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Life in Our Parish

Our Graduating High School Seniors

Each June we highlight our graduating high school seniors. Congratulations to Natalia Mayhew and Leyla Ziemba, who are the Class of 2026!

Natalia Mayhew



Natalia Mayhew, daughter of Rachel Mayhew and granddaughter of Debbie and Danny Mayhew, is graduating from Westwood Regional High School with an incredible list of academic achievements!

She’s taken five Advanced Placement classes and all honors classes, graduating with a 4.26 GPA! She’s a member of the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, National English Honor Society, National History Honor Society and received the College Board First Generation Recognition Award and College Board School Recognition Award.

Natalia is a Varsity member and Captain of the Debate team (3rd place speaker overall this year in Bergen County, 1st place speaker at multiple individual tournaments), Math Club, Cosmetology Club, SkillsUSA Extemporaneous Speech (4th in the state), Office member/student representative in National Technical Honor Society.

Natalia has hosted a veterans drive for hygiene products, where she collected over 700 items in donations and volunteered through cosmetology program, providing free services to members of domestic violence shelters and disabled people. She also volunteered with her cosmetology program for a fundraiser to raise money for children's cancer research. 

Natalia has been part of the life of our parish- volunteering at the Walk-In-Dinner program and volunteering at the Church Festival in the bakery, and she attended camp at the Antiochian Village for four years.



In addition to her rigorous academics, Natalia works at jobs that combine her many talents: A Math teacher for kids K-12 at Mathnasium, a hair salon assistant and a summer camp counselor.

After graduation, Natalia plans to attend Fordham University as a History major, on a pre-law track planning to practice as a criminal defense attorney. But where she is going to school is subject to change - if she gets off the waitlist for Harvard College! 

Natalia, we are all so proud of you and all that you have accomplished! God bless you as you start this next exciting chapter – we look forward to seeing you take the world by storm!

Leyla Ziemba



We’ve seen Leyla Violet Ziemba, the daughter of Robyn and John Ziemba, grow up since infanthood here at St. Anthony’s. She even has two sets of grandparents who are longtime members of St. Anthony's: Arlene and Ed Assile and Alice Ziemba and John Ziemba.  

Leyla is graduating from the Academy of the Holy Angels with a long list of academic, school involvement and athletic achievements!

In addition to many Honors and High Honors classes, in her senior year Leyla took a very rigorous program of classes like Anatomy & Physiology, Sports Medicine, Psychology, and Statistics. During high school, she even attended Georgetown University’s Medical Academy for High School Students, where she got to explore medicine through hands-on labs, case studies, and simulations. That experience confirmed that she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare.

Leyla has founded and has served as officer of many student organizations, from Middle Eastern Cultural Society to Students Against Destructive Decisions. She danced, then sprinted and pole vaulted on the varsity track team before finding her real passion: rowing.

She’s volunteered at many meaningful school and church service events (and we’ve definitely appreciated all the running around at Festivals and Tricky Trays and baking for the Walk-in Dinner Program), and attended Winter Camp and Family Camp, But, she describes the most meaningful as spending a week at the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Training Camp at Antiochian Village, where she coached track and said she learned more from the athletes than they could have ever learned from her.

In addition to all her school, sports and volunteer activities, Leyla has also worked as a hostess at a local café, a director of sensitivity, sailing, water skiing, and cabin camp counselor at a camp in Maine, a dance instructor and babysits for local families.

She will be attending Fairfield University Nursing School where she will also be rowing on the D1 Women's Rowing Team.

Leyla, we have loved watching you grow up from an adorable little girl to this wonderful and accomplished young woman! God bless you as you start this next chapter of your life and know that your St. Anthony’s family will always be rooting for you!

Golf Outing: June 16

The 10th Annual Don DiNovi Memorial Golf Outing will be held this year on Tuesday, June 16. There are many ways to participate - as a golfer, come for dinner, or as a sponsor. Click here for day of event details. For more information, contact Ed Assile, Emil Samman, Jim Tweel or Jim Watkins.

The Festival is BACK! November 13-14

At the last parish council meeting, the idea of bringing back the festival was discussed and all were in agreement that we would like to hold the festival again this year. The festival is important for us, not just as a fundraiser, but as an opportunity to build community and foster fellowship among our parishioners who may not work together often. Fr. Nicholas volunteered to chair this festival and will be reaching out, seeking ideas and volunteers. It takes a village to host a festival and we want to focus on our true goal—not money—but joy, fun, fellowship, working together as a team to accomplish a goal, and sharing our beautiful faith with our broader community.

Mark your calendar from now: November 13-14, and look for a lot more details to come!

Join the Ivy Leaguers Hall Watching Club

We are looking for Ivy Leaguers - and we don't care where you did or didn't go to school! This is a volunteer position to watch the hall (long marketed as the Ivy Hall) when it is rented and serve as a friendly on-site presence to help ensure renters follow guidelines and treat our home with care. With our beautiful new hall, we have A TON of rentals!

Each rental has 4 spots for volunteers, so it seems like a nice way for the volunteers to also have kitchen-time conversation. Clear, printed instructions will be provided for every shift so you know exactly what to do. Your time helps us maintain the quality of our church hall and building, while allowing the program to grow and thrive for the entire community. And working together - especially with people you don't know very well - is always the way that relationships get formed. 

Learn more or sign up.

See the checklist

Yard Sale a Fabulous Success

Many, many thanks to all who worked to make the Yard Sale a fabulous success: the many volunteers who helped set-up all week, sell merchandise for two days and packed up items (with a 90 minute window before the hall was rented!) to donate to The Breast Cancer Foundation. And, of course, thank you to all our parishioners who donated what other people found to be treasures! Most especially, thank you to the chairs, Valerie Joseph and Debbie Nagorny! This was a terrific fundraiser that beat our goals!



