St. George Greek Orthodox Church of Chicago is located in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago's north side. Established in 1923 by Greek immigrants, St. George remains an important center for worship and fellowship for its parishioners and friends from throughout the Chicagoland area. Through the gifts of the holy spirit in faith and determination these new Americans were able to purchase the Lutheran Church at 2701 N. Sheffield Avenue and adapt it for Orthodox worship in time for services to be held in April 1923.
The founding parish priest was the V. Rev. Archimandrite Daniel Golemis, native of Sparta and a graduate of the School of Theology at the University of Athens. Originally a lawyer, Fr. Golemis was well-known for his promotion of the Orthodox Christian faith and the Greek language. As a friend of both the Patriarch Athenagoras and Bishiop Kallistos of Chicago, Fr. Golemis participated in the development of the Greek Orthodox Church in America.
From the beginning, the Church spared no effort to preserve and propogate the Orthodox Christian Faith and the Greek language and culture among its youth. A Greek School was established simultaneously with the formation of the parish and originally had 145 students. Fr. Golemis served as its first teacher and principal. The school that was established in 1923 continues to serve the community.
Since it's establishment in 1923, St. George has witnessed steady growth both in numbers and in increasing spiritual maturity of the community. The parish served as a port of entry for many Greek immigrants who have since settled in other neighborhoods and parishes throughout the metropolitan area. St. George continues to grow and change with each generation.
Much effort was devoted to beautifying the interior of the church. A hand-carved wooden Iconostasion (icon screen) was obtained from St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, then in the city's south side. The Iconostasion and the walls of the Church were beautified with traditional Byzantine style Iconography painted by the late master Iconographer, John Terzis. St. George has some of the finest examples of Byzantine iconography in the Midwest.
Fr. Golemis' successors, Frs. Basil Pantazopoulos (1944-1957), Peter Rexinis (1958-1966), Theodore Filandrinos (1966-1970), and Athenagoras Zakopoulos (1970-1972) now serving as a Metropolitan in Greece, all contributed to the expansion of the parish, community and all the organizations such as the Ladies Educational Society, Ladies Philoptochos and the Greek Orthodox Youth of America.
Assigned to our parish by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in December of 1972, Fr. Christos Vagias began serving the community as the Protopresbyter on the second Sunday of January 1973. He has faithfully served the community of St. George for over 33 years, longer than any other priest in the parish's history. Under his leadership, St. George has undertaken expansion of the church's complex through the construction of a new community center which opened in 1998. Also under his tenure, educational programs expanded, a Young Adults League was established and a seperate Byzantine choral group formed. We were also fortunate in 1997 to have Fr. Simeon Johnson join our community as a Presbyter. His role includes the direction of youth programs, Sunday School, and adult religious education programs. St. George also hosts the Metropolis of Chicago adult Greek Education Program. Among his many responsiblities Fr. Vagias also serves as chaplain for all the Orthodox Christian officers of the Chicago Police Department and St. George is the home of the Hellenic American Police Association.
We welcome all past friends and visitors.
