A brief History of St. James Antiochian
Orthodox Church
Saint James parish is composed of several
Arabic nationalities. The majority of whom are Jordanians. Prior
to 1993 the Arabic Christian Orthodox community in Greater
Cincinnati attended services at different churches in the area.
The urge to have their own church, the
community sought the aid of the Antiochian Archdiocese. In turn
the Archdiocese provided Father George Shaheen as a temporary
priest. With the commitment and dedication of the parishioners,
the former Branch Hill elementary school was bought in 1995. The
gym was converted to house the new church and Father Shaheen
performed the dedication service in the presence of the
parishioners and the media.
Since 1995 several priests served Saint James
Church. The Church land has experienced several renovations and
upgrades, last of which was the new Church hall and paved
parking lot.