December 5, 2007
Metropolitan Gerasimos (center) with Fr. Simon Thomas from St. Barbara in Santa Barbara (L), and Fr. Gary Kyriacou, pastor of St. Demetrios in Camarilllo, CA.
CAMARILLO, CA - St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Camarillo, California celebrated the 30th Anniversary of their parish the weekend of October 27 - 28, 2007. His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos visited the parish for this joyous occasion, which was marked with many events and presentations to honor this milestone.
An anniversary dinner dance was held on October 27, at which His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos encouraged the faithful to "stay the course and to continue diligently working in the vineyard of the Lord!" That same evening, His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos bestowed the honor of the Medal of St. Paul to Christos Pulos, a very deserving parishioner of St. Demetrios. Christo Pulos spent his life serving our country, defending our freedom, and in his retirement he has fully offered himself to the parish of St. Demetrios. He is chairman of the Festival, chanter, member of the Project and Implementation Community, chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee, a member of the Stewardship Committee, and served as a member of the Capital Campaign Committee. He picks up around the Church, he cleans the chandeliers, he produces service booklets for Lenten services, and he sacrificially offers his time, treasure and talents! Chris Pulos is one very hard working member of a dedicated group of parishioners that comprise St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.
Following the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday, October 28, the primary grades of the Sunday School re-enacted the life of St. Demetrios. Young actors portrayed Demetrios, Nestor, Liaus and King "Max" (Maximian) in this wonderful production. "By practicing the play we got to learn about the life of St. Demetrios. This is something I will never forget," said Adam Sanderson, a second grade student that played the role of King "Max".
The community gathered after the play in the community hall for a wonderful luncheon prepared and hosted by the Ladies of Philoptochos. The day concluded with a special presentation from the St. Demetrios Greek School in observance of OXI day, with students reciting poems to remind us of the firm stance Greece took by saying "OXI!" to the Italians!
During the early 1900s several Greek families moved into Ventura County, California, primarily to the cities of Ventura and Oxnard. The closest Greek Orthodox Church was in Los Angeles; however, after the Second World War, a Church was started in Santa Barbara. The Ventura County Greeks played a substantial role in the financing and organizing the Saint Barbara parish. With a church in Santa Barbara, the faithful forefathers only had to go 40 miles instead of 60 miles for church. That was before major highways connected Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. It was still quite a chore to attend church without freeways. During the 1960's, a movement began to bring some of the attributes of an Orthodox Church into Ventura County. Liturgy was held from time to time at various halls within the area.
In June of 1970 "The Greek Church of Ventura County" became a recognized non-profit organization within the state of California. The frequency of Liturgical services increased in the area. When Father Vlahopoulos became the Priest in Santa Barbara he volunteered to conduct Divine Liturgy on a regular basis. This continued until he was reassigned in 1972.
On November 14, 1972 Father Vlahopoulos had been transferred and Father George Hadjis was assigned to serve both congregations, Ventura County and Santa Barbara, on alternating Sundays for a seven-month period. Father Hadjis continued to serve Ventura County on a bi-weekly basis until Father Peter Lambert relieved him in 1977, who was assigned to serve Ventura County on a full time basis.
On February 3, 1974 His Grace Bishop Meletios forwarded a petition to the Archdiocese desiring the establishment of a recognized parish in Ventura County. Finally on October 1, 1974 the Archdiocese issued a Charter to the congregation. In the eyes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America "The Greek Church of Ventura County" was a recognized Parish. In September 1977 the name was then changed to "The Greek Orthodox Community of Ventura County".
The most exciting phase of the early years was the acquisition of a home. During the spring of 1977 the General Services Administration announced that the base chapel from the Oxnard Air Force Base would be available for sale to a religious organization. On August 9, 1977 "The Greek Orthodox Community of Ventura County" was selected to be the church that could buy the property.
The scramble to get enough money to make the down payment and to get a loan was on! Of the $96,500 needed for the purchase, $48,000 was collected. It was at this point, that His Grace Bishop Meletios assigned Father Peter Lambert as the first full time priest of "The Greek Orthodox Community of Ventura County." Father Peter led a massive clean up campaign to get the church ready to hold services. The complex had been vacant for over 10 years so there were a lot of cobwebs and dirt to clean out.
