History

Greek Orthodox life in Morgantown, West Virginia began in 1928, when the first Greek Orthodox church in the area, Saint Markella's, was established by newly arrived Greek immigrants, most of whom had found employment in a tin plate mill in the Sabraton section of the city. For nearly three decades Saint Markella's served the Greek community, but its location in Sabraton made it difficult for those living in downtown Morgantown and, especially, for students at West Virginia University to attend services.

In October 1954, a committee was formed to canvass potential members and reorganize the Greek community toward establishing a church in a more central location. On January 21, 1955, a general meeting was held in the basement of the First Baptist Church on High Street, and the new community began in earnest. Archbishop Michael of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese granted official recognition on June 18, 1955. On August 7, 1955, the parish by-laws were adopted and the first Board of Trustees was elected. The community moved quickly to purchase the First Christian Church building on Spruce Street in downtown Morgantown, and the first service in the new church took place on Sunday, November 6, 1955. A little over a year later, on February 1, 1957, the church mortgage was paid in full. On March 17, 1957, a general meeting gave the parish its permanent name, Assumption, proclaiming in its choice of dedication the congregation's love and devotion for the Holy Birthgiver of God.

In tribute to the very first Greek Orthodox Church in the area, the cornerstone of Saint Markella's was incorporated into the new building as part of later renovation work, preserving a tangible link between the two generations of Orthodox Christian life in Morgantown. Through the years, the parish's proximity to West Virginia University has made it a natural home for Orthodox students from many nations, with Egyptians, Eritreans, Romanians, Russians, Serbians, Thais, and many others enriching the original Greek community and giving the parish a genuinely universal character.

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church at 447 Spruce Street in Morgantown serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of north-central West Virginia as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, one block south of the West Virginia University campus and an active partner in campus ministry through the Orthodox Christian Fellowship chapter it has long sustained.