Parish Council Members

Father Joseph Allen	Pastor
Ellen Thomsen	Chairman
Jim Vagias	Vice Chairman
Judy Tirakis	Corresponding Secretary, Women's Guild
Tamara Tarby	Recording Secretary, Choir
Chris Takla	Treasurer
James Tweel	Assistant Treasurer
Cathryn Banu	Member
Helen Chimel	Member
Lisa Fares	Member
John Gakos	Member
Carol Giffen	Member
Barbara Lockhart	Member
John Meyer	Member
Robin Robinson	Member
Spiro Black Steve Fardy	House and Grounds
Nike Bach	Church School
Cathy Giffen	Teen SOYO
Stratos Mandalakis	Choir
Shawn Wittenburg	Fellowship

Parish Organizations

Saint Anthony’s Parish Organizations

Altar Boys

Boys from grade 4 are invited to join the altar boy teams which assist the priest at all the church services. To serve as an altar boy, please see Father Joseph or Deacon Peter.

Chanters

The chanters are made up of volunteer members of our parish who like to chant at Matins, Vespers, and various other church services. Please see Stratos Mandalakis if you are interested in being a chanter.

Choir

Saint Anthony’s choir is made up of volunteer members from our parish who enjoy singing and praising God at the same time. Any one who can carry a tune is welcome to sing in the choir. No sight reading ability is necessary. If you are interested in being a member of our choir, please see Stratos Mandalakis. Everyone is welcome!

Church School

The Church School has classes from September through the beginning of June for children in the Nursery through grade seven. The younger children in the nursery and the seventh grade class attend Church School from 10 AM until it is time to go up to Church and receive Holy Communion with their parents. Children in Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten also start Church School at 10 AM, but they come back down with their classes after Holy Communion for refreshments and the rest of their class activities. Children in grades one through six start Church School immediately following Holy Communion, except on special 10 o’clock days which are announced periodically. To register your child for Church School or help in the Church School, please see Nike Bach. More Information. To view the 50th Jubilee Picture of the Church School teachers, go to the Church School page.

The Fellowship of Saint John The Divine

The Fellowship is made up of adults in our parish who want to be involved with the spiritual and social aspects and activities of our church. See Sean Wittenburg if you are interested in joining.

The Women's Guild

The ladies in our church are involved in many spiritual and fund raising activities for the benefit of its members and our church. The Women's Guild is open to all adult women in our parish. If you are interested in becoming a member, please see Helen Chimel. More Information. To view the Golden Jubilee Picture of the Women's Guild, go to the Women's Guild page.

The Library

Our church is blessed to have a wonderful library filled with many books about Christianity and specially about the Orthodox Church. The library includes, but is not limited to books about history, books about what we believe, and biographies. There is also an excellent selection of children’s books and Bibles. The library is located in the Church School. Nicholas Nagorny is the librarian and catechist. See him with your questions.

The Order of St. Ignatius

The members of The Order of Saint Ignatius join with other members throughout our archdiocese to try to put Saint Ignatius’ teachings into action by committing themselves to witness to our faith by their involvement in services to others. The Order dedicates its funds to many different pursuits in order to make a different in the world in which we live today. If you are interested in joining The Order, please see Ed Assile.

 

The Parish Council

The Parish Council is the governing board of the business affairs of our parish. Adult members of our church who are in good standing may be elected to the council. Elections are held at our Annual Meeting in December. Members are elected for a three year term. The parish priest and representatives from each parish organization, as well as the church secretary are also members of the council. If you have any questions about The Parish Council, please ask Ellen Thomsen. To view the Golden Jubilee picture of the Parish Council, go to the Parish Council Page.

Teen SOYO

The Teen SOYO (Society of Orthodox Youth Organization) is made up of all the teens in our parish. It is a very active group. They are involved in many aspects of church life, including: spiritual, social, charitable, and fun activities. If you are interested in becoming a member of Teen SOYO, please see Daniel Bethancourt, advisor. More Information. To view the Golden Jubilee Picture of the Teen SOYO, go to the Teen SOYO page.

