You have reached the web site of St. Stephen Orthodox Cathedral. St. Stephen's is a Diocesan Cathedral of the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Orthodox Church in America) under the omophorion of His Grace Bishop Tikhon. Our parish is located in North-East Philadelphia next to the beautiful Pennypack Park. St. Stephen's was founded in 1971 and since then became a vibrant Orthodox Christian community with many parishioners coming from the City of Philadelphia as well as from neighboring counties in PA and NJ.
We hope that this website will provide you with information about the life of our parish community here at St. Stephen's as well as the Orthodox events in the greater Philadelphia area.
Parish News and Upcoming Events
2010 Annual Parish Meeting
Thank you to everyone who attended our Annual Parish Meeting on February 28. We had a wonderful meeting and elected officers for 2010 Parish Council. We are thankful for all blessings and accomplishments over the last year, and pray for continued success in the future. And your participation is imperative... Thank you for all you do!
We welcome all members and visitors to become active and stay involved in the life of our Parish. Please feel free to talk to Father Victor, members of Parish Council or other volunteers if any activity or group at St. Stephen's is of interest to you. For more information, please see our "Parish Life" section.
Saturday, March 20th, 2010
St. Stephen's OCF Chapter Meeting
The next regularly scheduled meeting of St. Stephen's OCF, Chapter #82 of the F.O.C.A,, will be held on Saturday, March 20.All members are asked to attend and any interested guests are always welcome.Members are asked to bring a lenten pot luck snack to share.We will be discussing the upcoming Colonial District Bowling Tournament which will be held in Trenton.
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
Sunday of Orthodoxy and Mission Services of Great Lent
This year Philadelphia Deanery of the OCA will host a Sunday of Orthodoxy Service at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Bethlehem, PA.Bishop Tikhon (OCA) and Bishop Thomas (Antiochian Archdiocese) will preside over the service which will start at 4 PM.Also, Philadelphia Clergy Brotherhood will hold their Sunday of Orthodoxy service at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Jeffersonville, PA.
Click here to view the schedule of Mission Vespers services that will be served every Sunday of Lent at 4 PM at various churches in the Philadelphia area.Our parishioners should make a special effort during this Lenten season to attend these services to spend time in prayer and fellowship with other Orthodox Christians in our area.
Preparation for Easter
During this time of Great Lent, it is especially meaningful that we prepare properly for Easter. Part of this is Fasting. Click here for some information that may help guide you during this time. Please feel free to contact Father Victor if you have any questions or need advice.
Souper Bowl of Caring
Our Sr. and Jr. OCFs are participating in this national program that raises money to help feed the hungry across the United States.Over the past 20 years more than $60 million has been raised to fight hunger in local communities like ours.You can be a part of this effort by donating $ to our soup pots and/or donating canned goods to our Seminarian Food Drive.All proceeds will be sent to Philabundance (The Greater Philadelphia Area Food Bank) to help feed the hungry in our area.We hope you will be generous and thank you for your participation. Please be generous.These donations are especially needed now due to the adverse weather conditions that shelters are experiencing.
Haiti Clothing Drive and Health Kits
We continue to collect clothing as part of Haiti relief efforts. You can bring clean, good, summer clothes during this month for shipment to Haiti and distribution thru Haitian Churches coordinated thru GAINUSA.There is a special box downstairs in the hallway where you can leave your donated cloth for pick up.Thank you! For more information, please see the most recent bulletin for information on how you can help.
Living Waters Survey
Our Diocesan Office of Communication is conducting a survey of all parishioners to gather more information about their knowledge and use of diocesan publications.At the candle desk there are copies of “Living Waters” newsletter available that were marked for each household in our parish and with it there is a brief survey that we ask our parishioners to fill out and bring back to church.Thank you for your participation in this project!
St. Stephen's Volunteer Committees
One of the ways that a parish member can offer his or her stewardship to the parish is to serve on one of the seven parish committees at St. Stephen's.The committees provide an important function because they help accomplish work that needs to be done between the monthly parish meetings. You can contact Fr. Victor or Larry Skvir, Warden, to tell them you would like to volunteer to serve on a committee!
Services and Studies
Regular Services:
Saturday: Great Vespers 5 PM Sunday: Divine Liturgy 10 AM
Feast Day Eve (on weekdays): Great Vespers 7 PM Feast Day: Divine Liturgy 9 AM
Russian Service: Every Sunday 8:30 AM
Studies (except for January, July and August):
Tuesday: Inquirer's Class 7:30 PM Thursday: Bible Study 7:30 PM
Sunday School (Children age 4 to 17):
Every Sunday during the school year following the Divine Liturgy. Please see Father Victor if you are interested in having your child participate in the Sunday School Program.
During this time of Great Lent, it is especially meaningful that we prepare properly for Easter. Part of this is Fasting. Click here for some information that may help guide you during this time.
If you would like to schedule a house blessing, please Contact Father Victor.
Monthly Calendar
Please click here to view the monthly calendar for March 2010
"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or more are gathered together in My Name, I am there in the midst of them." -- Matthew 18: 19-20
