A Brief History of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
By William G. Poulos
Introduction
The Greek Orthodox Church has always been the living repository, protector and disseminator of the Hellenized Christian civilization it inherited from Byzantium. This was particularly true during the dark period of Islamic domination of Greece.
Following the Ottoman rule of Greece and the establishment of a Greek national state in 1832, the Church’s critical role in preserving and advancing Orthodox Christianity, the spirit of Hellenism and a renewed Greek culture blossomed. Its pivotal role as the center and focus of the Greek experience continued as it was transplanted to other nations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century by Greek immigrants who left their homeland in order to build new lives for themselves.
This was especially the case as Greek immigrants came to the United States and brought their beloved Orthodox Church and Greek culture and institutions with them. The synergy between these Old World spiritual and intellectual values ‘and American democratic freedom and idealism would bear much fruit.
Nowhere was this vital interaction of the two cultures more evident than in Baltimore, Maryland, where, as early as the turn of the century, Greek immigrants settled. By the 1920s a relatively small but vibrant and industrious Greek community was thriving. This population grew dramatically through the 1930s and 1940s, as new Greek immigrants were attracted to Baltimore’s economic opportunities.
Each new wave of arrivals either found work in area industries or opened small, then larger businesses, some of which are still in operation today. These immigrants, as earlier ones had done, began raising and educating their children. Eventually many of these children, the first generations of Baltimore-born Greek Americans entered the ranks of the legal, medical, scientific and other professions.
The spiritual needs of this burgeoning community were met primarily by the Church of the Annunciation, which was founded in 1906, and by 1909, had acquired a permanent Church building located at Homewood Avenue and Chase Street. In 1937, the Church moved to its present location at Maryland Avenue and Preston Street.
During the 1920s, members of the Annunciation who left the congregation as a result of the royalist-republican controversy in Greece, founded a second Greek Orthodox Church: The Church of the Holy Trinity. By 1930, the two congregations were once again reunited into a single spiritual community, The Church of the Annunciation. The clergy and laity of the Annunciation would eventually play a significant role in the establishment of the parish of St. Nicholas.
From 1940 to the early 1950s the Greek Orthodox community in the Baltimore area continued its rapid growth, particularly in the southeastern part of the city known as Highlandtown. This expansion and concentration of Greek families in this area was a critical factor in the creation of our St. Nicholas Church.
The Beginning
The Annunciation parish had granted permission and funds for an afternoon Greek school to meet the educational needs of the expanded Greek community in Highlandtown. However, the difficulties associated with large families traveling, often in inclement weather, to a distant Church were becoming genuine hardships for many Greek residents of Highlandtown who desired to live and express their faith. It soon became increasingly apparent that a second local parish was needed to serve the spiritual and cultural needs of the Greek residents of Southeast Baltimore.
Another factor pointing to the need for a second Greek Orthodox parish was that the Highlandtown Greek community had begun to develop a distinct character and history. Through the efforts of Rev. Fr. Soterios Gouvelis, Assistant Priest at the Annunciation from 1948 to 1950, an active youth ministry was started with the Greek youth of Highlandtown. Fr. Gouvelis served as advisor to the Greek Orthodox youth of Highlandtown’s basketball team, which successfully participated in many regional tournaments. He also orchestrated the involvement of the area youth in a variety of Church oriented spiritual and social activities.
The sense of community engendered by Fr. Gouvelis’ work with the Greek youth of Southeast Baltimore was not lost on the community’s elders. It fostered both a strong sense of pride in their children’s accomplishments, and a growing sentiment that a permanent spiritual home was needed for their activities.
By the early 1950s a sense of urgency and a deep commitment to the idea that the Highlandtown Greek Orthodox community needed its own parish galvanized and spurred its residents to action. The modest Annunciation-owned Greek School building that also served as a social gathering place and makeshift community center was clearly not sufficient.
Much debate ensued involving the entire Baltimore Greek Orthodox Community. Of particular concern was that unless great care and wisdom were exercised, two competing churches might create a divided Greek Orthodox community. After prayerful consideration of the spiritual, economic and social propriety, and ramifications of the establishment of another Greek Orthodox parish in Baltimore, the decision was made to proceed with the founding of a second parish.
On September 14, 1952, the Feast Day of the Elevation of the Cross, twelve men led by the Holy Spirit gathered in the old Highlandtown Greek School building, the present site of St. Nicholas Church. These twelve men discussed and formulated the plans to establish the long hoped for second Greek Orthodox parish of Baltimore.
The twelve founders of St. Nicholas were: William Apostolou, Athanasios Demetriades, Stamatios Diakides, Bill Eliades, Kostas Lambros, Demetrios Latgis, Kostas Loukas, Euripides Papachristou, Soterios Plakitses, George Sideropoulos, Vasilios Venos, and Stylianos Xintas.
