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GOARCH: In 1976 a growing Archdiocese met a nation’s 200th birthday

July 24, 2026 · 1 min read

By Marissa Costidis

In 1976, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America stood at a remarkable moment in its history. The great wave of postwar Greek immigration was still fresh in the life of the Church, and Archbishop Iakovos had become one of the most visible Orthodox leaders in the history of the United States. Internal records and historical references indicate that the Archdiocese was serving more than 250,000 Orthodox households during this period, near the height of immigration-driven growth.

The Archdiocese in 1976 It was truly providential that the Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese coincided with the Bicentennial of America’s founding. As America celebrated its 200th birthday, clergy and laity from across the Archdiocese, then spanning the entire Western Hemisphere, gathered in Philadelphia to celebrate a milestone of its own—a growing knowledge that it has moved from an immigrant church to an increasingly-visible community in the American religious landscape. It was truly fitting that the Congress was held in the same city where our nation was born two centuries prior.

In parishes across the country, Greek could still be heard as…

Source: Orthodox Times · Read the full story →

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Jana Nováková

It must have been quite a meeting in Philadelphia in 1976 when it coincided with America's Bicentennial. Here in Michalovci, at that time we still mostly had elderly grandmothers in church, and I only heard Greek on television. I wonder how many of those 250,000 households already had children who felt more American than Greek.

Dominika Horváthová

You're right, it looked completely different in Michalovci then, here in Prešov we also mostly had older ladies and a few young people who were just learning church songs. It's interesting that out of the 250,000 Greek households in America, many children really quickly felt more American - like here, when young people return from England and Slovak already sounds foreign to them. How many of them do you think are left in the church?

Mária Horváthová

You're right, it was similar in Prešov - mostly older women and a few girls learning three songs for Easter. I am interested in whether the young people in Michalovci who went to England still come to the church at least for Christmas, or if they just send photos from London. I think that of the 250,000 Greek families in America, about a third remained in the church, because it was even more difficult there than here.