Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral
ﮐﺎﺘﺩﺭﺍﺌﻴﺔ القديس جاورجيوس الأنطاكيَّة الأرثوذكسيَّة
Toledo, Ohio
“As Deliverer of Captives and Defender of the Poor, Healer of the Infirm, Champion of Kings,
Victorious Great Martyr George, intercede with Christ our God, for our salvation.”
The History of St. George Syrian Orthodox Cathedral Up to 1969 and from 1969 -2025
The story of St. George’s Syrian Orthodox Cathedral is a story of dreams. A small group of Syrian and Lebanese families who had emigrated from the old country during the first two decades of this century had a dream about having their own church and worshipping their native language. For many years they held Eastern Orthodox services only when a traveling priest would visit Toledo. Then they had to depend upon the indulgence of Protestant churches for a place to worship, or hire a meeting hall.
There was no controversy among them at this time. People from the towns of Aitha, Kafir, Damascus, Zahle, Beirut, Latakia, Tripoli and Kirby set aside clannish differences to worship God as their forebears did. And all dreamed of one thing- a church of their own.
Michael’s Hall, on Summit and Walnut Streets, in Toledo, was frequently used for worship during the period of World War I. Among the priests serving the community at this time were Father George Kerbawi, Father Slaman Boulas, Father Nicholas Nahas, Father Michael Husson, and Philip Aboassally.
Among the early leaders of the church were the families of George Merhab, John McKenna, Michael Nassar, Barbare Farris, Nicholas Nassar, Albert Jamra, George Kerbawi, Mose Kerbawi, Edward Tamber, Louis Darah, Mitri Darah, George Darah, Micheal Saba, Michael Bassett, Albert Corey, William Rayess, George Dahrooge, Sam Shaheen, Nicholas Skaff, Assad Haddad, Joseph Damas family George Hider, Salem Nessif, Naime Haddad, Habib George Elias, Charles Kallile, Thomas Ansara, Haddad, Oscar Joseph, Sam DeWood, Tom Howard, John Saba, Sam Abdo, Anthony Swaya, Bashara Habid, Michael Habid, David Anton, Joseph Skaff, Mike Shalhoup, George Ellis, Deeb Ellis, Louis Theab, Moses Theab, Alex Michael, Assaf Kallil, and Dr. Najib Sallume, who was the first President of the Church Board of Directors.
The Men’s Club was organized in 1910 and the Ladies’ Benevolent Society was established in 1915 with Mrs. Saidie Tanber, as President. For three or four years the efforts of the members was given to garnering enough money to add to the money solicited by the men to purchase the double house on the corner of Elm and Erie Streets for the site of the church.
The church was built in 1919 and formally dedicated and consecrated May 9, 1920. Unique in the church were the memorial stained-glass windows depicting the life of Christ donated by the following persons.
The first priest of the new church was Father Gerasimos Ghareeb, succeeded on his death by Father Samuel David, who served as priest and Archimandrite until he was elevated to Bishop of Toledo and Dependencies in 1936.
The early church was caught in the controversy concerning Russian and Antiochian jurisdiction. Germanos Shadadi, Archbishop of Zahle, was instrumental, in unifying the Syrian Orthodox churches under the jurisdiction. He was consecrated in 1924.
Although Father Nahas had a Syrian School in the days before the church was built, the first Syrian School in the church was established in 1924/25 by Father David for instructing students in the Arabic Language. Another “first” in the Toledo church was the organization of a girls’ choir in 1927 for the chanting of Good Friday lamentations. The Arabic words were transcribed phonetically so that the girls could sing them to sound like the original Arabic.
Upon the death of Bishop Victor in 1934, another controversy resulted in the consecration of two bishops in the Syrian Orthodox churches in North America on the same day, April 19,1936. Bishop Anthony Bashir was consecrated Bishop of New York and all North America, and Bishop Samuel David, Bishop of Toledo and Dependencies.
