Our History

 The Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church of Bay Ridge had its origin in early 1956 when a small group of far seeing dedicated men, seven to be exact, convened in the Little Fur Shop at 85th Street & 4th Avenue and unanimously agreed that there was a definite need for a Greek Orthodox Church in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. They fully realized that the area was rich in the number of Greek Orthodox Christians and that these hundreds of families were living in a near spiritual and communal vacuum. They were fully aware that the Greek Orthodox Church not only serves the spiritual needs of its communicants, but is also the center of Hellenic Culture and ultimately the instrument by which our Greek heritage is transferred to each succeeding generation.

 These seven men, John Apostolakis, Contstantine Butsikares, Alex Coufos, Costis Generalis, Angelo Kappakas, Emile Murat and Gus Nicholas, by their decisive action became the founding fathers of our church.

 The first general meeting was convened on December 11, 1956 with approximately 40 residents of the Bay Ridge area present to further discuss the need for a Greek Orthodox Church. It was the unanimous decision of all present that there was a need and that the project should be expedited. Many zealously volunteered their services for this new Christian endeavor.

 The temporary committee, as a result of this show of confidence and enthusiasm, was quickly expanded a few months later to 27 members. This new committee was directly instrumental in contracting the archdiocese and obtaining from the late archbishop Michael his consent and paternal blessing for our new endeavor.

 This ecclesiastical authorization, attached to the certificate of incorporation, was signed in New York on November 29, 1957 and was filed with the clerk of the county of Kings on January 21, 1958. This certificate of incorporation identifies these 27 individuals as elected trustees of the parish and in this capacity signed on behalf of the new corporation.

 According to the certificate of incorporation the first parish council was elected on December 17, 1957 and was elected to serve for one year. This committee was very active. One of its major accomplishments in the ensuing year 1958, was the purchase of a parcel of land, 100 feet x 100 feet, on the corner of 76th street and colonial road. This was to be the site for the building of our new church, and a large sign so stating was immediately erected on the property.

 Fortunately for us we were not in a financial position to start building because the following year 1959 the property on the corner of 84th street and Ridge Boulevard became available and was purchased for $95,000. This property had a large 15 room house on the site, which we immediately used as meeting rooms. The property on 76th street and colonial road was easily sold at a $10,000 profit to the building fund of the church.

 The year 1959 was also the year the annual Christmas dance and fund appeal were started. This first dance and all subsequent dances have been held at the Hamilton House Banquet Hall. As part of their overall contribution to our cause, at that time, the Vames Family, Owners of the Hamilton House generously donated to the church the full use of their banquet facilities. This magnanimous policy continued through the years and would have continued into the future if the hall were available. Unfortunately, the banquet hall is no longer available due to extensive damage caused by a fire in 1973.

 On November 9, 1963 we purchased and took title to a new property on the corner of 83rd street and Ridge Boulevard. The property measured 140’ x 100’ and was purchased for $60,000. The purchase of this property, at a time when our funds were being marshaled for the construction of our new church was considered very carefully. However, in view of the outstanding opportunity, which presented itself, the board made its decision in favor of the future needs of our community.

 While the church was being built, this 14 room house served as a meeting place, a chapel, and living quarters for our first priest Father Basil Gregory and his family. Today, and until we formulate other plans, the house will be the residence of our priest and his family.

 1964 was a pivotal year, and a year that everything we had been working for began to fall in place. The following events took place:

 -The archdiocese assigned a priest to us, Father Basil Gregory as of August 1964.

-Our first liturgy, Sunday September 6, 1964.

-Ground Breaking ceremonies, September 26, 1964 officiated by his Eminence Archbishop Iakovos.

-Mr. W. Chirgotis was hired as our architect.

-The building contract was awarded to DiGiovani and sons at a price of $375,000.

Father Basil’s immediate concern, once he was assigned to our parish, was to find a place to conduct regular services. We approached the union church and they were more than willing to allow us to use their facilities for both Sunday services as well as Sunday school. Our first liturgy was celebrated in the chapel of the church on Sunday, September 6, 1964. It was a memorable occasion. The chapel only seats 130, but we must have had at least 250 people in attendance. The all male choir under the direction of Mrs. Catherine Durakis was magnificent. It was a great day!! This was the springboard we needed to complete the job.

