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:
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.
Construction Progress at St. Mary Church + Hunt Valley, MD
Construction is underway on a new Byzantine-style temple for St. Mary Church in Hunt Valley (Baltimore), Maryland. From the St. Mary Church website:
There is soon to be a new light of Orthodox Christianity in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The parish family of St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church are struggling to build a church that will be connected to the existing hall in which they currently celebrate all Liturgical services and social events. The new St. Mary’s Church will be fashioned in ancient Byzantine style and will be endowed with emblematical notions all carefully crafted to glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All aspects of the architectural design are deeply and religiously symbolic, inspired by a desire to create a spiritually tangible testament to the beauty of our Lord and His creation.
2013 Paschal Greetings from Bishop Thomas
His Grace Bishop Thomas writes:
GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA 2013
Beloved brother Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy, God-fearing Monastics, and all my Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ our True God:
Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!
When Christ had risen from the dead on the third day and had shown Himself alive to His disciples, He ascended into heaven. He remained immortal and bestowed on us, with complete assurance, resurrection, immortality and truly blessed, eternal, incorruptible life in heaven. By means of the one death and resurrection of His flesh, He healed our twofold death and freed us from the double captivity of soul and body.
~St. Gregory Palamas, “On Holy and Great Saturday”
The feast of Christ’s glorious resurrection is now finally here, and we experience the greatest of joy possible for human persons not only because the Founder of our faith has risen from the dead, but because of what the resurrection means in terms of His incarnation. Because He is man, He was able to die. And because He is God, He rises from the dead.
Save the Date: Anniversary Celebrations at Holy Cross Church in Linthicum, MD
Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church in Linthicum, Maryland will celebrate its 20th Anniversary on its Patronal Feast Day, September 14, 2013, and you are cordially invited to join us. AND, in addition, we are honored and privileged to be hosting the Celebration of His Grace, Bishop Thomas' 25th Ordination Anniversary at the same time!
We are very excited about this and know you will be also. Both events will be rolled into one celebration, including Saturday morning Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, followed by a Celebratory Banquet at a local hotel. Rooms will be available at both the Ramada, near BWI airport, and the Pier Five (Inner Harbor) Hotel, in Baltimore. Details regarding the full schedule, banquet tickets and hotel reservations will soon follow, but we know you will want to make note of the date of this important observance now!
We hope you will be able to join us in these wonderful celebrations!
In Christ,
Fr. Gregory Mathewes-Green, the Parishioners of Holy Cross Church, and the 20/25 Committee
Assembly of Bishops Committee For Youth Report
Bishop Thomas, ChairAssembly of Bishops.org reports:
New relationships and unity among Orthodox Christian youth workers are the result of diligent efforts by the Committee for Youth, one of the very active committees of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America.
The committee’s members are Bishop Thomas (Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese), Metropolitan Alexios (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese) and Bishop Irineu (Orthodox Church in America). As with all of the Assembly’s committees, clergy and lay consultants support the work of the committee. The Committee for Youth has more than sixty consultants with extensive experience and knowledge of Orthodox youth and youth programs.
One of the fruits of the committee’s efforts has been new relationships and increased collaboration among jurisdictional youth directors. “Prior to the committee’s formation, a handful of jurisdictional youth directors would meet occasionally,” says His Grace Bishop Thomas, the chairman of the committee. “Now there are 17 who meet in person and by phone, representing every jurisdiction in the Assembly.
