Annunciation/Evangelismos Tis Theotokos in Elkins Park is pleased to partner with Cosmos Philly to broadcast to the entire Delaware Valley Greek community services celebrating the Annunciation of the Theotokos:
Great Vespers of Annunciation
Wednesday, March 24 at 7:00 pm – Rev. Father John L. Johns presiding priest with attending clergy from the region
Hierarchical Matins, Divine Liturgy, and Doxology
Thursday, March 25 at 8:30 am – His Grace Bishop Apostolos of Medeia
Join the celebration of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, the 200th Anniversary of the Liberation of Greece, and the 120th Anniversary of the Greek Orthodox Community of Philadelphia.
Since colonial times, Greek seafarers came to Philadelphia on ships of various nationalities, stayed for a few months, and sailed off again, traveling the seas. In the 1880s Greek immigrants from different parts of the Eastern Mediterranean region began settling in Philadelphia. By 1901, as their numbers grew, they established the Greek Orthodox Community of Philadelphia to provide divine worship and preserve the Orthodox faith and Hellenic culture. They rented the 4th floor of a building on 814 Chestnut St. and arranged it to resemble a Greek Orthodox Church. In those early days, traveling priests from Greece would celebrate the divine liturgy and perform baptisms and weddings.
On February 28, 1907, the Greek Orthodox Community of Philadelphia petitioned Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth for a Charter of Incorporation, which was granted on May 10, 1907. The original charter is displayed at the parish office at Annunciation/Evangelismos Church in Elkins Park. This was the sixth Greek Orthodox Church established in the United States.
As the community grew in numbers, they purchased All Saints Episcopal Church at 745 S. 12th Street on November 13, 1908, converted it to an Orthodox Holy Temple, and dedicated it to the Annunciation/Evangelismos of the Virgin Mary.
Many parishioners remember their earlier years at what they affectionately call “Old Evangelismos” in Philadelphia, a safe harbor for Greek Orthodox immigrants and their offspring for over sixty years. Subsequent waves of immigration between 1920 and 1970 brought many more Greek Orthodox people to Philadelphia. By 1970, a dozen other Greek Orthodox Churches were established to serve the Delaware Valley region’s faithful, all tracing their roots to the Old Evangelismos in Philadelphia.
As the new generations of parishioners moved north and west of the City, they decided in 1963 to relocate their church as well, with some parishioners forming St. Demetrios Parish in Upper Darby and others relocating to our present location in Elkins Park.
By the grace of God, the Church of Annunciation/Evangelismos Greek Orthodox Community of Philadelphia has been serving as a guiding light for Orthodoxy and Hellenism in the Delaware Valley for 120 years.
Event Info
Great Vespers of Annunciation
March 24, 2012, 7:00 pm
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
7921 Old York Rd, Elkins Park, PA 19027
Contact: (215) 635-0316
The Great Doxology Service
March 25th, 2021, 8:30 am
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
7921 Old York Rd, Elkins Park, PA 19027
Contact: (215) 635-0316