A Greek Orthodox Parish on Wattles Road in Troy
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church stands on an eleven-acre campus at 760 West Wattles Road in Troy, Michigan, where an active parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit gathers for Sunday Divine Liturgy, weekday services, religious education, and a remarkable range of cultural and philanthropic programs. Known throughout Metro Detroit simply as "St. Nicholas Troy," the parish describes itself as a vibrant spiritual home where the Holy Tradition meets a modern, multigenerational community, and where the Divine Liturgy draws families together around the ancient sacraments inside a church interior adorned with Byzantine icons.
Members and visitors enter a place that has grown steadily since the parish moved from Detroit to Troy in the early 1990s. The campus now includes the main church, a Nicholas Harbatis Administrative Center with classrooms, a Cultural/Banquet Center, a bookstore and gift shop, a Community Center, and on-site storage. Sunday services are livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel, and the weekly bulletin and monthly newsletter, the ECHO, are emailed to parishioners and made available online.
The Story of St. Nicholas, from Detroit to Troy
The congregation that became St. Nicholas began on March 9, 1936, when a small group of Greek immigrants met at the home of Gust Petropoulos on Detroit's north side and organized what they called the Greek Orthodox Church of the North Side. Nicholas Kyriakou was elected the first Parish Council president at a meeting on March 29, 1936. The following year the community purchased a building at the corner of Tuxedo and Hamilton in Detroit for $18,000 and renamed itself St. Nicholas Hellenic Orthodox Church.
Growth in Detroit soon demanded a larger home. In 1943 the parish bought land in the Palmer Park area and built the lower level of a new church, where worship continued until the upper church was completed in 1951 at a cost of $148,000. The late Archbishop Michael consecrated the finished building in a three-day celebration.
By 1985 the Detroit neighborhood had changed dramatically. Parish rolls dropped from 800 to 350 families as members followed the broader exodus to the suburbs, and security at night became a concern. A parish council majority voted in favor of relocation, and a master plan called for a church seating at least 500, a weekday chapel, classrooms, a social center, a gym, and a retirement complex on at least ten acres. Mary Souphis located an eleven-acre tract in Troy, and in 1987 the parish purchased the property for roughly $210,000. A gift of $250,000 from the Dean Becharas family seeded the fundraising drive.
Constantine Pappas, the architect chosen by the Building Committee, designed Phase I, and ground was broken in the spring of 1990. The Detroit church was sold to the Latter-day Saints for $700,000 to help finance the move, and for six months the congregation worshipped in a nearby elementary school. In 1992 the new administrative and classroom building opened, and services began in its south wing. Bishop Timothy presided at the Opening Door Ceremonies for the church in 1994, when the marble fixtures, murals, and iconography from Detroit were installed in the new sanctuary and artist George Philipakis was commissioned to paint new icons for the iconostasis.
Phase II followed quickly. A Cultural/Banquet Center with a large hall, a separation wall for multiple events, a foyer for smaller gatherings, and a production-quality kitchen was added in the mid-1990s to host parish activities and to be leased out for weddings, baptisms, and memorials. By 2016 the parish was ready for Phase III: updated classrooms with flat-screen TVs and flexible furniture, a refreshed Community Center, an enlarged bookstore, and on-site storage for the costumes, vases, BBQ grills, and tables that had been scattered across off-site units. The Phase III preview opened on April 13, 2018.
Worship at St. Nicholas
The heart of parish life is the Sunday Divine Liturgy. Orthros (the morning service of psalms and praises) begins at 8:45 a.m., and the Divine Liturgy follows at 10:00 a.m. On scheduled weekdays, the cycle repeats with Orthros at 9:00 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.; the parish calendar lists which days those services take place. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the office phone is (248) 362-9575.
Worship is liturgical in the Orthodox tradition. Orthodox worship is both a tangible expression of God's presence and a corporate response of thanksgiving centered on the Eucharist. The sanctuary is decorated with Byzantine icons, and the marble altar, pulpit, baptismal font, and prayer stands brought from Detroit now serve the Troy congregation.
