Archangel Michael prepares to celebrate 50th anniversary

A rededication ceremony and grand ball are planned.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
CAMPBELL -- Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church celebrates its golden anniversary Sunday, highlighted by a grand ball later that evening in Liberty.
Coordinating anniversary plans are Dr. James Pantelakis and Christine Gaetano, co-chairmen, who began working on the event in January.
Dr. Pantelakis came by the assignment because of the success of another event -- a fund-raising ball held last year. "We raised $40,000 in one night," he said. "The funds will go to renovations and beautification of the church structure ... interior and exterior."
A rededication ceremony will take place after the liturgy at noon. The church formally was dedicated in 1955. Participating will be the Very Rev. George T. Pappas of Fort Myers, Fla., first pastor of the church who served for 42 years; the Rev. Dr. Alexander Goussetis, Lancaster, Pa., second pastor; and the Rev. Steve Denas, current pastor.
Grand ball to follow
The 50th-anniversary grand ball will be held later in the day at the Holiday Inn MetroPlex, Liberty, with cocktails beginning at 5 p.m., presentations at 5:45 p.m. and dinner at 6. More than 650 tickets have been sold for the celebration, the biggest event in church history, Dr. Pantelakis said.
Among guests will be church members who have retired and now live in Florida and California. The church now numbers some 600 families.
"It will be one heck of a celebration," Gaetano said. She recalled that Father Pappas visited in 2004 and asked her about the anniversary plans. "He said to plan it big," Gaetano recalled, and that has happened.
"I think of myself as a go-getter, but this is the first time I was involved in planning something on this scale," Gaetano said. "Jim and I split the responsibility," she said. A 15-member committee also shared tasks. "It was nice to see younger people involved," she said.
Thirty-eight people will be recognized at the event including the three priests and 30 men and women who have served as presidents of the men's and women's councils.
Also to be honored will be five "godfathers," a term used to describe church leaders. They are Cleo Zambetis of Canfield, Nick Morakis of Arizona and the late Gus Perantinides, Dr. John Thanos and Dr. George Spirtos.
Honoring founders
Gaetano said the anniversary is meaningful to her because it pays tribute to those who came before and what they did to make the church a reality. "It was a dream," she said, but one that came true.
"It's home to a lot of us. I remember it growing up," she said, referring to the church's being built. "I remember my grandfather would sleep in his truck to protect the bricks from being stolen," she said. "The anniversary remembers the founders and others who made this possible.
"We're a close-knit group ... like big family," she said of church members.
Women's group
Dr. Pantelakis said "a backbone" of the church since the beginning has been the Philoptochos Society. The women's group raised money to help the needy in the church and community. The group, with about 30 members, continues to serve where and when it's needed.
Gaetano is the society's current secretary and has served as its president. "We help the church and community center with financial contributions," she said, and noted the name refers to philanthropy.
The church council, Dr. Pantelakis said, involves 15 elected men and women. "They make the financial decisions for the church," he said.
Hard-bound album
Dr. Pantelakis' wife, Marianthi, compiled a 50th-anniversary hard-bound album that is being sold for $35. The church history is detailed in more than 250 pages including photos, family section, weddings, baptisms and congratulatory messages from church members.
"The album has become a tradition of sorts marking our dedication in 1955, the 20th anniversary and the 40th," she said. "The 50th album grew out of this tradition, combining the entire history of the church while allowing our parishioners to place ads in memory of their loved ones or simply to congratulate the church on this milestone."
Mrs. Pantelakis said she took on the project of typing and designing the album to assist her husband.
Father Denas, current pastor, wrote the history, and historical photos were gathered.
"Deciding what to include proved most difficult as we had volumes of info and pictures. The committee narrowed down the extensive history based on relevance, quality of photos and obtaining a cross-section of families from our parish," Mrs. Pantelakis said.
"Most enjoyable was looking at the pictures from the church's early history," she said.
linonis@vindy.com