Parish History: The 1930's - A Time of Healing

At the conclusion of the case, the status of the two divided communities stabilized until October 28, 1929, when the dreaded stock market crash occurred and the country was plunged into the Great Depression. With unemployment rampant and whole families descending into poverty, the respective religious communities were deeply affected. They struggled to meet their expenses, and on several occasions failed to make timely mortgage payments.

But, as had happened in the past, people in the community were able to rise above these dire circumstances and, through courageous and principled action, to avert the impending catastrophe. In this darkest moment in its history, the church, faced with the imminent prospect of collapse and dissolution, found three heroic men who were able to lead it to the light of restoration. Those men were Nicholas Batsinelas, a Laconian and president of St. Vasilios; Theodore Fotopoulos, a Messinian and president of Holy Transfiguration; and the Rev. Fr. George Economides, a learned theologian and graduate of the Patriarchal Institute of Halki, the pastor of Holy Transfiguration.

It is perhaps to Mr. Batsinelas that the greatest credit belongs. He was a man of slight build, a factory worker with barely a grammar school education and a fervent partisan of the old calendar royalist cause. As the early months of the Depression wore on, however, he became increasingly convinced that only through the union of the two communities could St. Vasilios survive. Setting aside his personal views, he secretly approached Mr. Fotopoulos and proposed a dialogue. Mr. Fotopoulos, a Salem businessman and progressive new calendarist, was a tall, physically imposing but soft-spoken man of sobriety, balance and fairness. Although deeply skeptical of any chance for success, he nonetheless enthusiastically embraced the suggestion of dialogue.

Over January and February of 1930, these two men met secretly over 10 times. As the trust between them grew, they discovered that they shared many points of view in common. Building upon them, they arrived at a consensus for achieving the unity of the two parishes. They then each promised to approach their respective board members individually and become missionaries of their plan.

In August of that year, the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Metropolitan Damaskinos, arrived in Salem together with his chancellor. Calling both sides to a meeting, he attempted to mediate an agreement that would restore unity, but after hours of struggle, it proved impossible. This failure, however, only made Mr. Batsinelas and Mr. Fotopoulos more determined. They worked feverishly throughout the following weeks to bring board members to their point of view.

When both men were convinced that they had obtained a majority on their boards to support the union, they called a joint meeting for September 19, 1930. The community was electrified by the news that a union might be within reach. Throughout the following week, every supper table, tannery, coffee house and chance encounter was dominated by the discussion and debate over the impending meeting.

When the day arrived, every one of the nine coffee houses on Walnut Street, both royalist and republican, were packed to capacity with men awaiting the outcome of the meeting about to begin in the church on English Street. Women remained at home anticipating the return of their husbands with news, some nervously sewing or knitting to pass the time, while others prayed before their icons for the participants of the fateful encounter.

The respective board members entered the church at the appointed hour and went to the table-the royalist old calendarists on one side, the republican new calendarists on the other. Suddenly, Mr. Fotopoulos and Mr. Batsinelas entered as well, accompanied by Fr. Economides. The Rev. Fr. Nicholas Diamantopoulos, pastor of St. Vasilios, expressed his opposition to any union with the new calendarists and declined to attend.

All rose and were led in prayer by Fr. Economides who invoked God’s peace and guidance on the deliberations that were about to begin. Mr. Batsinelas invited Mr. Fotopoulos to preside, and the discussion started. Mr. Fotopoulos allowed representatives from each side to speak alternately, and at first all went well as general remarks supportive of the union were shared. But as the discussion turned to details of that union, old animosities, demands and intransigent points of view began to surface. Each side sought an advantage over the other, and as the meeting entered its third hour, one could sense that failure was looming on the horizon.

