Desert News is published online, every month, for a quick glimpse of the goings on at St. Anthony’s and with our parishioners. Desert News editors are Claudia Bogris and Nike Bach. If you have parish organization or personal news to share, please email information to Claudia Bogris.
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View our Church Calendar for all services and event updates
Weekly Service Schedule
(Always Consult our online Calendar for changes to this schedule)
Wednesdays: Daily Vespers 6-6:30pm
Fridays: Daily Vespers 6-6:30pm
Saturdays: Great Vespers 5-6pm
Sundays: Orthros at 9am; Divine Liturgy at 10am
September Special Services
Monday August 31: Orthros and Divine Liturgy for Church New Year (Sept 1) 6pm
Thursday September 4th: Orthros and Divine Liturgy for the Prophet Moses 9am
Monday September 7th: Orthros and Divine Liturgy for the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos 6pm
The Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross falls on Monday September 14. The Metropolitan has advised that we may not transfer the feast to Sunday. However, we will celebrate the procession with the cross on Sunday September 13th so many can participate in this holy service.
Sunday September 13th: Great Vespers for the Exaltation of the Cross 6pm
Monday September 14th: Orthros and Divine Liturgy for the Exaltation of the Cross 9am
Wednesday September 23rd: Divine Liturgy for the conception of John the Baptist 8am
Saturday September 26th: Orthros and Divine Liturgy for St John the Theologian 9am
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A message from Fr. Nicholas Fine
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
St Anthony Orthodox Church was first chartered in 1956 with a mission to create a parish that would bring together the traditions of all of the cultures of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. This was an innovative and charismatic idea for the late 50s. For 70 years, our parish has seen this idea flourish, thanks to the generosity and sacrifice of the generations that came before us to establish this church and to care for it. We have inherited their generosity, and now it is our turn to ensure that our parish remains strong, beautiful, and well cared for for the generations that will follow us.
For this reason, I am pleased to announce the beginning of a Capital Campaign for St. Anthony Orthodox Church, with a goal of raising $300,000 for essential repairs and improvements to our parish facilities.
The most immediate and significant need is the repair of our church roof. In addition, there are other important facility projects that must be addressed so that our buildings can continue to serve the worship, fellowship, education, and ministry of our parish community for many years to come.
I am also so grateful to share that, even before publicly announcing this campaign, $150,000 has already been generously committed during the quiet phase of our fundraising effort. This means that we begin the public phase of our campaign already halfway toward our goal!
This is an extraordinary beginning, and one for which we should be deeply thankful. But reaching the remainder of our goal will require the participation of our entire parish family.
In the coming weeks, you will receive more information about the campaign, the projects we hope to accomplish, and the different ways that you can participate. We recognize that every household has different circumstances, and not everyone can give at the same level. Our hope is simply that every family will prayerfully consider making a meaningful commitment according to their ability.
A capital campaign is about more than repairing a building. Our church property exists for a purpose: it is the place where we gather around the Holy Altar, where our children are baptized and raised in the Faith, where we celebrate marriages and mourn our departed, where we welcome those seeking Christ, and where our parish family comes together in fellowship and service.
The sacrifices we make today are an investment in that mission and in the future of St. Anthony Church.
I ask each of you to pray for the success of this campaign and to consider how you and your family might participate. I am so grateful to those who have already given, and I am confident in the generosity of our entire parish family. I know we can accomplish this important work.
First and foremost we ask God to bless our efforts and continue to bless and strengthen our beloved parish. We ask our beloved patron, St Anthony for his prayers to help and encourage us through this work to protect and secure the temple dedicated to him. And we ask our Holy Lady to give us courage and love for one another as we work toward this goal.
In Christ,
Fr. Nicholas
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Church School 2026-2027: Kick-Off September 13
With our smallish class sizes but a great desire to teach our children, we are taking a new approach to Church School this year. Instead of shorter weekly sessions, we will have class on the second Sunday of each month, and it will be longer (and of course, we hope parents will make EVERY effort to be there on those Sundays!).
