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It was on May
25, 1958, a rainy Sunday afternoon, that
the doors of St. Michael's Home were officially opened. That year,
May 25th also happened to be the Sunday on which the Church commemorates
the memory
of the "Holy Fathers" and it was no coincidence that
His Eminence Archbishop
Michael had come that day to dedicate a facility which would house
the
elderly fathers and mothers of the Greek Orthodox community. Assisted
by
Father Neophytos Spyros, the first President of the Board of Trustees,
and
Fr. Demetrios Frangos, President of the Archdiocesan District Clergy
Syndesmos, His Eminence at 3:00 P.M. celebrated an Agiasmos Service,
invoking
the blessings of Almighty God upon this new endeavor. "We
beseech You and
ask You, embrace with Your all-powerful grace this institution
which has
been established to care for those encumbered by old age and to
show love to
our elderly pioneer brethren who have offered so much" (part
of the prayer
composed for that service).
Despite the inclement weather, hundreds of people, not only
from the New York metropolitan area but also from other parts
of the country, had gathered to witness this historic event...the
opening of the first Greek Orthodox "old age home"
in the United States. Another Archdiocesan institution was
born, joining the ranks of its sister institutions, Holy Cross
Theological School in Brookline, MA and St. Basil's Academy
in Garrison, NY. Individuals from all walks of life had gathered
to celebrate this latest accomplishment of the Greek Orthodox
community in its new homeland. Dignitaries in attendance included:
George Melas, Ambassador of Greece to the United States; Chris
Xathopoulos Palamas, Permanent Representative of Greece to
the U.N.; Constantine Triatafillakos Consul General of Greece;
Christian Christianson, Mayor of Yonkers; and, Mrs. Alexander
of the Welfare Department of New York State. All had come
to convey their greetings and best wishes. They had come to
witness not only the beginning of a new facility but also
the culmination of a dream...a dream which had been born a
few years before.
St. Michael's Home was conceived by His Eminence Archbishop
Michael who had
recognized the critical need for a facility which would care
for the growing
number of Greek Orthodox elderly in America. A man of spiritual
depth, His
Eminence was noted for his outreach to his flock (he was also
the founder
of GOYA) and he felt a deep sense of indebtedness to the elderly
who were the
pioneers of the Greek-American community. It was these early
immigrants who
had overcome their poverty and many hardships and through their
hard work
and selfless dedication had established churches, parochial schools,
institutions and the Archdiocese. His Eminence cognizant of the
debt owed to these individuals for what they had achieved in
establishing the Church
in this country, deemed it a sacred responsibility to provide
for these
people in their "old age". He envisioned the "Spiti
to Protoporou" (Home of
the Pioneer) where these pioneers would receive the spiritual
and physical
care they so deserved.
Responding to the vision of their shepherd, the Clergy Syndesmos
of the
First Archdicesan District voted on January 10, 1957 to spearhead
the
establishment of this institution. Headed by the President of
the
Syndesmos, Rev. John Poulos, it was the clergy of the area who
undertook
this monumental task. Without a doubt, such an undertaking would
involve
great expense and while the treasury of the Syndesmos was small,
the
enthusiasm of its members certainly was not. Through the efforts
of Fr.
John, Mrs. Barbara Cosmetos of Lausanne, Switzerland became the
first Great
Benefactor when she donated the then great sum of $10,000 in
memory of her
husband, John.
With the blessings of the Archbishop, a group of individuals,
who comprised
the first Board of Trustees, gathered on May 8, 1957, to sign
the
"Certificate of Incorporation". Within the contents of
that certificate in
which the name of the corporation was listed as "Institution
for the Aged of
the Greek Orthodox Church, Inc.", they affirmed that the
corporation was
being formed "to supervise, operate and maintain a home
for aged persons,
and in connection there with to provide adequate and suitable
facilities and
services to meet the physical, social and spiritual needs of
such residents".
Those individuals who assumed the herculean task of establishing
the
institution which would fulfill that mission were: Rev. John
Poulos, Rev.
Demetrios Frangos, George Diamond, Cleon Cosmetto, Rev. Neophytos
Spyros,
Nicholas Stevason, Thomas Batzos, Rev. Demetrios Stephanopoulos,
Theodore
Tsolainos, Costa Goulandris, Louis Dukas, Katherine Poulos, Demi
Vagelos,
Penny Chrisomales, Sophie Megdanes, Calliope Sapunakis and Rev.
James
Aloupis. On June 30, 1957, a charter was issued by the State
of New York
and the dream of Archbishop Michael grew closer to becoming a
reality.
Having secured the necessary legal status and certification,
a committee now began a search to locate an appropriate site
to house this philanthropic
institution of the Archdiocese. Within a short period of time,
they
selected a building located in a bucolic suburb of New York City.
It had
housed a B'nai Brith nursing home which was being relocated to
a larger
facility. Negotiations were undertaken and on July 17, 1957,
the site was
purchased for $125,000. A down payment was made and a mortgage
was secured for $100,000. In an issue of the National Herald,
the purchase was
announced to the "Omogenia" and in the words of Fr.
Poulos, "a simple hope now becomes a full reality".
(It must be noted at this junction that no
other person has maintained a central role in the life of the
Home as has
Fr. John. From the days of its inception when he was instrumental
in
mobilizing the clergy to spearhead the establishment of the facility,
to the
obtaining of the first major gift from Mrs. Cosmetos, to the recent
securing of a
bequest of close to million dollars which helped complete the
renovation and expansion project, Father served with distinction
and was a member of the Board of Trustees until 1997.)
Having purchased an appropriate facility, attention was turned
to preparing the building to receive its first Greek Orthodox
residents. Applications were received from the potential residents:
Victoria Bailos (76 yrs. old), Peter Cekourias (67 yrs. old),
Peter Loutos (74 yrs. old), Vassiliki Katsigiannis (88 yrs.
old), Mary Saytanides (85 yrs. old), Theodore Stergios (71
yrs. old), Nicholas Vasso (75 yrs. old), Anagnostis Alexiades
(74 yrs. old) and John Calos. While it had been initially
hoped that the institution could begin to operate by November
of 1957, it took longer than expected to complete the renovations,
and the commencement of operation was postponed until the
following Spring.
To prepare for the official opening, a committee was formed
to oversee this event. The members of this Dedication Committee
included: Mrs. Katie Vlavianos, Chairwoman; Mrs. Louiza Zoulis,
Co-Chairwoman; and, Mrs. Sophie Hatjiannis, Vice-Chairman.
Preparations were completed to assure that the dedication
of this institution would be held with the dignity and ceremony
appropriate for a facility undertaking the sacred and critical
mission of caring for the senior members of the community.
People came from all over to share in this momentous occasion.
They came to offer their moral and financial support. The
list of donors that day included: Archbishop Michael ($1000);
Theodore Tsolainos ($900); Sophie Hatjiannis ($2500 in memory
of her husband); Annunciation Church and Philoptochos, Baltimore
($1691); Aris Kokolis, President of the Bridgeport CT Parish
($500); St. Demetrios Church, Jersey City ($200); the Kastorian
Association ($150); the Philoptochos Society of Astoria ($300).
Another achievement of the "Omogenia" had been realized,
another critical ministry of the Church had become reality.
Begun as a simple dream of a pious servant of God, St. Michael's
Home, in spite of its humble beginnings, continues years later
to fulfill its noble mission. It is a home no longer for the
pioneers but now for the growing number of their children and it
is truly a facility of which we can all be proud! |
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