OUR LADY OF THE CEDARS CHURCH : A dream is realized....

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      When Middle Eastern immigrants began arriving in Manchester around the turn of the century, they yearned to have a church of their own. On November 15, 1930, thirty-five families petitioned the Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester, the late Bishop Guertin, for a parish. He gave permission for the use of the Holy Rosary Chapel for services. On Feb. 13, 1955, the late Bishop Brady organized Our Lady of the Cedars as a mission parish. The late Patriarch of Antioch, Maximos IV, visited Manchester and blessed the mission on August 31, 1955.

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      After much work and prayer, the parishioners obtained property located at 161 South Beech St., and erected the basement of the church in 1956. For six years this capped basement (later used as the church hall) served as church and part-time rectory. In 1963 the upper church structure was finally completed and the church was raised from the status of a mission to that of a full parish.

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With the dawning of the new millennium, however, it became apparent that a more expansive facility was needed to meet the needs of a growing parish. On October 19, 2005, Archbishop Cyril Bustros signed the paperwork that completed the purchase of new property located and corner of Calef Rd. and Mitchell St., Manchester (formerly St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church). After much renovation, the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the new church on Christmas Eve, 2005.