Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church of Chicago

History

Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church of Chicago draws its first breath on December 18, 1926, when the parish was organized in a brownstone two-story building on the southwest corner of Winthrop and Hollywood on Chicago's north side, just blocks from where the church stands today. One week later, on Christmas Day, the founding priest celebrated the first Divine Liturgy of the new parish. An able administrator and scholar, he was later honored by the Ecumenical Patriarch with the title "Doctor of the Ecumenical Throne" and by the Greek Government with the Golden Cross of the Order of the Redeemer.

Through the 1930s and 1940s a succession of distinguished priests guided the community through the Depression and the war years. One of them, who arrived in 1933 and served until 1937, was subsequently elevated to Bishop of San Francisco. Another, who served from 1940 to 1945, conceived the vision of a new building complex worthy of the growing parish, identifying the Sheridan Road and Hollywood site as the ideal location before departing to edit the Orthodox Observer and eventually becoming Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain. That vision was carried forward by his successors, and in 1953 the corner lot at Hollywood and Sheridan Road was purchased to complement the adjacent property already in hand.

The cornerstone laying ceremonies took place on June 19, 1955, with a bishop and several former St. Andrew priests participating. Construction proceeded at a cost of approximately $1.5 million, and on November 25, 1956, the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the new but still unfinished church. The building was completed in February 1957, its red-roofed limestone exterior and richly appointed interior including a marble iconostasis and stained glass windows becoming landmarks of the Edgewater neighborhood. The church was formally consecrated by Archbishop Iakovos on May 29, 1960. The following year, scaffolding went up inside for the installation of a magnificent Pantocrator mosaic in the dome, mosaics of the Virgin Mary, and intricate designs throughout the interior. A second story classroom wing was added in 1961, housing the Greek and Sunday schools.

One of the greatest honors in the parish's history came on July 4, 1974, when Archbishop Iakovos presented a sacred relic of Saint Andrew the First-Called Apostle to the community, a gift that deepened the parish's already profound connection to its patron saint.

Today, Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church stands at 5649 North Sheridan Road in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, a century-old community of faith deeply woven into the life of its lakefront neighborhood, active in civic partnerships, education, and the annual Chicago Greek Fest that has long brought the traditions of Hellenic culture and Orthodox faith to the North Side of the city.