After the ordination of Bishop David, the church was served by the following priests: Father Michael Neked, Father Elias Ellis, Father Cosmo Ansara, Father Ananias Kassab, Father Michael Howard, Father Michael Haddad, and the present rector of the cathedral, Rev. Father George F. Shaheen.
1969-2025
As the community continued to grow and the once thriving ethnic neighborhood became a fading Arab enclave. Many of the parish members moved to west Toledo and the suburbs as the community looked toward the future and purchased fourteen acres in West Toledo for a new home. In 1974 Saint George left their original location in the Old North End and moved to their current location at 3754 Woodley Rd, Toledo, Oh, 43606. The new Cathedral was consecrated on Sunday July 7 th 1974 with His Eminence Archbishop MICHAEL Shaheen
Today many of the founding families of St. George are still a part of the community. The parish continues to work to keep the community alive while also sharing the Eastern Orthodox belief with Toledo. For years the parish continues to hosts an ethnic festival during the summer along with an Annual Lebanese Dinner in the fall as a fundraising opportunity for the parish which involve the Ladies Benevolent Society making the traditional recipe just as they did all those years ago. Today the current Dean to St. George Cathedral is the Very Rev. Archpriest Michael G. Shaheen, the son of Archpriest George F. Shaheen of blessed memory and the nephew of Archbishop MICHAEL Shaheen of thrice blessed memory.
(Please note there is still a large portion of history that will be filled in as we gather that information)
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Teachings of the Orthodox Church
by Rev. Thomas Fitzgerald
The Orthodox Church throughout the ages has maintained a continuity of faith and love with the apostolic community which was founded by Christ and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Orthodoxy believes that she has preserved and taught the historic Christian Faith, free from error and distortion, from the time of the Apostles. She also believes that there is nothing in the body of her teachings which is contrary to truth or which inhibits real union with God. The air of antiquity and timelessness which often characterizes Eastern Christianity is an expression of her desire to remain loyal to the authentic Christian Faith.
Orthodoxy believes that the Christian Faith and the Church are inseparable. It is impossible to know Christ, to share in the life of the Holy Trinity, or to be considered a Christian apart from the Church. It is in the Church that the Christian Faith is proclaimed and maintained. It is through the Church that an individual is nurtured in the Faith.
REVELATION
God is the source of faith in the Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy believes that God has revealed Himself to us, most especially in the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom we know as the Son of God. This Revelation of God, His love, and His purpose, is constantly made manifest and contemporary in the life of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Orthodox Faith does not begin with mankind’s religious speculations, nor with the so-called “proofs” for the existence of God, nor with a human quest for the Divine. The origin of the Orthodox Christian Faith is the Self-disclosure of God. Each day, the Church’s Morning Prayer affirms and reminds us of this by declaring, “God is the Lord and He has revealed Himself to us.” While the inner Being of God always remains unknown and unapproachable, God has manifested Himself to us; and the Church has experienced Him as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is central to the Orthodox Faith, is not a result of pious speculation, but of the overwhelming experience of God. The doctrine affirms that there is only One God, in whom there are three distinct Persons. In other words, when we encounter the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, we are truly experiencing contact with God. While the Holy Trinity is a mystery which can never be fully comprehended, Orthodoxy believes that we can truly participate in the Trinity through the life of the Church, especially through our celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments, as well as the non-sacramental services.
INCARNATION OF JESUS CHRIST
Together with the belief in the Holy Trinity, the doctrine of the Incarnation occupies a central position in the teaching of the Orthodox Church. According to Orthodox Faith, Jesus is much more than a pious man or a profound teacher of morality. He is the “Son of God who became the Son of Man.” The doctrine of the Incarnation is an expression of the Church’s experience of Christ. In Him, divinity is united with humanity without the destruction of either reality. Jesus Christ is truly God who shares in the same reality as the Father and the Spirit. Moreover, He is truly man who shares with us all that is human. The Church believes that, as the unique God-man, Jesus Christ has restored humanity to fellowship with God.
