History

The Greek Orthodox Church is also known as the “Eastern” Orthodox Church. The origin of this name stems from the schism of the 11th century between the Roman Catholic Church of the West and the Byzantine Orthodox Church of the East. Originally both ideologies were united under a common church, but the differences in ideologies caused such strained relations between the East and the West that the division was necessary.

The Great Schism of 1054

The Greek Orthodox religion made it’s first appearance in America in 1928 in New Orleans. A small group of Greek trading merchants gathered enough of a following to establish a small Greek Orthodox church that allowed them to continue their faith. According the the official Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, “orthodox is not just a word that is used to describe the church, but comes from two short Greek words; orthos and daxa, which mean “correct” and “faith”. The name was chosen as a conviction to highlight the orthodox belief that they worship god correctly. (Fitzgerald 1)

The official logo of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Although there was a small Greek Orthodox population already established by this time, the amount of established Greek Orthodox churches skyrocketed in the 1970’s when the huge wave of Greek immigrants came to America and settled all over the country, especially Astoria. As more and more Greek families settles into the neighborhood, more churches were needed to not only provide spiritual guidance, but to provide a community of fellow Greeks that allowed people to socialize. The main four Greek Orthodox churches that are still very much a part of the  Greek community today were established in the 1970’s. The expansion of Greek Orthodox churches followed the settlement of Greek immigrants and their children. As families moved out of Astoria and other parts of the city, the Greek Orthodox Church expanded out even more out by Long Island, New Jersey, and other suburban areas.

-Athena Amentas