams for theological university studies.
- In 2005 and after taking the Pancyprian examinations, he was accepted at the Theology School of the Aristotelian Salonica University, in the Department of Pastoral and Social Theology, having been granted a scholarship from the Pafos Metropolis. He graduated in 2009.
- At the end of the third year of his studies he was ordained deacon, the first grade of priesthood, by Bishop Georgios of Pafos, the current Archbishop of Cyprus, on 2 August 2008. He was given the name of Tychikos. During the same year he served as deacon in the Church of Panagia Dexia of Salonica and every Thursday he participated without fail as deacon in the services of the Holy Trinity Church of the Theological School.
- On 20 February 2010 he was ordained as priest by the Bishop of Pafos Georgios and then as Archimandrite of the Holy Metropolis of Pafos, at the same time acting as Protosyngelos (First Vicar to the Bishop). Further, he was officially appointed as preacher covering the whole Metropolitan area of Pafos.
- In May 2012 he went to London and Bristol in England for postgraduate studies and for perfecting his English. In parallel, he served as chief minister in the Greek Orthodox Community at the Holy Church of Saint Andreas of Weston Super Mare.
- In September 2014 he returned to his duties at the Pafos Metropolis and during the same month he entered into the Neapolitan University of Pafos as postgraduate student at the Theology Department. The subject of his Thesis was “The Apostles and their successors in the Metropolitan Area of Pafos. In 2016 he graduated with First Class Honours.
- The same year, 2016, he started his second postgraduate course, this time in the History Department, and for his diatribe titled” The Church of Pafos during the Turkish Rule”, he was also granted a First Class grade in 2018.
- In 2019 he was accepted in the Doctorate Department of Theology of the same University and defended successfully before a five-member committee his doctoral dissertation “The honouring of local saints in the Pafos Area (a historical approach) which was submitted to the University. It is expected that he will soon formally receive the title of Doctor of Theology.
- In parallel to his studies, he had the responsibility of catechism of the Holy Metropolis of Pafos and the coordination of all Catechist Schools and Camps.
- He also taught for years catechism in many elementary and secondary schools of the town of Pafos and in many rural areas of the same town.
- He organized and coordinated talks and Bible study cycles in communities and parishes in Pafos.
- From 2009 until today he is in charge of the planning, the upgrading and the operation of the official site of the Pafos Metropolis.
- He himself writes sermons for the Sermons Bulletin of the Metropolis and he has the final responsibility of editing the Bulletin.
- He also arranged editions concerning the Catechist Schools of the Metropolis and founded and operated for many years the Young Peoples Community of the Holy Metropolis of Pafos.
- For the last seven years he is in charge of all priests of the Metropolis as Chief Prelate.
- In March 2021 he was officially appointed as Protosyngelos of the Holy Metropolis of Pafos.
- In parallel, during his presence all these years in the Pafos Metropolis, he created, collected and archived records on behalf of the Metropolis concerning churches, icons, heirlooms, relics, as well as records of priests who served in the churches of the Metropolis up to the 19th century.
- He is taking every effort to maintain and save old icons in many parish churches of the Metropolis.
- He prompted and contributed in the erection or maintenance of churches and chapels in various communities, for example that of Agios Sozos in Asprogia, of Saint Euphemia in Kritou Terra, of Saint Epiphanios in Mesana, of the Monastery of Saint George Nikoxylitis, of Saint John the Baptist in Tala, of Saint Nikolaos in Galataria, of Saint Marina in Myrmingof etc.
- He took care and tried in many ways to highlight and promote local saints, like Saint Constantia of Pafos, and often celebrates in ruins and caves where local saints used to live. In many cases, services were performed in such holy places for the first time after many centuries.
- In 2018 he published a historical account of the presently deserted monastery of Saint George of Koumana at the village of Mesana; two more editions are about to be published and he plans a number of other editions concerning the local history and the Church of the town and the district of Pafos.
- He has presented various studies in scientific conferences and symposia and many of his articles were published in scientific magazines.
- More generally, he is engaged in subjects of Byzantine and Ecclesiastical History concentrating on matters relating to the history and the Church of the Metropolitan District of Pafos.
- His Excellence the Bishop of Pafos is a member of the Throne Committee of the Holy Metropolis of Pafos and represents the Church of Pafos in the Synodal Committee of Church Construction, on Monuments of Christian Art, in the Synodal Committee of the European and International Matters and the Synodal Committee of Pilgrimage Voyages of the Church of Cyprus.
Nameday: 8 December.
Formal address in church of the Bishop of Pafos:
«Το Tychicus, the Most Reverend and God-Promoted Metropolitan of the All-Holy Metropolis of Pafos, Supremely Honourable and Exarch of Arsinoe and the Romans, Our Father and Pastor, Many Blessed Years!»