Romanian families from across the Triangle meet here for a worship service followed by a time of fellowship that helps keep their community united.

St. Basil the Great Romanian Orthodox Church formed about three years ago, and its temporary location upstairs at 1902 W. Main St. has become a central gathering place for Romanian immigrants, many associated with area universities.

"When a new family relocates in this area the first place they come is the church, to meet Romanians, to learn the language, to find out where to work," the Rev. Father Daniel Florean said.

The congregation has grown to about 44 regular members, and at least 100 families visit at some point during the year, Florean estimates. They come from mostly from the eastern part of the state, some from as far away as New Bern.

North Carolina's only other Romanian Orthodox church is in Charlotte.

At St. Basil's they find not just a Christian community, but a way to stay connected with and support one another.

"The church is the center, the soul of the Romanian community," said Maria Moga, who owns a granite business with her husband in Cary.

The members transformed a dusty, unused space into a sanctuary with the basic elements of an Orthodox church.

They built a wooden iconostasis, which is a doored partition that separates the altar and the congregation, and hung icons of saints upon it.

The walls are adorned with prints of biblical scenes.

The congregation includes a number of American spouses, so the services are spoken in Romanian with some English mixed in.

As the Romanians assimilate into American culture, they are also working to preserve their traditions.

The real challenge is in the second generation, Florean said.

"Our kids are really Americans, he said. "We ask them questions in Romanian, and they are responding in English."

Children speak in Romanian during Sunday school, and the church wants to incorporate more cultural activities into the classes.

The congregation sings Romanian Christmas carols and eats traditional foods at gatherings. At the end of a recent worship service people sang a song celebrating Romania's national holiday, Day of Unity, Jan. 24.

And they want to share their food, folk music and other traditions with Triangle residents, many of whom don't know much about the Eastern European country.

Congregation members said that most Americans simply associate it with the character "Dracula" because Bram Stoker set his novel in the Transylvania region of Romania.

At least that's a starting point, Durham resident Codruta Roberts said. "It's better than nothing."

The community feels confident that Romanian cuisine will be a hit with Americans.

"They love our food," said Raluca Gordân, Florean's wife.

Traditional foods include fresh baked bread, cabbage rolls, stews, pickled vegetables and skinless grilled sausages. The Christmas tradition is to cook an entire pig and make sausage, smoked bacon and other foods from it. Many foods contain pork, something Romania has in common with the South.

Church member and retired teacher Maria Bugariu hopes that the organization she spearheaded, the Romanian American Triangle Alliance, will help educate people about Romanian culture.

The organization's mission is to unite the Romanian community through cultural, social and sport activities.

"Romanians, they have a lot to share," Bugariu said.