Holy trinity Church
Greek Orthodox Church

About Us

FAITH. COMMUNITY. TRADITION.

History

Our parish was founded in 1922 by a handful of Greek immigrants.  Today there are over 150 families with many children.

The history of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Asheville stems from the desire of the early Greek settlers in this area to develop and maintain a closely knit community among themselves and to live with the Holy Orthodox Faith as handed down by the Saints in every generation.
 
In 1922 the Greek  Orthodox faithful living in Asheville formed a community and named it “Holy Trinity”.  Since they did not have a Church building of their own, the First Baptist Church and the Trinity Episcopal Church made rooms available for them when an Orthodox priest would come to the area to perform services and administer sacraments.  Between infrequent visits from the clergy, parishioners would also gather in homes to chant the Paraklesis service.
 
In the early 1930’s, the upstairs floor of the Moskins Building on Patton Avenue was rented for Church services.  About this time an Orthodox monastery was established in Gastonia, NC. The eldest monk there was a priest and he came once a month to perform the Divine Liturgy. He obtained some lumber and built an iconostasion and converted one of the rooms into a place of worship. The other room was converted into a Greek school. In addition to the maintaining of the Orthodox Faith, the education of their children was of prime importance.  They did not want their children to lose their Greek heritage or language.
 
The parish continued to grow as more people moved to the Asheville area.  The late 1930’s saw the establishment of a Sunday School in the parish.  Also during this time the parish purchased the building at 66 Market Street.  They soon moved from the Moskins Building to the new location.  In 1942, a priest from the Orthodox community in Greenville, SC would come to perform services on one Saturday each month.
 
In 1953, the M.V. Moore estate on Cumberland Avenue was purchased and the existing house was renovated to serve as a community center.  In 1954 the Asheville parish and the Spartanburg parish entered into an agreement whereby a priest was obtained to serve the two communities. The priest performed Divine Liturgy three Sundays a month in Spartanburg and one in Asheville. Services continued be held at the Market Street location.
 
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Church building took place on September 22, 1957. In 1958, the church building was completed, and the building on Market Street was sold. In June 1959, the community welcomed their first full-time priest, Fr. Nicholas Spirakis, who served until 1970. Under his spiritual direction, the community continued to progress.
 
The Church building was completely renovated in 2007 through the generous contributions of parishioners. Today, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Asheville has a traditional Byzantine layout and appearance. Under the leadership of Father Michael Diavatis, our community continues to offer a wide range of liturgical services, youth ministries and fraternal associations for both men and women.

 
 
Remember, remember my beloved child, that all of the happenings of our life are part of the utterly unknown economy of God.
— St. Luke the Surgeon
 
 

Clergy

 
 

PROISTAMENOS

Rev. Fr. Michael Diavatis

Fr. Michael was born and raised in Benicia, CA, a suburb of San Francisco. His father was born in Kerkyra (Corfu) Greece and his mother was born in Utah. In 1995 he was married to Nikol Topakas of Philadelphia, PA. Fr. Michael and Presvytera Nikol both graduated from Hellenic College in 1996, then in 1999 Fr. Michael graduated from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.

Fr. Michael was ordained by Archbishop Spyridon in Bridgeport, CT on December 13, 1998. At that time he served as the 2nd deacon to the Archbishop until May, when Archdeacon Elias Villis was ordained to the priesthood, then Fr. Michael served as the first deacon until the retirement of Archbishop Spyridon in August of 1999.

In September of 1999, Fr. Michael was assigned to St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Las Vegas, NV, where he served under and learned from Fr. (now bishop) Elias Katre. Fr. Michael was ordained to the holy priesthood on October 31 of the same year.

In July of 2001, Fr. Michael and family (4 children at the time) drove out of Las Vegas to Anchorage, AK where he served the Church of the Holy Transfiguration. Nearly 40 years previously his Pappou, Fr. Spyridon Diavatis, served the same parish.

In March of 2003 the Diavatis family flew from Anchorage, AK to Melbourne, FL to serve St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church. In September of 2006 Fr. Michael served St. George Greek Orthodox Church in New Castle, PA. On August 1, 2012, Fr. Michael was assigned to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Asheville, NC. Fr. Michael and Presvytera Nikol now have 9 children.