The parish's Guidelines for Respectful Service outline the etiquette visitors will encounter. Divine Liturgy begins promptly, and worshippers enter through the right or left side aisle doors, not the center aisle. Modest, "appropriate" attire is expected, gum is not to be chewed in the church, and cell phones should be set to vibrate. Holy Communion is received in a set order: altar boys, choir members, infants with their parents and godparents, Sunday school children with their parents and godparents, then the rest of the congregation row by row as the ushers direct. Ushers also direct those who have been waiting in the narthex. After receiving, worshippers return to their seats by the side aisles. Lipstick is blotted before venerating icons or receiving Communion, and a cry room is available for parents with infants and young children.
For those unable to attend in person, services are livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel, and recordings remain available there after the live broadcast.
The Orthodox Faith at St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas belongs to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which itself is under the spiritual care of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the parish is part of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit. The parish's section on the Orthodox faith traces Christianity in the East back to the Mediterranean world of the Apostles and the Seven Ecumenical Councils, and it notes that the word "Orthodox" carries two meanings from the fifth century: "true teaching" and, more preferred, "true praise" - to bless, praise, and glorify the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The parish acknowledges the Nicene Creed's description of the Church as One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, and notes that titles such as "Greek," "Russian," and "Antiochian" point to cultural or national roots rather than to differences in faith.
The parish points worshippers toward resources on the Orthodox Christian faith through the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese's Treasures of Orthodoxy pamphlet series, written by Fr. Thomas Fitzgerald of Hellenic College-Holy Cross School of Theology, covering introduction, the House of God, worship, the Liturgy, the Sacraments, special services and blessings, teachings, spirituality, history, and the Church. Visitors and inquirers are warmly welcomed.
The Seven Mysteries (Sacraments)
Seven Mysteries shape the sacramental life of the parish, and each is given its own page on the parish website along with downloadable information packets.
- The Eucharist. The Divine Liturgy centers on the Eucharist, which is received from a common chalice.
- Baptism. Baptism incorporates the believer into the Church, the Body of Christ, and is normally administered by three-fold immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity. Following the early Church, the parish encourages the baptism of infants.
- Chrismation. Chrismation follows Baptism, sealing the newly baptized with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Confession. Confession restores the relationship with God and others that sin distorts. The priest acts as a sacramental witness, physician, and guide rather than a judge, and every Orthodox Christian is encouraged to have a spiritual father. The parish notes that serious or habitual sin requires confession before receiving Holy Communion, and that the seasons of Great Lent, Christmas, the Dormition of the Theotokos, and the Feast of the Holy Apostles are traditional times for the sacrament.
- Marriage. Orthodox marriage is celebrated within the context of the Liturgy and according to the parish's wedding guidelines.
- Holy Orders. Holy Orders continues the apostolic ministry through bishops, priests, and deacons.
- Anointing of the Sick (Holy Unction). The Anointing of the Sick is offered for healing of body and spirit.
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
The parish is led by Fr. John Souza, who serves as the long-term interim Proistamenos after being received into the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit in 2025 under Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit. Fr. John holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Theology from Biola University and an M.Div. from Westminster Seminary, with doctoral work in Philosophy of Religion and Theology at Claremont Graduate University focused on St. Gregory Palamas and Thomas Aquinas. He was received into the Orthodox Church at Holy Trinity in San Francisco in 2010 and completed a second M.Div. at Holy Cross School of Theology. After ordination to the diaconate and priesthood at Saint Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles, he and Presvytera Jennifer were received into the Metropolis of Detroit following the birth of their son John Nektarios.
Serving alongside Fr. John is Rev. Dr. Father Deacon Spyridon (Spiros) Xydas, who was ordained at St. Nicholas on December 11, 2022, after completing the Diaconate Program at Holy Cross in 2021. A music educator with degrees from UC Santa Barbara, Sonoma State, Cal State Hayward, and Northwestern, Deacon Spiro earned his Ph.D. in Music Education from Oakland University in 2014 and currently teaches band in Troy. He and Diakonissa Laura (Eleni) are raising four daughters and enjoy the outdoors.
Christian Education from Preschool through High School
Religious education at St. Nicholas is organized through the Catechism School (Sunday School), which accepts children from age 3 through twelfth grade. The school year begins the first Sunday after Labor Day and ends with a graduation Sunday in early June. Students attend the 10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy together with their teachers and move to classrooms after the reading of the Gospel, with about fifty minutes of instruction ending by noon. To receive credit, students must attend at least thirty Sundays, and they may make up absences at services during Great Lent and other feast days.
