About the Shrine
OUR PATRON SAINT
Saint Panteleimon, our patron saint, lived during the reign of Emperor Maximian in the early 4th century. His mother Euboula, a Christian, died when he was just a child; his father Eustorgius, a pagan, raised him to be virtuous and gave him a good education. He was trained as a physician, and after his conversion to Christ, became known for his gift of healing both physical and spiritual ailments. He dedicated his life to helping the poor and the sick, refusing payment for his services. Accused before the authorities out of envy, he was martyred for his faith in Christ while still in his 20s. Saint Panteleimon is one of the most beloved saints in the Orthodox Church worldwide, honored as a great intercessor before the Lord for the healing of all manner of diseases. (To learn more about him, you can read his full life.)
OUR DIOCESAN SHRINE
In 1937, pastoral outreach work began in the Argo neighborhood to minister to Orthodox Christian workers at the Argo Corn Products plant and their families. St Panteleimon Church was formally organized in 1938 as the first local Orthodox parish outside the city limits of Chicago. An existing church building was soon secured in the neighborhood, which was remodeled and consecrated in 1940. After nearly nine decaces of life, growth, change, and transition, the parish community came to an end in early 2026 and the church building was designated as a diocesan shrine in acknowledgment of its historical importance and its continuing place in Orthodox life in the Chicago area. (To read a more detailed history of the parish and shrine, click here.)
ADMINISTRATION
Administrator
fresteban@saintpanteleimon.org
Father Esteban was born and raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He became an Orthodox Christian in 2001, and was active in lay church service for many years after that, both as a liturgical cantor and in various capacities in parish and diocesan life. Following undergraduate studies in classics, literature, and theology, he earned a master's degree in theology, and is now completing a doctoral degree in New Testament and Early Christianity at Loyola University Chicago. Ordained to the diaconate in 2015 and to the presbyterate in 2016, he has served at St Panteleimon Shrine since 2017 and as Vice-Chancellor of our Diocese of the Midwest since 2023. He is married to Popadia Amanda, and they have two children.