By manifesting the Holy Trinity, by teaching the meaning of authentic human life, and by conquering the powers of sin and death through His Resurrection, Christ is the supreme expression of the love of God the Father, for His people, made present in every age and in every place by the Holy Spirit through the life of the Church. The great Fathers of the Church summarized the ministry of Christ in the bold affirmation, “God became what we are so that we may become what He is.”
SCRIPTURES
The Holy Scriptures are highly regarded by the Orthodox Church. Their importance is expressed in the fact that a portion of the Bible is read at every service of Worship. The Orthodox Church, which sees itself as the guardian and interpreter of the Scriptures, believes that the books of the Bible are a valuable witness to God’s revelation. The Old Testament is a collection of forty-nine books of various literary styles which expresses God’s revelation to the ancient Israelites. The Orthodox Church regards the Old Testament as a preparation for the coming of Christ and believes that it should be read in light of His revelation.
The New Testament is centered upon the person and work of Jesus Christ and the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit in the early Church. The four Gospels are an account of Christ’s life and teaching, centering upon His Death and Resurrection. The twenty-one epistles and the Acts of the Apostles are devoted to the Christian life and the development of the early Church. The Book of Revelation is a very symbolic text which looks to the return of Christ. The New Testament, especially the Gospels, is very important to Orthodoxy because here is found a written witness to the perfect revelation of God in the Incarnation of the Son of God, in the person of Jesus Christ.
TRADITION
While the Bible is treasured as a valuable written record of God’s revelation, it does not contain wholly that revelation. The Bible is viewed as only one expression of God’s revelation in the on-going life of His people. Scripture is part of the treasure of Faith which is known as Tradition. Tradition means that which is “handed on” from one generation to another. In addition to the witness of Faith in the Scripture, the Orthodox Christian Faith is celebrated in the Eucharist; taught by the Fathers; glorified by the Saints; expressed in prayers, hymns, and icons; defended by the seven Ecumenical Councils; embodied in the Nicene Creed; manifested in social concern; and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is lived in every local Orthodox parish. The life of the Holy Trinity is manifested in every aspect of the Church’s life. Finally, the Church, as a whole, is the guardian of the authentic Christian Faith which bears witness to that Revelation.
COUNCILS AND CREED
As Orthodoxy has avoided any tendency to restrict the vision of God’s revelation to only one avenue of its life, the Church has also avoided the systematic or extensive definition of its Faith. Orthodoxy affirms that the Christian Faith expresses and points to the gracious and mysterious relationship between God and humanity. God became man in the person of Jesus Christ not to institute a new philosophy or code of conduct, but primarily to bestow upon us “new life” in the Holy Trinity. This reality, which is manifest in the Church, cannot be wholly captured in language, formulas, or definitions. The content of the Faith is not opposed to reason, but is often beyond the bounds of reason, as are many of the important realities of life. Orthodoxy recognizes the supreme majesty of God, as well as the limitations of the human mind. The Church is content to accept the element of mystery in its approach to God.
Only when the fundamental truths of the Faith are seriously threatened by false teachings does the Church act to define dogmatically an article of faith. For this reason, the decisions of the seven Ecumenical Councils of the ancient undivided Church are highly respected. The Councils were synods to which bishops from throughout the Christian world gathered to determine the true faith. The Ecumenical Councils did not create new doctrines but proclaimed, in a particular place and a particular time, what the Church has always believed and taught.
The Nicene Creed, which was formulated at the Councils of Nicaea in 325 and of Constantinople in 381, has been recognized since then as the authoritative expression of the fundamental beliefs of the Orthodox Church. The Creed is often referred to as the “Symbol of Faith.” This description indicates that the Creed is not an analytical statement, but that it points to a reality greater than itself and to which it bears witness. For generations, the Creed has been the criterion of authentic Faith and the basis of Christian education. The Creed is recited at the time of Baptism and during every Divine Liturgy.
Upcoming Events
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