The Video Library

The church has an ever growing video library on topics of Christian education. It is includes cartoons and movies which are appropriate for everyone, from the little children to the adults in our parish. Videos may be borrowed for a week at a time. The Video Library is located in the Church School. See Irene Kavountzis for information.

Church School

Church School Information

2007-2008 Church School Staff

Where more than one teacher is listed, teachers are sharing the responsibility for the class. Parents should check with their child's teacher for their teaching schedule.

Toddlers	Cindy Paspalas, Marissa Borgis, & Alex Banu
Pre-K/K	Rose Robinson & Jaclyn Wittenburg
Second/Third/Fourth Grad	Jen Deraney & Barbara Lockhart
Fifth Grade	Debbie Nagorny & Nike Bach
Sixth Grade
Seventh Grade	Tina Luchkiw & John Mitros
Eighth Grade	Jim Tweel
Parent Auxilary	Jen Deraney
Registrar & Audio-Visual Coordinator	Irene Kavountzis
Craft Coordinator	Cindy Paspalas, Jen Derany & Nike Bach
Substitutes	Dana Bach, Adrienne Deraney, Karen Deeb, John Gakos, Vicky Tweel, Nike Bach, & Dimi Habib
Librarian	Nicholas Nagorny
Church School Director	Nike Bach

* Teen Assistants

Registration
Church School is offered to toddlers through 7th grade.
All students must register. If you have yet done so, please see Irene Kavountzis downstairs in the Church school.

Hours
Church school for grades 1-7 normally begin after communion, and conclude around 12 noon . Toddlers, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes meet at 10AM and come upstairs for communion. The toddlers stay upstairs with their parents while the Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten go back downstairs until around 11:45 AM. Schedule changes will be listed in The Desert News calendar, on the web site and on the sign in the narthex.

Attendance
Students can earn a good attendance award by not missing more than 4 classes without an excuse. There are “excused” absences! Speak to Irene Kavountzis for more info.

Altar Boys
Boys, fourth grade and older, are eligible to serve in the altar. See Deacon Peter for a schedule. When church school is scheduled for 10 AM, altar boys are expected to attend class.

2007-2008 Church School Staff
Where more than one teacher is listed, teachers are sharing the responsibility for the class. Parents should check with their child's teacher for their teaching schedule.

Teen SOYO

Teen SOYO

2007-2008

Teen SOYO Officers

Co President	Rose Robinson
Co President	Jaclyn Wittenburg
Vice President	Daniel Thomas
Secretary	Marissa Bogris
Senior Delegate
Treasurer	James Tweel
Advisor	Daniel Bethancourt

 

List of Upcoming Events:

Parish History

 

St. Anthony Orthodox Church:

The History Of The First Pan-Orthodox Parish In The Antiochian Archdiocese

OUR EARLY HISTORY

St. Anthony Orthodox Church has a unique history within the story of Orthodox Christianity in North America.

On July 3, 1956 the late Metropolitan Antony Bashir presented a charter for a new Church to seven founders. The founders’ mission was unique -- to create a Pan-Orthodox parish comprised of Orthodox Christians from the traditional cultures of Eastern Christianity such as Greek, Serbian, Slavic, and Middle Eastern. Services would be conducted in English. The founders were Mitchell Moore, Theodore Maloof, Abraham G. Debs, George Shamyer, Alex Sahadi, Edward Deeb, and George A. Hatab. The new Church was placed under the patronage of St. Anthony the Great, the Father of Monasticism for the entire Christian World, East and West. It was hoped that the missionary zeal of St. Anthony's would galvanize and bond together the parish’s various cultures as it embraced all who would look for the truth of Orthodox Christianity.

