[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL H. MICHAUD

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 28, 2010

  Mr. MICHAUD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Holy 
Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lewiston, Maine on its 100 year 
anniversary and its subsequent consecration.
  Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lewiston, Maine was founded in 
1910. As a small church on Lincoln Street in downtown Lewiston, it was 
established to serve more than 3,000 Greeks in the community who were 
drawn to the area by jobs in the Bates and surrounding mills. As the 
mills began to close in the 1950's, the Greek residents migrated south 
to the Massachusetts mills, and the population of Holy Trinity reduced 
significantly. Despite this drop in population, a new church was built 
in 1977 on Hogan Road, and Holy Trinity continued to be known as a 
pillar of civic leadership in the area.
  On Saturday May 22, 2010, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 
celebrated its 100th Anniversary. On the following Sunday, they 
consecrated their 33-year old church building, marking a commitment to 
Greek Orthodoxy in Lewiston for generations to come. Greek Orthodox 
churches are consecrated just once in their lifetime, usually after a 
milestone has been met to ensure that the building is a permanent part 
of the parish. Archbishop Metropolitan Methodios chose the Holy Trinity 
Greek Orthodox Church in Lewiston as one of only two consecrations he 
would preside over in 2010.
  From 2000 to 2008, Holy Trinity, largely under the stewardship of Fr. 
Ted Toppses, extended its outreach past Lewiston to the surrounding 
areas and expanded its membership by fifty families. Always a vital 
part of Lewiston, the Church continues to address the spiritual and 
social needs of the surrounding communities.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring the centennial and 
consecration of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lewiston and 
all of the contributions they make to the communities in the greater 
Lewiston and Auburn area.

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