[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9035]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 THE OCCASION OF THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX 
                               CATHEDRAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 9, 2015

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a very important 
milestone in the life of a church community in my District. Exactly 100 
years ago today, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church was incorporated. 
On June 27, 2015, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the 
Greek Orthodox Church of America, will lead the congregation and our 
community in Holy liturgy to celebrate the occasion.
  Toledo, Ohio rose up as a city of immigrants. The city's Greek 
Americans arrived in Toledo in ever increasing numbers as the 20th 
Century dawned. These early settlers recognized the need to establish a 
church community. Bonded through faith and tradition, the community had 
been holding services in different locations in North Toledo. Upon 
incorporation, the move to build a church of their own began in 
earnest. In October of 1915 a house was purchased on the same lot on 
which the current church still stands. The remodeled house served as 
the church until a new church building was constructed. A splendid 
building in a Byzantine style, the church is truly magnificent. On 
Christmas Day 1920, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated for the first 
time in Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
  The Cathedral itself serves to anchor the heart of Toledo in its near 
north end. Along the Cathedral's perimeter, visitors from near and far 
are welcomed to Toledo in sculpted letters carved into the landscape 
and a light shines forth from its entry foyer both day and night. Holy 
Trinity's congregants have built an institution worthy of its founders 
and vital to our community's character.
  Through the coming decades the church community grew. Even in the 
hardship years of Depression and Wars, the members of the church 
soldiered on. They sacrificed and prayed and the church thrived. As the 
years continued and the church grew, the Greek American Progressive 
Association organized a chapter named Parmenides Lodge No. 136, 
auxiliaries were formed, and federations including Pan-Arcadian, 
Tenedian, Cretan, Samian, Corinthian, and Sterea-Elias came together to 
preserve the culture. The ladies of the church organized under the Holy 
Trinity Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society. The Daughters of 
Penelope reactivated Dodona Chapter No. 24. World War II brought the 
formation of chapters of the Greek War Relief Association to help those 
suffering in Greece.
  The post-war years saw progressive leadership and a renewed spiritual 
activity. Choir and Sunday School were re-energized, The Hellenic Youth 
Organization was formed followed by the Greek Orthodox Youth of 
America. This time also brought a realization of the need for new 
church structures. Ground was broken in October 1951 for a new 
Education Building which was dedicated on September 13, 1953. In 1958, 
adjacent land was purchased. Improvements continued in the church 
culminating in a major renovation in 1966. The newly refurbished church 
was consecrated on May 22, 1966. With this consecration, a dream 
conceived so many years before became a reality.
  Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church continued to grow and has been 
woven into the fabric of our community. It remains in Toledo's older 
North End near downtown and draws our entire community to its renowned 
festival each September. In 1987, the parish was elevated to a 
Cathedral. As the 20th century came to a close and a new century 
dawned, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral and its members remained 
integral to Toledo. Today, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral serves 
450 families. The cathedral is part of the Metropolis of Detroit, of 
the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, of the Ecumenical 
Patriarchate. It serves as a beacon of light to the faithful and 
fulfills the promise in Ephesians 2:20-22, ``Built on the foundation of 
the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 
in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy 
temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a 
dwelling place for God by the Spirit.'' I join with the members of Holy 
Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral as well as our larger community in 
celebrating a century of faith.

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