However, St. Anthony's parish has not always had easy sailing; many years of hard work, dedicated service, committed families, outstanding personalities, and tribulations of various kinds, have helped to shape this parish into one of the most illustrious communities in the Orthodox "oikoumene" (ecclesiastical world). This would be no surprise to anyone who knows this vibrant and action-filled community.

In 1961, and with much debate, the growing parish acquired two parcels of land, approximating one acre, at the crossroads of three Bergen County towns: Bergenfield, Englewood and Tenafly. In November, architects Harsens and Johns were selected to construct a Church Building, budgeted for $135,000, that would blend Byzantine tradition with the New World. The property, at 385 Ivy Lane, also included an existing residential building. The new Church Building was dedicated in 1964. Metropolitan Antony Bashir and all the local Orthodox Clergy celebrated the first Divine Liturgy.  That same year the dedication was featured on a nationally broadcast TV program, “Lamp Unto My Feet”.

OUR PASTORS OVER THE YEARS

 In 1965, Father Ashie, our first permanent pastor (see below),  left St. Anthony’s to serve another English-speaking Pan-Orthodox Church in California. Father Michael Irwin became the next priest. After two years, Father Michael Irwin left to serve as a missionary in Alaska and as Assistant to Bishop Theodosius, of the Orthodox Church in America (0CA).

Our third and present pastor, Father Joseph Allen came to St. Anthony's in 1967. Except for a brief two year period when Father Daniel Daly served us, Father Joseph has faithfully guided our parish. Father Joseph, who holds a Doctorate Degree in Theology (Th.D), has been a professor at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA from 1977 to 1984 and St. Vladimir Orthodox Seminary in Crestwood, NY from 1978 to 1992. He has written and edited eleven books on Orthodox Theology and many articles in various publications. He currently is the Director of the Department for Theological and Pastoral Education in our Archdiocese and National Chaplain of the Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch. He is also Director of the Antiochian House of Studies and St. Stephen's Course of Studies in Orthodox Theology.

MOVING TOWARD PERMANENCE

Although it would be absolutely impossible to name the many outstanding lay- chartered families - still we can trace the efforts of the years through noting the various clergy who offered leadership to the fledgling community. In the same year of the charter, 1956, the Episcopal priest, Father Jim Mitchell welcomed the original group, small as it was, to worship at St. Paul's Chapel in Englewood, New Jersey. On May 13, 1956, the young seminarian Raymond Ofiesh, now Father Gregory, conducted the first Typica Service at St. Paul's. These continued until September 30^th, when Father Joseph Kreta from the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in New York celebrated the first Divine Liturgy. Other priests who celebrated Divine Liturgy in the early days were: Father Alexander Schmemann, Father Peter Sayama (the first Japanese Orthodox priest ordained in the U.S.), Father Daniel Hubiak, Father John Psillas, and Father Stephen Lyashevsky. It was our good fortune that Father Lyashevsky was able to serve the parish until a full-time priest was found who was more suitable to our particular needs. In the Spring of 1957, Sub-Deacon Gabriel Ashie was sent by Metropolitan Bashir to assist Father Lyashevsky and our parish. This was the first sign of our permanence as an Orthodox Christian Church.

With the growth of the Church's membership, we overcrowded St. Paul's facilities and on December 1, the move was made to the Masonic Lodge on Palisades Avenue in Englewood. At this point, there were thirty active families in regular attendance. Father Lyashevsky, for the most part, continued serving on Sundays at the Masonic Hall until Deacon Gabriel Ashie was ordained in September of 1958 and became our full time Priest. This was a time of rapid growth, spiritual revelation and joy in the growth of the movement. At the Masonic Lodge, we were permitted use of the premises on Sundays and Wednesdays only. It was therefore necessary to have a portable Iconostasis which had to be put up and taken down every Sunday, along with folding chairs.