As a result of the overflow crowd at this first service, subsequent services up until we moved to our new church were held in the auditorium of the union church, which could accommodate 250 people. The union church served our needs for 1 ½ years. At this time, we wish to thank the union church for the bottom of our hearts for their magnanimous gesture of Christian fellowship.

On Saturday, September 26, 1964, his eminence Archbishop Iakovos assisted by the area priests and many dignitaries broke ground for our new church. The blessings and the breaking of the ground marked the beginning of our building program. To commemorate and celebrate this great occasion, a banquet was held that evening at the Hotel Gregory. Over 220 people attended the bangquet. His eminence was so deeply moved by the spontaneous enthusiasm of the parishioners at the ground breaking ceremonies that at the banquet, he spearheaded the drive for new pledges. With the assistance of father Gregory and president Gus Nicholas, his eminence was able to raise $80,000 in new pledges. These new monies were a vote of confidence for the board of trustees and the added inspiration needed to complete the sacred job ahead, the building of a House of God. Under the inspired leadership of our priest, Father Gregory and our President, at that time, Mr. Gus Nicholas together with the board of trustees, the project preceded full steam ahead.

We soon selected our architect, Mr. W. Chirgotis and in December 1964, we awarded the building contract to DiGiovani and Sons at a price of $375,000 this was a considerable amount of money. We had $125,000 in the building fund, which meant that we had to secure a building loan mortgage for $250,000.

This was almost an insurmountable task. For a bank to loan a church a large amount of money particularly one that is newly established, is not an easy proposition at best. They required solid collateral, which meant, in our case, the personal signature of 39 devoted members of our parish. Each of the 39 signators has a limited liability of $3847, which means that they guaranteed payment of the mortgage until such time as the mortgage reduced to $100,000. It was a type of faith and determination that built this church.

The year 1965 was another eventful year in the progress ad growth of our parish. The following took place:

 -The actual construction of the church was started in the spring of this year.

-The name of the church.

 With regards to naming the church, it was decided that the parishioners should name the church and not let any one individual have this honor, because he gave the largest donation. Ballots were sent out asking for suggested names. At the general assembly meeting on November 16, 1965, the ballots were tabulated and the majority of the ballots, as we now know, were for the name Holy Cross.

The construction of the church was completed during the first week in March 1966, in fact the first vesper service was held on Saturday evening March 12, 1966. The official opening of the church was on Sunday March 13, 1966 at which time the cornerstone of the church was cemented in place. This was a memorable occasion for all of us and the culmination of all our efforts for the past 10 years.

The year 1967 was a memorable year. A year of sadness and a year of gladness. Imagine the excitement that raced through the parish when it was announced that on Palm Sunday our services were to be officiated by his Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, and would be televised over a national network, CBS.

The sadness we refer to is that day in May 1967 when His Eminence summoned the Parish Council to his office to announce with regret that Father Gregory’s need to the Archdiocese had increased to such an extent that they needed him full time and as a result it would be necessary for us to look for another priest.

At the time, this was quite a blow and we tried to compromise, but we soon realized that the parish was growing and that we definitely needed a full time priest to serve our needs. We were very fortunate with the aid of Father Gregory to obtain the services of Father Charles Sarelis. Father Sarelis took over his new responsibilities on August 1, 1967, the beginning of a new era for our parish.

The year 1968 is a year to remember. It was the year we celebrated the feast day of the church "the elevation of the cross" at the 69th street pier. This idea was promoted by Father Sarelis and was one of the highlights of our ecclesiastical year. The idea was excellent and attracted many hundreds of people. Many thought that only a few would turn out for such occasion. It was thrilling to see the hundreds of people lining the shore near the pier and many hundreds more on the pier itself. The estimate at that time was that over 1,200 people were in attendance. Unfortunately, the 69th street pier was condemned in 1970 and as a result, this beautiful ceremony of casting and elevating the cross from the waters was discontinued.

From the years 1969 to 1973 the number of members grew from just under 300 to over 600, which were the amount of members in our church during Consecration.

The most memorable quote made during our consecration, "The past was glorious and if the future emulates the past, then the growth of OUR church will be secure for future generations."