Parish Council and Ladies Society
Parish CouncilPresident Nick Papageorgiou
Vice President Gregory Dellas
Treasurer Voula Argyris
Secretary Alexia Theofilopoulos
Board
Advisor Nikita Flaris
Peter Kalogerakos
Emmanuel Tamvaklis
Panagitsa SocietyPresident Maria PolyzosVice President Eleni Tsianakas
History
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church was founded in 1964 as a new place of worship for Greek Orthodox families. A small congregation purchased an abandoned building on Butterfield Street in Lowell, Massachusetts. The building had been a Methodist Church at the turn of the century. In January 1965, the congregation was established to be seventy-one members and they desire to worship God according to the Tradition of the Greek Orthodox Church as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America adhering to the Julian calendar (Old Calendar). In 2002, our community with the approval of His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios has decided to worship God according to the new calendar that the whole Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the Metropolis Boston follows. Bishop Gerasimos of Abydos, an auxiliary Bishop to the Archbishop Iakovos, visited the community and conveyed to the parishioners that the Archdiocese has accepted their request to form a parish and has asked the late † Reverend Michael Kastanas, a humble servant of God, to serve as our first priest who worked very hard for the needs of our small but vibrant community at its initial stages. Fr. Michael Kastanas continued serving as the church’s longtime spiritual leader for many years
For three decades, The Assumption Church was at the center of a small, but tightly knit group of worshippers. About 100 families regularly attended the church which was located in an inner-city section of Lowell. On April 24, 1999, a fire broke out on the back porch of a neighboring three-story residence, and then spread to the church. By the time firefighters arrived, at 3:43a.m., the interior was already an inferno. While firefighters managed to salvage icons and religious ornaments, the church itself was a total loss.
Members of the parish immediately vowed to rebuild. His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios appointed Rev. George Karahalios to be our Parish Priest during these difficult for the community moments of grieving for the loss of their edifice and their deliberations to rebuild their church. With God’s blessings, the paternal care of His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios, guided the parishioners in their search and deliberation to find the best site to build our new Church edifice to serve the spiritual and social needs of our small but slowly increasing community. Examining how best to serve the needs of our parishioners and of other Greek Orthodox faithful in the greater Merrimack Valley Area, it was decide by the community to follow the exhortation of His Eminence and relocate our edifice at the outskirts of the city of Lowell. In May of the Year 2000, the community found the site for its new edifice. It bought a 2.5 acre land in Dracut, Massachusetts on Mammoth Road and immediately started to build its church.
In October of the Year 2002 the construction of the church was ceased due to lack of funds. A Parish Meeting was held in the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios, with parishioners and church dignitaries to discuss the future of the construction of the church. New Church elections took place, a new Parish Council Board and Parish Council President were elected and the Rev. Fr. Philip Gialopsos was assigned to the parish as the Full Time priest by His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios. Fr. Philip Gialopsos, of blessed memory, who had served as priest of the Holy Trinity Church in Lowell for 28 years was immensely capable to assist our community in raising the needed funds for the completing the building of the church and through his pastoral sensitivity, faith and hope instill in our community faith and hope about their future despite their limited resources.
Fr. Philip Gialopsos together with the Parish Council accomplished the impossible with the generosity and assistance of members, friends & benefactors such as the late Mr. Telemachus T. Demoulas, of blessed memory. On April 20, 2003 (Palm Sunday), we celebrated our first divine liturgy in our newly built church! This is a landmark in our Church’s History! Fr. Philip Gialopsos called it “PANAGITSA’S Miracle”! This could not have been possible without, the guidance and support of His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios, the love and dedication of the late Fr. Philip Gialopsos, the generosity of the late Mr. Telemachus T. Demoulas, and the love and support of our beloved parishioners and many friends and loved relatives.