I have just received the album marking the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church of Reading, PA’s centennial celebration of 1914 to 2014. A beautiful hardcover volume of just a tad under 500 pages, its quality can be seen in both the content of its written information and its physical composition.
The volume was produced by the Centennial Celebration Committee, composed of the clergy and a host of the parishioners. This volume follows what is now a recognizable format in such Greek-American commemorative albums.
While I know of no study that identifies who first established this kind of album’s sequence, it is one now largely followed everywhere. As such, the Reading parish’s album largely follows this established format (along with its own individual innovation). First we find an introductory note from the Centennial Committee, then a series of letters from an array of high-ranking clergy, parish officials, and local politicians, such as mayor, governor, and senators. Next a host of color photographs of the church services and the 100th anniversary dinner dance.
One image that especially struck me as emblematic of changing times is the photograph of Metropolitan Savas taking a “selfie” of himself holding Father Tom Pappalas’ granddaughter. Then, an array of pages with full color photographs devoted to the individual institutions within the church such as the choir, Sunday School, local Philoptochos chapter, GOYA, and other service organizations. Each of these large group photographs have every individual identified and often several historical paragraphs and listings on each organization.
Next, there is a chronological section on the clergy that have and now serve this parish. Each of these priests has a brief vignette about time with the church and (with only one omission) a photograph. Then, a chronological presentation of each past parish president with an account of several paragraphs outlining highpoints of their individual tenure in office. This is followed by several unique pages devoted to parishioners who were/are prominent locally for “Public Service and the Arts,” “Other Persons of Note…” a lengthy detailed alphabetically listing of church members who served in the armed forces, excerpts from an essay by Dr. Nikitas Zervanos on Greek Emigration to America and then two accounts written by Gust Kraras; an addendum to Dr. Zervanos’ account that focuses on Berks County, PA and a two-page memoir of specific historical events related to the parish. All these sections with their incredibly-detailed information provide priceless information for future generations.
In fact, I believe the huge section that follows, on pages 143 to 480 called the “Histories of Parishioners” will prove to be of central importance to future generations. This huge body of text is nothing less than a page-by-page alphabetical listing of parishioners with historical and personal accounts on each individual and/or family. Photographs and extremely-detailed vignettes compose every page. The amount of work involved to accumulate such information (to say nothing of the double and often multiple checking) required to assure that each account is accurate is a staggering undertaking. This volume closes with several more pages devoted to citing the educational accomplishments of parishioners, an index to the “Histories of Parishioners” lengthy section closing with a page of historical pictures of the first two structures that housed the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church.
It is clearly stated at the beginning of this volume that many individuals and clergy worked tirelessly to see to the successful completion of this volume. Yet I know they will collectively forgive me if I only focus on one individual, this project’s General Chairman, Gust C. Kraras.
Kraras was born in 1921 in the village of Terpsithea, Nafpactos, Greece. In 1938, Kraras traveled to Nashville, TN to join his father. With the beginning of World War II Kraras not only joined the United States forces but served with distinction with the OSS forces in Greece. Upon his return to American soil, in 1945, he joined his father and brother in Reading.
Today, Kraras, 94, is part of that leadership generation, once so common in the Greek community of North America that is now fading from our midst. These individuals were leaders in the daily affairs of the community on every level. That this same group would, in time, also take up the task of preserving the history of their communities was only to be expected. Kraras is among those who by their accomplishments created the New Preservation Movement now at play within Greek-America. Independently, around the nation, parishes and individuals have and are now striving to record the lives and experiences of their home community. Individuals such as Mary Mousalimos, Con Skedros, Nicholas M. Prevas, Elaine Thomopoulos, the team of William Samonides and Regina Johnson Samonides, and so many others have been and are at this moment systematically documenting the history and experience of the Greek community in which they live.
In the specific case of Gust C. Kraras, such a record is found in spades!
A brief and selective excerpt from Kraras’ own history as recorded in the commemorative volume follows, offering a perspective of how this man was inevitably drawn to such historical preservation projects: “Gust’s service to the Church began soon after he settled in Reading. He was asked to assist as a chanter; which he still continues today. He was first elected to the Parish Council in 1948 and has been serving as a member, secretary or President of the Council for most of the last 69 years. He has also chaired many important committees throughout the years, including The Annual Food Bazaar (which he initiated) for several years, the Church’s Library Committee, the Stewardship Committee, and the Celebration Committee. He was also the Editor of the Commemorative Albums in 1970, 1975, 1989, the Testimonial for Father Tom (Pappalas) and Gust Yatron in 1996, and the Consecration Album in 2001.”
Obviously, as Chair of the Centennial volume Kraras has guided the community through yet another historical publication. I should point out, even if only in passing, that Kraras has over the years also collected historical information and helped produce publications on the St Demetrios parish of Wildwood, New Jersey.
Pride of place is key to understanding the Greek experience. The very first exchange between any two Greeks is the phrase “apo pou eisai;” e.g. where are you from? This deep sense of the direct personal union of an individual with the place of his birth and/or residence is a constant anywhere where Greeks are to be found. In the Diaspora the dual identity of being simultaneously from Greek-lands as well as their home-away from Greece is, unfortunately, nearly impossible for Greeks living in the nation state of Greece to accept. Yet, I would argue that this dual-sense of self is the most fundamental aspect of the Hellenic experience in the Diaspora. This sense of place is what informs the New Preservation Movement since Greeks across the country are making every effort to document and retain the history of their individual home parishes.
Unfortunately this New Preservation Movement receives no recognition whatsoever from the current wave of neither Greek-born immigrant-scholars nor their counterparts in Greece. This conscious denial of the efforts being made by Greek-Americans to preserve their heritage in this country flies in the face of the social theory as taught to/and presumably taught by this current generation of college trained professionals. Divisiveness among Greeks is nothing new but this division between contemporary community actions and academic documentation and response to those actions is totally unprecedented even for Greeks.
Whatever cultural beliefs prohibit the current generation of Greek-born scholars from even reporting on (let alone attempting to objectively analyze) the actions of Greek-Americans— others are not so inhibited. We know this from a number of public announcements made by the Order of AHEPA Chapter No. 61.
Another quote from the commemorative album, to confirm the point: “During a special meeting conducted on March 15, 2015 of Chapter #61, the re naming of our Chapter was approved in honor of Brother Gust C. Kraras. Gust is a life member of the Order of AHEPA with 70 years of distinguished service. He was initiated into the Order of AHEPA on December 6, 1945. Gust’s achievements have been significant and notable undertakings. For many years, he organized the nationally famous Wildwood AHEPA Greek Weekend, which donated many thousands of dollars to AHEPA Scholarships. Brother Gust served as District Governor of the Fifth District in New Jersey. He is Past President of the William Penn Chapter #61 in Reading, PA. In 2010, Gust had a vision to reinstate the Reading Chapter after a period of inactivity. He was the driving force behind the renewed interest in the William Penn Chapter #61. His guidance established renewed levels of achievement in all areas of our organization’s development. It is for these reasons that our chapter membership decided to rename our AHEPA Chapter #61 in Brother Gust’s honor.”
Greeks do not praise their own lightly. It is for his lifetime of service to his Faith and for his personal efforts and writings aimed at the preservation of the local Greek American community’s histories for which he is rightly honored.
There can be no doubt that Gust Kraras has given back more than he was ever given.
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