Sts. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church

Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church
Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church
29.292503°N 94.812712°W / 29.292503; -94.812712
Location	Galveston, Texas
Country	United States
Denomination	Serbian Orthodoxy
Previous denomination	Russian Orthodoxy
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1861 (1861) (parish founded)
Consecrated	3 June 1896
Architecture
Groundbreaking	1895
Completed	1896
Administration
Synod	Bishops' Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Metropolis	Metropolitanate of Libertyville-Chicago
Diocese	Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America
Parish	Saints Constantine and Helen Parish
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Longin (Krčo)
Priest(s)	Father Djordje Veselinovic

The Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church is a Serbian Orthodox church located in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is a parish of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America.

History

The eastern orthodox community had existed in the port city of Galveston since 1861 as the parish of Saints Constantine and Helen.^[1][2][3] By the late 1800s a group of Serbs, Greeks, and Russians appealed to the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tsar Nicholas II for a church.^[1] The Tsar approved the establishment of a church and in 1895 construction began. The building was finished in 1896 and consecration took place on the feast day of Saint Constantine and Saint Helen.^[1] Tsar Nicholas II also personally donated icons for the Iconostasis, a gospel book, and a number of sacred vessels. The first priest assigned to the new church was Archimandrite Theoclitos (Triantafilides).^[3][4][5] Services were originally held in Greek, Russian and Serbian; however, in 1933 the Greek members of the church voted to create a "daughter parish" of Sts. Constantine and Helen and operate it under the Greek Orthodox Church, naming their new church Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church.^[6][7][8]

Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church was the first Serbian Orthodox church in the state and its parish is the oldest Orthodox parish in Texas.^[5] The church also holds the distinction of being the second oldest Serbian Orthodox church in the United States.^[5]

Notable clergy

Galveston native, Metropolitan Bishop Christopher Kovacevich of the Metropolitanate of Libertyville-Chicago, was born and raised as a member of Saints Constantine and Helen church.^[5] As an adult and Metropolitan, he would frequently return to the city and preside at church weddings and baptisms.^[9]

Gallery

• 
  Church altar

See also

• Serbian Orthodox Church
• Serbian American

References

1. Casanova, Amanda (2010-05-10). "Serbian Orthodox church to break ground". Galveston County Daily News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
2. "CONSECRATION OF THE HOLY THREE HIERARCHS CHURCH IN DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TEXAS". Central Church Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America and Canada. 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
3. Milosevich, Mimo (2010-01-23). "First priest of isle parish made lasting impact". Galveston County Daily News. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
4. "Ss. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church". Orthodox Christian Religious Foundation. 2011-02-25.
5. "BISHOP LONGIN VISITS GALVESTON, TEXAS". Central Church Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America and Canada. 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
6. The European Texans. Texas A&M University Press. 2004. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-58544-352-9. - Access date: 2011-02-27
7. "Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church". The Orthodox Clergy Association of Southeast Texas. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
8. "Brief History of the Greek Parish of Galveston, Texas". Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
9. Turner, Bronwyn (2010-08-22). "Island native, Serbian Orthodox Church leader dies". Galveston County Daily News. Retrieved 2011-02-25.

Sources

• Vuković, Sava (1998). History of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America and Canada 1891–1941. Kragujevac: Kalenić.

External links

• "Diocese." Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America.