On the following day, these twelve men officially founded and incorporated the Parish of St. Nicholas. Shortly thereafter, two significant events in the history of the St. Nicholas parish occurred.
The first was that the Church of the Annunciation, as a sign of support for the new parish transferred the title of the Highlandtown Greek School building and the land on which it stood to the new parish. The first liturgies of the new community were offered in this building, which continued to serve as its Greek School and social hall.
The second significant event was that Archbishop Michael of North and South America gave his blessing to the new parish and granted it an Archdiocesan Charter.
The dream of a parish of its own was finally a reality for the Greek Orthodox community of Highlandtown. The next step was to finance and build the church wherein they could worship God, educate their children and preserve their precious Greek Orthodox Church and heritage.
The Church is Built
To serve the nascent community of ninety families, Archbishop Michael assigned Rev. Fr. Demetrios N. Sakellarides as the first priest of the Greek Orthodox Community of St. Nicholas on October 31, 1953. Fr. Sakellarides was a graduate of the Theological School of Halki. After coming to the United States he taught in a number of Greek schools before being ordained to the priesthood on September 1, 1935 by Archbishop Athenagoras. Prior to coming to St. Nicholas, he served as a priest at two other Greek Orthodox parishes.
Serving along with Fr. Sakellarides during the first critical years was the first Parish Council of St. Nicholas that had been elected at a special general assembly held on January 31, 1954.
The first parish council was comprised of the following persons: Bill Eliades,President, Anthony Padousis, Kostas Lambros, Stavros Nicholson, Stylianos Xintas, Nick SikalisKostas Tsouvalos (Tsottles), Nicholas Karpouzie, Michael Karas, Nicholas Kaitis, William Apostolou, Kostas Loukas, Michael Nicolaides, Gabriel Pantelides, George Stavrakis, George Panagiotou, and Soterios Plakitses.
The primary task of the first Parish Council was to oversee and coordinate the founding, planning and construction of the parish’s new church and office building. The first building fund drive committee was soon formed. The committee, co-chaired by George Panagioutou and Nicholas Karpouzie, along with committee members Nicholas Kaitis, William Apostolou and Gabriel Pantelides, enlisted the aid of the entire community in their fundraising efforts. Soon, many volunteers including members of the Philoptochos, PTA, and Junior and Senior GOYAs were engaged in door-to-door solicitation of monies for the building of the new church and office.
Funds collected in this way along with monies raised through other fund raising events, pledges, and donations totaled nearly thirty thousand dollars. This sum coupled with fifteen thousand dollars donated by the mother church of the Annunciation enabled the first building committee to proceed with planning the construction of the building.
The first building committee was chaired by Christ Loucas and was comprised of committee members George Sideropoulos, Peter Vailas, Euripedes Papachristou, George Drakos, Anthony Xintas and Nicholas Spanos.
Extraordinarily, three hierarchs were involved in the blessings associated with establishing St. Nicholas. Bishop Demetrios of Olymbos blessed the ground, Bishop Germanos of Konstantias blessed the opening of the doors,and on April 26, 1956, Archbishop Michael consecrated the church.
The beautiful house of worship dedicated on that clear Spring day to the glory of God and to the service of His people stands as a living monument to the visionary zeal, perseverance, faith and love of the many men and women who devoted themselves to its creation.
The Early Years
By 1957 the newly consecrated church had a new priest, Rev. Fr. Nicholas T. Stavrakis. Through his efforts and that of the Parish Council, the Greek and Sunday Schools, the Philoptochos Society, the PTA, the Junior and Senior GOYA programs, the JOY program, and the entire St. Nicholas Community continued to grow and to thrive. At the time of the Parish’s fifth anniversary, the community had expanded to five hundred members, the Greek School had one hundred twenty five pupils, and the Sunday school had grown to two hundred and fifty pupils. Especially notable during his tenure, the Sunday School Program was cited by the Archdiocese as the best on the East Coast.
A top priority for both Father Stavrakis and the entire St. Nicholas community at the time was the liquidation of the Parish’s debt. Remarkably, just six years after the church’s groundbreaking ceremony, the community celebrated the burning of its mortgage.
Even as the mortgage was being burned it was apparent that the continuing influx of Greek immigrants into Highlandtown would require additions to the existing church and office buildings. The church basement which served as social hail, auditorium, meeting room and classroom was entirely too small.
Particularly acute was the need for adequate classrooms and recreational facilities for the community’s youth. Consequently, the task of raising funds to build the needed additions to the Church began during the period of Fr. Stavrakis’ service to St. Nicholas. This monumental effort which took many forms – dances, picnics, bake sales, carnivals, raffles, pledges etc. – would continue for well over a decade until the project was completed and fully paid for by the community.
