In 1899, Archimandrite Raphael Hawaweeny, who soon became Bishop of Brooklyn and one hundred years later Saint Raphael, traveled extensively across the United States carrying the Gospel message while visiting the Syrian Immigrant faithful. On Thursday, September 28, he traveled to Cedar Rapids after serving Liturgy, baptizing six children and performing a wedding in Kearney, Nebraska. In Cedar Rapids, he heard confessions; and on Sunday, October 1, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy. That evening he performed six baptisms and a marriage. It was his first visit to Cedar Rapids, and the people begged him to stay.
The Orthodox Community in Cedar Rapids had grown since the first immigrants arrived in the area as peddlers nearly two decades earlier. Inspired by the visit of Saint Raphael and the establishment of other Orthodox Churches across the United States, they soon recognized that they must establish a church to serve their spiritual needs and to unify them in the Faith. Some were so determined that they traveled from town to town seeking out Lebanese immigrant families and asking them for donations for the new church. They raised a total sum of $6,000 and borrowed an additional $4,000 to pay for the construction. The new building was of brick construction and housed the sanctuary on the main floor with Sunday School class rooms located in the basement. Finally, on September 27, 1914, their dream was realized. With the new church filled to capacity, Bishop RAPHAEL, the first Orthodox Bishop consecrated in America, presided at the first Divine Liturgy in the new church. He was assisted by Fr. Nicola Yanney. During his ministry in the United States, St. Raphael founded 30 parishes that formed the Syrian Orthodox Diocese of Brooklyn. St. George Church of Cedar Rapids was the 28th of these parishes. It was the very first Orthodox parish of any jurisdiction in Iowa, and one of the first Orthodox parishes west of the Mississippi River.
Since its founding, St. George Church has been served by 21 priests. The first priest assigned to the parish was Fr. Elia Hamaty, who served until March, 1916. Fr. Joseph Kacere, a member of the parish, was ordained at that time and served as priest for the next seventeen years, until his tragic death in a traffic accident in 1933. During his tenure, he organized a school for all the young people of the parish. There were classes for the various age groups and they were taught to read and write in Arabic. The school grew in size and, in 1926, an addition was added to the church to accommodate the classes. Fr. Kacere started the first Sunday School and taught and directed a choir of sixty young voices to sing the entire service in Arabic. Twice a year, he wrote and directed elaborate Biblical plays performed in both English and Arabic. In 1931, through his energy and vision, the church purchased a plot of land for the St. George Cemetery, which provides a peaceful, Orthodox resting place for parish families.
From September 1933 to the present, the parish of St. George has been faithfully served by the following Priests: Fr. Elias Hamaty, Fr. John Koury, Fr. Basil Mahfouz, Fr. Soloman Razouk, Fr. Thomas Abodeely, Fr. George Habib, Rt. Rev. George Ghannam, Fr. John Newcolm, Fr. Nicholas Saikley, Fr. Elias Ziton, Fr. Constantine Nasr, Fr. Paul Nemer, Fr. Elias Nasr, Fr. John Morris, Fr. Edward Kelley, Fr. Paul Baba, Fr. Elias Khouri, Fr. Fred Shaheen, and most recently Fr. Anthony Ruggerio. Fr. Anthony is assisted by Rev. Deacon Edmund Abodeely and Rev. Deacon James Atty. Deacon Edmund is the first St. George parishioner to become a deacon and serve the parish. Fathers Kacere, Razouk, and Abodeely all passed away while shepherding the people of St. George Church. Fr. Kacere and Fr. Abodeely are buried in St. George Cemetery.
The parish grew quickly, requiring several expansions over the years. In 1961 a new hall and a large, modern kitchen were added. The former hall was remodeled into Sunday School rooms and adjoining land was made into a parking lot. In addition, a new parish rectory was purchased in northeast Cedar Rapids. By the mid 1970’s, the church building was aging and in need of major repairs. Plans for building a new church were set into motion and in 1985 the parish purchased a beautiful tract of land on Cottage Grove Avenue, which included a home to serve as the rectory.
In September, 1991, the parish broke ground for the construction of a magnificent Byzantine-style church. Its golden dome shines in the morning sunlight and glows in the evening sunset for all to behold. Their first service in the new church was held on April 19, 1992, the Great Vespers of Palm Sunday. One year later, on the Feast of St. George, April 23, 1993, the parish was blessed with presence of His Grace Bishop BASIL, who consecrated the beautiful new church.
In 1996, God again blessed the St. George Community with a miracle in the form of a donation from attorney Helen G. Nassif, a daughter of Cedar Rapids, for the construction of the Michael G. Nassif Education and Cultural Center. On December 6, 1996, the parish was honored to have His Grace Bishop DEMETRI attend a grand banquet in the new hall. Bishop DEMETRI consecrated the center after the Divine Liturgy on December 7, 1996, providing further inspiration and momentum for the mission of the Holy Orthodox Church into the 21st Century.
In 1997, continuing with the vision and inspiration of its founders, the parish purchased the property adjoining St. George Cemetery, doubling its size, and established a cemetery endowment fund, thus ensuring the cemetery will continue to serve the parish’s needs well into the future.
Throughout the decades, the parish has placed great emphasis on creating a beautiful and prayerful worship space. In the 21st Century alone, new iconography, a marble solea, and many liturgical furnishings, including a beautifully-carved altar table, bier, shrines and candle stands, have been added. The highlight of these projects is the construction in 2012 of a new iconostasis, designed and built in Syria by the Shalhoub Trading Company, and carved entirely of stone. The structure was a parish-wide project in celebration of the Centennial Anniversary and includes stunning, original, icons by the hand of Janet Jaime of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Throughout the years, and especially within the last 20 years, St. George has been actively involved in supporting charitable works both at home and abroad. For nearly 50 years, the parish has provided food boxes to needy families at Christmas. In 2014 alone, 100 food boxes were distributed in honor of the church’s Centennial. Through this program and others such as preparing and serving meals at local shelters and donations to numerous local and international charitable organizations, St. George parishioners reveal their Christian love and mercy.
Education in the Faith has always been a priority for the parish. Dedicated volunteers offer a variety of programs and special activities that keep children engaged and help them build commitment to their church. Some of the regular programs are Teen SOYO, Jr. Choir, Sunday School, Vacation Church School, Christmas Programs, Lazarus Saturday Retreats, Godparent Sunday, and an All-Saints costume party. In addition, the parish has established a St. George Scholarship, which each year recognizes excellence in the commitment of young people to the Church, and founded Camp St. George, an Archdiocesan Orthodox summer camp program that draws participants from across the Midwest.
St. George Church has promoted the growth of Orthodoxy in America with strong support throughout the years for missions, providing financial and other assistance wherever it is needed. In 1996, the parish helped a group of its own parishioners to establish a mission in Iowa City, which has since become an active parish under the patronage of St. Raphael. This new parish is bearing fruit by planting the seeds of Orthodoxy in the Iowa City / Coralville area and bringing a number of converts into the Faith.
Since its founding, St. George Church has opened its doors to Orthodox Christians from all backgrounds and welcomed many people into the Orthodox Faith. The parish has grown from 25 families in 1914 to more than 200 families today, worshipping as one family in Christ and working together for the glory of God. With the same commitment and dedication of the early immigrant founders, the parish is working hard to strengthen the roots of Orthodoxy in Iowa and ensure that St. George Church will continue to be a beacon and home for all those who seek the One True Faith.