Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
I am writing you today on behalf of our Haitian Orthodox family, and more specifically the Orthodox children of our parish of St. Augustine Church. At the end of the school year their already damaged church and school building deteriorated to an extent that rendered a third of the school unsafe for use and further exposed the church to water damage. These faithful and humble folk need our help this summer. We need to raise $20,000 by mid September to repair and stabilize these structures before school starts. We also need gracious donors to contribute on a monthly basis.
Please remember our mission in your prayers and if you can help in any way possible please donate through our secure website : haitianorthodoxmission.org or you can send checks made payable to Haiti Mission/St. Maximus and send to St Maximus Orthodox Church 4447 Gaskill Rd, Owego, NY 13827.
In Christ,
Lazarus Gehring, MD
Liason for the Haitian Orthodox Mission of the GOC of the Americas
This miracle of Saint Spyridon took place in Mandra, Greece in 1926.
It was 12/25 December, 1926. The state Church of Greece adopted the Papal calendar and with the help of the Greek government persecuted all those who did not accept the Papal calendar. The faithful Orthodox Christians of Mandra woke up and headed to their Church to celebrate the Feast of Saint Spyridon. When they reached the Church they saw that the door to the Church had been secured with chains and the faithful could not enter. Before leaving the Church to return to their homes they stuck their candles on the door. As soon as the last person placed his candles on the door
the chains broke and fell. The faithful, confirmed in their Faith, entered the Church and celebrated the Feast of Saint Spyridon.
The miracle was reported the next day by the newspaper Skrip.
Jonesboro is a town located near the Eastern border of Arkansas, with a population of approximately 60,000. From a human standpoint, it’s not the most likely candidate for a traditional Orthodox mission, but for an Orthodox Christian who orders his priorities around Christ and His Church, it makes perfect sense. Read more...
2026 Youth Conference
Please join us for the 2026 youth conference in Upper Marlboro, MD! To learn more, visit the this page.
Q. In considering becoming part of the GOC in America, I am getting warnings from various circles that the attitude of GOC people is that of being “walled off,” “arrogant,” “judgmental,” and “in your face” toward those not in the Genuine Orthodox Church, with accusations such as “World Orthodox” priests are “not even Christians” and the like. Could you give me your personal, realistic assessment of this dynamic and possibly refer me to an official statement on how GOC members should and do relate to and communicate with those in “World Orthodoxy”? Read more...