Welcome

Welcome to the official website of the
Orthodox Church of the Mother of God,
Joy of all the Sorrowful

We are a growing parish in the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).
We are in historic Mays Landing, New Jersey, easily reachable near where Route 40 meets Route 50 in Atlantic County

Street address:
Orthodox Church of the Mother of God
115 Hudson St.
Mays Landing, New Jersey 08330

Temporary Rector:

V. Rev. Dr. Matthew Searfoorce

207 Myrtle Ave
Turnersville, NJ 08012

Our Bishop:

The Most Reverend Michael

Archbishop of New York and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey

Sunday Mornings Services


Sunday Mornings Private Confession – By appointment, contact Father Matthew 9:40 AM – Hours (9:45 AM – General Confession on the first Sunday of each month, except during Great Lent) 10:00 AM – Divine Liturgy  – Holy Communion is offered to those baptized Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves for the reception of the Sacrament… Read More

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Great Lent Services 2025


Great Lent Services 2025 Fasting for Presanctified Liturgy should begin after consumption of Lunch. Fasting through Great Lent should include abstaining from meat after Meatfare Sunday, and dairy products as well after Cheesefare Sunday. We may eat shellfish at any time, and fish with back bones on Annunciation, and the Entry into Jerusalem. Fasting for… Read More

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Reminders


Reminders: The Sisterhood’s food drive is ongoing. Donation bins are located bothdownstairs and in the back of the church. Please be generous. Thank you! Please consider mailing your weekly donation to our treasurer:Church of the Mother of God, c/o Holly Dawson, treasurer,111 Main Ave, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234Thank you to everyone who has been… Read More

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Great Lent – Its Meaning For Orthodox Christians


GREAT LENT Its Meaning For Orthodox Christians

by THE RT. REV. ALEXANDER SCHMEMANN (1970)

GREAT LENT The Time of Repentance

“Brethren, while fasting bodily, let us,.also fast spiritually; let us loosen every bond of injustice; let us destroy the strong fetters of violence; let us tear up every unjust writing; let us give bread to the hungry and let us welcome the homeless poor to our houses, that from Christ our God we may receive the great mercy.” (Stichira, Wednesday of the First Week)

We are approaching again the Great Lent- the time of repentance, the time of our reconciliation with God. Repentance is the beginning and also the condition of a truly Christian life. “Repent!” was the first word of Christ when He began to preach (Matt. 4:17). But what is repentance?

 

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Our Church Building


Our Church Building

Photo of our Church
Our church building, and the services celebrated within it, are from the tradition of the church, from the vision of St John the Apostle, as well as the Old Testament Temple. The interior of the Orthodox Church buildings are particularly styled to give the experience of the unity of all things in God. They are not constructed to reproduce the upper room of the Last Supper, nor to be simply a meeting hall for peope whose life exists solely within the bounds of this earth. The church building itself, is an image of the world.

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About the Patron of our Parish


(the Icon of the Mother of God “the Joy of All the Sorrowful”  is Commemorated on July 23, October 24, and November 19)

About the Patron of our Parish

By Helen Creticos Theodoropoulos

Deep within the heart of the Church, in the place where sorrow and joy meet and where our bitter tears are kissed away by a mother’s love, we encounter the Most Holy Mother of God. The Church in its devotion to the Ever-Virgin Mary has always known that she is a mystery and a gift given to us by God. The Theotokos is a mystery that can be experienced and encountered, and yet never explained or described in words of logic and science, and she is a gift that brings radiant joy and comfort in the midst of darkness and need. Through the centuries the Church has expressed its love for her through countless hymns, has praised her in its most exquisite poetry and song, and has portrayed her in its most beautiful and beloved icons. No other saint is the subject of so much devotion, and no other saint has so many miracles attributed him or her.

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Purpose


Purpose

As the local community of the Church of the Mother of God, this parish, exists for the purpose of worshiping God according to the Holy Scriptures and Tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church, to encourage union with God among the members of the parish, to seek out the lost, the searching, and the un-churched and to strive to bring them into union with the Church, to provide religious education to its members and potential members, provide charitable aid, and to defend, promote, and witness to theOrthodox Christian Faith in southern New Jersey.

This website is a tool to help in this purpose. Primarily to publicize our existence in southern New Jersey, and hopefully, encourage people to “come and see”.  

The many pages on this website contain information we hope is helpful. 

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