The Ladies of St George
by Brenda Mesalam
| Ladies of St George, Fishers, IN by Brenda Mesalam Faith…Love…Tradition…Family…Fellowship Faith, love, tradition, family and fellowship: these words define the Ladies Aid organization of St. George believed to have first organized in 1932 at the original Sherman Drive location. Early founders of the group then continued to meet as they moved the Church to 4020 Sherman Drive and remain a vital part of the current church in Fishers, IN. Over the years many things have changed in our world, in our lives and in our church. One thing about the Ladies Aid has never changed: faith, love, tradition, family and fellowship. I found a stack of old meeting minutes from previous Ladies Aid meetings. As I read and glanced through them, it was evident that faith, love, tradition, family and fellowship was what guided the ways and actions of the ladies involved in this worthwhile organization. In many instances, these founding women came to the United States with only those principles and nothing else. According to Diana Najjar, current treasurer for the Ladies Aid, her grandmother, Talge Joseph was the first treasurer of the group. Najjar states, “Grandma didn’t read or write English or Arabic– but she knew her numbers.” The earliest minutes I found were dated October 21, 1974, and were typed on a typewriter and hand signed by Mary Kafoure, secretary at the time. The group’s president was Elaine Eid. According to the minutes, they had 17 members present at that meeting held at the Church Hall. They reported a treasury balance of $5437.92. Here are a couple of highlights from that meeting: + Eva Ozman was appointed Chairman for the Christmas Party + Zemroud Corey & Elizabeth Corey demonstrated baking Holy Bread Next, I saw that a special meeting was called after Divine Liturgy on Sunday January 26, 1975. Highlights from these minutes: + It was voted that all members of the organization as well as all women in the Church, would take Holy Communion + Alice Corey reported that a smorgasbord was to be given by Progressives in June or July with proceeds going to the Board of Trustees I learned that on September 11, 1982, the Ladies Aid held a banquet and presented a play in honor of their 50th anniversary. The last of the paper minutes that I have are dated Wednesday June 17, 1987. Faith…Love…Tradition…Family…Fellowship The Ladies Aid of St. George have always supported and contributed to the success of the Church through its endeavors. In June of 2025, when I spoke to Thelma Hoover, the oldest living parishioner at St. George about her time as a member of the group, she shared the following, “They are faithful, active women that would do anything and fulfill the mission of St. George. They were fun and crazy ladies.” In addition, I’ve learned that the ladies loved to perform. Thelma shared that she belonged to the Ladies Aid mainly at the original St. George location on Sherman Drive before moving to the 4020 location. The organization raised money by hosting various activities and volunteering their time and talents. Some of these fundraising activities included card parties and bake sales, hosting picnics and preparing food for the smorgasbord. On Sunday July 4th, 1976, the Ladies Aid participated in the Bicentennial Ethnic Jubilee. They decided to prepare 2500 meat pies, 2000 kibbee patties and baklava to sell at the event. Their net profit was $3075.17. The ladies catered mercy meals and hosted Lenten dinners. Among the many women that participated in the important ministry of providing Mercy Meals to grieving families, these women were particularly instrumental in bringing this ministry to St. George: Mary Kafoure, Evon Freije, Selma Mesalam and Ann Freije. Today, Diane Koers leads this important function. The funds these godly women raised went to the National Organization of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America, established in the early 1980’s, to provide continuing clergy education. Our own Julia Kafoure was the first President for the Midwest Region of the Ladies in 1974-1975. The Ladies provided funding to the Board of Trustees of St. George which purchased many items and vestments for the church and priests. They also contributed towards the upkeep of Balamand Seminary which is part of the University of Balamand in northern Lebanon in the Middle East. This is adjacent to the historic Balamand Monastery. The reach of the St. George Ladies Aid is also felt by new babies being churched or baptized who receive project blankets made by the group. Similarly, the group provides “quiet bags” for young children, filled with simple toys and activities to occupy them during church. Financially the group supports the Bishop Anthony Speaker Fund, the Widowed Clergy Wives and Midwest Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America (AOCWNA). Faith…Love…Tradition…Family…Fellowship Always looking to grow stronger in the faith, the Ladies Aid took on new challenges that not only enriched their lives but also