To Love the Poor: Orphanages and the Greek American Community in the United States during the Early 20th Century

Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, religious denominations in the United States sponsored their own institutions to provide care for orphans and destitute children. The establishment of St. Basil’s Academy in 1944 as a child welfare institution was preceded by earlier efforts by Greek American communities to support children who had lost one or both parents or whose families faced severe financial hardships. For instance, the Greek American Institute in the Bronx was established in 1912 as a combined orphanage and elementary school. Similarly, during the early 1930s, an orphanage and elementary school operated for a brief period in Pomfret, CT before being forced to close due to financial constraints. The St. Stefanos Monastery in Gastonia, North Carolina, also faced a similar fate; it was intended to serve as a center for missionary and monastic activities, an orphanage and school for children ages 8 and up, and a boarding school for Greek American children in the South.

However, previous scholarly work on the early Greek American immigrant experience has often overlooked the individuals and institutions dedicated to caring for and educating orphaned children. This paper seeks to fill this gap by drawing from a diverse range of primary sources and unpublished documents to shed light on the broader mobilization of Greek American community organizations. These include the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, women’s philanthropic societies, fraternal and regional organizations, and businesses. Through the examination of numerous letters from parents, priests, and relatives found in archival sources, this research reveals the vulnerability of Greek American families and the concerted efforts made by their communities to provide support and care.