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 Proistamenos 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 separate Byzantine choral group formed. Among his many
responsibilities Fr. Vagias also served as Chaplain for all the
Orthodox Christian officers of the Chicago Police Department. St.
George is the home of the Hellenic American Police Association and the
host parish of the Metropolis of Chicago Greek Language for Adults
Program. From 1997 to 2008 Fr. Simeon Johnson served the community as
an Assistant Presbyter. His role included the direction of youth
programs, Sunday School, and adult religious education.
In
September of 2006, following the retirement of Fr. Vagias, His Eminence
Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago assigned the Rev. Father George
Bessinas as the new Proistamenos of St. George. Under his leadership
and spiritual direction, St. George continues to serve the needs of its
faithful and stands as a witnesses of the Orthodox Christian faith. Fr.
Bessinas is also the new Chaplain for the Hellenic American Police
Association of the Chicago Police Department.
We welcome all past friends and visitors.
