Храм св. Архангела Михаила (Женева)

These words were offered by our families in Syria to our grandparents who embarked for the United States at the turn of the century.
Inspired by the loving counsel of these words, our immigrant families joined hands in the building of our first church on Geneva Street. There were many difficulties to overcome for those first Orthodox families in the Geneva area. However, this sacred ambition of forming a parish and building a Temple to God was foremost in their hearts from the moment of their arrival. Some families came to Geneva in the 1880’s, but most came at the end of the 19th century when the Ottoman Turks were persecuting all Christians in the Holy Land. The United States provided a safe place to raise their families and to worship without fear of persecution or death.
For the first few years, they gathered regularly in various homes in the name of God and their strong Orthodox Faith. On rare occasions, a missionary priest came to administer the Sacraments. Once the families began to combine their few hard-earned dollars and, by the sweat of their brows, built the first church on Geneva Street, they were able to have a permanent Priest, Fr. Daniel George. The formal organization of our parish began in 1912, and St. Michael’s was formally incorporated in 1915. This was the same year that our first building was constructed and consecrated for worship of the Holy Trinity in the Orthodox Faith.
For forty-three years, the parishioners worshipped at the Temple on Geneva Street. Our precious church was built next to the Geneva Fire Station, and as the city grew our site was needed for expansion. The city asked to buy the building and lot for the needed improvement of the Fire Department, and our Parish Council agreed.
The last Divine Liturgy in our first Temple was celebrated on November 16, 1958. A special service of de-consecration was held, and the Holy Altar, Icons, and other sacred appointments were removed. Soon the city razed the brick building, and we were able to recover the cornerstone and the records that had been placed in it. (The cornerstone was moved to a position of honor beneath the Episcopal Throne in the Holy Place of the new Church by Fr. Murphy upon his arrival in September 2002.)
At the time of the sale of our old building, the parish also owned a large house on the corner of Genesee and Lafayette Streets. The upper stories were used as a Rectory, and the ground floor was used as classroom and meeting space. Once the old building was sold, the congregation used the first floor space to gather for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. They met there for a year, then this building was demolished to make space for the construction of a new Temple for the worship of Almighty God.
Through the kindness and generosity of the Vestry of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (located one block to the south, on the corner of Genesee and Lewis Streets), we were able to conduct our services in their parish hall during construction. This arrangement continued for two years until our new church was completed. Then, on November 26, 1961, Metropolitan Antony Bashir consecrated our new church building. A new phase in the life of St. Michael’s Orthodox Church in Geneva was underway.
Edited & emended from the Preface in the 75th Anniversary booklet of St. Michael’s Parish (November 2-4, 1990).

Mailing address:
98 Genesee Street
PO Box 185
Geneva, New York 14456
Church phone: 315-789-3060    

Pastor: The Rev’d Fr. Gregory Murphy
e-mail: Pastor@stmichaelsgeneva.org
Rectory phone: 315-789-7210     

Источник: www.stmichaelsgeneva.org