Parish Priests
Protopresbyter Joseph Paliouras
Father Joseph Paliouras was born in Trikala, Greece in 1961. He began his musical studies at an early age graduating with diplomas from the University of Athens in not only Byzantine but also European music. He holds a degree in Theology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, from Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of Athens and a Masters degree in Music Education from the University of Reading.
In 1986 he moved to London where he now resides. He is a member of The Greek Educational Mission in Great Britain and he works as Music and Religious Education Teacher in the Greek Secondary School of London.
He is the founder and also director of the School of Byzantine Music in London and he is the conductor and director of its choir.
Reverend Paliouras was ordained as a priest on Christmas Eve 1988 and currently serves as Priest in Charge of the Holy Church of The Twelve Apostles in Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
Since 1989 he has presented the weekly radio programme "From the Hymnology of the Church" on London Greek Radio. In addition to this, he also contributes to the weekly broadcast "Window to the Blue" and "The Voice of the Church". At Hellenic Television Father Joseph also presents the weekly programme "Tomorrow is Sunday" and “Seize Education”.
He has also released various CDs containing religious hymns and songs such as: "Hymns of Christmas Day", "The Service of The Bridegroom", "The Holy Passion", “Double Celebration", "Christmas and New Year Song", "Ethnic Songs" and others.
t: +44 (0) 1707 650147
f: +44 (0) 1707 647146
m: +44 (0) 7802 258175
e: joseph@12apostles.co.uk
Father Demetrianos Melekis
Father Demetrianos Melekis was born in London in 1969. His parents, Andreas from Komi Kebir and Tsikkina Melekis (maiden name Stavrou) from Sha in Cyprus named him Christakis. He married his wife, Androulla Evangelou, in 1995 and has two children, Andreas and Chrystiana.
He finished Secondary School at the school of St. David and St. Katherine in Hornsey, London N8, in 1987 and went on to study for a BTEC National Diploma in Computer Studies at SouthgateTechnical College for 2 years.
His first jobs were in the Marketing industries serving the programming departments of three well known companies in these fields from 1990 to 2005. As a young child, from the age of 9 until 15, he served as an altar boy at the churches of the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God (Wood Green, N22) and St. John the Baptist (Wightman Road, N8).
The late Archimandrite of the Oecumenical Throne Father Leontios Aristotelous invited him to join the choir of St. John the Baptist's church in 1985 when he was 16 years old under the direction of Holy Cantor Christos Tsangarides and was taught the order of the Orthodox Christian service by the late Michael Philippou. He was first taught to chant using European Music notation and then Mr Tsangarides in 1991 taught him the basics of Byzantine Music. Then he went to the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain's School of Byzantine Music under the direction of Father Joseph Paliouras, our parish priest, where they first met in 1992. He finished the Byzantine Music School in 1994 with Holy Cantor Ignatios Papanastasiou and Father Joseph teaching him Byzantine Music and Mr Tony Violaris teaching him European Music.
Father Joseph invited Christakis Melekis to help the newly established community of the Twelve Apostles worshipping at St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Cuffley, Hertfordshire as a Cantor in 1993. He continued as a Cantor for our church when we moved to Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire in 1999. Eventually, he was called to serve the community as a sub-Deacon from July to November 2005 and was ordained by His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain on 6th November 2005 as a Deacon and was named Demetrianos after the ninth century bishop of Chitron (Kythrea) Cyprus, who is commemorated on that day. Then, Archbishop Gregorios ordained him a priest on 26th December 2006.
t: +44 (0) 1707 650147
f: +44 (0) 1707 647146
m: +44 (0) 7788 637830
e: info@12apostles.co.uk