Nathanael Symeonides

Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago, secular name Constantinos Symeonides (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Συμεωνίδης; born May 23, 1978) is the Metropolitan of Chicago since 2018.^[1]

His Eminence Nathanael The Reverend
Metropolitan of Chicago
Metropolitan Nathanael in 2025
Archdiocese	America
See	Chicago
Installed	March 24, 2018
Term ended	Incumbent
Predecessor	Metropolitan Iakovos (Garmatis)
Orders
Ordination	2003 (diaconate) 2010 (presbyter)
Consecration	February 7, 2018
Personal details
Born	Constantinos Symeonides (1978-05-23) May 23, 1978 (age 47) Thessaloniki, Greece
Denomination	Greek Orthodox
Alma mater	Hellenic College Boston University

Biography

Nathanael was born in 1978 in Thessaloniki to Irene and Vasilios Symeonides. In 2003 he graduated from Hellenic College and became a deacon, and in 2010 he was ordained as a priest. In 2016 he served as the director of the Office of Inter-Orthodox for the Interfaith Relations at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in collaboration with the Council on Foreign Relations.^[2] He was elected Metropolitan of Chicago in February 7, 2018, and was ordained a bishop on March 17, 2018 and enthroned March 24, 2018.^[1]

As bishop, Nathanael has called for more active engagement of the church with the youth.^[3][4] On September 7, 2024, two days before the one year anniversary of the opening of Chicago's first casino, Nathanael denounced legalized gambling, stating it "disrupts our brain, [and] degrades our dignity".^[5]