The Downey Patriot

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St. George Greek Orthodox Church

DOWNEY--St. George Greek Orthodox Church may be best known for their annual Greek Fest, but they are, in fact, more than sweet baklava, succulent gyros and barbecue lamb.

They are a church young in age but old in spirit.

They are a church joyous in celebration, yet solemn in prayer.

They are, as the Rev. Fr. John E. Constantine put it, “a very vibrant faith that celebrates life and doesn’t emphasize the darkness of the world.”

St. George is an assembly nearly 60 years in the making, dating back to the early 1950’s when Greek Orthodox Christians first began inhabiting Downey. There was no Greek Orthodox church in Downey then, so parishioners were forced to travel to Los Angeles, Orange County and other surrounding areas to worship.

In 1982, 25 years ago, a group of Downey citizens came together in the hopes of establishing a Greek Orthodox church in the city. They rented space from nearby St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and began fundraising efforts to one day build their own church.

That goal came one step closer to fruition in 1995, when the parish purchased its present-day property on Downey Avenue in Downtown Downey. Residents might recognize the Hi-Ho Market which sits on the property – the church owns that building as well.

A groundbreaking ceremony for a sanctuary was held in September 2000 and construction began the following March. Constantine was appointed priest of St. George three months later, a position he holds to this day.

On October 6, 2002, seven years after the property was purchased and countless fundraisers later, St. George Greek Orthodox Church officially opened its doors. In attendance were His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of San Francisco and His Grace Bishop Anthimos of Olympos, in addition, of course, to hundreds of parishioners.

After 50 some-odd years, Downey’s burgeoning Greek Orthodox population finally had a church to call their own.

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So what exactly does the Greek Orthodox faith believe in? The Orthodox Church maintains Jesus Christ as our Savior who leads humanity into God’s kingdom. Jesus Christ is the head of the church and the church is its body.

God is the source of all things. God had such love for humanity that he sent Jesus Christ to our world as the Son of God, to redeem humanity and to live with us, teaching us goodness and compassion.

The Greek Orthodox faith, or, to be more accurate, the Eastern Orthodox faith, has a history dating back to early Christianity when the Apostles founded their first churches in Jerusalem and Rome.

The Apostles were responsible for spreading the word of God and celebrating the Church. The Apostles ordained ministers and deacons; in short, they planted the early seed of the Church, not just for Eastern Orthodox (which didn’t exist yet), but for all Christianity.

For over 1,000 years Christianity worshipped as a whole – they celebrated simply as Christians. But in 1054 the church was divided into two parts (an event known as the Great Schism). The Western Patriarchate of Rome became known as the Roman Catholic Church. The remaining patriarchates, including Constantinople, Alexandra, Antioch and Jerusalem, became known as Eastern Orthodox.

The patriarchates of Moscow, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Georgia, along with the Autocephalous Churches of Albania, Cyprus, Finland and Greece, later joined the Eastern Orthodox. All churches share the same communion and follow the doctrine.

Eastern Orthodox Christians follow an official statement of faith called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, which was adopted in 325 and 381 AD. The creed is also followed by Roman Catholics, in addition to most Lutheran and Protestant churches.

Specifically, St. George in Downey falls under the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of San Francisco, which is, in turn, part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The Archdiocese is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople headed by His All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I.

The interior of St. George in Downey is evolving. The church has three separate areas, including the Narthex, the Nave and the Sanctuary, each designed to follow specific Orthodox tradition.

As Orthodox Christians enter the church through the Narthex, they are to light a candle as a reminder that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. The Narthex includes windows inspired by St. Anna Church in Heraklion, Crete.

The Nave is the area where parishioners gather for services. Between the altar and main seating area is a raised section known as the solea. On the solea is where services and sacraments take place, with the exception of the Divine Liturgy.

The Sanctuary, or altar, is separated from the seating area by an iconostasion, a symbol of the Temple Veil in the Old Testament which separated the Holy of Holies from the remainder of the temple. At present, the iconostasion at St. George includes renderings of Jesus Christ and St. John the Baptist on its right side, and the Virgin Mary and St. George to the left. The artwork is temporary until a permanent iconostasion is designed.

The sanctuary also houses the Holy Table, which represents the tomb of Christ. The Holy Table is draped with an ornate cloth and resting on it is the Holy Communion for the sick; the Antimension, a small consecrated icon cloth on which the consecration of Holy Gifts takes place; two white candlesticks; and the Holy Gospel.

Behind the Holy Table is a large, wooden cross bearing an icon of the body of Christ.

St. George may be best identified for its magnificent dome, a symbol of the union of heaven and earth. The dome is made of interlocking copper plates and contains 24 windows. It is 30 feet in diameter from the inside and is 55 feet from the floor below.

The dome is crowned with a cross on top. After this weekend’s Greek Festival, artists will climb scaffolds and paint an image of Jesus Christ on the inside walls of the dome, to look down at parishioners during services.

Funds from this weekend’s festival will go towards more remodeling at the church. Its fellowship hall will soon be torn down and completely replaced and, where the Hi-Ho Market now sits, that will be the church courtyard.

What else does St. George Greek Church have planned?

Fr. Constantine of St. George smiled.

“Well,” he said, “like Phillip said to Nathaniel, come and see.”