The Storyof St. Elias Parish

The Church of Antioch in the U.S.

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The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America traces its roots to the mass Syro-Levantine migration to North America, beginning in the late 19th century. Arab Orthodox Churches were initially administered by the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, which had a more established presence in the New World and the financial backing of the Russian empire. In November 1895, Fr. Raphael Hawaweeny was sent to the United States by Tsar Nicholas II and charged with administering the Arab Orthodox communities in this country. In 1904, he was consecrated as Bishop of Brooklyn. Bishop Raphael spent his time travelling across North America, organizing a previously scattered flock. This included a large community of Syrian-Orthodox immigrants in Toledo.

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Toledo’s first Arab Orthodox Church was founded through the efforts of Bishop Raphael as well as the initial wave of Greater Levantine immigrants to the Toledo area. St. George Syrian Greek Orthodox Church, located at the corner of Elm and Erie streets in the North End of Toledo, was founded in 1913 and consecrated in 1920.

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Following Bishop Raphael’s death in 1915 and the near simultaneous Bolshevik Revolution in Russia during the First World War, Orthodox Christian communities all across North America began to break apart along ethnic lines into separate ecclesiastical factions. Some communities chose to remain under the jurisdiction of the Russian Church, then under Bolshevik control, while others sought governance from the Patriarchate of Antioch.

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Even within the Antiochian Church of North America, further division arose with the elevation in 1936 of Antony Bashir as archbishop of New York, succeeding the recently deceased Metropolitan Victor Abo-Assaley. This election created a split among St. George’s members and in other Syrian Orthodox communities around the country.  Some supported St. George’s pastor, Rev. Samuel David, rather than the recently-elected Antony Bashir.  David’s supporters persuaded a group of Russian bishops to consecrate him on the same day Metropolitan Antony was consecrated. This move was an attempt to bring the Orthodox Arabs back under the jurisdiction of the Russian Church. Metropolitan Samuel was initially suspended by the Antiochian Patriarchate following his consecration, but he was eventually accepted by the Patriarchate in 1939. Following the recognition of Metropolitan Samuel, parallel Antiochian jurisdictions remained in America.

This separation continued for the next 39 years when, in June 1975, Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) of the Antiochian Archdiocese of New York and Metropolitan Michael (Shaheen) of the Antiochian Archdiocese of Toledo signed Articles of Reunification, restoring administrative unity among all Antiochian Orthodox Christians in North America. The contents of these Articles were ratified by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate on August 19, 1975, and recognized Philip as the Metropolitan and Primate of the Archdiocese and Michael as an Auxiliary Archbishop.

 

The birth of St. Elias

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Finding itself squarely entrenched in the diocesan split controversy, members of St. George who continued to support Bishop Antony of New York soon sought their own church. In 1937, Metropolitan Antony traveled to Toledo and helped this group raise $3,000 to be put towards a new church facility. The Right Rev. Esaia Joury of Montreal was appointed as pastor.

Initial meetings and services were held at the old Forresters’ Hall near Cherry and Erie streets, where the Salvation Army now stands, and at Sabin’s Hall above the former Hanf’s Drugstore in North Toledo. Card parties, dances, picnics and other fundraisers were held to raise money for a new church facility. On November 10, 1937, nineteen men signed a charter forming the St. Elias Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Church Association of Toledo. George K. Darah was the first president.

On Feb. 17, 1938, the association bought the Saleem Tanasy mansion at Mulberry and Huron streets. The mansion was renovated and served as the first St. Elias Church.  A Ladies Society-sponsored picnic held in the summer of 1938 raised $500, which served as the initial mortgage payment.  The new church was on its way.

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Fire, New Construction, and Growth

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In 1939, barely a year after church services began in the old mansion, a fire caused by an incense charcoal destroyed the structure.  Undeterred, the parishioners quickly secured a loan of $12,000 from Peoples Savings Association and set out to build a new church on the same property.  Construction of the neo-Gothic structure on the foundation of the destroyed mansion began immediately under the direction of Harold Dodson.  St. Elias parishioners donated the beautiful stained-glass windows that can still be seen in the current church, along with pews, icons, chandeliers, and candle stands. The new church was consecrated by Metropolitan Antony in 1940, a little more than a year after the first church was destroyed.  In 1942, a church hall, kitchen, auditorium, and church school facilities were added to the St. Elias campus.

