History

The first home of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church came to pass in 1947, when the First Christian Church on Second Avenue in Tucson went up for sale. Recognizing the opportunity, Gus Papadeas and Chris Boukidis made a deposit of $250 on the property that same day. A meeting was called that evening with the Tucson AHEPA Chapter, a pledge drive was launched, and within three months an additional $10,000 had been raised, leaving a balance of approximately $8,000 to be paid off through monthly installments. With the incorporation of the Saint Demetrios Hellenic Foundation, the dream of a Hellenic Orthodox Church in Tucson became a reality. The original building on Second Avenue still stands today, unchanged since the community purchased it in 1947.

In 1957 the cornerstone of the Tucson Hellenic Center was laid on the Fort Lowell Road property, expanding the parish's capacity for community and cultural life. In 1964 Archbishop Iakovos visited Tucson and discussed plans for a permanent church building. The cornerstone of the new church was laid in 1967, and within a year the structure was complete. In 1968 Archbishop Iakovos returned to Tucson to consecrate the new Saint Demetrios Church, a milestone that marked the culmination of more than two decades of community effort and sacrifice.

In August 2022, the parish moved to its current home at 3939 North Alvernon Way, a new chapter in the life of a community that has served as the center of Greek Orthodox and Hellenic cultural life in the Sonoran Desert for more than three quarters of a century.

Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church at 3939 North Alvernon Way in Tucson serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of southern Arizona as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.