A long journey to Monessen
By STACY WOLFORD
swolford@yourmvi.com
As a young boy growing up in his tiny village on the Greek island of Chios, Meletios Gianniodis listened with wide eyes as his grandmother told him stories of a “magnificent church” in a little American city called Monessen.
As he grew older, he fell more in love with his grandmother’s stories of her early life in the booming steel mill towns in the Mon Valley and he dreamed of visiting the great city.
Her stories helped foster his love for his faith and the church, and Meletios knew when he was just 12 years old he would become a priest.
“When I grew up, I heard stories of Monessen, Monongahela and Donora,” said Meletios. “My grandmother (Catherine Flamos) would tell me it’s a blessed place. She said happy people lived here and the people were kind and courteous.
“And she would tell me stories of this magnificent church called St. Spyridon in Monessen.”
To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Monday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.
