St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church, located at 9201 S. 1300 East, is the newest church in Sandy following its Thyranoixia or “formal opening of the doors” on Saturday, Aug. 20 by the faith’s national leader, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.

“We have celebrated many milestones along our parish’s 10-year history,” Father Anthony Savas of the parish said. “This historic weekend is the culmination of
them all.”

The dedication of a national leader is a rarity for small parishes such as St. Anna, but was the fulfillment of a promise made to Savas years earlier when the Archbishop visited Utah for the first time. Savas had big plans to get the parish its own space to worship and make it more accessible to everyone in the community. 

What started out as a “church in a box” in a reception center 10 years ago, is now a dedicated space. The parish of about 200 families paid for the grounds, building and renovations by itself, raising $1.8 million. They bought the building in November 2019 and construction had been ongoing until this year. 

“We are now basically out of the construction business,” Savas wrote in a July 7 newsletter to the parish.

Previously an old garden and reception center, the building became their new sacred sanctuary and he is “grateful” to be out of the construction phase, Savas said. He said the vocal histories of St. Anna makes it a perfect namesake aligned with the previous purpose of the building.

Savas described the story of St. Joachim and his wife St. Anne, who eventually became the parents of the virgin Mary, or Theotokos. They were barren for a long time, he said, and for St. Anne “it was very painful.” 

“She was walking in her garden, looking up into a myrtle tree where she saw like two birds, and she was just lamenting, ‘How can even the birds have a family and I’m not able to,’” Savas said. “Her prayer was answered in her garden that she would have a child and so the fact that a church of St. Anna would be setting up shop in a garden center was really quite beautiful to us.”

The mosaic found on the front of the building of St. Anne and Theotokos, as well as palm leaf light fixtures in the entry hall, all give homage to the garden lineage of the building and the story of St. Anne. 

The new space is also a symbol of hope for the parish to continue growing.

In an effort to make the faith more accessible to the community and a unique feature of the Sandy church, is the emphasis on using English rather than the traditional Greek common in the faith and worship services, Savas said. 

“That may sound like a given, not even a thought but the predominant faith-culture of our diocese is to maintain the historical presence of the Greek language in our worship,” Savas said. “Not so much as being prideful Greeks, as I’m a very proud Greek American myself,” he quipped, “but the fidelity to the language of the gospel and to the early church.”

Even the new murals of holy figures such as Jesus Christ, St. Anne, and more, painted by international artists, adorn the building’s walls with English script.

“We are now ready to turn our past construction project into its intended purpose: a source of healing, a place of comfort, a protection against evil, a gathering place for the faithful, a beacon of hope, a witness to glory, a backdrop of fellowship, and primarily, our house of worship,” Savas wrote in a July 21 newsletter addressed to the parish. λ