Catechism students participate in outreach projects such as "Children feeding Other Children," benefiting the Southeastern Oakland Shelter; the O.C.M.C. fund raiser during Great Lent; and the "Crowns" project for cancer patients at Karmanos Cancer Center and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. All students take part in the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival at the parish level. The Sunday School Director is Eva Charboneau, working with advisor Tina Souphis.
Children in grades K through 5 are welcomed into J.O.Y. (Junior Orthodox Youth), which brings younger Orthodox faithful together for fellowship, service projects, and spiritual growth under advisor Amanda Konstandas. Teenagers in grades 6 through 12 join G.O.Y.A. (Greek Orthodox Youth of America), where they have raised thousands of dollars for the parish and the Metropolis of Detroit Summer Camp through monthly bread sales, Tsourekia fundraisers, and a Feather Party concession, and have served meals at St. Aloysius Kitchen and the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, assembled Blessings in a Backpack, and walked in the Greek Independence Day parade. The 2026 GOYA board is led by co-presidents Sebastian Feles and Errik Perakis, with Katie Zaferes, Carol Gaggos, and Michael Stavropoulos serving as advisors.
Hellenic Heritage: Language, Dance, and the AHEPA Family
St. Nicholas preserves Greek heritage through its Greek Language Program and its Opa! Dancers folk dance troupe. The Greek Language Program offers both youth and adult classes in reading, writing, and speaking Greek, along with the history, customs, and traditions of Greece. Classes run from mid-September through mid-May under the direction of Georgia Kontogouris Franso, with an annual Christmas Pageant and participation in the Greek Independence Day Parade among the highlights.
The Opa! Dancers, founded in 1993, are a Greek folk dance troupe open to dancers of all abilities from preschool through college. Practices are held on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and the program draws over 200 dancers from parishes across Metropolitan Detroit. The dancers wear authentic regional costumes and perform at the parish's own Opa! Fest, the Greek Independence Day Parade, Project Hope, the Ronald McDonald House, the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, the Detroit Festival of Arts, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. The troupe is led by dance instructor Tina Souphis.
Many parishioners also belong to the Hellenic societies associated with the parish. Chapter 40 (Alpha-Bloomfield) of AHEPA, the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, gathers members under President Michael Alioto, while Iphthime Chapter 66 of the Daughters of Penelope gathers women under President Artemis Stanisz. Both chapters are part of District 10 of their respective national organizations.
Fellowship for Every Age and Stage
St. Nicholas offers fellowship groups that span the decades. The Argonauts, the parish's seniors' group, share monthly luncheons at the Cultural Center or nearby restaurants, take trips to monasteries and museums (recent destinations include Holy Trinity Monastery in Smith's Creek, Frankenmuth, Mount Pleasant, and Stratford, Canada), and invite speakers on topics of interest. The Argonauts board is led by President Penelope Seaborn.
The Men's Group, coordinated by Aaron Cloutier, gathers the men of the parish for fellowship, charitable, and spiritual programs on the third Thursday of each month. The Young Adult League (Y.A.L.), led by President Fotini Michalakis, is described by the parish as a brand-new organization building community through service and fellowship. The Young Families Ministry, chaired by Katina Gorman and Lisa Takis, hosts parents and children under five (with older siblings welcome) on the first Saturday of every month at 9:00 a.m., with periodic Parents Night Out evenings.
College-aged students stay connected through the College Connection, run by Brian and Christina Hazen, which sends care packages twice a year and emails updates from the parish and the Metropolis. There are also a Book Club, a Bible Study on the Book of Genesis taught by Fr. John, an Orthodoxy 101 class for inquirers and lifelong Orthodox alike, and a Prayer Team dedicated to intercessory prayer for the parish family.
The Choir, the Bookstore, and the Cultural Center
The St. Nicholas Choir sings at nearly every Divine Liturgy and also conducts a children's choir. Choir members warm up at 8:30 a.m. each Sunday and rehearse after the Divine Liturgy until 1:00 p.m., and during the five nights of Lenten Salutation Services they host a light Lenten dinner. Director Evey Simon leads a roster of sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses, with Michael Malis as accompanist.
