A Parish Born in Sacrifice, 1927
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church sits on Kolmar Avenue in Oak Lawn, a southwest suburb of Chicago, where it has served Greek Orthodox Christians and their neighbors for nearly a century. The story of the parish is one of quiet, persistent sacrifice. In May of 1927, a small group of faithful families purchased a church building from a Protestant congregation and invited the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Gambrilis to serve as their first pastor. With that single transaction the parish of St. Nicholas came into being. To sustain it, parishioners gave what they had: many mortgaged their homes so that loans could be secured, and they poured their labor and money into the new community.
The sacrifices did not end with the purchase. In the 1930s the building was completely renovated so that the stewards could worship in a true Byzantine Orthodox sanctuary. The same decade and the next brought growth that required more space, and in the 1940s a two-story structure was acquired to expand the Homer Greek School, which continues to keep the Greek language and culture alive in the community today.
A Patriarchal Shrine and a New Home
The 1960s brought two decisive changes. St. Nicholas received the rare honor of being designated a Patriarchal Shrine by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a recognition that acknowledged the spiritual life already flourishing within the parish. That same decade, the community sold a piece of property at 87th and Richmond in Chicago and purchased the Oak Lawn site that the parish still calls home. Under the pastoral care of Rev. Fr. Louis Greanias, the ground was broken for a gymnasium and a multi-purpose room, now affectionately known as the Dr. Mary Dochios Kamberos Community Center. Both buildings were so large that they hosted Divine Liturgy Services until the new church was finished.
The 1970s saw the completion of what had been begun. The beautiful new church was finished, and Rev. Fr. Constantine Bithos celebrated the first Divine Liturgy on a sunny Palm Sunday morning. In July of 1974, His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos consecrated the magnificent building, an event so striking that the World Book Encyclopedia listed the day in its 1974 Yearbook as a notable moment in the history of the world. By the end of the decade, the final mortgage bill had been paid, and a celebration marked the first time in the parish's history that it carried no debt. The Very Rev. Fr. Gabriel Karambis then led the creation of a Legacy Fund, an endowment to secure the parish for generations to come.
Father Luke Melackrinos and a Century of Pastors
The current pastor is Father Luke Melackrinos, who began his official ministry at St. Nicholas on June 1, 2024. Father Luke completed a Bachelor of Arts at Hellenic College in 2000 and a Master of Divinity from the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 2003. He was ordained a deacon on March 31, 2002 by Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Bethesda, Maryland, and was elevated to the priesthood on August 24, 2003, the feast day of St. Kosmas of Aitolos, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Paul in Hempstead, New York. He served as proistamenos of the Cathedral of St. Paul from 2006 and, from 2017 to 2023, was pastor of Holy Trinity in Sioux City, Iowa, where he reinvigorated Greek language programs for youth and adults, offered in-depth catechism and Bible study, and welcomed several new Orthodox converts. Father Luke is married to Marusia Podhurec, the daughter of a Ukrainian Orthodox priest, and they have three daughters: Eleni, Magdalena, and Mia. He also continues to serve as an Advisor of Ministries and Programs for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, focusing on parish ministries, lay leadership, and the spiritual depth of community life.
Father Luke joins a long pastoral lineage. The parish was founded in 1927 by Fr. Daniel Gambrilis, and the men who followed him include Rev. Fr. Peter Rexinis, Rev. Fr. James D. Treantafiles, Rev. Fr. Basilios Pantazopoulos, Rev. Fr. Louis T. Greanias, Rev. Fr. Constantine Bithos, Rev. Fr. George C. Massouras, Rev. Fr. Dennis P. Strouzas, the Very Rev. Fr. Gabriel J. Karambis, the Very Rev. Fr. Timothy Bakakos, Rev. Fr. John E. Artemas, Rev. Fr. Michael N. Constantinides, Rev. Fr. Christodoulos Margellos, and Rev. Fr. Stephen Bithos. A generation of assistant priests has served alongside them, and the parish remembers each of them by name.
Sunday Worship and the Daily Cycle
Worship at St. Nicholas follows the Byzantine Orthodox cycle that has shaped Christian prayer for centuries. On Sundays, Orthros is chanted at 8:00 a.m., followed by the Divine Liturgy at 9:15 a.m. On select weekdays, Orthros is offered at 8:30 a.m. and the Divine Liturgy at 9:15 a.m. The Divine Liturgy most often celebrated is the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the oldest and most familiar of the Orthodox eucharistic services. The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is observed ten times a year, and the Liturgy of St. James is celebrated on his feast day, October 23. During Great Lent and on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week, the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts takes the place of the full Eucharist.
Visitors who come for the first time will find a service that is at once ancient, musical, and participatory. Services are always sung or chanted, never merely spoken. The congregation stands throughout most of the liturgy, making the sign of the Cross, bowing, responding to the litany petitions with "Lord, have mercy" and "Grant this, O Lord," singing the hymns, and concluding the prayers with "Amen." The Liturgy is divided into the Liturgy of the Catechumens and the Liturgy of the Faithful, the latter containing the Great Entrance and the invocation of the Holy Spirit upon the gifts of bread and wine. Holy Communion is distributed by means of a communion spoon from a common chalice, and only baptized, chrismated, and practicing Orthodox Christians may receive. At the end of the service, the antidoron, the blessed bread not used for Holy Communion, is offered to all who are present.
