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Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
Welcome to our website. As the newly assigned pastor of St. Nicholas, I am pleased to invite you to visit our community to pray and worship with us when the occasion arises.
Orthodox Christianity was founded in 33 A.D. by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Orthodox Church is “Greek” in that the language of the original church was Greek, as was the language of the New Testament Scriptures, the early Church Fathers and early Ecumenical Councils.
Orthodoxy embraces millions of Christians worldwide, many nationalities and cultures, but all belong to the family of the “Greek” or “Eastern” Orthodox Church.
We are called Orthodox because the Church has preserved unalterably to this very day the original and unadulterated teachings of its head and founder Jesus Christ. It is the same today in principal and scope as it was in Apostolic times. This long unbroken tradition maintains the original intention and character of our God given faith as One because her founder established the Church through His sacrifice on the cross and is Himself one with the Father, Holy because He is God the Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity and is holy. Catholic because as the name implies is universal and is for all nations and peoples of the earth for all times. Apostolic because she was instructed and guided by the Apostles (empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost) who were eyewitnesses and chosen followers of the Lord.
About Our Parish
An overview of our community was established by immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries of Greek ancestry, who in turn brought relatives to the Hudson Valley Region. They were small shop keepers, fruit and vegetable peddlers, grocery salesmen, confectioners, etc.
In 1932 the present edifice on the corner of Fullerton Avenue and Van Ness Street was purchased and has been their House of Worship to date. Their Faith and traditions were passed down to the third and fourth generations to come.
During the post WWII years to the present, the second wave of Greek immigrants arrived and settled in the southern New York, northern New Jersey and Newburgh areas. They were cooks and dishwashers who later became the owners of the establishments in which they were employed.
It must be noted that these entrepreneurs were ill-educated and not at all literate in the English language but did educate their children who later became doctors, lawyers, clergy men, business executives, judges, and even Presidential hopefuls – all now respected and successful members of society.
Our Parish Today
Although many of our parishioners are of Greek lineage, our younger parishioners have inter-married with other Christian faith expressions. The use of English in Liturgical worship in order to communicate and share has increased our faith and living tradition with them and their children. Through religious education and active participation in the liturgical life of the Church, inter faith families, as well as our own parishioners, develop a sense of belonging and a deeper appreciation of the Orthodox way of life.
In Christ,
Father John Angel
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