SANDYS — Archbishop Elpidophoros of the United States led the ceremony, or Tyrannoisia, to open the doors of a new Greek Orthodox church and blessed parishioners in Sandys.
The Pope told the several hundred gathered that God can be found anywhere but one enters the temple to worship him, and invited listeners to liken the opening of the doors to an angel rolling away the stone from Jesus’ tomb.
Archbishop Elpidophoros said the parish was “exemplary.”
“I feel truly blessed that you have invited me and allowed me to share this joy and optimism for the future of our faith, Orthodoxy, in America,” he said.
Archbishop Elpidophoros’ visit was long awaited in the new parish, Father Anthony Savas explained.
“It’s great that he’s coming to Utah and wanting to do this,” he said.
The Greek Orthodox church began as a missionary parish in 2014 and was the first to receive a charter from the archbishop. Three years ago, Father Savas said, Archbishop Elpidophoros conducted services during the church’s temporary location and told them he would return once the church was completed.
Savas said the parish used temporary space in other buildings before purchasing the building that will become the church at 9201 S. 1300 East (formerly a garden center) in 2019. He said it was a brand new space. Now, they have everything they need for their growing congregation, including a commercial kitchen.
He said they have had a “great experience” and experienced great growth while worshiping in the temporary worship space, but that it is important, especially for the Orthodox tradition, to have icons and architecture that represent their traditions. He said the new space will send a message to the community and provide a place for “spiritual refreshment.”
The church and parish are dedicated to St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, who Savas said is taught in the Gospel of James, which is not currently in the Bible canon. She longed for a child, Savas said, and her prayers were answered in the garden, so the church’s location, a former garden center, is significant.
“Things are developing really wonderfully and we are eager to move forward from this and I have officially retired from the construction industry,” Father Savas said.
Along the way, he said, they added a bell tower, commissioned mosaics for the outside of the church, added a Sunday school room, a larger bathroom and worship space, commissioned an icon painter to create frescoes and installed an icon screen carved in Greece. He said he hopes the icon painter will return in 2026 to complete the frescoes.
Archbishop Elpidophoros was one of three bishops who attended the ceremony, which Father Savath said is highly unusual — the other two were the local bishop who normally oversees such events, Archbishop Constantine of Denver, and Bishop Spyridon of Amastris, a friend of Father Savath’s.
“For our little community, this is a great thing,” he said.
Steve Simos, chairman of the diocesan council, said he was touched and excited by Archbishop Elpidophoros’ visit. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said.
He said the church started meeting in a reception center, which had a closet and everything they needed for weekly services was prepared there, then they rented space from a Catholic church. They were trying to start their own church, so they waited and things would work out, he said.
Simos said the church is more than 95 percent funded by donations from parishioners, with the rest coming from several fundraisers. He said they were surprised they were able to open the church so quickly. He said the parish has grown primarily through converts since its inception.
Father Savas also said that making it to the opening of the doors for the ceremony was a sigh of relief as their dreams and goals had become reality. He said knowing the archbishop was coming motivated the congregation to work towards fundraising and building the church. He said some of the older members of the church never expected to be here so soon. They said they are happy to have a church where they can hold their funerals, he said.
He also said he’s excited about the future of the church, which hosts food drives for the community and Boy Scout troops and hopes to get more involved with the community now that it’s settled in.
“If we are not looking beyond our own noses, then we are not really the church and we are not doing anything worthwhile,” Father Savas said.
Archbishop Elpidophoros presided over a Sunday service at the church at 9 a.m. and also presided over a forum with youth and young adults on Saturday.
