Decade passes since opening of Georgian church in US, Georgian patriarch thanks US gov’t

The Georgian Patriarchate has marked the opening of the first Georgian church in the United States exactly one decade ago. 

In an open letter published by the Georgian Patriarchate on the weekend, Georgian Catholics Patriarch Ilia II thanks the “US authorities and everyone in the country” who have helped and supported Georgian migrants living in America for many years.

Ilia ll told Georgians living abroad that “you create the image of our country overseas and your good or bad behavior has an influence on Georgia’s image.”

Ilia II thanked Georgian clerics in the United States “who help Georgian nationals living there find a path to God and walk it despite many challenges.”

10 years have passed since the creation of Georgia’s North American Eparchy. 

Service in Atskuri St. Mary church in Philadelphia is delivered both in Georgian and English. 

As of now 18 Georgian churches and parishes are in the US and Canada.