About two centuries ago, George Fisher, also known as Djordje Sagic, became the first Serbian immigrant to conquer the vast expanse of distant Texas through his intellect, courage, and faith in God. The initially inhabited regions were the southern areas around Galveston, where the allure of an unexplored, beautiful, and wild countryside was first discovered. It was in these southern regions that the foundations of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Texas and the United States were laid.
As for the northern parts of Texas, it's challenging to determine when the first Serbs settled there, as there is no concrete evidence of their activities. However, some old newspapers mention a cowboy named Vukota who led ranchers and their cattle along the Chisholm Trail all the way north to Kansas City on the Missouri River. These pioneering Serbian cowboys, along with others who inhabited the region over the past two centuries, faced various challenges of their time. Sadly, they passed away without receiving a proper burial service, let alone in the Serbian language, and without the grace of the Holy Spirit. It's likely that during hot Texas nights, they dreamed of experiencing the Serbian Orthodox liturgy, something they could only imagine.
Industrialization, coupled with the allure of the state's famous oil fields, has attracted Serbian immigrants to Texas for decades. In the late 1960s, the Karakasevic family relocated here, followed by the Simic and Palmer families in the 1980s, who later became pillars of our church established in 1999. The early 1990s witnessed a significant influx of people from Serbian Krajina and central Bosnia and Herzegovina, who, driven by the flames of war, began building new lives in the Northern Texas area.
Motivated primarily by their desire and divine providence, His Eminence Metropolitan Christopher of Midwestern America approved the formation of the "Holy Three Hierarchs" church in Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW). The official date of the church's founding was January 30, 1999, when the Metropolitan provided the name and blessed the church board led by Rajko Simic. This event took place at the Greek Orthodox Church "Holy Trinity" on Hillcrest Road in Dallas.
The initial liturgies were conducted by Fr. Dejan Tiosavljevic, a priest from the Saint Sava church in Houston, who made great efforts to bring the aroma of incense and the sounds of majestic Cherubic hymns closer to our Orthodox hearts, despite the considerable distance between Houston and Dallas. Rajko Simic had arranged several visits by Fr. Dejan back in December 1997, sowing the seeds of faith. However, the growth of our Orthodox faith depended on numerous factors.
Zagorka (Zaga) Simic, Rajko's spouse, played a significant role by becoming the leader of the Serbian Sisters Circle, established in 1999. The Circle brought together the women of our parish during a time when we were without a permanent address, residing on barren land.
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