A Byzantine Sanctuary of Icons and Domes
The St. Nicholas church building is itself a teaching in stone and color. Like all Orthodox churches, it is constructed in the form of a cross and divided into three sections: the narthex, the nave, and the sanctuary. The visitor enters through the narthex, where candles are lit before icons as the faithful offer a personal prayer before joining the congregation. The nave, the central gathering space, holds the bishop's throne on its right and the pulpit on its left, from which the Gospel is proclaimed and the sermon preached. The sanctuary, separated from the nave by the Iconostasion, is the most sacred part of the church, where the Holy Altar stands.
The iconography is rich and intentional. In the dome above, Christ the Almighty, the Pantocrator, is depicted being held up by six angels, with the Prophets Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Samuel, Isaiah, Elijah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel, Malachias, and Zacharias on the lower level. The apse behind the Altar bears the image of the Virgin Mary with arms outstretched, the Christ Child enthroned within her, in the icon known as the Platytera, "more spacious than the heavens." Over the Royal Doors is the icon of the Communion of the Apostles, depicting Christ, the eternal High Priest, offering His Body and Blood to the world through His disciples, with Judas Iscariot alone facing away from the Lord. Below that, six great bishops and shepherds of the Church - St. Photios the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great, St. Athanasios the Great, and St. Spyridon - hold scrolls bearing the opening lines of priestly prayers.
The Iconostasion itself follows a traditional order. On the right side of the Beautiful Gate are the icons of Jesus Christ, St. John the Baptist, the Archangel Gabriel, and St. Demetrios. On the left side are the Virgin Mary with Christ as a child, St. Nicholas the patron of the parish, the Archangel Michael, and Sts. Constantine and Helen. The Archangels guard the doors leading into the sanctuary because they are the guardians of the entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. In the right transept are male saints such as Polycarp of Smyrna, Nicholas, Dionysios, Nektarios, Haralambos, and Gerasimos of Kefalonia. In the left transept are female saints including Katherine, Irene, Theodora, Elizabeth, Photini, Barbara, and Sophia with her children Faith, Hope, and Love. Icons in Orthodox theology are not decorative images but powerful symbols, windows into heaven, venerated as a way of honoring the Christ or saint depicted rather than the material itself.
The Wonderworker of Myra, Patron of the Parish
The patron of the parish is St. Nicholas of Myra, whose feast day the Orthodox Church celebrates on December 6. Born in 270 A.D. near Myra in present-day Turkey during a time when Orthodox Christians faced severe persecution, Nicholas was raised by devout parents who taught him to love the Lord with his whole mind, heart, soul, and strength. After their death he inherited their wealth and used it secretly to aid the poor, the hungry, and the sick, never seeking recognition. When the money was gone, he entered a monastery to live in repentance, but God soon called him to the priesthood.
Nicholas served as a parish priest and then, in a story still told to Orthodox children, was revealed by God to be the next Archbishop of Myra when he was the first priest to enter the cathedral at sunrise. At the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325, he reportedly struck the heretic Arius for denying that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, and the Lord and the Theotokos appeared to the bishops to confirm that Nicholas had acted not out of passion but out of love. Known as a Wonderworker for miracles that included calming storms at sea, multiplying food to save a starving city, and protecting children, St. Nicholas died on December 6, 343. His relics were taken to Bari, Italy in 1087 to save them from the Turks, and they remain there to this day, still pouring forth a fragrant myrrh from which the sick receive healing.
The story of the three daughters and the gold coins thrown secretly through a window at night, the source of the Christmas stocking tradition, is also preserved at the parish. The Apolytikion of St. Nicholas is sung in Greek at every Divine Liturgy on his feast: "An example of the Faith and a life of humility, as a teacher of abstinence you did inspire and lead your flock, and through the truthfulness of your deeds were exalted by greatness, through your humility uplifting all and by poverty gaining wealth. Father and hierarch Nicholas, intercede with Christ our God that our souls be saved."
Sunday Church School
The Sunday Church School of St. Nicholas serves children from Pre-K 3 through high school seniors, with a staff of volunteer teachers, aides, and support people. Using the curriculum of the Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the school aims to teach children the Orthodox faith: an understanding of history, basic beliefs, active participation in liturgy, and Christian living. Classes meet every Sunday during the school year, immediately following Holy Communion until 11:00 a.m. Sponsored events include a Back-to-School Breakfast, a Christmas Pageant, the Oratorical Festival, the Myrophores, an Easter Egg Hunt, Godparent-Godchild Sunday, and an End-of-the-Year Celebration. The directors are Helen Apostolopoulos, Presvytera Pearlann Bithos, and Dr. Peter A. Patsavas.
