Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic
Charleston Chancery, 4407 Kanawha Ave. SE, Charleston, WV, 25304-1734
724-787-9832 (phone); 304-346-0146 (fax, marked "Attn: Bishop Thomas")
Welcome to the Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic, part of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in America. The Diocese of Charleston is led by His Grace Bishop Thomas and includes more than 30 churches and missions in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Click here for a directory of all the parishes in the Diocese of Charleston.
Click here for the make-up and deans of our deaneries.
Click here to learn more about Bishop Thomas.
Click here to see Bishop Thomas's schedule.
To contact Bishop Thomas electronically, email bpthomasjoseph@gmail.com.
Latest from the Diocese of Charleston:
Memory Eternal! + Doreen Essey
Doreen Essey + June 8, 2013
Doreen E. Essey, of Monessen PA, died June 8, 2013, at the age of 77. She was the daughter of the late George and Eva Nyrhinen Stofka. Doreen is survived by her husband of 58 years, George Essey, the choir director and cantor at St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church: a son, George (Marian) : daughters Lori and Susan: eight grandchildren: eleven great-grandchildren: sister Donna Dudas (Richard): brother-in law Samuel Essey (Elmunda). Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her in-laws, Esper and Rashida Essey: brothers-in-law Norman and Gerald Essey: niece, Linda Essey.
After graduation from Monessen High School with the Class of 1953, Doreen worked in the Darling Shoppe and then became a full time homemaker. She loved and adored her children, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and excelled in the art of Syrian cooking until her stroke in 2005. Mrs. Essey was very active in her church, St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church of Monessen, PA, serving as secretary and treasurer of the Ladies Society, and a member of the Parish Council during the purchase of the present church on Patton Ave. Friends were received at the Robert Billick Funeral Home, Monessen, on Tuesday, June 11. Trisagion services were held at 7:30, with The Rev. Fred Pfeil officiating. Funeral services were held at St Michael AOC. 1201 Patton Ave., Monessen, Wednesday, June 12, at 10:30 AM.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggest that memorial donations be made to St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church, c/o 189 Pacific Blvd, Monessen, PA 15062.
Memory Eternal! + Eddie Joseph
One of the early pioneers of Antiochian Village, Eddie Joseph, or "Cuz" as he was affectionately known, fell asleep in the Lord on June 12, 2013. Eddie was the athletic director (now known as the Afternoon Program Coordinator) for many years in the early years of the camp. A lifelong member of St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church in Johnstown, PA, Eddie sang in the choir and was a member of Order of St. Ignatius
Service information is as follows: Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 14, at the Frank Duca Funeral Home, Westmont Chapel, 1622 Menoher Blvd., Johnstown, where Trisagion prayers will be sung at 7 p.m. Trisagion prayers will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home with the funeral service following at St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church with The Very Rev. Father Donald E. Shadid officiating. The Joseph family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Antiochian Village Camp as part of the Edward Joseph Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Parish Life Conference Season Begins June 5
There is still time for you to register for your diocese's "family reunion" this summer, your regional Parish Life Conference (PLC)! The theme for this year, "The End of History...The Last Judgment," will be the focus of the Creative Festivals, a highlight of the conferences. Youth and organizational meetings, spiritually edifying speakers and services, and social events for kids and adults alike, all make the PLCs one of the Archdiocese's most established and popular traditions. Visit the Conventions and Conference Planning page for full information.
First up is the Diocese of Wichita PLC, kicking off on June 5 in Kansas City. St. Basil Orthodox Church hosts the PLC at the Westin Kansas City Hotel in downtown Kansas City, "one of America's Best downtowns" according to Forbes magazine.
Bishop Thomas Announces St. Thekla & St. Raphael Pilgrimage
Download the Pilgrimage brochure
There are few places in the United States where you can visit the grave and shrine of a saint of the Church. Did you know that the Antiochian Village is one of those places? St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn, the Good Shepherd of the Lost Sheep of America, is buried on the grounds of the Antiochian Village. This year we are expanding the focus of our Annual Pilgrimage to not only include our prayers for the intercession of St. Thekla, but also we will pray the Service of Supplication to St. Raphael that he may intercede on our behalf before the throne of God.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, and educated in Damascus Syria, Halki, Turkey, and Kiev, Russia, Raphael Hawaweeny found himself virtually exiled in Kazan, Russia. He was making himself of use on the faculty of a school, when he was summoned to the New World by the Syrian Orthodox Benevolent Committee in New York City.
Immigrating in 1895 and serving under the aegis of the Russian Orthodox Mission—then the only established Orthodox hierarchy—he was technically pastor of St. Nicholas Church (later Cathedral) in Brooklyn, NY, but was, in fact, the roving pastor of several dozen tiny, isolated communities spread thinly across the continent.
Work Begins on New Building for St. Patrick Church + Warrenton, VA
Fr. Patrick Cardine of St. Patrick Church in Warrenton, Virginia writes:
Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
Work on the new building has commenced, the foundation trench has been dug and we are proceeding onto the next phase. Also the Fauquier Times Democrat ran a nice article in the paper today. Part of the article may be viewed at www.fauquier.com/news/article/fauquier_parish_breaks_ground_for_new_church.
Below are some pictures of the site blessing. It was a wonderful day and we missed all who could not be with us.
God Bless you,
Fr. Patrick
St. Patrick Church's original building was burnt to the ground in July 2012 in a fire set by an arsonist. For more information on the parish's building project or to make a donation, please visit the St. Patrick Orthodox Church Building Project web page.
