Meet our Family Wellness Ministry team members.

Spiritual Advisor

His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos

Metropolitan Gerasimos has devoted his entire life in service to the Lord. Born in Kalamata, Greece, he came to the United States in 1970 to study at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology where he received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Divinity degrees, both with High Honors. Following more than three decades of service, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate selected him to be the new Metropolitan of San Francisco on February 22, 2005. The Enthronement for Metropolitan Gerasimos was held on April 2, 2005 at the Ascension Cathedral in Oakland, California. (from his bio page at the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco)

Our Family Wellness Team Members

George Papageorge, L.M.F.T.,  Director of the Family Wellness Ministry for the Metropolis of San Francisco works side by side with Presvytera Pat Tsagalakis leading our team. George is a licensed psychotherapist, specializing in marriage and family counseling, and a popular seminar speaker who is in high demand nationwide. Working in the areas of empathy-based relationships, parenting with emotional intelligence, family systems therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and addiction recovery, George offers patients a path toward integrating sensible psychological insights within a solid Orthodox foundation. He holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and ancient biblical literature from Simpson College and a Master of Arts degree in marriage and family therapy from Azusa Pacific University. Currently, he is also Adjunct professor in the Graduate School for Family Therapy at Santa Clara University. George and his wife Kim have two grown children, Olivia and Petros. 

Presvytera Pat Tsagalakis, Assistant Director
Presvytera Pat and her husband, Fr. Tom, serve as guest speakers and retreat leaders at marriage and family seminars as well as young adult conferences throughout the country. She is a native of Missoula, Montana and is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s school of Music, Theater and Dance. Pres. Pat recently retired after 25 years as a music educator.  She continues to mentor singers and byzantine chanters at her home parish of Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Shoreline, WA. Pres. Pat helps coordinate media and communication for the Family Wellness Ministry.   She is also a contributor to Prez to Prez, an online ministry serving the National Sisterhood of Presvyteres. Pres. Pat has also been actively involved as a leader and volunteer at Camp Agape Northwest, an outreach ministry serving kids with cancer and their families.

For the past 25 years, Fr. James C. Pappas has been serving the parish of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Fresno, California. A full-time priest, he is a regular guest lecturer at Fresno Pacific University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in interior design from California State University, San Francisco, and earned a Masters of Divinity from Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. Fr. Jim was captain of the Clergy-Wellness goals for the Family Wellness Committee for the Strategic Planning Commission for the Metropolis of San Francisco and coordinates the annual clergy couple retreat and senior camp program for the Metropolis. He and his wife, Pres. Donna, served many years as the lead clergy couple for Orthodox Marriage Encounter and together have presented workshops and seminars for lay, clergy, and seminary couples. They continue to lead seminars and workshops dealing with family, teen and relationship issues.

Presvytera Donna Pappas is a reading intervention teacher for upper elementary students and also works as a regional consultant for an educational publisher, where she trains and coaches teachers in districts throughout central and northern California. After several years in the construction industry, she returned to school for a teaching credential. She completed her master’s degree in reading and language arts and earned a reading specialist credential at California State University Fresno. Prior to that, she graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a double major in architecture and construction. Pres. Donna also served as the coordinator for the Family Wellness Committee for the Strategic Planning Commission for the Metropolis. She has been a speaker for various Philoptochos events throughout the Metropolis and also enjoys partnering with her husband, Fr. James Pappas, to address family, teen and relationship issues.

Fr. Tom Tsagalakis serves as the priest of Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Shoreline, Washington. A former adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University (SPU), he maintains a private practice in marriage and family therapy in Seattle. He also leads the Give Back Group, a support group for anyone challenged by any addiction or who has family or friends struggling with addictions. To date, it has served countless families, individuals and addicts suffering from porn, drug and alcohol and sex addiction as well as food disorders. Fr. Tom received his undergraduate degree from San Jose State University and completed a master’s degree in divinity from Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. He also holds a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling from SPU. He is married to Presvytera Pat. They have two grown children, Nicholas and Maria Sophia.

Fr. Vasili Hillhouse, PhD., M.Div. MA, 

Fr. Vasili and his wife, Presvytera Maria, have served Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Anchorage, Alaska, since 2011, where he is the Proistamenos and she serves as the chanter. Their vibrant home is a constant bustle of activity with their five sons.Fr. Vasili grew up in the Santa Cruz mountains, earning a BA in History from UC Santa Cruz before spending a year studying Greek in Thessaloniki. He later completed an MA in History at San Jose State University. Married in 2004, Fr. Vasili and Presvytera Maria embarked on a shared journey of ministry and education. He earned a Master of Divinity from St. Tikhon’s Theological Seminary, followed by a Master’s in Pastoral Counseling from the Antiochian House of Studies, where his research focused on the effects of Attachment Theory on marriage and parenting. Most recently, Fr. Vasili received his PhD from the University of Essex (UK), integrating the teachings of St. Sophrony with Emotionally Focused Therapy and the marriage research of the Gottman Institute. A treasured member of the Family Wellness Ministry team, Fr. Vasili also enjoys giving guest lectures in Church History and Christian themes at the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University.

Joe Borgonia was born and raised in San Francisco and is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. He has done community work for a number of years at a non-profit agency serving the Asian ethnic communities in San Francisco. He has also counseled students at Community Day Schools in the East Bay and has worked as an addiction counselor at a recovery clinic in
Berkeley. Joe currently has a private counseling practice in Pleasanton, CA.  Prior to formally working in the mental health field, Joe was employed for over 18 years at a number of technology companies in the Silicon Valley, working mainly in operations, engineering and customer support, and materials management. During that same time, Joe become involved in a recovery ministry at a large evangelical church. He ended up facilitating divorce recovery and anger management groups for several years. Joe has a bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare from the University of California at Berkeley and holds a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, CA. Joe resides in Riverbank, CA with his wife, Frances. Both of them are converts to Orthodoxy and attend Saint James Orthodox Church in Modesto. Joe presently serves as a member of the Parish Council.

Nikki Frousakis
Nikki is one of the newest members of our Family Wellness team. She is a clinical psychologist who works with married and engaged couples and uses Cognitive Behavrioral Therapy to help adults she sees in private practice. Alongside her clinical work, she has taught at the graduate and undergraduate levels and has extensive experience conducting posttraumatic stress assessments in research exploring treatments for PTSD in our military veterans. Nikki is a UCLA alum, who then received her masters and doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her parents emigrated from Greece in the 50’s and 60’s and raised her to be a proud Greek-American. She is married to “the xeno with the kind eyes,” and has an oh-so-sassy little girl who shares her love of musical theatre. Nikki is an active member of the Saint George Greek Orthodox Church community in Downey, California, where she participates in the Sunday School program and co-facilitates a grief support group.

Presvytera Michelle Triant joined the Family Wellness Ministry in 2018 to help support and nurture young families.  Presv. Michelle, grew up in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Modesto, CA, works with Presv. Pat and Presv. Donna to publish the e-newsletter Prez to Prez, and is the creator and author of Love at Lent. Together Fr. Daniel and Presv. Michelle serve the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Spokane, Washington, and have three daughters.