Our curriculum will cover the Pillars of Orthodoxy: Growing in the Faith and the Life of the Church. Each month, we will have a theme (e.g., How Do we Worship?, The Bible, Jesus, Sacraments). The classes will all cover the same themes with the appropriate age-level lesson/craft/activity/singing.
Age ranges for Church School are Pre-K (3-4 yrs old) through 7th grade. At age 13 the children move up into Teen SOYO.
Church School kicks off with our back- to-school blessing of backpacks and BBQ on September 13. Parents are encouraged to register their children now using the link below.
We have an awesome team of volunteers who know how important Church School is who are ready and excited to teach our children!
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Festival 2026
We are excited about our upcoming St. Anthony International Food Festival, taking place Friday and Saturday, November 13 & 14! This will be a wonderful opportunity to open our doors to the wider community, share the food and hospitality of our parish, and enjoy two days of fellowship, music, and fun.
This year, Fr. Nicholas will be chairing the Festival, working together with our festival leaders and volunteers to make this year's event a great success.
Food & Bakery
We are grateful to Jim Bogris and James Gakos, who will be leading our food preparations and helping us put together a wonderful selection of dishes for the festival. We are also grateful to the team that will assist in making all of the additional dishes representing the various cultures of our parish.
Many thanks to our Bakery team, led by Betty Gakos and Lois Dedes, who will prepare a delicious assortment of homemade pastries and desserts.
And a special thank you to Dn Peter, who works tirelessly in acquiring food donations to keep our costs down.
Live Entertainment
Throughout the festival, we will have live music, including Jazz music featuring our own parishioners Doug and Lazarus Begley, and their ensemble. We are also very pleased to welcome the St. Vladimir’s Seminary Byzantine Choir, which will offer a special performance of sacred Byzantine music in the Church proper. And there will be fun for the kids, too, in the Kids' Zone
Shopping
Our marketplace will be a mix of St. Anthony booths and outside vendors that will provide shopping opportunities for our guests – and hopefully bring their following as well.
We Need Volunteers!
A festival of this size can only be successful with the help of our entire parish community, and there will be a place for everyone to participate!
Volunteer opportunities will include not only working during the festival itself, but also helping in the days and weeks beforehand with cooking and baking, as well as setup before the festival and cleanup and tear-down afterward.
Both a physical volunteer sign-up sheet and a digital sign-up form will be available soon to sign up festival shifts. We encourage every member of the parish to find a way to participate—even a few hours of your time will make a difference.
Help Us Keep Festival Costs Down
In addition to volunteering, we are asking each parish household to consider donating $25 toward the Festival. There are many expenses involved in putting on an event of this size, from food and supplies to advertising, entertainment and other preparations. These $25 contributions will help offset our upfront expenses so that more of what we earn during the Festival can directly benefit the parish.
Every contribution, along with every hour volunteered, helps make the Festival a success. When the whole parish participates, a small contribution from each of us can make a very big difference. You can donate by check in the church, or through ParishSoft and select “festival donation”
Please keep an eye out for more information, including the festival menu, volunteer schedule, and other details.
Mark your calendars for November 13 & 14, invite your family and friends, and help us make the St. Anthony International Food Festival a wonderful celebration of our parish and community!
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Calling All Bakers!
Our baked goods are a big highlight and hit for our community and guests at the Festival. We are anxious to have parishioners old and new help in our baking endeavor. Please let Betty Gakos or Lois Dedes know if you may be able to help and what times work best for you. We would like to offer a very flexible schedule for everyone to learn and participate in October.
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Walk-in Dinner Program
We will be feeding the less fortunate in Hackensack on Wednesday, September 2. Please let us know if you would like to help cook, serve or help finance this wonderful endeavor. Contact Betty Gakos.
