Our Clergy
Rev. Deacon Euthym Kontaxis, MD
The Reverend Deacon Euthym Kontaxis MD was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. His home parish of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Portland, Oregon is where he worshipped and was influenced in the formation of his spiritual life. He completed his studies at Oregon State University earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Biophysics. He then attended Oregon Health Sciences University where he received his MD degree. His medical residency was completed at UCLA. He is a board-certified Emergency Physician with a Pediatric Sub-Board.
During the completion of his internship at University of California San Diego he met and married Krisann Pulos They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in 2024. Early in their lives and marriage their love for the Lord and the Church was most evident. In 1990 they volunteered with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) serving in Uganda in missionary work. Euthym then served on their Board of Directors from 2000-2005. While in Phoenix from 1990-1996 They both taught religious education at the High School level at Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Dr. Kontaxis was working full time, all the while being an Emergency Physician. His focus was on developing pediatric emergency departments. It was at this time, that he received his “calling” to the priesthood, and enrolled in the Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, where in 1999, he received his Master of Divinity (M.Div.). By now, their family had grown with the addition of three children, Michael, Nicholas and Christian.
Their next assignment was to the Palm Desert, California. There, he was ordained on December 19, 1999 at Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, becoming the Reverend Deacon Euthym Kontaxis. He has served as Deacon at St George since that time and taught Sunday School with Diakonissa Krisann for almost 18 years.
As a Doctor of Medicine, he has since worked at Eisenhower Health Hospital, where he is the Medical Director of the Emergency Department, and serving on the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees of the hospital since 2011. He has also served as Chairman of the Ethics Committee and is currently on the Pastoral Care workgroup for the hospital. In addition, Deacon Euthym has focused much of his energies in using the emergency department as a safety net for those individuals who are suffering. Currently over 100,000 patients a year are screened in the emergency department for food insecurity, mental health issues, abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking, addiction, and unhoused individuals. Programs and partnerships have been developed to address the emergent and long-term needs of these individuals through private and public partnerships.
As a Deacon he continues to focus on domestic mission work with the OCMC (Alaska, Montana and Mexico). He continues to be invited to lecture and lead workshops at various parishes throughout the Archdiocese.