HOPE, JOY, GOYA, and the Acolytes
Young people in grades K through 5 gather as HOPE and JOY, Hellenic Orthodox Primary Education and Junior Orthodox Youth, while middle schoolers form Jr. GOYA and high schoolers form Sr. GOYA, the Greek Orthodox Youth of America. The mission of the youth ministries is to lead young people into experiencing the Holy Orthodox Faith through the four pillars of Orthodox youth work: Liturgia (Worship), Koinonia (Fellowship), Diakonia (Service), and Martyria (Witness). Activities include age-appropriate discussions, service projects, retreats, social gatherings, and outings, all under the guidance of adult advisors. Paula George and Tina Repking serve as HOPE/JOY advisors. The whole program meets every third Monday of the month between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Orthodox Christian boys aged eight and above may serve as acolytes in the altar. Trained by the clergy and senior altar servers, the acolytes practice diakonia, learning to vest, to stand in the proper place, to bow at the right moment, and to hand the priest or deacon what is needed. Servers are expected to arrive early, to prepare through prayer and fasting, to wear dark dress pants and a button-down shirt rather than casual clothing, and to maintain silence and reverence in the sanctuary. They represent the angels who serve God in the heavenly liturgy, and the parish sees this Holy Ministry as a school in which future clergy and faithful Orthodox laymen are formed.
The Ladies Philoptochos Society
The Ladies Philoptochos Society is the philanthropic heart of the parish. The Society, an official organization of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese established in November 1931, is open to all women of the parish aged 18 and older. Its mission is to aid the poor, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the widow, the handicapped, and the victims of disasters; to undertake the burial of impoverished persons; to offer assistance to anyone who may need the help of the Church through fund-raising efforts; and to preserve and perpetuate Orthodox Christian concepts and the Orthodox Christian family. Philoptochos functions at the local, diocesan, national, and international levels and is the second largest women's philanthropic organization in the United States in terms of charitable giving. Members support charitable causes and find spiritual enrichment through their philanthropic work.
Music, Athletics, and the Store of Orthodox Nourishment
Worship at St. Nicholas is supported by a robust choir program. George Panagopoulos serves as choir director, Rosie DeSanto as organist, and Louis Anast as chanter. Music is not decoration in Orthodox worship but an essential expression of faith: every member of the choir joins a single voice raised through Jesus Christ to the Father. The parish invites anyone who wishes to participate to contact the church office or to visit the choir loft.
The parish has a long tradition of excellence in athletics, especially basketball, with trophy cases flanking the doors of the Dr. Mary Dochios Kamberos Community Center. The St. Nicholas Athletics ministry, combined with sister parish St. Spyridon, fields teams in the Greek Orthodox Basketball League at the grade school, high school, and biddy levels. All children of stewards are eligible to participate in the Metropolis of Chicago Junior Olympics each Memorial Day weekend, with events ranging from basketball, ping pong, softball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, swimming, bowling, track and field, to checkers and chess.
The Store of Orthodox Nourishment, or S.O.N., is the parish bookstore. Open every Sunday following the Divine Liturgy, the store carries Bibles and prayer books in Greek and English, standard and special-order icons, CDs, DVDs, greeting cards, prayer ropes, and many other items pertinent to Orthodox spirituality and home worship. Special orders are taken for cross necklaces, stefanothekes, children's books, greeting cards with audio chants, livani, livanistiria, charcoal, and sfragithes, the sacred bread seal. Visitors are warmly invited to browse the inventory first-hand on any given Sunday.
Adult Religious Education and the Tree of Life
Adult Religious Education meets under the guidance of Father Christodoulos, with session dates and times published in the monthly and weekly bulletins. The Adult Bible Catechism gathers Orthodox Christians for divine inspiration through the Word of God, the Holy Bible. Following the principle articulated at the 1976 Moscow Conference, the parish understands scripture as a coherent whole, divinely inspired and humanly expressed, to be read with faith and love and interpreted through the mind of the Church. Reading the Bible is treated not as detached historical investigation but as a sacred encounter with Christ, whose truth we read in the tradition of the Holy Fathers.
Stewardship at St. Nicholas is supported by the Tree of Life, a symbolic family tree of the parish on which parishioners may add a "leaf" by contacting the church office. Stewardship sustains the work of every ministry and reflects the generous sacrifice that has marked the parish since 1927.
The Faith Held by the Parish
St. Nicholas belongs to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, part of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The parish teaches, in continuity with the Seven Ecumenical Councils and the Nicene Creed, that God has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became truly man, restoring humanity to fellowship with God; that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic; and that the goal of Christian life is theosis, the union of the believer with the energies of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. The sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, the Eucharist, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick are understood as mysteries in which God discloses Himself through prayer, hymns, scripture, and the material gifts of creation, especially water, oil, bread, and wine. The parish welcomes all who wish to know more about the Orthodox faith and offers instruction for those who wish to become members of the Orthodox Church.
Worship is supported by the Wonderworker, the parish newsletter, which keeps stewards informed of the parish's ongoing life, and the parish calendar, which is regularly updated. Stewardship giving, including online giving, supports the continued work of ministries from Sunday Church School to Philoptochos to Athletics, and the parish invites visitors to introduce themselves at any service, to light a candle before an icon, and to share the hospitality that has welcomed generations through the doors of St. Nicholas.