Thousands of Orthodox Christians came to the heartland of America from Greece, Lebanon, Russia and Yugoslavia at the dawn of the 20th century. Men followed relatives and neighbors to find jobs on the railroad and in the meatpacking plants.

Others peddled fruit and housewares to city and rural folk, later opening family-run restaurants, shops and groceries.

Faith and Family

The first brides arrived from villages back home, sometimes to marry men they had never met. Early weddings and baptisms were performed in homes by traveling Orthodox priests.

From the beginning, the immigrants labored to establish churches and to maintain the unchanging faith of their ancestors.For Arabs, Greeks and Slavs, community life revolved around the ancient traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The beauty of its iconography, the splendor of its rituals, and the cycle of feasts and celebrations still flourish in the Heartland today as a living legacy of the immigrant generation.