the life of the Church. According to Very Reverend Fr. Nabil Hanna, former pastor at St. George in Fishers, the Ladies Aid has been as “a vital backbone of the Parish, since its inception”. Fast forward to the late 1990’s and a new project was born. The Ladies established the St. George Bookstore in 1997 with Diane Koers and Beth Flaris taking the lead on this. Also in 1997, because the Ladies Aid saw a need to raise awareness of women saints, they focused on the lives of female saints in the church and chose St. Thekla as the organization’s patron saint. They set up criteria and had a yearlong process where two saints were presented at each meeting for consideration. At the end of the year, they voted and it was unanimous to choose St. Thekla. Her feast day is September 24th and she was chosen because members felt her story was compelling and she had endured a rough life. The committee that led this effort was: + Diane Koers – President of the group at this time + Rula Najjar – Midwest Region Spiritual Coordinator + Nelli Ghaoui + Elaine Hanna + Natalie Ashanin In September 1998, St. Thekla was inaugurated at St. George, Indianapolis. Additionally, Indianapolis was hosting the Fall Midwest Region meeting where Elaine Hanna gave a talk on women saints and the need for appropriate role models for our young women today. About St. Thekla – from the September 26, 1999, St. George bulletin: + She converted to Christianity at 18 after hearing the Apostle Paul preaching + She had pagan parents, her father was the Governor + Her parents were disturbed by her devotion and ordered her to be burned at the stake. However, rain poured and put out the fire. They then had her thrown to wild animals, but God’s miracles saved her. + Thekla went to Maaloula & sought refuge where the mountain split in two. She stayed in the cavern and preached, baptized, prayed, fasted and performed many miracles + She was the first Christian woman to submit herself to oppression and accepting the Word of God + She was sometimes referred to as the first martyr and considered to be equal to the Apostles because of her preaching work Faith…Love…Tradition…Family…Fellowship At some point in the history of the Ladies Aid, the group was inactive for about five years. However, individual women picked up the slack and volunteered. As a group they were missed by all. I had a conversation about this with Vicki Mesalam, former Ladies Aid President, who shared that she and Doug Fadel were talking about the absence of the organization and how they’ve been missed. As Vicki told me, it was Doug who ordered her to start the group back up!! She went to Fr. Nabil to discuss bringing back the St. George Ladies Aid and she invited women to a tea that Diane Koers hosted. They had over sixty women attend that tea and Vicki took on the role of President. The group emerged once more and thrived under her leadership. Following Vicki were Liza Nahas, Chris Sproull and Peggy Corey who took over the leadership. Once again, The Ladies Aid is a very active group in the life of St. George in Fishers. When I asked her why the group was inactive, she shared that she thought her generation wasn’t ready to pick up the leadership of the group and at that point, most of the older generation were gone. Faith…Love…Tradition…Family…Fellowship As I have researched and spoken to numerous members of various generations of the Ladies Aid, I’ve been interested to learn their thoughts to this question: When you think of the St. George Ladies Aid organization, what comes to mind? Here are some of the responses I’ve received: + The warmth and caring of the members shown to her when she first joined – Kathy Albert + Every lady is a lady of St. George. We all have talents to pull together as a unit – Diane Koers + People who are there for each other, they sacrificed and did whatever the church needed. We’re servants and handmaidens – Janis Johns Saliba + They helped her when she first came to the US and St. George and were very welcoming – Nahia Mesalam + The sense of family and tradition and enjoying fellowship with each other. They had similar roots and stories – Rula Najjar + The element of continuity – the traditions of mobilizing around the family who needed something. Acting as caregivers and providing support and aiding in assimilation – Maureen Mesalam The core purpose of the organization in 2025 remains the same: to serve the Lord and community of St. George and Fishers, IN. The way it’s done may have changed somewhat over the years. But the love, tradition and continuity of faith, family and fellowship always remains. The Ladies Aid of 2025 may look different today because many generations are now represented whereas the founding group was made up of our mothers and grandmothers. The members today are also blessed to have the rich history of this group’s past to aid them to continue to flourish into the next 100 years. What comes to my mind when I think of the St. George Ladies Aid organization? Faith…Love…Tradition…Family…Fellowship |