Des Plaines church rebuilds chapel destroyed in '08 flooding

The Rev. John Rallis could never forget the events on Sept. 13, 2008, that transformed the parish of St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Des Plaines.

In what was perhaps the worst flooding the church community and Des Plaines as a whole had witnessed in nearly a decade, a large portion of the church's facilities were devastated by spillover from a swollen Des Plaines River. Spared were a recently built elevated addition housing the parish day school and youth ministry.

The church's Guardian Angel Chapel, originally built in 1965, was deluged under more than three feet of water that turned the church parking lot into a lake, forcing parishioners to use canoes to shuttle food and equipment as they worked to safeguard what they could, focusing on the main church.

"That night people slept on the pews of the church," Rallis said of the people who were working to keep the water out.

When the floodwater receded 24 hours later, it left soggy carpets and all imaginable filth and muck behind. Floors and walls throughout much of the church had to be gutted to remove mold, and the facilities disinfected, Rallis said.

Now, after nine months of construction, the church will officially open its newly rebuilt, elevated chapel this Sunday, placing a cross on its dome.

The cross will be blessed by the presiding bishop of the Greek church in the Midwest inside the main church building. The divine liturgy starts at 10 a.m., followed by a procession for the placing of the cross on the dome at about noon.

"We expect it will be a full church, around 500 to 600 people," Rallis said.

St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church was established in 1959 to serve the Northwest suburbs. The Des Plaines church ministers to more than 1,300 people.

Hundreds of parishioners, including children who attend the church's Sunday school, tried saving the buildings from the onslaught of floodwater in 2008.

"We had built a whole wall outside (with) 6,000 sandbags," Rallis said. "It came so fast and even despite the heroic efforts of the parishioners, we couldn't sandbag fast enough to save it (the chapel). The only thing we made sure to save was the main church."

The chapel, primarily a 60-foot-by-100-foot room was used for Sunday worship, weddings, baptisms and funerals until 1971, when the main church building was erected. Then it served as a secondary worship space, used primarily for the church's youth ministry.

The day after the 2008 flood - Sept. 14 - the church community, now homeless, normally celebrates its feast of Elevation of the Holy Cross - a major religious observance in the Greek Orthodox faith.

"We could not have services here so the parishioners just went to any other churches in the neighborhood," Rallis said. "It was sad because we missed being as a family."

Rallis said what gave him hope that dismal day was an image still etched in his mind of a rainbow cutting across blue skies full of clouds right above the church.

In the aftermath of the flooding, the parish received support and monetary gifts from Greek churches throughout the Chicago area.

A few months later, church leaders began the $1.8 million chapel reconstruction with donations from parishioners and a bank loan.

The floor of the parish community center/gym - originally built in 1964 - also had to be completely rebuilt. Parishioners will be served their Sunday meal there and asked to donate toward the reconstruction effort.

The new Byzantine-style chapel seats more than 300 people under a raised, barrel-vaulted ceiling with a dome. The building is raised 46 inches, similar to the school addition, and is handicap accessible. The chapel will continue to be used for the church's youth ministry and for baptisms.

"It gives us some kind of comfort and flexibility in our operation, teaching and worship," Rallis said. "Our goal, from the beginning, was to provide an environment conducive to worship for our school-age children, and we thank our loving God for this day."