Sts. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church

Last updated
Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church
Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church in Galveston.jpg
Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church
Sts. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church
Coordinates: 29°17′33″N94°48′46″W / 29.292503°N 94.812712°W / 29.292503; -94.812712
Location Galveston, Texas
CountryUnited States
Denomination Serbian Orthodoxy
Previous denomination Russian Orthodoxy
History
Status Parish church
Founded1861 (1861) (parish founded)
Consecrated 3 June 1896
Architecture
Groundbreaking 1895
Completed1896
Administration
Synod Bishops' Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Metropolis Metropolitanate of Libertyville-Chicago
Diocese Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America
Parish Saints Constantine and Helen Parish
Clergy
Bishop(s) Longin (Krčo)
Priest(s) Serge Veselinovich

The Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church is a Serbian Orthodox church located in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is a parish of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America.

Contents

History

The eastern orthodox community had existed in the port city of Galveston since 1861 as the parish of Saints Constantine and Helen. [1] [2] [3] By the late 1800s a group of Serbs, Greeks, and Russians appealed to the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tsar Nicholas II for a church. [1] The Tsar approved the establishment of a church and in 1895 construction began. The building was finished in 1896 and consecration took place on the feast day of Saint Constantine and Saint Helen. [1] Tsar Nicholas II also personally donated icons for the Iconostasis, a gospel book, and a number of sacred vessels. The first priest assigned to the new church was Archimandrite Theoclitos (Triantafilides). [3] [4] [5] Services were originally held in Greek, Russian and Serbian; however, in 1933 the Greek members of the church voted to create a "daughter parish" of Sts. Constantine and Helen and operate it under the Greek Orthodox Church, naming their new church Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church. [6] [7] [8]

Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church was the first Serbian Orthodox church in the state and its parish is the oldest Orthodox parish in Texas. [5] The church also holds the distinction of being the second oldest Serbian Orthodox church in the United States. [5]

Notable clergy

Galveston native, Metropolitan Bishop Christopher Kovacevich of the Metropolitanate of Libertyville-Chicago, was born and raised as a member of Saints Constantine and Helen church. [5] As an adult and Metropolitan, he would frequently return to the city and preside at church weddings and baptisms. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

Third Lake, Illinois Village in Illinois, United States

Third Lake is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,111.

May 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

May 20 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 22

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary Cathedral Basilica (Galveston, Texas)</span> Historic church in Texas, United States

St. Mary Cathedral Basilica, also known as St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica, is a Roman Catholic place of worship situated in Galveston, Texas. It is the primary cathedral of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the mother church of the Catholic Church in Texas, as well as a minor basilica. Along with the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, St. Mary's serves more than 1.5 million Catholics living in the Archdiocese.

The timeline of Eastern Orthodoxy in North America represents a timeline of the historical development of religious communities, institutions and organizations of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in North America.

Eastern Orthodoxy in Hawaii

Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Hawaii began with early Russian missions of the 19th century and continues with multiple Eastern Orthodox churches in the Hawaiian islands.

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago Metropolis of the Greek Orthodox Church

The Metropolis of Chicago is a metropolis of the Greek Orthodox Church, part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, in the North-Central Midwest, United States, with its see city of Chicago. The mother church of the Metropolis is Annunciation Cathedral in Chicago.

New Gračanica Monastery

New Gračanica Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery complex is located in Third Lake, Illinois, United States, a suburb of Chicago. The complex houses a scaled-up replica of the Gračanica monastery in Kosovo. It is a part of the Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America. It has 300 acres of land, making it the 6th largest monastery among the 80 American Orthodox Christian monasteries.

Dormition Church, Lviv Church in Lviv, Ukraine

The Dormition or Assumption Church is a Ukrainian Orthodox church in the city of Lviv, Ukraine. At present it is leased to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

Christopher Kovacevich

Christopher Kovacevich was metropolitan bishop of Libertyville and Chicago in the Serbian Orthodox Church making him Primate of Serbian Orthodox Christians in America. He was also the first American-born bishop to serve a diocese of the Serbian Church in North America.

Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of New Gračanica and Midwestern America

The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of New Gračanica and Midwestern America or Serbian Orthodox Diocese of New Gračanica and Midwestern America is a Serbian Orthodox Church diocese located in the midwestern region of the United States. Its headquarters are in Third Lake, Illinois. The diocese operates 69 churches and parishes in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Eastern America

The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Eastern America or Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America is a Serbian Orthodox Church diocese of the United States. Before 1984 it was known as the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Eastern America and Canada.

Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Canada

The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Canada is a diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Australia and New Zealand

The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Australia and New Zealand is an Eastern Orthodox diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church, with jurisdiction over Australia and New Zealand. Since 2011, it has an honorary rank of Metropolitanate. Its headquarters are in Renwick Street, Alexandria, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bishop Siluan (Mrakić) of Australia and New Zealand was enthroned on 22 October 2016 at the St. George Historic Cathedral in Cabramatta by Longin (Krčo) of the Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America.

Christianity in Houston

Christianity is the most prevalently practiced religion in the city of Houston, Texas. In 2012 Kate Shellnutt of the Houston Chronicle described Houston as a "heavily Christian city". Multiple Christian denominations originating from various countries are practiced in the city.

Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America

The Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America is a constituent and integral part of the one and only Serbian Orthodox Church (Patriarchate) and therefore the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in the Americas. It has five eparchies (dioceses), that were reorganized in 2009. It also has a central church council made up of diocesan bishops, and almost 220 churches, chapels, monasteries and sketes in the United States, Canada, and South and Central America.

Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Merrillville, Indiana) Church in Indiana, United States

The Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church was originally established February 14, 1914, in Gary, Indiana, US, and is now located in Merrillville, Indiana, after the consecration of the new church building in 1991. It is the church-school congregation in which Saint Varnava, the first American-born Serbian to be proclaimed an Orthodox saint, was baptized, served as altar boy, and was first recognized as a youthful prodigy in reciting Serbian folklore and old ballads.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Casanova, Amanda (2010-05-10). "Serbian Orthodox church to break ground". Galveston County Daily News . Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  2. "CONSECRATION OF THE HOLY THREE HIERARCHS CHURCH IN DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TEXAS". Central Church Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America and Canada. 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  3. 1 2 Milosevich, Mimo (2010-01-23). "First priest of isle parish made lasting impact". Galveston County Daily News. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  4. "Ss. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church". Orthodox Christian Religious Foundation. 2011-02-25.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "BISHOP LONGIN VISITS GALVESTON, TEXAS". Central Church Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America and Canada. 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  6. The European Texans . Texas A&M University Press. 2004. p.  171. ISBN   978-1-58544-352-9. - Access date: 2011-02-27
  7. "Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church". The Orthodox Clergy Association of Southeast Texas. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  8. "Brief History of the Greek Parish of Galveston, Texas". Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  9. Turner, Bronwyn (2010-08-22). "Island native, Serbian Orthodox Church leader dies". Galveston County Daily News . Retrieved 2011-02-25.

Sources