In 1963, Father Stavrakis was reassigned to another parish, and the spiritual leadership of St. Nicholas for the next eight years was passed to Holy Cross graduate Rev. Fr. Peter C. Chrisafideis.
Fr. Chrisafideis and the Parish Council under the administration of President Stefanos Yianakis were instrumental in beginning a special building fund to finance the construction of the much needed school building. The persistent and tireless furidraising ‘activities of the entire St. Nicholas community were rewarded on April 12, 1970, when; the groundbreaking ceremonies for the school building were conducted.
The exterior of the school building was completed in only a few months. However, the interior of the building remained incomplete, and the outstanding debt for its construction was $310,000. The challenge to complete and pay for the school building would shape and define much of the next five years of the parish’s history.
During the early 1970’s, the St. Nicholas community focused not only inwardly on its own special problems and issues but it also looked outward and actively participated in the revival of civic and social life that was taking place in Baltimore City. Reflecting on the commitment to the city’s renaissance, St. Nicholas Church participated in Baltimore City’s first City Fair in September 1970, and its involvement as one of the first Ethnic groups to participate in the Inner Harbor Ethnic Festivals held in 1971.
Stability & Growth
On November 15, 1971, Rev. Fr. George B. Kalpaxis was assigned by Archbishop lakovos to succeed Fr. Chrisafideis as the spiritual father of St. Nicholas Parish. Fr. Kalpaxis served as Proistamenos for twenty years, the longest length of service to date of any of the St. Nicholas’ Pastors.
Fr. Kalpaxis was in the first graduating class of Holy Cross Theological Seminary in 1942, and was one of the first American born Greek Orthodox priests. Before coming to St. Nicholas he had served four other Greek Orthodox parishes.
By 1973, under Parish Council President John Demetriades, the construction of the school building was completed. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers and other craftsmen, most of them parishioners, gave unselfishly of themselves without pay to finish the school building.
After the completion of the school building, vigorous fund raising efforts continued for several years in, order to retire the debt. With the cooperation of all Parish Organizations participating in .a wide variety of fundraisers and social events, such as the Baltimore City Ethnic Festivals and the Baltimore City Fair, the parish succeeded in eliminating its debt.
During the administration of Parish Council President Andrew Tsakalos, the school building xriortgage was burned on December 5, 1976, the eve of the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. Commenting on that historic day, Fr. Kalpaxis captured the true significance of the achievement when he quoted the psalmist, “Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that built it.”
Once again the parishioners of St. Nicholas energized by their love for God, their Orthodox faith and their Hellenic heritage, had responded magnificently to the needs of their community. In the years that followed, the community experienced continued growth and expansion under Fr. Kalpaxis. Highlights of this period include the accreditation of the Afternoon Greek School by the Board of Education of Greece, the renovation of the Church, and the addition of the atrium in 1982. The celebration of the Parish’s Twenty Fifth Anniversary in 1978 during the administration of Parish Council President, Pete Tsambikos and the acquisition of land on Ponca Street for festivals (The Plateia) in 1984 during the administration of Parish Council President, John Demetriades were two additional major achievements.
From 1985 to 1987 Fr. Kalpaxis was assisted by Fr. Stamatios Hatzizahariou a visiting priest from the Island of Rhodes, Greece. During the final two years of Fr. Kalpaxis’ tenure, his successor, Rev. Fr. Manuel Burdusi, who had been raised in the St. Nicholas community, returned after graduating from Holy Cross Theological Seminary to serve his home parish as lay assistant, deacon and as Assistant Priest. Upon Fr. Kalpaxis’ retirement on February 1, 1991, Fr. Burdusi assumed the position of Proistamenos. Fr. Kalpaxis continues to play an active role in the life of St. Nicholas and the wider Baltimore Greek Orthodox community throughout his retirement.
Fr. Burdusi assuming the spiritual leadership of St. Nicholas was an inspiring and fitting tribute to the Christian stewardship, dicthonia and love of three generations of St. Nicholas parishioners.
Under Father Burdusi’s direction and guidance, the Parish’s organizations and ministries have continued to thrive. The Ladies Philoptochos Society, the Afternoon creek School, the Ecclesiastical Choir, the Sunday school and all of the youth groups have expanded upon the legacy and firm foundation passed on to them.
In addition, two important groups were added to the category of permanent Parish Organizations. One of them, JOY, which was reestablished, brings together the younger parishioners; while the other, the St. Nicholas Diamonds, focuses on the Parish’s senior citizens.
The St. Nicholas JOY, which was a part of the in-parish level youth ministry program to children between the ages of nine and eleven since 1985, became a completely in house ministry in 1993.
The St. Nicholas Diamonds founded in 1998, addresses the social and spiritual needs of the community’s seniors. The group takes trips, sponsors social affairs, organizes retreats and assists in Festival preparation and the Vacation Bible School.
