By Father Christoforos Dimitriou

Father Charalambos Kourris was born in the village of Platanistasa in our metropolitan district in 1940, and was a child from a large family, as his late parents, Efstathios and Despoina Kourri, had six sons and two daughters.

After finishing his primary education, Father Charalambos enrolled in the Samuil Commercial School, from which he graduated with honors. During his studies, the liberation struggle of 1955-59 was taking place, and he was arrested for his active involvement and imprisoned in the Omorfitas detention center, which was referred to as the "Dachau of the EOKA fighters" due to the harsh torture inflicted on the fighters by the British colonizers.

Father Charalambos was no exception to these tortures; on the contrary, he endured extremely harsh treatment. In an interview, he recalled, "The torture was so horrific that I made a vow to Christ, saying, 'Christ, help me survive these tortures and I will become Your Priest.'" A promise he kept. Upon his release from prison, Father Charalambos dedicated himself to the service of the Church, and on August 9, 1959, he became the secretary and treasurer of the Apostolos Barnabas Clerical School. He also founded a bookstore and permanent exhibition, while assisting the Kyrenia Metropolitan Church in its camps and religious education work.

On April 1, 1962, the then Metropolitan of Kyrenia, Kyprianos, proposed to him to become a priest at Agios Mamas in Morphou. On May 5 of the same year, he became engaged to Theodosia Charalambous from Pedoulas, a teacher by profession, and on June 15, Metropolitan Kyprianos performed their wedding, which resulted in four daughters. On August 29 of that same year, he settled in Morphou, was ordained a deacon on September 6 in his birthplace, Platanistasa, and on October 14, he was ordained a priest at Agios Mamas in Morphou. Soon after, along with his fellow priest, Father Antonios Mavrommatis, they took over the Holy Monastery of Agios Panteleimon in Myrto and Panagra. In February 1964, he was appointed priest of the National Guard, where he served for many years. At the same time, he developed rich pastoral activity in Morphou and the surrounding area, organizing a model Christian movement for men, women, youth, and children.

After the ecclesiastical events of 1972-1973, he served in Aska and Alona, and after the 1974 invasion, in his birthplace, Platanistasa. In 1975, he settled in Pedoulas and remained there as a priest, hoping to return to the Metropolitan Church of Agios Mamas in the occupied Morphou. On March 25, 1979, he received the rank of Protopresbyter from Metropolitan of Morphou, Chrysostomos. As a spiritual guide to many communities, schools, and military camps, he provided several recommendations for individuals who would take on the great office of Priesthood.

In the painful circumstances of exile, the tireless worker of God, Father Charalambos, eager for learning and service to the Church and others, enrolled in the Law School of Thessaloniki University in 1974 and graduated in a record time of 42 months. In 1982, he enrolled in the Theology Department of the Theological School of Thessaloniki University, from which he graduated in 1986.

In 2004, he followed his Metropolitan Neophytos to the occupied land of Morphou, and it was he who first proclaimed the phrase: "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and to the ages of ages," thus continuing the Christian history of Morphou under occupation, as he always had a high ecclesiastical spirit and followed the Church without fanaticism or attachment to ideas.

During his priestly ministry in Pedoulas, he developed an admirable action, building not only the souls of people but also houses of God. He constructed the chapels of the Holy Cross, Saints Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene, Saint Neophytos, and Saint Neo-Martyr Panagiotis of Caesarea. He contributed to the creation of many charitable works for the community, culminating in the beautiful Byzantine Museum of Pedoulas, to which his contribution was enormous. Over the years, he gathered and preserved sacred icons and ecclesiastical relics in the Church of the Holy Cross, which are now exhibited in the Museum.

In addition to his pastoral work within his ecclesiastical duties, it would be a great mistake not to mention the multifaceted and significant personality of Father Charalambos, which embodied both ecclesiastical and secular education.

First, it should be noted that as a graduate in Law since 1973, he was responsible for the Ecclesiastical Court of the Holy Diocese of Morphou for many years. He was a significant writer of many texts, sermons, literary works, and essays. He published several books, including his first book titled "Thouria" (1959), which received enthusiastic praise from the late Archbishop Makarios III, with whom he co-celebrated several times. Furthermore, he was responsible for the periodicals of the Holy Diocese of Morphou, "Tade Legei" and "Pros to Fos," and for editing various liturgical calendars.

He participated in international conferences abroad, representing the Diocese of Morphou and the Church of Cyprus, sending detailed reports to the Holy Synod. One particular area that greatly interested Father Charalambos, to which he devoted much of his passion, was the archiving of written, audio, and photographic documents. As a result, he created an invaluable and important archive, gathering over ten thousand audio tapes, three thousand video tapes, fifty thousand slides, sixty thousand volumes of books, magazines, CDs, and equipment used for his missionary work.

Finally, we cannot overlook one of Father Charalambos’ most significant activities, which reflects his broad vision and understanding of serving society through every means. He was one of the first priests to actively participate in the dissemination of God's word through the media. Since 1981, he collaborated with RIK in television and radio shows, and from 1991, with the establishment of the radio-television station "O Logos" of the Church of Cyprus, he actively participated in its television and radio programs. For many years, until his illness, he was the producer of the weekly radio program "Anadromes." In other words, Father Charalambos was a priest of God who broke down barriers of distance and time to serve the people of Christ. From the distant Pedoulas, he would travel to Nicosia for his broadcasts and went wherever else he was called, both within Cyprus and abroad, demonstrating through his example that the priest places himself at the service of God and his neighbor.

On Saturday, May 24, 2014, the day the Church commemorates the memory of Saint Kyriakos of Eurychos, the Very Reverend Protopresbyter of the Holy Diocese of Morphou, Charalambos Kourris, fell asleep in the Lord at the age of 74.

Eternal be his memory!