The Semendre Journey: Our beginning took place in the early nineteen hundreds. A group of four individuals left Semendre in Asia Minor to evaluate opportunities in America. That was the start of the Semendre journey.

Led by Savvas Peponides, the four Semendrens’ influence had a profound impact and were instrumental in determining the course of Semendre history.

The four returned to Semendre. The mass movement began and eventually, the Village of Semendre closed. Everyone was focused on their departure. Forgotten and inadvertently left behind were the Sacred Holy Relics of the Five Martyrs. A young Daisy Asimoglou, sister of Maria Gabriel, returned to rescue the Holy Relics, which are currently located the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

For Semendrens, the journey was difficult. The arrival was difficult. The adjustment was difficult. It was a period of sacrifice. Their most sacred possession, the faith of the Greek Orthodox religion, made the difficult possible.

To preserve the Semendre heritage and to leave a legacy, we must provide a permanent 'Chapel' for the Sacred Holy Relics of the Five Martyrs. The Chapel should be worthy of Semendre commitment, with the icons that depict the life and works of the Five Martyrs in a spiritual setting of prayer and peaceful serenity. We will conserve this historic, religious treasure.

Let the Semendre Journey continue.

- Sam Savas

For more information on the Semendre Benevolent Society, please visit their website semendre.org.