The History of the
Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church
Elk Grove, California
Before the Commission on Missions and Evangelism was organized in the San Francisco Metropolis, His Eminence, Metropolitan Anthony recognized the future growth potential of the Sacramento Valley. On April 20, 1988, His Eminence convened a special meeting at the Kerr Junior High School with a number of interested Orthodox faithful in the suburban Elk Grove area to explore the possibility of sanctioning a new parish.
The following month, May 25th, His Eminence met again with the same families and appointed members of the first Parish Council for the new parish, which was initially known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Southern Sacramento County.
A month later, the 22 families of the newly organized parish held a barbeque to introduce the Reverend Constantine C. Pappademos and Presvytera Chrisoula as the future pastor of the new church. Father Pappademos received his Master of Divinity degree from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 1985. He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in June of the same year and served as Assistant Priest to the Very Reverend Leonidas Contos at the Holy Cross parish in Belmont, California for the next three years. Father Constantine celebrated the first Divine Liturgy for the new Elk Grove parish on August 7, 1988 in a rented hall and continues to serve as pastor of Saint Katherine.
The following month, parishioner Angelo Tsakopoulos and a small group of partners donated a 10-acre parcel of land that the parish eventually sold to help finance the construction of its new church.
Just before Easter of 1989, the congregation moved to a more permanent location, a 3,000 square foot warehouse space on Dino Drive in Elk Grove, which the members converted into a chapel seating approximately 150.
On June 3, 1989, the parish voted to have Saint Katherine, the 4th century Great Martyr of Alexandria as its patron saint, and to take the name of Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church. Three months later the congregation commissioned Mr. Christ J. Kamages, AIA of EKONA Architecture + Planning of San Francisco to design a permanent house of worship.
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the new church on September 26, 1993, at a new 3-acre parcel located in the Laguna West neighborhood and donated by parishioners Angelo Tsakopoulos, Phil Angelides and Sotiris Kolokotronis. Construction began a year later, the steel framed dome was lifted into place 40 feet above the floor on May 9, 1995, and the new church was completed in September of 1995.
Metropolitan Anthony and the congregation celebrated the first Divine Liturgy after the initial Thyranoixia or Door Opening ceremony on October 29, 1995. The church is a 7,200 square foot building designed in the style of 9th century Byzantine architecture. It seats 300 people, has an educational wing and an administrative wing with office space for the parish priest and staff. The church also features an iconostasis and church furnishings hand carved in Slovenian white oak by Steve A. Kavroulakis of Hania, Greece. Byzantine iconography executed by the gifted iconographer, Constantine Karopoulos of Toronto, Canada, adorns the Narthex, Altar, and dome of Saint Katherine.
On the feast of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, November 8th, 2004, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America visited the Sacramento area for the first time and worshipped with the Saint Katherine community. In his sermon at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence noted the active participation in the Liturgy of the nearly 300 faithful in attendance that Monday morning.
On November 20, 2004, the congregation celebrated the Grand Opening of its new Tsakopoulos Hall, donated by parishioners George and Drosoula Tsakopoulos. This beautiful banquet facility was designed by Ed Kado & Associates of Sacramento, measures 8,400 square feet and features dinner seating for 300 people with a complete commercial kitchen.
Seventeen years after its founding, having increased from 22 families to over 300 families, and going from a rented hall to occupying over $7 million in buildings and assets, the Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church of Elk Grove, California celebrated the consecration of its church on May 21, 2005
In 2007, the Saint Katherine community raised over $200,000 to complete the landscaping of their church campus, providing for a dedicated outdoor festival space, a Biblical Garden planted with plants mentioned in the Bible, and a Mediterranean Bell Tower. The project was dedicated with a special agiasmos ceremony on September 16th and featured in the Sacramento Bee newspaper the next day.
The parish has gained a reputation for being a warm and inviting community with all the typical parish programs, as well as having a strong commitment to Stewardship giving.