History

Saint Paul Greek Orthodox Church of Irvine, California traces its beginnings to 1976, when just three Greek Orthodox Christians living in south Orange County, Steve Bonn, Harry Kollias, and John Kitsianis, took the initiative to organize a new parish closer to their homes than the nearest Greek Orthodox church in Anaheim. After an extensive telephone campaign, 57 families had committed to the new community by the end of 1977. The first Parish Council was elected on October 16, 1977, and on November 14, 1977 the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese granted the official charter establishing the Greek Orthodox Parish of South Orange County.

On June 1, 1978, Father George Stephanides was assigned as the parish's first priest, and the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated at Mission Viejo High School on June 11, 1978. A choir, youth groups, Sunday school, and Philoptochos society were organized immediately. That same year the parish held its first annual Grecian Festival at the Orange County Fairgrounds, with volunteers from their sister parish at St. John the Baptist in Anaheim lending a hand to help the young community get on its feet.

In April 1980, the parish chose its patron saint, selecting St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles to reflect the evangelical spirit of the new community. On December 10, 1980, Parish Council President George Peters signed an agreement with the Irvine Company for the purchase of a 5.6 acre parcel of land at a cost of $629,000. A professional fundraising campaign launched in March 1982 raised $1,000,000 over three years, retiring all remaining debt on the land and enabling the first building, the parish center, to be built entirely debt-free. The first Liturgy on the parish's own land was celebrated on July 22, 1985.

The current sanctuary was built at a cost of $3,500,000. Cross-shaped and crowned by a dome 20 feet high and 36 feet in diameter, the 20,000 square foot building seats 600 people and blends American classical architecture with Byzantine elements. Groundbreaking was held on April 28, 1991, the first Liturgy in the new sanctuary was celebrated on May 17, 1992, and the building was consecrated by Bishop Anthony of San Francisco on October 29 and 30, 1994. Enshrined within the altar are the relics of three saints: St. Kyrikos the Martyr, St. Boniface the Martyr, and St. Panteleimon the Physician and Healer.

On December 17, 1996, Father George Stephanides suddenly collapsed and died of a heart attack, leaving the community in grief after 18 years of his devoted pastoral leadership. Father Steven Tsichlis was appointed as the new pastor on March 27, 1997. He immediately set about uniting the parish in a comprehensive planning process that produced Vision 21: Entering the 21st Century, unanimously approved by the General Assembly on May 17, 1998, which guided the parish's building programs, iconography, and outreach for years to come. A stunning mosaic covering more than 1,200 square feet in the sanctuary apse, completed by iconographer Sirio Tonelli in 1997 in memory of Father George, depicts the Icon of the Sign, the traditional Byzantine image of the Theotokos with the Christ Child. A second masterwork by Tonelli, a depiction of Christ as the Ruler of All rising 60 feet above the sanctuary floor and covering more than 2,700 square feet across the dome, was unveiled in October 2000.

In keeping with its missionary identity, St. Paul's funded and helped build an Orthodox church in the village of Kobunshwi, Tanzania in 2007, sending a mission team of parishioners to work alongside local builders. The church was consecrated by Bishop Jeronymos of Bukoba on July 6, 2008, and the parish's Mission IS Possible committee has continued sending medical teams, supplies, and well-digging equipment to the region ever since. A $4,000,000 education center was completed debt-free in January 2006, housing the Father George Stephanides Library and providing space for the parish's growing school and ministry programs.

Today, Saint Paul Greek Orthodox Church is one of the largest and most active Greek Orthodox parishes in Southern California, comprising more than 450 families representing over a dozen nationalities. Located at 4949 Alton Parkway in Irvine, the parish belongs to the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco and continues to embody the missionary spirit of its patron saint, welcoming all who seek to encounter the Orthodox Christian faith.