A Brief History of Our Parish
In 1960 the Board of Trustees of the American Hellenic Community of Greater Cleveland was requested to establish a Greek Orthodox Church on Cleveland's West Side. The request came from a contingent of immigrant Greeks and Greek Americans who desired a Greek Orthodox Church that was more centered in their local community. The Parish of Saint Demetrios was established in 1960 with the purchase of the old Rockport Methodist Church, located at 3300 Wooster Road, Rocky River, Ohio.
The parish proudly became an integral part of the American Hellenic Community of Greater Cleveland. It was named Saint Demetrios at the wish of James Watson, the "Godfather" of the church and a very generous benefactor. Rev. Fr. Daniel Sfikas was assigned as pastor and remained there for a year, after which Rev. Fr. Peter Metallinos succeeded him and served as the pastor until his retirement in 1998.
Fr. Peter was succeeded by Rev. Fr. Paul Patitsas. The mother church of the Annunciation, with her satellite of daughter churches, functioned as an administrative unit until July 1967, when it was voted that each parish become administratively independent. The growth of St. Demetrios Parish was phenomenal--in a few busy years, the little church was bulging at the seams.
Fr. Peter Metallinos
Fr. Paul Patitsas
The Sunday school classes overflowed, making it necessary to rent space and later to accept the hospitality of the Methodist Church across the street. The search for a location to build a new church and educational facilities began. A large, convenient lot on Center Ridge Road at the Rocky River/Westlake boundary became available. The parish voted to purchase it. In 1968 the impressive groundbreaking ceremony took place. In 1969 the successful fund raising campaign resulted in the building of the first phase of the new St. Demetrios facilities and Hellenic Cultural Center. Christmas Eve 1970 Divine Liturgy was celebrated for the first time in their new Hellenic Cultural Center. Gratitude, pride, and misty eyes were very much in evidence that memorable evening. For a year and a half the church services were held at the Cultural Center.
The Building Committee never ceased working on the plans to build a new church. On May 14, 1972, the groundbreaking ceremony for the church complex took place. Finally, the church was partially finished. Saint Demetrios was officially opened by His Grace Bishop Gerasimos on October 21, 1973, when the cornerstone of the church was placed. date of Sunday, November 13, 1977, His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of North and South America, consecrated our new church. In 2002, the church had commissioned Italian artist Bruno Salvatore to create new icons for the inside of the sanctuary dome. Icons of the twelve prophets were mounted on the inside of the dome and the twelve apostles were mounted on its base. Also, icons of angels were mounted at each of the four corners. Work was unveiled at the Candlelight Vesper Service on December 2002. During the next year, a large gymnasium was constructed behind the church and a classroom was converted into a chapel, dedicated to St. Philothei.
Sanctuary Altar
Sanctuary Dome with Icons
Fr. Paul was succeeded by Fr. James Doukas. Our current priest, Rev Fr. Andrew Lentz, was assigned to our parish in January, 2019.
Today we have a vibrant community with many ministries designed for the edification of our faithful, including: Sunday School, Altar Servers, Greek School with its Board of Education & PTO, Tuesday Morning Bible Study, Library, GOYA (Teen Group), Orthodox Catechism Classes, Liturgical/Youth Choirs and Philoptochos "Friends of the Poor" (ladies philanthropic group). More than any other mark of our parish's success, we celebrate the multitude of baptisms and chrismations that typify its spiritual growth.