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Young at Heart News
Young at Heart will hold its first meeting of the 2026-2027 year on Thursday, September 10 in the Father Joseph Allen Memorial Hall. The meeting will be starting earlier than usual at 11:00 am when we will be entertained by Mary Taylor (website: http://marytaylor.org/) who is a highly recommended performer. We welcome anyone 55 or older. New members can sign up on that day.
Please note the change in day and time from our usual meetings. Since our gathering covers lunchtime, we are asking for light luncheon food items. Please contact Valyce Andrews (our Refreshments Coordinator) at 201-947-1144 as to what you can bring. She will be monitoring what is being brought and those items still needed.
If you haven't done so yet, the $15 dues should be paid prior to the meeting. Payments can be given to Alice Ziemba or mailed to her c/o St. Anthony Orthodox Church.
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Fr. Joseph Allen Memorial Lecture: October 3
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, who will speak about the Changes and Challenges in Pastoral Care Today.
Please mark your calendar for what has become an evening of refreshment, fellowship and thought provoking discussion related to our faith.
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Young Adult Retreat, October 9-11
Our Young Adult Group will host a retreat for young Orthodox Adults from all jurisdictions. The weekend will include fellowship, fun activities (including a Paint and Sip and off-site bowling and arcade), good food, and Orthodox connection, including two sessions with Fr. Symeon Williams. Scan the QR code below to register, for the full schedule of events and for hotel information for those traveling to attend.
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Seeking Sunday Drivers
We are looking for parishioners willing to occasionally provide transportation for seniors who can no longer drive themselves to Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings. If you have a reliable vehicle and would be willing to serve in this ministry, even on an occasional basis, please speak with Fr. Nicholas or Helen Chimel. Your willingness to offer a ride can make a tremendous difference in helping our senior parishioners remain connected to our parish's worship and fellowship.
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Backpacks for Bergenfield
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the backpacks we were able to fill for the students in Bergenfield!
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New Landscaping Group: Keeping Our Church Grounds Beautiful
If you are willing to volunteer on a few Saturdays in the Summer and Fall to help with landscaping and keeping our grounds beautiful, please speak to Rob Scarpa.
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Tricky Tray: March 5, 2027
It’s not too early to start planning for the Tricky Tray. We are accepting any NEW items to fill the baskets such as: candles, novelty items, crystal, toys, household & kitchen items & more. We can store these for you from now! Save baskets, containers, decor boxes and even paper, yes brown stuffing paper from boxes and tissue wrap. We would appreciate the effort of starting early to acquire the donations we need. Any questions, see Leslie Carter.
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Found!
Have you lost something in church? Try looking in the Lost and Found plastic tote with white lid behind the bar area in the church hall.
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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
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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.
Visit our site for what's available now and visit often as the menu will change. If you have questions, please contact Pam Scarpa.
| | Sign up for Coffee Hour Hosting | | | | Every parishioner is asked to host at least one coffee hour a year. This can be shared with others. A schedule and guidelines are posted in the coffee room. To sign up or learn more, please email Alice Ziemba or call her at 201-906-3850. Volunteers will receive a call from a coffee steward during the week they sign-up. Stewards will help hosts provide a simple coffee hour. | | | | |
Memory Eternal!
Our deepest condolences to Vicky and Jim Tweel and family on the passing of Vicky's father on August 5, 2026. Judge Dominic Lodato died just two weeks before his 101st birthday. Memory Eternal!
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Walk-in Dinner Program
Wednesday, September 2 (See above)
Young at Heart
First Meeting of 2026-2027 season
Thursday, September 10 (See above)
Church School and SOYO Kick Off BBQ and Backpack Blessing
Sunday, September 13
Young at Heart Trip to see The Producers in Oradell
Sunday, September 27 (Tickets already purchased)
Fr. Joseph Allen Memorial Lecture
Saturday, October 3 (See above)
Young Adult Retreat
October 9,10,11 (See above)
International Festival
November 13 and 14 (See above)
Tricky Tray 2027
Friday, March 5, 2027 (See above)
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