The St. John the Baptist community of Pueblo Colorado, as with many other Greek Orthodox Churches around the United States, will soon be observing its 100th Anniversary Celebration. The Greek community of Pueblo is the result of the massive waves of immigrant laborers who traveled from Greece between 1880 and 1920 seeking a better life. In September 2005, a 100th Anniversary Commemorative Memory Book will be published to mark this historic event. As such, the Centennial Committee of the St. John parish is asking all those individuals and families who lived or have had relatives live in Pueblo help to contribute to this monumental volume. The early Greek immigrants who traveled to America faced hardship and frequent changes in employment. These intrepid Hellenes were not afraid to move at a moment's notice for a better job, to observe a fellow villager's funeral or to attend a relative's wedding no matter the effort required or distances involved. Since this was the case, the Centennial Committee of the St. John parish is reaching out to anyone who might have memories or historical information about the larger Pueblo Greek community. The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, along with the presence of various major railroad lines and mines, brought an estimated 3000 to 3500 Greek men to the city of Pueblo to work in the largest smelter complex west of the Mississippi or seasonally on the railroad section gangs and mines. Given the larger complex of industries in the state, an estimated 15,000 Greeks were said to be in Colorado between 1900 and 1920. Pueblo soon became the center for one of the most dynamic and viable Greek colonies in the American West. In 1903, under the direction of Dr. Christos Argyriou, a Greek committee formed and in 1905 the Greek Orthodox Community Association of Pueblo Colorado was registered with the state. The three points of this new corporation was to build a church, secure and maintain cemetery facilities and to help Greeks establish themselves in the region. On February 10, 1907, such was the drive of these early Greek immigrants that the St. John the Baptist church structure was fully completed (largely through volunteer labor) at 1010 Spruce Street. The parish community, with Rev. Father Kalistos Papageorgopoulos as its first priest, soon served a geographic area that spanned from just south of Denver south to Raton, New Mexico, from Garden City, Kansas west to eastern Utah. The multi-community character of the first days of the parish has continued to the present. Since literally thousands of Greek laborers were drawn to Colorado and the west during the early 1900s, Greek individuals and families from a host of communities regularly attended (and still attend) the St. John Parish. A partial list would have to include (but is not limited to): Alamosa, Aspen, Canon City, Colorado Springs, Garden City KS, Grand Junction, La Junta, Lamar, Leadville, Questa NM, Raton, NM, Salida, Trinidad, Walsenburg and a host of other small hamlets and towns in eastern Utah and the southern Colorado region. As a consequence, those with memories of the Pueblo Greek community have never all been exclusively from that city.  As the St. John the Baptist parish has never moved from its original building, it has the distinction of being the oldest Greek community still celebrating liturgy in the same location in the entire American West. Complimenting this fact is that on February 28, 2002, the St. John the Baptist Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Obviously, with a history of one hundred years, you or your family may have visited or lived in the Pueblo area at anytime in the past ten decades. We need to hear from as many of you as is possible. The 1930s, 1960s and 1990s are as important to the historical record as the early 1900s and 1920s. No time period, person, family or experience is more important than another. The whole purpose of this 100th Commemorative Memory Book is to contain as many of your unique, interesting stories and experiences that you, your parents, or grandparents, family member or friend wishes to share. Visit our Centennial Celebration Page for details or to contribute A very generous donation from Ted Argys from Salida, CO, in memory of his wife Helen, jump-started the Renovation Fund and projects at St. John. From this donation, The Royal Altar, the Proskomidi and the Honorteron were covered in white marble. Other donations served to finish the present engraving and the future engraving to be done on the Centennial Plaques. The Aspe (the curved east wall in the Holy Altar) will soon be lined in white marble as well. The names of deceased loved ones will soon be inscribed upon a marble Centennial plaque. Another marble plaque will be used as a Living Tablet. The positioning of these tablets on the west wall of the church will allow parishioners to see the names. There is still time for acceptance of a donation for the Centennial Plaque or the Living Plaque. If you would like to have your loved one remembered in this very special way, please let us know by sending in a check for $100.00 per name, with the information and correct spelling of your loved one.  Mail your check to: St. John Greek Orthodox Church PO Box 3011 Pueblo, CO 81005 Please note on check Renovation Fund RESTROOMS/BELL TOWER The restrooms and the storage room (which are in a separate building) have been completely renovated. What a difference from the old days!  The bell tower and bell renovation was just completed. PARISH HOUSE In the parish house, Parish Council decided to tear down a few walls in the two bedrooms and remodel this space into a Social Room for after Liturgy coffees. Not only was this a good idea for the social hours, but we now have plenty of room to prepare foods for the festival. We also now have the use of three stoves, sinks, and plenty of space for the volunteers. With this remodel, the visiting clergy still have living quarters available which are private from our Social Room. These quarters include a separate kitchen, bathroom, dining room, living room and a bedroom. The main body of the church was recently painted and all electrical wiring inside the church has been brought up to code. A large storage shed was built on the southeast corner of the church yard. Electricity was installed and this houses a few freezers and tables and chairs and other needed items for the festival and other functions of the parish.  MORE TO DO Projects we hope to complete prior to the Centennial Celebration in October 2005 are: · Paint the outside trim and windows of the church. · Paint all the inside icon frames and Icon Screen inside the church. · Bring outside electrical up to code. · Erect a brick sign. · Re-wire and polish the three chandeliers and replace missing parts. · Clean and restore two 100 year old tapestries given by the first Parish Council of the church. Please check back soon for our new photo gallery.