The development of the Greek Orthodox Church in Youngstown

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to describe primarily the development of the St. John Greek Orthodox Church in Youngstown, Ohio.

The aim of Chapter One is to describe Greek immigration to America. This chapter is concerned primarily with the following series of developments: (1) the motivation for Greek immigration (i.e., factors in their homeland, that led to the people's emigration), (2) the problems of the early life of Greek immigrants in the United States, and (3) the immigration of Greeks to Youngstown and their community life.

Chapter Two deals with the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States and its organization in Youngstown, Ohio. It also describes how the political civil war in Greece compounded the difficulties of the church communities in the United States. Confusion, dissension, and the lack of a centralized authority were the hallmarks. Constitutions and bylaws confused clerical duties with lay responsibilities and clerical responsibilities with lay duties.

Chapter Three attempts to relate the rise of the St. John Greek Orthodox Church in Youngstown, its development, consecration, mortgage-burning, and various organizations which aid the parish in keeping its members involved.

Chapter Four deals with a brief description of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Youngstown. The St. Nicholas Congregation was made up of former members of St. John's who lived in the eastern part of the city. In 1919 this congregation purchased the former Walnut Street Welsh Baptist Church, which later became the original St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.

Finally Chapters Five and Six review the development of St. John Greek Orthodox parish in relationship to its clergymen since its establishment and its life in general terms.

Following an in-depth study of the two Greek communities in Youngstown, this thesis concludes that these originally united groups -- which differed in socio-economic status-- later split into two communities primarily as a result of politics and factionalism on the part of the early Greek immigrants.