A short history of St. Michael's Romanian Orthodox Church of Southbridge, Massachusetts

St. Michael's Romanian Orthodox Church of Southbridge, Massachusetts involve two generations of Americans of Romanian-Macedonian descent. The first generation came to the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century and the other generation arrived in the second part of the same period. All came to America from the old area of the Macedonian empire, the Balkans of Europe.

They brought with them only creative energy, the spiritual treasures of the famous Macedonian people, high mark of bravery, and the strong an pure faith and love of God to live here in America, in complete freedom and brotherhood with all the American people.

Their most sacred desires were to keep the Orthodox faith of their great grandfathers and the Church as the city of God, in which they could continue to receive eternal salvation, wisdom and the grace of Jesus Christ and in order that they might have permanently, with them the eternal house of meeting with God, in the same faith as their parents in Holy Communion, to enjoy life and to be together, even in sadness, they chose as protector and leader in divine spirituality in their life, St. Michael the archangel, supreme leader of heavenly hosts. This would insure for the future that their descendants would be born as Christians in the everlasting Kingdom of God, having communion with the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Orthodox faith being at one and the same time eternal and the moral background of their parents.

With this eternal creed of life, the first generation of Macedonian people officially founded the first Church of Southbridge on June 24, 1924. Be­fore having even their own houses, they bought a nice place for the Church on a hill of Southbridge and immediately built a small Church. On Novem­ber 9, 1924, the cornerstone was laid.

In 1949-1950, when other Romanian people came, they built a Parochial Hall with two levels where picnics, weddings, feasts, Sunday School, choir rehearsals, Women's Society meetings, conferences and other meetings could be held. It was called "Casa Romana". The grand opening of the Hall was held in April, 1950.

Later, it was the people's desire to build yet another Church, not too much bigger than the first, but more beautiful; so they built a new attrac­tive church in the same place and dedicated it on November 12, 1961.

In 1970, the same founders built a nice apartment for the priest in the upstairs hall, equipped with all modern conveniences.

Immediately after, in our time, appeared the third generation of Roman­ian people who set up a museum called the Alexander Macedon Museum, in the second part of the upstairs hall in 1971. The museum depicts the deep appreciation of the Church's young generation for the old history of the Macedonian people and for the new history which was created here in Amer­ica by their parents.

There were also a great many who donated many hours to the Sunday School for the children and to the church choir and also helped many people in their time of need because all Macedonian people are known for their open hearts. St. Paul himself appreciated in the Bible Macedonian people, "extremely generous in their giving, even though they were very poor". (II Cor. 8: 2).

For all the above reasons the new generation of Romanian people em­braced all these institutions which were built by their parents because they were built upon the eternal rock of faith with energy and love for all genera­tions in God's Church where salvation will always be found for the present and the future.

For all these distinguished features and remarkable realizations of the Romanian people here in Southbridge, the American people have rewarded them, and the late Senator Philip Philbin made the proposal and it was passed in the Senate in Massachusetts - and so we have here in Southbridge the only "Romanian Avenue" in the United States.

Also, when we had here in Southbridge at St. Michael's Church the Thirty ­eighth Annual Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Episcopate in America, July 2, 1969, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Sen­ate sent Official Resolutions "Be it Resolved; that the Massachusetts Sen­ate Hereby extends its Congratulations to: St. Michael's Romanian Ortho­dox Church of Southbridge, Massachusetts"

But especially, Romanian people have a full gratification in their hearts be­cause all these realizations from St. Michael's Church have been received by the Eternal God, as a sign that through these institutions there has been. growth and progress made year by year.