At that critical point, Mr. Batsinelas, who had remained silent, rose to speak. He called to mind the heroic sacrifices of the past, the painful need for spiritual and social sustenance in the desperate circumstances of the present and the sacred obligation that each man had to the future and to his posterity. He ended his comments by saying, “Each of us, on his appointed day, shall stand before the dread judgment seat to answer the question, ‘Did you vote to heal and bind up the church, or did you vote to inflict the fatal wound?’ “ The power, passion and eloquence of his words were not what was expected of a man of limited education, but everyone present was nonetheless deeply moved. Thirty-seven years later, at a meeting with Fr. Andrew Demotses in Falmouth, MA, Fr. Economides recalled those words by quoting Scripture. Do not “worry how you will speak or defend yourselves, because I will give you such words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to refute or contradict what you say.” (Luke 21:14-15).

When no one else wished to speak, Mr. Fotopoulos asked all those in favor of the union to raise their hands. Mr. Batsinelas raised his first followed by Mr. Fotopoulos. Slowly, one by one, hands began to rise until, suddenly, everyone realized that every hand was up! 

Emotionally exhausted, no one moved until one man, whose name and identity are lost to history, rose from his chair, ran from the room, climbed three flights of stairs to the church bell tower and began to ring the bell.

All those assembled on the corners and in the coffee houses did not at first understand the significance of the bell until they realized it was not tolling in mourning, but was ringing joyfully. Men jumped from their chairs to hug and shake hands, coming into the street cheering, whistling and celebrating. As they walked home, royalists met republican brothers, cousins, koumbarous and childhood friends to whom they had not spoken for four long years and embraced in happiness. At home, wives had also heard the joyful pealing of the bell and quickly ran from kitchens and porches to join the celebration. The following week, on October 28, 1930, at a joint General Assembly of both churches, the articles of unification were read and accepted by acclamation. Mr. Batsinelas, ever gracious, nominated Mr. Fotopoulos for the presidency of the newly united parish, and he was elected by acclamation. Mr. Batsinelas was content to fade into obscurity. This great man, although small in stature and humble by nature, showed himself to be a giant and pivotal figure in the life of our church. He is numbered among our greatest presidents, and in the words of Fr. Economides, “He offered St. Vasilios a profound gift-the most joyous day in its whole history.”

Although the parish was now united, the separation over four years exacted a profound economic cost. At the time, it was estimated that those costs exceeded $35,000 in legal fees, salaries, rental expenses and duplicated services. In total, it was a sum that would have permitted the parish to amortize its entire debt. But the human cost had been even greater. It would take the parish many years to heal the wounds of alienation and discord that had resulted.

This healing process was in great measure the legacy of both Theodore Fotopoulos and Fr. George Economides. After his election to the presidency of the newly united parish, Mr. Fotopoulos consented to remain in office for five years to allow the church to avoid contentious elections that could have awakened passions and tensions that very much needed to be put to rest. Working closely with Fr. Economides, they administered the affairs of the church with moderation and fairness. Enjoying the confidence of both sides, they were able to repair the torn fabric of parish life and to bring peace.

Nor were they content to be mere caretakers. During their collaboration, the Church School was founded, a children’s service was introduced on Sundays and the Philoptochos, a society of women dedicated to acts of Christian charity established in 1925, reorganized. In 1934, Fr. Economides established a second Philoptochos Chapter in Salem. The church was furnished with pews, the heating systems of both the church and school were rebuilt and all remaining maintenance that had been deferred was completed. In 1936, Mr. Fotopoulos stepped down as president, although he remained on the board, and was succeeded by John Argeros. The transition was now complete.

Although the decade of the 1930s was essentially a transitional period in the history of St. Vasilios, it was also a time during which the parish developed multiple intersecting and overlapping permanent structures that could be mobilized to meet a host of social and economic community needs. Numerous service organizations came into existence, as did organizations based on regional areas of birth. In due time, as the tumultuous decade of the 1940s approached, these resources would be marshaled through the community’s emerging complex and powerful institutional structures to respond to the unprecedented events occasioned by the Second World War.

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