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As the church grew, important organizations formed.  The St. Elias Men’s Club, first formed in 1936, evolved into the Board of Trustees and, finally, the current Parish Council. Moses Tanber was the first president.  Next, the St. Elias Ladies Society was organized, with Sophia Rayess as its first president. Mitree Aboohamad founded the St. Elias Church School and, in 1946, William Barrow started the St. Elias Choir.

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As the church’s second generation matured, married, and began raising families, St. Elias prospered.  Many of the families lived in the church’s North Toledo neighborhood, making St. Elias the focal point of many activities.  The church staged variety and style shows, hosted haflis, and was the favored place for wedding receptions.  Every year, the three-day St. Elias Festival was the highlight of the summer and drew visitors from all over northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

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St. Elias has long been a leader in the archdiocese.  In 1947, the initial organizational meeting of the Syrian Orthodox Youth Organization, or SOYO, was hosted by the St. Elias Junior League.  St. Elias also hosted the Ninth Archdiocese Convention in 1954 and the Fourteenth Archdiocese Convention in 1959.  A number of St. Elias members became leaders within the archdiocese.  Albert J. Corey and Hafiz Nassar served on the archdiocese’s Board of Trustees. Albert Joseph was the first chairman of the Order of St. Ignatius. Elsie Shemas Kaleel was president of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America. Richard G. Joseph served as president of the North American Council of SOYO.

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A Move to the Suburbs

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Beginning in the early 1960s, St. Elias families began moving to the suburbs.  The exodus from the North End meant the church was no longer the center of the neighborhood where many of its parishioners lived. By the early 1970s, it became clear the church needed to move as well.  Committees were formed to scout new potential locations and raise funds for a new facility.

In 1974, the church bought a parcel of land on Harroun Road in Sylvania. Groundbreaking took place on June 6, 1976. With Metropolitan Philip presiding at a groundbreaking banquet, $140,000 was pledged for the project. In 1977, the church ground was consecrated by His Beatitude, Patriarch Elias IV and Metropolitan Philip on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. In February of1978, the Church secured a loan for $550,000 from First Federal Savings.  Construction began on August 3, 1978, with Schlageter-Naumann serving as general contractor and Louis Corey as the architect. Nick Shemas directed the Church Building Committee.  In a procession that took place on October 28, 1979, St. Elias parishioners travelled from their old church at Mulberry and Huron to the new church, where the first service was held.  Six months later, Metropolitan Philip consecrated the new church during a three-day celebration April 25-27, 1980.

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Thanks to the generosity of its parishioners, on the occasion of St. Elias’s 50th anniversary celebration, April 29-May 1, 1988, the church retired its 25-year mortgage after only ten years.

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St. Elias in the New Millennium

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As St. Elias moved into the new millennium and its third generation assumed leadership, the church faced and overcame numerous challenges. The church, as always, remains vital in the life of its parishioners.  In that regard, the faithful have never wavered.

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More recently, the church has been revitalized by the addition of new members, strong leadership and participation in all its organizations –Parish Council, Ladies Society, Church School, Teen SOYO, and the choir. This has led to a renewed sense of optimism.

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A factor in the church’s new vitality is the ethnic diversity of its parishioners. St. Elias’s membership is among the most diverse of any Christian church in the region. In addition to its traditional Syrian and Lebanese ethnic base, which has been buoyed by a new wave of immigrants over the past 20 years, the church counts East Africans, eastern Europeans, Russians, and numerous converts from other Christian religions among it membership.  As a result, St. Elias has become a beacon of the pan-Orthodox movement.

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As St. Elias begins the final quarter of its first century, challenges remain but the future is hopeful.  The spirit and faith of the church’s founders live on, making, as they clearly demonstrated, all things possible.

 

Compiled and written by James F. Shemas and George J. Tanber