H*4558 Resolution, By Stavrinakis
 A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
 IN CHARLESTON COUNTY, UPON THE JOYOUS OCCASION OF ITS ONE HUNDREDTH
 ANNIVERSARY.

   02/17/10  House  Introduced and adopted HJ-4

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH IN CHARLESTON COUNTY, UPON THE JOYOUS OCCASION OF ITS ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY.

Whereas, the members of the House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina are pleased to learn that Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church will pass the benchmark of its centennial anniversary in 2010; and

Whereas, in 1910, seventy Greek immigrants held an organizational meeting at Carpenter's Hall in downtown Charleston and formed the Grecian Society with the express purpose of building the first Greek Orthodox church in the Carolinas; and

Whereas, with a common cause to preserve their ethnic customs and form a place of worship, these new and influential members of the Charleston community purchased property at the corner of St. Philip and Fishburne Streets where they built Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church and dedicated it on March 25, 1911; and

Whereas, the parish purchased the property at 30 Race Street in 1940 to erect a community center for the cultural, social, and philanthropic functions of the growing congregation; and

Whereas, by 1951, the parish had outgrown the church on St. Philip Street, and in 1953, the new church was dedicated at 30 Race Street in the authentic Byzantine style, the first of its architectural style in the United States; and

Whereas, the inimitable icons for the new church were created in Greece by the world famous iconographer Fotis Kontoglou and placed in the iconostas; and

Whereas, although the church, the iconostas, and the altar were completed in 1953, the hierography was not completed until 1982 when the icons above the altar were painted; and

Whereas, although the church suffered extensive damage during the devastation of Hurricane Hugo, renovations and restorations were completed in 1997, and in 2001, Emmanuel Tzirtzilakis from Greece was commissioned to paint the hierography on the dome of the church which includes the Pantocrator; and

Whereas, the church seeks to serve the spiritual need of the Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike through the nourishment of Christian life with an emphasis on education and the sponsorship of the Nicholas C. Trivelas Library, a complete Christian library with hundreds of volumes and videos; and

Whereas, as the members of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church anticipate their centennial celebration, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives wish for them a time filled with gratitude for and reflection on their distinguished past, appreciation and faith for the inspiring present, and anticipation and hope for a fulfilling future. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, recognize and honor Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Charleston County, upon the joyous occasion of its one hundredth anniversary.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Father John L. Johns, pastor of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.