History

Saint George Greek Orthodox Church of Kingston, New York is a parish born from decades of patience and vision. For twenty to thirty years, the Greek Orthodox faithful of the Kingston area quietly discussed the possibility of establishing a local parish, all while making long trips to churches in Newburgh and Poughkeepsie for worship and fellowship. Some of Kingston's earliest Greek Orthodox residents had even helped found those very parishes. The concern was always the same: would a Kingston community be large enough to sustain its own ministry?

The answer came in the summer of 1959, when Mrs. Jennie Chafouleas and Mr. Stephen Larios re-examined the question and decided to act. Mrs. Chafouleas called a meeting of interested people at her home in September 1959, where it was decided to form a committee to evaluate the potential for a Kingston parish. Chris J. Larios was elected as the first Parish Council President, and a founding council was assembled, including George Kakoullis, George Georgallis, Sarantos Matthews, George Maouris, and several other dedicated community members.

With the committee in place, the work of obtaining an Ecclesiastical Charter and raising funds for a permanent home began in earnest. Through the combined efforts of the Hellenic Women's Club and the Kingston Orthodox Community, the necessary funds were raised and a building site was secured. Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on Palm Sunday 1964, and the first Divine Liturgy in the new church building was celebrated on Christmas Day of that same year. Saint George Church of Kingston was formally consecrated by Bishop Silas on April 24, 1966.

Located at 294 Greenkill Avenue, Saint George today serves a warm and diverse community of Orthodox Christians in the Hudson Valley, welcoming faithful and inquirers alike into a tradition of worship and fellowship that has deepened steadily since those first meetings at Mrs. Chafouleas's home more than six decades ago.