Thought some of you might be interested in this article from www.thetimesonline.com Greek cathedral marks 90th anniversary Merrillville church started in Gary with only a handful of families. BY DEBORAH LAVERTY Times Staff Writer MERRILLVILLE -- The first Greek Orthodox church in Northwest Indiana was born 90 years ago in Gary out of necessity because a small group of immigrants needed a place to be baptized, married and laid to rest. Those needs haven't changed, but SS. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral has since moved south to Merrillville and grown from only a handful of families to 1,200 families.The church's roots and history will be celebrated this weekend with three days of activities marking the church's 90th anniversary. The celebration will culminate with the Divine Liturgy at 9:15 a.m. Sunday. Other events include a golf outing on Friday at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point and a dinner and dance on Saturday at the cathedral. "We've grown to be one of the largest Greek Orthodox churches in Indiana," said the Rev. Ted Poteres, priest at the cathedral. He said the first planning meeting for the proposed church was held in the spring of 1912. That event followed the death the prior year of a Greek-American man whose remains had to be taken to Chicago for religious services. Later, the group's first worship service was held in 1913 in a rented store at 1259 Madison St. in Gary. Building the new church, which was located at 13th Avenue and Jackson Street in Gary, wasn't an easy task for a small group of immigrants who were struggling to survive in a new country, Poteres said. Ground was broken in 1917 and the first service in the new church was held on Easter Sunday of 1919. "As new immigrants they had to support themselves as well as a new church," he said. JoAnn Massow, a parishioner who as a young girl attended the church in Gary with her parents and grandfather, recalls the structure as a beautiful old church. Now, two of her four sons and three grandchildren attend services at the cathedral in Merrillville. "Five generations of my family have attended the church through the years," she said. Yvonne Andros-Manchak, who was baptized in the old church and married in the new cathedral, said the old church was reminiscent of ones in Europe. "This (the cathedral) is more modern, more new era," she said. In the late 1950s, church leaders decided it was time to consider future growth of the parish, Poteres said. At a general meeting in 1961, a committee was authorized to start searching for a site to build a new church. In 1967, the present site, which originally consisted of 37.5 acres, was purchased at 8000 Madison St. for $200,000. Ground for the cultural center was broken on Sept. 20, 1970, with services first held on Thanksgiving Day 1971. Groundbreaking for the cathedral was held on May 14, 1972, with the official opening held on Dec. 21, 1975. Poteres credits the move to Merrillville and the continued steady growth of the church to former priest, the Rev. Evagoras Constantinides. "He was the driving force and we wouldn't be where we are today without his vision," Poteres said. He said although membership has remained steady for several years, the cathedral has continued to grow in its service to the community including the addition of an early learning center for young children. The cathedral also houses branch classes for Purdue University Calumet, as well as a food bank for the needy. "We're still fulfilling his (Constantinides') dream," Poteres said. For more information about the golf event, dinner dance or Sunday service, call the church office at (219) 769-2481. --------------- Firstmom's Genealogy Resources http://khuish.tripod.com/ Lake County IN GenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~inlake