Fresno City Council
February 1, 2024

CITYOFFRESNOOice of Councilmember NelsonEsparza&Mayor JerryDyer Saint George GreekOrthodoxChurch100thAnniversary
WHEREAS: In the 19th century, Greek immigrants began arriving in the Fresno area and over time,created a close-knit community of families who over the years, sought to establish a localGreekOrthodoxChurch; andWHEREAS: The Greek Community of Fresno was founded May 5, 1923. The Archdiocese in turngranted permission to establishthefirst GreekOrthodoxChurch, incorporatedonFebruary9,1924. The First DivineLiturgytookplaceonAugust 14, 1924, conductedbytheRev. FatherMichael Mandillas, who was assigned as priest by the Archdiocese. A small white stuccochurchonFresno’swest sidewasbuilt andnamedSaint GeorgeGreekOrthodoxChurch; andWHEREAS: The congregation integratedintoFresno’smulti-cultural fabricandtraditionsinthefollowingcentury, marking numerous achievements and founding organizations and customs. TheseincludethePaschaPicnic, theaward-winningannual GreekFestival, theAthenaPhiloptochosSociety, golf tournaments, and local community outreach. Together, theseeffortscontributedsignificantlytotheongoingsuccessof theGreekOrthodoxChurch; andWHEREAS: In1955, thecurrent churchwasconstructedat 2219NorthOrchardStreet. Thisnew, largerbuildingfeaturedcaptivatingneo-Byzantineart interiors. Itsconsecrationtookplacein1959andwasmarkedbyamemorablevisit fromArchbishopIakovosof theGreekEasternOrthodoxChurchof America; andWHEREAS: Saint GeorgeGreekOrthodoxChurchcelebratesits100thanniversarywithayearlongcelebrationin2024. WithadeephistoryinFresno, Saint Georgehasbeenapillar of theFresnocommunityandanintegral pieceof thecity’sfabric.NOWTHEREFOREBEITRESOLVED: that we, Councilmember Nelson Esparza, Mayor Jerry P. Dyer, theFresno City Council and City Manager Georganne AhamnosWhite, doherebyproclaim, the1st of February2024, as:
“Saint GeorgeGreekOrthodoxChurch”intheCityof Fresno.INWITNESSWHEREOF, wehavehereuntoset our handsandaffixedtheSeal of TheCityof Fresno, California, onthis1 st
dayof February2024.