The Metropolis of Chicago is a

metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

of the

Greek Orthodox Church The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...

, part of the

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its current primate is Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. Archbishop On May 11, 2019, the church's Hol ...

, in the North-Central

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, with its

see See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

city of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. The

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metro ...

of the Metropolis is Annunciation Cathedral in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. On , the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...

of the

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...

unanimously elected Nathanael Symeonides as the metropolitan of Chicago, succeeding Metropolitan Iakovos. He was ordained a bishop on , in the

Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity The Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, at 319–337 East 74th Street on the Upper East Side in New York City, New York, is a Neo-Byzantine-style Greek Orthodox church. It serves as the national cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and enthroned on in the

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Chicago) The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral is a Greek Orthodox cathedral located in Chicago, Illinois. It is the mother church of the Metropolis of Chicago. The current membership includes some 400 families. History The Annunciation Greek Orth ...

. The Metropolis of Chicago consists of thirty-four parishes in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, with another twenty-four parishes in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

northern Indiana Northern Indiana is a region of the U.S. State of Indiana, including 26 counties which border the states of Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. Northern Indiana is also considered part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis. The area is generally classified in ...

, and eastern and central

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. The general offices of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago are located in

Elk Grove Village, Illinois Elk Grove Village is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 32,812. Located northwest of Chicago along the Golden Corridor, the Village of Elk Grove Village was incorporat ...

History

The Metropolis of Chicago itself traces its explicit roots to 1923, when Rev. Philaret Ioannides became the city’s first Greek Orthodox bishop. Nearly twenty years later, Chicago became the "2nd Diocesan District" of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North & South America. That district would continue to coordinate the ecclesial growth of this major immigrant, industrial, and rail center on the southwestern shores of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

. A number of distinguished bishops served the diocesan community, including Meletios, Ezekiel and the late Timotheos of Rodostolon. Each brought unique talents to Chicago's Greek Orthodox and larger communities. This episcopal ministry excelled with the singular dedication of Chicago's Metropolitan Iakovos, who ministered for thirty eight years. A studied and accomplished liturgist, Athens-born Metropolitan Iakovos made a profound imprint upon the character of the Midwest’s

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

communities. On , a new chapter in the life and history of the Metropolis of Chicago was inaugurated with the ordination of its next archbishop, Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago, at the

. A dedicated and energetic servant of the

, the faithful of the Metropolis are poised to enter into a new period of growth under the guidance of her new metropolitan. The majority of metropolis parishes are concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area, where immigrants arrived as early as the 19th century. Hence, the older parishes are to be found primarily in the older Midwestern industrialized cities, while newer congregations have followed demographic patterns, locating in suburban and even rural/missionary contexts. Within recent decades, Metropolis churches have been built integrating traditional

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

forms; earlier structures, in contrast, often were acquired from other faith groups.

Parishes

Illinois

;Aurora :St. Athanasios Church ;Champaign :Three Hierarchs Church ;Chicago : Annunciation Cathedral :Assumption Church :Holy Trinity Church :St. Andrew Church :St. Basil Church :St. Demetrios Church :St. George Church :St. Nicholas Albanian Church ;DeKalb :St. George Church ;Decatur :Annunciation Church ;Des Plaines :St. John the Baptist Church ;East Moline :Assumption Church ;Elgin :St. Sophia Church ;Elmhurst :St. Demetrios Church ;Glenview :Ss. Peter & Paul Church ;Hegewisch :Assumption Church ;Homer Glen :Assumption Church ;Joliet :All Saints Church ;Justice :Holy Cross Church ;Kankakee :Annunciation Church ;Libertyville :St. Demetrios Church ;Lincolnshire :Ascension of Our Lord Church ;Niles :Holy Taxiarchai-St. Haralambos ;Oak Lawn :St. Nicholas Church ;Palatine :St. Nectarios Church ;Palos Heights :St. Spyridon Church ;Palos Hills :Ss. Constantine & Helen Church ;Peoria :All Saints Church ;Rock Island :St. George Church ;Rockford :Ss. Constantine & Helen Church ;Springfield :St. Anthony Church ;Swansea :Ss. Constantine & Helen Church ;Westchester :Holy Apostles Church

Indiana

;Hammond : St. Demetrios Church ;Merrillville :Ss. Constantine & Helen Church ;Schereville :St. George Church ;South Bend :St. Andrew Church ;Valparaiso :St. Iakovos Church

Iowa

;Cedar Rapids :St. John the Baptist Church ;Des Moines : St. George Church ;Dubuque :St. Elias the Prophet Church ;Mason City :Holy Transfiguration Church ;Sioux City : Holy Trinity Church ;Waterloo :St. Demetrios Church

Minnesota

;Duluth :Twelve Holy Apostles Church ;Minneapolis :St. Mary Church ;Rochester :Holy Anargyroi Church ;St. Paul :St. George Church

Missouri

;Columbia :St. Luke the Evangelist Church ;St. Louis :St. Nicholas Church ;Town and Country : Assumption Church

Wisconsin

;Appleton :St. Nicholas Church ;Fond du Lac :Holy Trinity Church ;Madison :Assumption Church ;Milwaukee : Annunciation Church ;Racine :Dormition of the Theotokos Church ;Sheboygan :St. Spyridon Church ;Wauwatosa :Ss. Constantine & Helen Church

Monasteries

;Illinois :Holy Transfiguration ;Wisconsin :St. John Chrysostomos

References

{{Authority control Dioceses of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Greek-American culture in Chicago Eastern Orthodoxy in Illinois