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SANDY — Archbishop Elpidophoros of America blessed parishioners in Sandy as he led the opening of the doors, or Service of Thyranoixia, at a new Greek Orthodox Church.
He told the hundreds of people gathered that they could find God anywhere, but they entered a temple to worship him. He encouraged them to liken opening the doors to angels rolling the stone from Jesus' tomb.
Archbishop Elpidophoros said the parish is "exemplary."
"I'm so blessed that you invited me, and you allowed me to share this joy and this optimism for the future of our faith, of orthodoxy, in America," he said.
The visit of Archbishop Elpidophoros has been long anticipated by the new parish, Father Anthony Savas explained.
"It's tremendous that he's coming to Utah to do this," he said.
The Greek Orthodox congregation began as a mission parish in 2014 and was the first parish to receive a charter from the archbishop. Three years ago, Father Savas said Archbishop Elpidophoros led a service while they were in a temporary space and told them he would come back again when their church was finished.
Father Savas said the parish purchased the building at 9201 S. 1300 East that would become the church, a previous garden center, in 2019 after using temporary spaces in other buildings. He said it was a blank slate. Now, they have everything they need for a growing congregation, including a commercial kitchen.
He said they had a "tremendous experience" and saw a lot of growth while worshiping in temporary spaces, but that especially for Orthodox traditions having the iconography and architecture that defines their traditions is important. He said the new space sends a message to the community and gives a place for "spiritual refreshment."
The church, and parish, are dedicated to St. Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, which Savas said is taught about in the gospel of James, a book not in the current scriptural canon. He said Anna longed for a child and her prayer was answered in a garden — which makes the location of their church, a former garden center, significant.
"Things have just really unfolded beautifully. ... We're anxious to move forward now, and I'm officially out of the construction business," Father Savas said.
During the process, he said they added a bell tower, commissioned a mosaic for the outside of the church, added Sunday school rooms, bigger bathrooms and a worship space, had frescos painted by an iconographer and installed an icon screen carved in Greece. He said they hope to have the iconographer come back and finish the frescos in 2026.
Archbishop Elpidophoros is one of three bishops who came to the ceremony, which Father Savas said is quite rare. The other two were the local bishop who would typically oversee events like this, Metropolitan Constantine of Denver, and Bishop Spyridon of Amastris, a friend of Father Savas.
"It's kind of a neat thing for ... our little community," he said.
Steve Simos, parish council president, said he is humbled and excited for the visit of Archbishop Elpidophoros. He said it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
He said the church began meeting in a reception center where they had a closet and would set up everything they needed for worship services each week. Later, they rented space at a Catholic Church. As they were working toward their own church, he said they waited and things would fall into place.
Simos said the church is supported over 95% by donations from parishioners, and the other funds come from a few fundraisers. He said they marveled that they were able to get to the point of opening the church so quickly. He said the parish has grown since it began, primarily through conversions.
Father Savas also said reaching the ceremonial door opening is a sigh of relief, as their dreams and goals have become a reality. He said knowing the archbishop would be coming was a motivating factor as his congregation worked toward financing and building their church. He said some of the older members of the church did not imagine they would be here so quickly. He said they have expressed joy they will have a church where their funerals can be held.
He also said there is a feeling of anticipation, for what will come next for the church. He said they host food drives for the community and a Boy Scout troop and hope to interact in the community more now that they are settled into their church.
"If we're not looking past our nose, we really aren't —we're not a church, and we're not doing anything of value," Father Savas said.
Archbishop Elpidophoros will be leading a Sunday service at the church at 9 a.m. and also led a forum with youth and young adults earlier on Saturday.
