History

Saint Gregory the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church of Mansfield, Massachusetts was born from a conversation and a mission. In 1991, four Orthodox Christians met with His Grace Bishop Methodios, now His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, to discuss the possibility of establishing an Orthodox parish in the corridor where Routes 95 and 495 intersect, a rapidly growing area of southeastern Massachusetts where many young families had settled and where no Orthodox parish existed. The bishop strongly encouraged the idea, and together they formulated a mission statement that would come to define the parish's character from its earliest days: to serve the religious and spiritual needs of all Greek Orthodox Christians, converts, those in interfaith marriages, and the unchurched of the 95/495 area, especially though not exclusively those whose mother tongue is English.

The words prototype and the future of Orthodoxy in America were frequently heard as approximately fifty others joined the founding four in rallying to the mission. The young community began by renting a small building in Norwood, Massachusetts, but outgrew it almost immediately. A committee was formed to find a larger facility, and the parish moved to a rented warehouse in Sharon, five miles south. Under the pastoral care of Father Stanley Harakas, the second priest assigned to the community, committed volunteers worked night and day giving of their time, talent, and treasure to build up a parish that had not yet even received its permanent name. That name came in due course: Saint Gregory the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church, honoring the fourth-century Archbishop of Constantinople whose theological brilliance and eloquence made him one of the greatest Fathers of the Church and one of the Three Holy Hierarchs.

In 1995, Father Michael Bird was assigned to the parish and joined the ongoing effort to find a permanent home. In 1997, after much prayer, an existing church building situated on eight acres was found in the town of Mansfield, almost exactly at the Routes 95 and 495 intersection the community had identified as its spiritual territory from the beginning. The building was completely refurbished and dedicated, and classrooms were constructed upstairs for religious and cultural instruction.

Saint Gregory the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church at 1007 West Street in Mansfield serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of the southeastern Massachusetts suburbs as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, a community whose founding vision of welcoming all who seek the ancient faith continues to shape every aspect of its parish life.