The ethnic church and its role in the shaping of an immigrant community: St. John of Rila Bulgarian Orthodox church in Chicago

Abstract

 The big industrial cities in Canada and the U.S. Northeast and Mid west became the home of many Bulgarians already by the beginning of the twen tieth century. The fall of communism ignited new waves of migration across the Atlantic. Today Chicago, Illinois is reported to be the host of the largest Bulgarian diaspora.