History

Radio Temple was organized at Twelve Mile Road and Gardner. The radio talks always welcomed people to Berkley.

The Radio Temple was founded by Rev. H. Ed. Weinzierl on 3212 12 Mile at Gardner in Berkley, who served until 1960. During The Great Depression, the church grew rapidly and became well known for its healing and radio ministry. The church was the vision of Rev. H. Ed. Weinzierl who was then the pastor of the quite new Radio Temple in Berkley and was the “circuit rider” pastor for many months until the structure was completed and a full-time pastor. The church was spreading the word among people under the name of Alliance Church which was eventually renamed to be Crossroad Alliance Church after they moved from Berkley in 1971.

What is meant by this historical introduction is to prove that the historical building of St. Mary Berkley played an important role in the history of the City of Berkley, Michigan. The Radio talks always welcomed people to come to the City of Berkley which started to be a city in 1920; the date of the foundation of the Radio Temple which functioned as many think in the year of 1921. At the same time, the building started to spread the word in all the available ways since that date till 1971.

Since the Church became Antiochian Orthodox Church in 1973 when Fr. George Kattouah, (ordained in the Greek Church), bought the church under his name and after was transferred to be under the name of Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America which is a part of the Antiochian Orthodox Church which is legally known as Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East is an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Headed by the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Antioch, it considers itself the successor to the Christian community founded in Antioch by the Apostles Peter and Paul.

Written by Very Rev Fr. Boulos E. Moussa

ST. MARY ORTHODOX CHURCH

In the year 1973, the building on 3212 12 Mile Rd and Gardner at Berkley Michigan was bought by middle eastern people to be an Orthodox Church. The status of the building was not so ready to be used as a Church. Its people left the building in 1971 and they moved to someplace in Troy, MI. The Great Depression left its mark on the features and inside the building. The new buyers did their best to change the inside to be an Orthodox temple. We still have some old icons they put on the Iconostasis and on the walls.

The first priest who came to serve the Orthodox community was Archimandrite Michel Tahhan, as I was told by one of the founders of St. Mary Berkley. “I remember that a Greek Priest who was a priest served for a short time there”, he said. In reality, several priests served in the Church during the first years. I have a letter from the Secretary of the Council of St. Mary, dated November 8, 1976, which was addressed to Fr. Michael Coury as the new pastor of the Church. We can say that the church started to crawl like any newborn baby, and even when it started to be under the umbrella of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, it had its ups and downs. Several priests served as pastors I can mention like Very Reverend Father George Sayyaf (Two periods), Very Reverend Father Elias Naser, Very Reverend Father Anis Elias (two periods) Archimandrite Denis, Very Reverend George Baalbaki and Reverend Father Nabil Fino.

Very Reverend Father Boulos E. Moussa started his ministry at St. Mary Christian Orthodox Church of Berkley, MI (under the Antiochian Christian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America), July 01, 2016. His first Sunday Divine Liturgy was held July 02, 2016.

Written by Very Rev Fr. Boulos E. Moussa