Rev. John Dinu, 88, a priest at St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church who oversaw the building of the present church and its hall, died Sunday, May 28, in Palm Garden Rehabilitation Center in Florida. Born in Romania, Father Dinu became a teacher and was sent to Yugoslavia to teach in a small Romanian village there, said his son, Victor. He found himself in a refugee camp in Italy during World War II and applied for a visa to Canada. In 1952, he married Eva, who died in 1998. He was ordained as a Romanian Orthodox priest in Canada in 1957 and oversaw the building of a church for his parish there. He moved to Chicago in 1959 and began serving at St. Mary’s. Father Dinu oversaw the building of the present church at 4225 N. Central Ave. in 1963 and the church hall in 1974. “When he came (to Chicago), he organized the people well,” his son said. “He was very good, very dedicated to the church.” Father Dinu retired in 1980 and moved to Hallandale, Fla., and continued to serve churches there as a visiting priest. In his retirement, he wrote a book on the history of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Chicago, his son said. Other survivors include a sister, Pita Radulescu; two grandsons; and numerous nieces and nephews. Visitation will be 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church, 4225 N. Central Ave., with a prayer service at 7 p.m. Services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday in the church.