THE 60s and 70s

As St. Anthony’s grew during the late 1960s and 1970s, it became apparent that the parish’s physical plant had to expand. Thus in 1976, we broke ground for our present Church Hall, including a kitchen, stage and bathrooms. This opened up the possibilities for an increased social calendar in which we no longer had to reserve and rent outside locations to celebrate our various social functions. When the beautiful Church Hall was finally completed we began to hold such occasions as Spring Soirées and Fall Dances, as well as Wine Fests and Art Auctions. But by far the greatest undertaking was our International Festival which draws large crowds to our various ethnic foods and the opportunity for pre-Christmas shopping. First held in the new Church Hall in 1977, most every parishioner participates today in the preparation and work in this major fundraiser.

Over fifty years of community life has produced many annual events and parish ministry teams. Outreach Sunday, in January, celebrates our patronal feast day and also serves as way to welcome new parishioners and reconnect with old ones. Christian Education includes preschool to Adult Education. Teen Ministry includes Koinonia discussion sessions, lock-ins, and a full schedule of activities, both social and humanitarian. The Ladies’ Guild, now called the Women’s Guild, organizes fundraising drives for humanitarian causes and hosts a variety of parish activities.  We have a committed Choir and Chanters. The Fellowship provides a number of social events including a Lenten Communion Breakfast, Pre-Lent Mardi-Gras, spring golf outing and Parish Picnic. Finally, the Archdiocese’ Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch is well represented, with our community, boasting one of the highest percentages of parishioners who are members of the Order.

THE 90s TO OUR  GOLDEN JUBILEE

Over our fifty years, St. Anthony’s has been blessed with the presence of many seminarians, who studying Orthodox theology, have gained practical and pastoral practice at our parish. In fact, many have been ordained here and currently serve as priests and pastors throughout our Archdiocese. Two of those seminarians have advanced to the Office of the Hierarchy, Bishop Basil (Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America) and Bishop Alexander (Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York).

In 1989, St. Anthony’s embarked on a Beautification Program, which improved the Sanctuary, Narthex, and the Nave. The effects of this program are visible with its icons and dramatic lighting. Eleven years later it initiated Expansion 45, called in recognition of the church’s 45^th Anniversary. The community purchased a parcel of land from its rear neighbor in order to create more parking spaces, a new multi-purpose room and offices, barrier-free access via an elevator, and a vesting room. The kitchen, storage, church school, and altar (prothesis) and library were expanded. Architect Romeo Aybar was retained for this project, with construction commencing in March 2002. The project also included the purchase of new pews, with kneelers for the first time, modernizing the sound system for the Church and hall, new carpeting in the Church and the hall, and curtains for the stage in the Fellowship Hall. The North Complex, as it is called, was dedicated by Bishop Antoun in June 2002.

In November 2005, St. Anthony’s became the first Antiochian parish to utilize solar technology to reduce energy costs and take advantage of a renewable energy source. An array of 134 panels were installed on its roof by SunFarm network

On the occasion of our Golden Jubilee, celebrating 50 years of our charter, the bold experiment envisioned by its founders has been a success. Indeed, our parish has served as the prototype of many subsequent Pan-Orthodox parishes in North America. It is a vibrant community of diverse Orthodox cultures into which many converts have been joyfully received. It is a community that celebrates and recognizes diverse heritages while gaining strength and love from the fullness of the Orthodox Faith. On this foundation and with God’s grace, we proudly anticipate the next 50 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women's Guild

 

St. Anthony's Orthodox Church Women's Guild

2007-2008

President	Helen Chimel
Recording Secretary	Sylvia Betsh
Corresponding Secretary	Irene Kavountzis
Treasurer	Jackie Kosinas
Vice President	Lisa Fares
Publicity
Membership
Sunshine
Gift Booth	Fran DeBellis
Gift Booth	Stella Vagias
AOCWNA

Schedule of Religious Services

 

Saint Anthony Orthodox Church 

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

385 Ivy Lane

Bergenfield, NJ 07621

Very Reverend Joseph J. Allen, Th.D., Pastor

Deacon Peter Boulukos

 Services

Father Joe