The addition of these two parish organizations to the many successful existing ones insures that the entire Church Family, regardless of age, will have a forum in which to participate in the life of the Church and express and share their Greek heritage. Perhaps the most notable feature of the 1990s and the new millennium is that the Parish embarked upon an extensive program of property acquisition, renovation and construction designed to enhance the Church’s facilities and services and stabilize the neighborhood surrounding the Church.
The purchase of several properties around the Church resulted in additional off- street parking for parishioners. The purchase and renovation of the Baltimore Market located next door to the Church added a third community social hail.
In November 2000, the Ladies’ Philoptochos Society purchased the property at 601 S. Ponca St. The newly remodeled building became the long hoped and ‘prayed for facility to house those coming to Baltimore seeking medical care. The Phioxenia House was dedicated on November 10, 2001, as the crowning achievement of the St. Nicholas Philoptochos Society’s long and honorable history of Christian service to those in need.
The most significant capital improvement project to date is the Plateia project. The Plateia, multi-level banquet facility and community center, is the result of the ‘Parish’s desire to provide a year round venue for Parish social activities and to develop a source of revenue for the community.
The Plateia ground breaking ceremony took place on April 8, 2000, during the administration of Parish Council President Nikolas Bouloubassis. His successor, George Perdikakis, the Parish Council, and the entire community are currently bringing the project to completion.
A grant of $400,000 from the State of Maryland obtained through the efforts of then State Senator Perry Sfikas, and a gift of $150,000 from Peter G. Angelos have been instrumental in defraying the cost of the Plateia project.
The major building and renovation projects were complimented by two significant additions inside the main church building. These projects were designed to strengthen the spiritual and the intellectual life of the Parish– the iconography project in the Altar and the St. Nicholas Library.
The iconography project consisted of the icons of the Platytera and the Four Hierarchs. They were painted in 1995 by iconographer Athanasios Clark on the wail behind the altar table in the sanctuary. In 1998, Mr. Clark added the traditional angels to the Platytera. The St. Nicholas Library, dedicated on November 7, 1999, was established with a monetary gift in the amount of $7,500 from Mr. Evangelos Angelou and his children Dr. John Angelou and Maria Angelou in memory of their wife and mother, Aristoniki Angelou. Its growing collectiOn is a resource for all those interested in Orthodoxy and the Hellenic culture.
In addition to the major internal projects, the community also participated in a variety of Diocesan and Archdiocesan level endeavors which included: hosting the Diocese Clergy Laity ‘Conference in 1993, co-planning and participating in the Tr-Parish Millennium Dance, co-hosting the National YAL Conference in 2003, and chairing the District Oratorical Festivals in 2001 and 2003.
During the last decade of the 1980’s and the first years of the new millennium, the parish not only expanded its Church oriented services and facilities but also strengthened its ties to both the Greek American and the general surrounding communities. Three Parish affiliated organizations highlight this development: the Greek Orthodox Counseling and Social Services (GOCSS), the Greek Independence Day Parade Committee and the Greektown Community Development Corporation (GCDC).
In 1985, The GOCSS was officially incorporated as a joint effort of the three Baltimore area Churches with a satellite office established at St. Nicholas in 1990. This organization endeavors to address the social and cultural stresses particular to the Greek American Community.
The Greek Independence Day Parade Committee, which was founded and organized by AHEPA in 1996 to plan and coordinate the annual parade, uses the St. Nicholas facilities as its base of operations.
The GCDC, which was created to stabilize and reinvigorate Greektown, also has close ties to St. Nicholas and uses the church facilities for its meetings.
During the period of Fr. Burdusi’s tenure at St. Nicholas, two men ably assisted him with his many duties and responsibilities as Proistamenos. The first of these is Father Petros Kakaris, a visiting Priest from Rhodes Island, Greece, who served by Father’s side from 1996 to 2002.
The other man is Michael Diamond who served as Pastoral Assistant from 2001 to 2003. In addition to assisting Father Burdusi, Michael concentrated on youth ministry, adult Christian education and the Vacation Bible School.
The Future
During the past sixty years, the priests and parishioners of St. Nicholas have faithfully and joyfully overcome each challenge that has faced the community. Motivated by love for their beloved church, they have kept the sacred trust bequeathed to them by the servants of God who were their predecessors. As the community of St. Nicholas continues its journey into the twenty first century, it will surely be faced with new, and more complex challenges.
However, just as no obstacle has ever prevented the dedicated clergy and laity of St. Nicholas- from accomplishing their mission of being witnesses to the.-light of the Gospel and the richness of the Greek culture to the world, no obstacle, no matter how perplexing or seemingly insurmountable, will ever do so.
Drawing their inspiration, strength and hope from the Holy Orthodox Church and the spirit of Hellenism that have always sustained the Greek people. . .they cannot fail.