On October 23, 1977 Father Peter Lambert, assisted by Father Peter Rellos held the first Divine Liturgy in the newly acquired church on Skyway Drive. This service was preceded by the rite of Sanctification of the waters, and the two priests blessed the outside and inside of the church. After liturgy, a luncheon was held on the lawn. The community room was not ready for occupancy. There was a lot of work that had to be done on the property to bring it up to code and to make it habitable, but the sanctuary stood tall, and on February 12, 1978 His Grace Bishop Meletios paid his first visit to the new facility.
By 1980 it was time to choose a patron saint for the community. The names of 23 Saints and Feasts were initially selected as possible candidates, which were then narrowed down to five. The five potential names were: Saints Constantine and Helen, Holy Cross, Saint Demetrios, Saint Andrew and Saint Peter.
On November 15, 1980 a Gala was held at the Oxnard Hilton (now the courtyard by Marriott) to announce the selected patron saint of the community. On his first pastoral visit to our parish, His Grace Bishop Anthony pronounced the community "The Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church."
The following March, 1981, Father Costa Constantinou was appointed by Archbishop Iakovos as the Parish Priest. He and Presvytera Jeannie served St. Demetrios Church nearly six years. At the end of January 1987 Father Costa was assigned to Saint Spyridon Parish in San Diego.
In February 1987, Father Cyril Loeb, who had been serving as the second priest at St. John the Baptist Church in Anaheim, was given Saint Demetrios as his first parish. Later that year, on October 31, 1987, the parish celebrated the tenth anniversary of having a home in which it could worship. At the banquet that evening His Grace Bishop Anthony issued the challenge of purchasing land for a new church. This ultimately led to the purchase of the Parish House on Roland Street in Camarillo, CA. In April of 1988 His Grace had a need for Father Cyril's talents at Saint Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center. Father Cyril was assigned as Executive Director of St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center, and Father Matthew Gilbert was assigned to Saint Demetrios.
Father Matthew was with Saint Demetrios until September 1993. During his tenure, a major emphasis was placed on youth and their programs. At the 1992 Name Day Dinner Dance, His Grace Bishop Anthony, in attendance to burn the mortgage on the church, helped raise over $15,000 to completely pay off of the mortgage.
October 1993 brought Father Loeb back to Saint Demetrios as Archimandrite. Father Loeb served as St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church's spiritual leader until August 2004. Since 1993, under Father Loeb's second round of leadership, the parish had undergone financial growth.
During a visit in 1996, His Grace Bishop Anthony, again, enforced his desire to reestablish a building fund committee and revitalize the effort of finding land for a new home. The perfect piece of land was located late in 2003. It is a beautifully wooded five-acre plot of land with over four usable acres. It is centrally located at the NE corner of Santa Rosa Road and Woodcock Road in the city of Camarillo.
Negotiations were started immediately and were concluded during May 2004 with the opening of escrow. Escrow closed, fittingly, on August 15, 2004. The next effort was to pay off the balance due on the property.
Father Loeb retired on August 1, 2004 and has been replaced by Father Gary Kyriacou. Father Gary previously served as assistant to Rev. Fr. Thomas Paris at the Ascension Cathedral in Oakland, CA. St. Demetrios is Father Gary's first parish.
Plans for a new home continued to progress. In early 2007 the balance on the land was narrowed from over $1.6 million to $195,000. Most recently, in October 2007, Gary Heathcote and Associates were selected as the Architects for the parish's future site. St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church celebrates it 30th Anniversary this year. The parish rejoices in the accomplishments of the past 30+ years and is exuberant about the challenges that face them in the years to come.
The main challenges that face the community in the next several years is the commission to build a new sanctuary, administrative building, classrooms, and a community Parish Hall. The total for the project is estimated at close to $12 million. The wise parishioners of St. Demetrios have divided the project into a series of phases. A Capital Campaign team is currently being assembled under the guidance of Fr. Gary Kyriacou and the financial goal for this phase, to build the Sanctuary, is close to $4.5 million. Should you like to assist in this exciting history of the parish, please feel free to send your donations to 400 Skyway Drive, Camarillo, CA, 93010 (attention: Fr. Gary). Please make checks payable to the "St. Demetrios Building Fund".
Please keep St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in your
prayers as they strive to serve the Lord and to continue to work "diligently in
the vineyard of the Lord!"
Metropolitan Gerasimos bestows the Medal of St. Paul on long-time parish leader Christo Pulos.
Members of the Omonia dance group performed at the anniversary dinner dance.
4th Thursday after Pascha
