Commemorating its 60th Anniversary

A Brief History of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

By William G. Poulos

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Stability & Growth

Part 1 of 3

On November 15, 1971, Rev. Fr. George B. Kalpaxis was assigned by Archbishop lakovos to succeed Fr. Chrisafideis as the spiritual father of St. Nicholas Parish. Fr. Kalpaxis served as Proistamenos for twenty years, the longest length of service to date of any of the St. Nicholas' Pastors.

Fr. Kalpaxis was in the first graduating class of Holy Cross Theological Seminary in 1942, and was one of the first American born Greek Orthodox priests. Before coming to St. Nicholas he had served four other Greek Orthodox parishes.

By 1973, under Parish Council President John Demetriades, the construction of the school building was completed. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers and other craftsmen, most of them parishioners, gave unselfishly of themselves without pay to finish the school building.

After the completion of the school building, vigorous fund raising efforts continued for several years in, order to retire the debt. With the cooperation of all Parish Organizations participating in .a wide variety of fundraisers and social events, such as the Baltimore City Ethnic Festivals and the Baltimore City Fair, the parish succeeded in eliminating its debt.

During the administration of Parish Council President Andrew Tsakalos, the school building xriortgage was burned on December 5, 1976, the eve of the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. Commenting on that historic day, Fr. Kalpaxis captured the true significance of the achievement when he quoted the psalmist, "Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that built it."

FROM LEFT: FR. MANUEL BURDUS, REV. GEORGE E. KALPAXIS AND FR. MICHAEL L. PASTRIKOS.

Once again the parishioners of St. Nicholas energized by their love for God, their Orthodox faith and their Hellenic heritage, had responded magnificently to the needs of their community. In the years that followed, the community experienced continued growth and expansion under Fr. Kalpaxis. Highlights of this period include the accreditation of the Afternoon Greek School by the Board of Education of Greece, the renovation of the Church, and the addition of the atrium in 1982. The celebration of the Parish's Twenty Fifth Anniversary in 1978 during the administration of Parish Council President, Pete Tsambikos and the acquisition of land on Ponca Street for festivals (The Plateia) in 1984 during the administration of Parish Council President, John Demetriades were two additional major achievements.

From 1985 to 1987 Fr. Kalpaxis was assisted by Fr. Stamatios Hatzizahariou a visiting priest from the Island of Rhodes, Greece. During the final two years of Fr. Kalpaxis' tenure, his successor, Rev. Fr. Manuel Burdusi, who had been raised in the St. Nicholas community, returned after graduating from Holy Cross Theological Seminary to serve his home parish as lay assistant, deacon and as Assistant Priest. Upon Fr. Kalpaxis' retirement on February 1, 1991, Fr. Burdusi assumed the position of Proistamenos. Fr. Kalpaxis continues to play an active role in the life of St. Nicholas and the wider Baltimore Greek Orthodox community throughout his retirement.

Fr. Burdusi assuming the spiritual leadership of St. Nicholas was an inspiring and fitting tribute to the Christian stewardship, dicthonia and love of three generations of St. Nicholas parishioners.

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