The St. Nicholas Bookstore and Gift Shop, established in 1996, is located in the Nicholas Harbatis Administrative Center and offers Byzantine icons, Orthodox study Bibles, prayer books, iconography books, lives of saints, Orthodox children's books, vigil lights, censers and charcoal, glass tealights, sterling silver crosses, liturgical music CDs, Orthodox greeting cards, Christmas tree ornaments, Greek cookbooks, Greek language books, and dictionaries. Coordinator Maria Kokkinakis can special-order items; the bookstore is open on Sundays after the Divine Liturgy and during the week from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The Cultural/Banquet Center, the Community Center, and the on-site production-quality kitchen host parish gatherings and are also rented out for weddings, baptisms, and memorials through the parish's catering program.
Service and Outreach: Philoptochos and Helping Hands
Charitable work at St. Nicholas centers on the ladies' Philoptochos society, whose mission is to aid the poor, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the widowed, and the disabled, and to assist with burials and disaster relief in coordination with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Under President Paula Kalevas and her board, the chapter holds general meetings on the first Tuesday of each month from September through June, sponsors the annual Vasilopita Luncheon, the Women's Retreat, and the Sunshine Committee, and cooks for the annual Opa! Fest Greek Festival.
The Helping Hands / Loving Hearts program, founded in the spring of 2021 by Cindy and Pat Crosson as an Endowment Fund-funded outreach, prepares and delivers meals every other Thursday to as many as fifty recipients who are homebound, ill, or otherwise unable to cook. To date the team of twelve faithful volunteers has prepared and delivered over 4,200 meals. The parish also supports broader Orthodox charitable organizations, including International Orthodox Christian Charities (I.O.C.C.) and the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (O.C.M.C.).
The parish Endowment Fund, established to give parishioners a vehicle for long-term support, has distributed over $900,000 back to ministries of St. Nicholas since its inception. The St. Nicholas Scholarship Fund provides college scholarships for parish students, and the parish offers a separate St. Nicholas Scholarship application process for undergraduate and graduate study.
Faith and Fun, Athletics, and Other Annual Programs
Faith and Fun Week is the parish's Vacation Bible School, a week of lessons with Fr. John, crafts, games, and music under the direction of Jennifer Palazzolo and Evey Simon. The St. Nicholas Athletics program fields seven basketball teams from Biddy C (age 7) through an 18+ men's team in the Orthodox Youth Athletic Association (O.Y.A.A.), with the season running from November through March and practices on Mondays or Thursdays under Athletics Director Perry Kardasis. The St. Nicholas Golf League tees off at Sylvan Glen Golf Course from mid-April through mid-September, coordinated by Joann Kefalas and Kaethe Economos.
Stewardship, Giving, and Getting Involved
The parish practices Orthodox Christian Stewardship as "a way of life" that acknowledges accountability, reverence, and responsibility before God, and that commits time, talent, and treasure to the parish. To be a member in good standing - and thus eligible to vote at General Assemblies and to serve on the Parish Council - one must be a baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christian actively practicing the faith, be at least eighteen years old, follow the Uniform Parish Regulations and parish bylaws, and submit a signed stewardship commitment card. Stewardship commitment forms are available online; giving is also available through a Donate button on each page, with secure processing through the parish's online giving portal.
Visiting St. Nicholas
Visitors are warmly welcomed at St. Nicholas. The Sunday cycle begins with Orthros at 8:45 a.m. and the Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. Weekday services, when scheduled, follow the pattern of Orthros at 9:00 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. Visitors should dress modestly and arrive on time; the Liturgy begins promptly, and the side aisle doors are the appropriate entrance. The narthex, sanctuary, cry room, bookstore, and Community Center are accessible to families and visitors, and the ushers are glad to help direct worshippers to Communion.
Those wanting to learn more about Orthodox Christianity are invited to Orthodoxy 101, which begins its next in-person and online cycle on September 14, meeting at 7:00 p.m. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and can be reached at (248) 362-9575. The parish also sends a weekly bulletin by email and posts a monthly newsletter, the ECHO, for those who want to follow parish life from a distance.