What are You Reading this Summer?

Need a suggestion? What about delving into Orthodoxy? In our newly renovated library, located down the stairs (follow the signs) there are well over 1,000 books to open your mind to the riches of our faith. With book selections varying from beautifully illustrated Orthodox iconography art to Christian literature. There is also a large selection of books for children and for parents to read to their children. All books are available to take out on the honor system. 

If you would like a personal tour or curated selection of books on topics that interest you, contact sub-deacon, Nicolas Nagorny, church librarian at 201 388-7088 any morning 9am-noon. 

Fr. Joseph Allen Memorial Lecture: October 3

Save the Date from now! The 5th Annual Father Joseph Allen Memorial Lecture will be held at St. Anthony’s on Saturday, October 3, following Vespers. Our featured speaker will be Fr. Michael Nasser. Please mark your calendar for what has become an evening of refreshment, fellowship and thought provoking discussion related to our faith.



Parish Council Update

Our Parish Council meets monthly to hear from committees and to go over matters that may need discussion/approval/to be voted on.   

To keep everyone aware of what happens at these meetings, each month we will publish highlights from the meetings that are not already covered in other areas of the Desert News. 

Highlights of May 17, 2026 Meeting

The Parish Council approved the proposal to replace our current roof. After a competitive bid process, speaking to referrals, and visiting the sites of other jobs, the roofing company was selected and work is expected to begin in September. For anyone who has attended Church on a rainy day, you know how needed this improvement is!

The Parish Council agreed that we should have a festival this year, scheduled for November 13-14. Fr. Nicholas will chair it.

Facilities Update

A thermostat upgrade for air conditioning with remote access from smart phone apps now allows us to have more control over the temperature and this will help us keep the cost down so the AC isn’t running all summer when no one is in the building. Over the summer we will make the same upgrades to the heating system, ahead of the fall/cooler months. 

Facilities Manager, John Meyer, continues to take impeccable care of our property from installing (with Peter Thomsen’s help) a new transverse downspout off the roof of the storage room so water doesn’t freeze in the winter time, to slowly but surely cleaning up the exterior landscape. We are sure you’ve noticed nice subtle upgrades to our property - stay tuned for more!! All of this is being done in-house without external help and all executed efforts are done so with fiscal responsibility. 

Our Finances at a Glance

St. Anthony's incurred a loss of approximately $16,000 for the month. April expenses included a final snow plowing bill of $3,070 and the PSE&G expense of $9,383 for March and April. Year to date, St Anthony's has a profit of approximately $3,300, but we are heading into summer months when collections historically decrease. We do, however, anticipate increased income from hall rentals. With vacation months quickly approaching, please do not take a vacation from remembering St Anthony's in your weekly giving. Have a safe and blessed summer.

Each parishioner, every year, is asked to submit a pledge form in order to cover parish expenses. The pledge has two financial components.

1. We, like all churches, support our Archdiocese by paying an annual assessment. Each parish family is asked to pay this fee each year: $150/individual; $300/family. This assessment can be paid by check, on our website, or through your Parish Soft Giving account
2. Your Pledge/weekly offering covers all Parish Expenses: (Building & Grounds maintenance and repair, Utilities, Clergy, Staff, Christian Ed and parish programs, and Kitchen supplies.)

Paying your Assessment and filling out your pledge form confirms that you are a member in good standing of St Anthony’s Church.

Thank you for supporting your Church!

ParishSoft Giving

St. Anthony's provides an easy, convenient, and safe way for parishioners to make recurring payments or one-time gifts to the parish by using ParishSoft Giving. Click on the links below to see what you can do.

Parishioners can also make gifts from their mobile phone. TEXT ‘Giving’ to 201-581-7385. Visit the Stewardship page on your phone or computer to create your PSG account

Year-Round Fundraisers

Flowers never go out of style and are always available for ordering. Whether you are looking for a bouquet or florals for a whole event, it's easy for you and a fundraiser for St. Anthony's. You can get all of your floral arrangements (name day, birthday, anniversary, etc.) throughout the year while supporting the church. To order, call Hanneh Kalyoussef (201-693-2968) or email hanneh@kalycomm.com

See flyer

A Taste of St. Anthony's offers frozen favorites representing the parish’s rich Pan-Orthodox culture, showcasing traditional favorites from across our diverse community. Specialties are made to order and sell out quickly, so be sure to place your requests early. The food will be sold throughout the year by our team of specialty chefs. NEW MENU ITEM ALERT: Vegetarian grape leaves and stuffed cabbage

Visit our site for what's available now and visit often as the menu will change. If you have questions, please contact Pam Scarpa.

Reminders

AED

Our AED automated external defibrillator is now located in the front lobby by the men’s and women’s bathrooms. Please let Betty Gakos know if you are Certified in CPR and AED use.

Milestones

Memory Eternal!

We were so saddened to hear of the passing of our dear parishioner, Raymond Takla, who departed this life on May 16, 2026. Ray has been an active member of St. Anthony's for decades, ever since he made the move from Brookyln to New Jersey with his young family. In recent years, Ray and his wife Annette have been at the very heart of Young at Heart. Our deepest condolences to Annette and their children: Christopher¸ Stephen, Paul and Claudia and their families, including seven cherished grandchildren. Memory Eternal!

Calendar

Young at Heart End-of-Year Dinner

Thursday, June 4

Golf Outing

Tuesday, June 16 (See above)

Parish Life Conference

July 1-4

Bealeton, Virginia

antiochianevents.com/new-york

Fr. Joseph Allen Memorial Lecture

Saturday, October 3 (See above)

International Feast

November 13 and 14 (See above)

Looking Ahead:

Tricky Tray 2027

Friday, March 5, 2027

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