Parishioner Reflections

The following is a testimonial by Litsa, Madeleine, and Kosta Kapsalis who reflect on the importance of St. George to their family. "St. George is part of our heritage. It’s not just a church we attend, it’s part of who we are, it’s in our everlasting DNA, and it will forever be". The family has been an integral part of the St. George Community since the founding of St. George in 1923.

Can a rose be anything other than a rose?  Its fragile petals, its fragrant aroma, its vibrant color are all part of its being, all coming from its heritage.  St. George is part of our heritage. It’s not just a church we attend, it’s part of who we are, it’s in our everlasting DNA, and it will forever be.  St. George permeates our DNA.  Our grandmother, Garifalia (Litsa) Kapsalis, was a Tsarpalas before she was married.  The Tsarpalas Family, which came to America from Kynigou (near Pylos) at the very beginning of the 20th century, started coming to St. George when the church was founded.  In fact, our Yiayia Litsa’s first cousin, Litsa Tsarpalas (b. 1917), who passed away in 2016, was a student in the very first Sunday school class of St. George.  Our Yiayia Litsa lived on nearby George Street, walking to St. George, when she emigrated from Greece in the early 1950s.  Also settling in the neighborhood, just a block away from our church on Wilton, was our Yiayia Magdalini (Thanoukou) Gzamouranis who emigrated from Svoleika Tagea in the late 1950s and lived with her Aunt Evgenia Feflis’ family when she first arrived.  Both of our yiayias met their future husbands in Chicago and both brought them to St. George to be married.  It’s impossible to overestimate the love and commitment that our Pappou Gus Kapsalis, who came to America from Lidoriki, had for St. George.  He faithfully served on the Board of Directors for 40 years and worked countless hours at all the church functions and as its School Board President, as the church Treasurer and as the church Vice President. He was passionate about the well-being of the church and genuinely loved every member of the community.  Our Pappou Gus Gzamouranis, from Aetos Messina, has been a member of St. George since 1962.  Chances are that if you had wine at one of our church picnics over the years, it was donated by him.  

Can a rose be anything other than a rose?   As the original flower matures, new ones bloom in the sun, still a rose, still grounded in the same fertile soil.  Our parents, Spyro and Stella Kapsalis were born into St. George and married here.  Our dad’s first home was on nearby Oakdale, he was baptized and became an altar boy here and as an adult, as his father before him, served on the Board.  Our mom also grew up in the church and for years was the woman behind the scenes assisting the Mirofores.  Our parents have told us their countless stories about our church, about attending St. George Sunday School and Greek School, about the yellow Greek School bus, about GOYA, about the annual church picnic in Schiller Woods, about the bazaars, the lunches and the dances in the church hall and on and on.  In their description, these experiences were not shared merely with other parishioners, these were experiences shared with close family, the families of St. George.

Can a rose be anything other than a rose?  Slowly some petals drop and yet the rose bush lives on because it has deep roots, still a rose bush, but with new roses, for generations upon generations.  We were all baptized at St. George.  Kosta, now an eighth-grader, was an altar boy while Madeleine, now a high school junior, and Litsa, now a college freshman were Mirofores.  We push our Yiayia Litsa in her wheelchair and sit in the same pew that our grandparents did and pray to our Lord and for intercessions by St. George.  We are in the same awe that our ancestors were when our candles are lit at midnight on Easter at St. George.  We join Fr. Chrysanthos every Memorial Day at the St. George section of Irving Park Cemetery to pray over our departed family. As small children, we asked to sit in the same balcony as our parents would ask when they were little.  It’s on that balcony where our father asked our mother to marry him.   We secretly imagine what our wedding at St. George will be like, and one thing we know for sure, we’ll have roses.

Kosta, Madeleine and Litsa Kapsalis