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When meeting Angelo Kircos—whether in person or across a Zoom screen—you feel the exuberance and joy of a man who has spent his life in service to his church, his family and his faith.
At 98 years old, his smile remains bright, his eyes wide with joy, and his voice strong, even after decades of chanting the hymns of the Greek Orthodox Church. Angelo jokes about his years, but his son Lazaros says, “You’re not old! You’re not even 100!” Lazaros is right; there is nothing old about Angelo.
Angelo remembers every detail of his life in Greece and in America, speaking with clarity and pride about coming to the US in 1955 with his young family to give them a chance for a better life.
Born in a small northern Greek village called Proti, Angelo’s early life was shaped by his family and the church. He attended school only until sixth grade–“No more school because of the war,” he recalls—but what he lacked in formal education he made up for in grit and determination.
Even as a child, he found himself drawn to the church. His village was home to a cantor who taught chanting and hymnology. Angelo immediately excelled at the lessons, learning the melodies while appreciating and understanding the important responsibilities and rules of chanting.
By the age of 28, Angelo had a young family of his own–a wife, two small sons and a baby on the way–when the time came for them to leave Greece. His father insisted they go, hoping for a safer, more prosperous future in the U.S. Although Angelo’s mother did not want him to leave, she knew that the U.S offered the opportunities for her son and his family.
Their journey began in November 1955, taking them through Thessaloniki, then to Paris, and finally aboard the Queen Mary to New York. From there, the family boarded a train to Detroit, arriving December 1955, where his uncle awaited them.
Their first months in the U.S saw Angelo working long hours in a bakery, earning fifty dollars a week, walking to and from work in the cold Michigan nights. He and his family lived with relatives for six months before purchasing their first home—a milestone made possible only through the generosity of his uncle and brother who lent them money for the down payment.
“Family always supports family, especially Greek families,” Angelo says. Eventually he purchased the Delray bakery and began his life as a successful business owner.
Though life in the U.S was busy, Angelo’s love for the church was always important and took priority.
It was in 1960, at St. Constantine and Helen Church in Detroit (now Westland), that his chanting ministry truly began.
The priest found himself without a chanter for a funeral. “You know anyone who can help?” Fr. asked. Angelo, of course, stepped forward. That simple moment turned into a lifelong commitment of service and love.
Angelo became a fixture in every parish he served. He is known throughout the area. Weddings, funerals, baptisms, feast days—he is always there, faithful and steady, offering his voice to God and the community. Priests trust him. Parishioners love him. His chanting has accompanied families through their celebrations and their grief, becoming a familiar and comforting presence.
Angelo has welcomed the choirs and appreciates what they offer to the church. He never believed that chanters and choirs were meant to be at odds.
“I was never against the choir,” he insists. “We all work together.” His philosophy is simple: the church is big enough for all who offer their gifts.
When asked what his favorite part of the year is to chant, Holy Week remains his favorite. Though exhausting, it fills him with deep reverence and worshiping spirit. Even in his later years, when priests tried to encourage him to rest, he insisted on attending every service.
“I enjoy it,” he says with a shrug, as though the decades of dedication were simply natural. He is ready to chant upon request, singing his most beloved hymns.
He has also offered his God-given gifts to others. He has taught young students, opening his home twice a week for lessons. Though many drifted away, he is proud of the ones who remained—one of whom eventually became both a chanter and a priest.
Angelo’s gift has taken him far beyond Detroit. He has chanted in Jerusalem at the Holy Sepulchre, processing from the church to the Tomb of Christ, a memory that still leaves him amazed.
“How did I get there, with only six grades of school in a small village?” he wonders.
He also chanted in Constantinople during the 2004 Return of the Relics to Constantinople, again finding himself humbled by the places his voice had carried him.
Most recently, just over Thanksgiving week, Angelo joined the pilgrimage “A Journey to Meet the Ecumenical Patriarch & the Pope of Rome,” accompanied by Lazaros and his wife Paula. The pilgrims, Angelo included, were able to witness the historic visit of Pope Leo the XIV to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the Thronal Feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Feast of Saint Andrew the First-Called Apostle. Angelo was part of this history, a memory he will cherish.
Reminiscing about his years of service, Angelo knows that none of it was done alone. He offers loving credit to his beloved wife Sophia, who supported him fully until her passing in June 2025. Married for 77 years, she was always with him.
“She told me, ‘You must be on time, nicely-dressed, not too much talking,” Angelo says. She believed in his calling and gave him the encouragement and strength to follow it.
Today, Angelo continues to serve as the chanter at St. George Church in Southgate, Michigan, where he is believed to be the oldest active chanter in the country—perhaps even the world. He can be seen at his stand on Sundays and throughout the week–a treasure to his community, to chanters, to his family and to the entirety of the Greek Orthodox Church.
When asked what chanting means to him, Angelo answers simply, as only someone who truly loves something can: “I like everything. I know the services. I know the rules. I am friends with everybody. Maybe I chant nice, maybe it just makes me happy—I don’t know.”
Those blessed to attend a service where Angelo is chanting know–they can genuinely hear the history, the faithfulness, the devotion and the respect in his voice, and it makes them happy.
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