Rev. Wayne Wright assigned to St. Elias the Prophet Orthodox Church in Ellwood

Louise Carroll
·3 min read
On Jan. 6, the Rev. Wayne Wright was assigned as the pastor of St. Elias the Prophet Orthodox Church in Ellwood City.
On Jan. 6, the Rev. Wayne Wright was assigned as the pastor of St. Elias the Prophet Orthodox Church in Ellwood City.

ELLWOOD CITY — An Ohio priest has been named to lead a borough church.

On Jan. 6, the Rev. Wayne Wright was assigned the pastor of St. Elias the Prophet Orthodox Church.

Wright was no stranger to the church, as he had been one of the priests filling the position after the Rev. John Schmidt, who had served the church since 2006, retired in July 2020.

In 1994, Wright, now 73, took a three-year course and became a deacon, whose duties are to assist the priest. After further education, he became a priest Feb. 7, 2021, and was mentored by the priest in an Akron church before coming to Ellwood City.

Wright's goal is to grow the congregation and to bring people back to their church. He plans to visit members and encourage them.

Wright talked about the challenges facing the church today.

The Rev. Wayne Wright said he wants to bring more people into the church as was the case in years past.
The Rev. Wayne Wright said he wants to bring more people into the church as was the case in years past.

"At one time there were three Orthodox churches in Ellwood, and three Roman Catholic churches, and now there is one of each," he said.

Wright explained all Orthodox churches are Orthodox, and mainly no longer use ethnic designations such as Russian, Greek, Romanian and others because people now speak English and do not need to find a church that speaks their native language.

"Growing the church is always what we want to do. I am going to find those who are still here and grow this church," he said. "I read the Psalms every day, and I like this verse: 'Taste and see how good the Lord is.'"

After graduating from high school in Akron, Wright spent four years with the U.S. Marines Corp., with one and half years in Vietnam.

When he returned to Akron, he got a job in manufacturing and met his wife-to-be Lenora, who said she would not date a man who didn't go to church. So Wright, with no church experience at all, went with her to her Orthodox church.

"I was inquisitive. I wanted to know all about it, but what attracted me the most were the wonderful Orthodox people," he said.

Wright became an Orthodox, and later he and Lenora were married.

That church in Akron is a special place for Wright. It is the place where he got married, raised his children, became a deacon and a priest.

"Never did I ever expect to be a deacon or a priest. God has a plan for your life, just keep working at it and it will happen," Wright said.

The Rev. Wayne Wright served as a deacon and a priest in Akron before coming to Ellwood City.
The Rev. Wayne Wright served as a deacon and a priest in Akron before coming to Ellwood City.

Wright is active in veterans' groups and has dedicated many volunteer hours for both disabled and homeless veterans.

Wright and Lenora live in a suburb of Akron and they have two children and eight grandchildren. The Wrights will continue to live in the Akron area, but each weekend, they will stay in the newly renovated parish house beside the church.

St. Elias Church was founded in 1914, and some of the current members are descendants of founders, some are new Romanian immigrants, and some are Macedonian, Russian, Greek, Romanian, Arabic and Middle Eastern descent, as well as converts to the faith from western European backgrounds. The church has always stressed inclusiveness.

In its history, the church writes: "We cherish and cultivate our roots in Romanian Orthodox Christianity, but we see ourselves as indigenously American."

This article originally appeared on Ellwood City Ledger: Akron priest assigned to St. Elias Orthodox in Ellwood City