Saint George Greek Orthodox Church of Palm Desert

History

Saint George Greek Orthodox Church of Palm Desert, California is a story its own parishioners have called a miracle in the desert. In 1978, a small group of Orthodox faithful who had come to know one another socially began lamenting the absence of a Greek Orthodox church in the Coachella Valley. Before long they came together with a clear purpose: to establish a mission parish. With the blessing of the Bishop of San Francisco, these founding members began gathering for worship services in various locations throughout the valley, and eventually a visiting priest was assigned to lead the Divine Liturgy every Sunday. The first service in Palm Desert was held at St. Margaret Episcopal Church.

In 1983, the first elected Parish Council convened under the authority of His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony, Bishop of San Francisco, with the goal of securing a permanent home. That search ended with the purchase of a 2,600 square foot office building on Larrea Street in Palm Desert, which became the community's first dedicated space. In 1990, Bishop Anthony elevated the mission to a fully chartered parish. The name was chosen through a unique process: parishioners bid by donation for the final selection, and the community was honored with the name Saint George Greek Orthodox Church of the Desert. Fr. Theophilos was appointed interim pastor, followed in 1991 by Fr. James Tavlarides, the parish's first permanent priest.

As the community continued to grow, it became clear that the original building could no longer accommodate it. The parish made the bold decision to tear down the existing structure and build anew. In 1994, local architect and contractor Charles L. Martin was commissioned to design the new church, and in 1996 construction began on what would become one of the most distinctive Orthodox church buildings in the American Southwest. Completed fourteen months later and under budget, the 8,360 square foot structure features whitewashed stucco exterior walls, a bell tower, and a four-foot Byzantine cross atop a large gold-tiled dome, designed in the style of the small chapels that dot the landscape of the Greek Islands. In 1997, the Building Committee commissioned Bruno Salvatore of Pietrasanta, Italy to create the mosaics and iconostasis that adorn the interior. In 1999, the City of Palm Desert presented the parish with a permanent award for its outstanding contribution to desert beautification. The church was formally consecrated by Metropolitan Anthony in 2004.

The parish also holds a rare and cherished sacred treasure. In 2012, His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco officially accepted on behalf of the parish a relic of St. Gerasimos of Cephalonia, a slipper from the saint's vestments, gifted to the community by Eva Canakis whose father had served as a village priest on Cephalonia. The relic is enshrined in the narthex of the church, a quiet reminder of the grace that the parish's own founders believed had guided their work from the beginning. As Fr. Tavlarides reflected, the miracle in the desert occurred because it was the will of the Lord, working through dedicated parishioners, builders, and the Palm Desert Planning Commission to make a dream a reality.