History

The Greek community of Pawtucket, Rhode Island traces its origins to around 1896, when six to ten young men who had immigrated from towns and villages of Greece arrived in the city and began forging lives in a new land. In those earliest years, without a church of their own, they rented halls and houses in the general area of East Avenue to hold Divine Liturgy services whenever a priest could be found, with occasional services performed by a layperson.

By 1910 the community had grown to approximately 75 members and the desire to build a church of their own had become a driving force. The founding fathers solicited funds and sacrificed to make the dream a reality, depriving themselves and their families to contribute what they could. In one year they raised a total of $750, and in 1911 property was purchased on George Street. The first Parish Council, consisting of seven members, was formed on February 22, 1912, and the Assumption Church received its religious corporation charter from the State of Rhode Island that same year. In November 1912 the cornerstone was laid, and on October 26, 1913, the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the new one-story church, which had cost $7,500 to build. On June 13, 1914, by-laws were written and the church was given its official name: the Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Through all of this growth, the church, sustained by its 75 devoted members, never carried a mortgage.

In 1925 the community purchased property on Armistice Boulevard for a parish cemetery. Urban renewal eventually displaced the George Street church, and on May 30, 1966, ground was broken at 97 Walcott Street, the former Ott Mansion, in preparation for building the present church. The parish has grown into the largest Orthodox Christian community in northern Rhode Island, serving the faithful of Pawtucket and surrounding communities through worship, a Greek School, a renowned Dance Troupe, and its annual August Greek Festival.

The Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church at 97 Walcott Street in Pawtucket serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of northern Rhode Island as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.