History

From the beginning of the twentieth century, Greek immigrants began settling in Norwalk, Connecticut, seeking their American dreams in the industries and commerce of Fairfield County. For decades they worshipped where they could, but as their numbers grew the desire for a church of their own became irresistible. In 1940 the community purchased a small Lutheran church building at 8 Fort Point Street in East Norwalk, giving the Norwalk Greek Orthodox faithful their first permanent house of worship. The highest sponsor of the purchase, Mr. George Zapherson, was given the honor of bestowing the church's name, and he chose Saint George after his own patron saint, Saint George the Great Martyr.

In 1953, Archbishop Michael, then Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, granted Saint George its ecclesiastical charter and appointed Father George Panagoulias as the parish's first priest, formalizing a community that had already been gathering for more than a decade. Through the years that followed the community continued to grow, and with that growth came the recognition that the Fort Point Street building could no longer accommodate their expanding needs. In 1972 Father Germanos Stavropoulos was assigned as pastor, and under his tenure the parish pursued a new home commensurate with the size and ambitions of the community it had become.

The present church at 238 West Rocks Road in Norwalk provided the parish with the facilities it needed to sustain a full range of ministries, organizations, and community programs, and the annual Saint George Greek Festival has grown into one of the most beloved Hellenic cultural celebrations in Fairfield County, drawing visitors from across southwestern Connecticut for Greek food, music, dance, and the hospitality that has defined the Saint George community since its founding.

Saint George Greek Orthodox Church at 238 West Rocks Road in Norwalk serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of southwestern Connecticut as a parish of the Direct Archdiocesan District of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.