<!-- Do not use the "dated prod" template directly; the above line is generated by "subst:prod|reason" -->

The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, Greek Orthodox Church is an Eastern Orthodox Church, located in Woburn, Massachusetts, under the ecclesiastical supervision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The church is part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and is locally controlled by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston. There church has several groups, such as Philoptochos(women's philanthropic society), a choir and junior choir, JOY(Junior Orthodox Youth),HOPE(younger version of JOY) and GOYA(Greek Orthodox Youth Association)

History

Woburn, Massachusetts began its assimilation of Greek immigrants in the early 1900's. The founers of this church's community came to Woburn from diverse places, such as Aivali, Andros, Chios, Sparta, Gargalianoi, Filiatra, Pyrgos, Megalopolis, Stemnitsa, Kalavrita, Elassona, Georgitsi, Kalivia, Trikala, Epirus, Smyrna, Ousakion, Tsesme, Alatsata, Kazaklar, Lemnos, Mytiline, and Cyprus. By 1916, there was a large enough Greek population to form a community of its own and build a church.

Settlement in Their New Land

The story of this community, as seen from the minutes of both the Parish Council meetings and the general assemblies, has paralleled in many respects the story of the Greek emigrants to the United States. From Greek School records of the period 1928-1936, it is noticed that most of the students' parents were industrial workers in the tanneries and other manufacturing plants throughout Woburn. From photographs of the period from 1917-1928, men, women, and well-dressedchildren are seen holding their heads high with pride and inner fortitude. Also from these minutes it is seent that the people were strong-minded, individualistic people, not reluctant to take a stand and vigorously debate issues and ideas.

The Beginning of a Parish

With the installation of their first regular pastor, the Rev. Georgios Constantinou, the Parish Council with its President, Theodoros Govostis, determined to forge ahead with establishment of a church and Greek school. The first church was housed in a building in the rear of a Methodist church, "fronting on Harlow Court and within a stone's throw from Main Street." However, the amount of space became inadequate, as parishioners were asking for additional organizations to be housed on the premises. This led to the purchase of the Thomas Moore estate and the remodeling of the building into a Greek Orthodox Church. The expenses for this project put a strain on the resources of the parishioners, who dreamed for a suitable house of worship.

Dauntless Commitment of the Parishioners

Neither a small fire that caused damage to the sanctuary of the church in 1923, nor a big fire in 1926, discouraged the parishioners of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. On the contrary, the second fire served to steel their morale, determination and commitment to their church. Volunteers organized into groups which worked to repair the extensive damage. At the same time services were held in other locations. Donors willingly came forward and donated for the renovation of the both the interior and the exterior of the church building. Donations also came in for the painting of new icons. The Annunciation parish enjoyed a short-lived period of peaked resolution, but the hard times brought on by the Great Depression took a heavy toll on parish's finances.

Woburn Church Joins the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese

"The controversial issue of the New (Gregorian) and the Old (Julian) Calendar which rocked the Church of Greece was rather smoothly resolved by the Woburn parish. At a meeting of the General Assembly in June of 1930, the parishioners overwhelmingly voted to recognize the Patriarchate of Constantinople as their supreme administrative authority, and adopted the New Calendar. A very important milestone in the life of the parish was the official appointment of the Rev. Michael Sophocleous as parish priest with the approval of Bishop Ioakeim of Boston. Ensuing the acceptance of the Common Parish By-Laws of the Greek Archdiocese, the Woburn parish entered into full participation in all aspects of Church life."

Toward the Construction of a New Church

Despite the turmoil brought about by the World War II, the parishioners decided that their expanding numbers meant a new bigger church should be built. Even with all of the support from theses parishioners the buidling of a new church did not take place until the late fifties. When a fire in the church on November 7, 1956 caused extensive damage, it was seen that a new church must be built. Fundraising went into overdrive and on November 17, 1957, Makarios III, Archbishop of Cyprus, laid the cornerstone of the new edifice.

On Sunday, September 28, 1958, Bishop Athenagoras of Elaias officiated at the Opening Door ceremonies, assisted by several clergymen from all over New England. Over 2000 people were in attendance, including high ranking political and governmental dignitaries. On June 8, 1974, Archbishop Iakovos came to Woburn, Massachusetts for the consecration of the new church 57 years after the establishment of the parish and 16 years after the opening of the new church building.

Recent History

The church is currently looking forward to the completion of the interior of its new Religious and Cultural Center. The exterior is now complete and the finishing touches are being completed. The addition to the main church building has been a dream of the parish for many years, and now the dream is taking shape after a long time of planning and replanning. The original plan actually had two floors with two large halls, but when material prices rose, the bottem floor was left out and the new blueprints made up. Thee Religious and Cultural Center as it will be called, will be a venue for the presentation of religious, cultural, educational, social, and artistic events. It will be a significant addition to accommodate the needs of the Annunciation's growing parish.

Links of Interest

Church's Website http://annunciationwoburn.com

Metropolis's Website http://boston.goarch.org

Archdiocese's Website http://www.goarch.org

Patriachate's Webste http://www.patriarchate.org