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

We have no other help, we have no other hope, but you, O Lady.
Help us, for in you we hope,
and of you we boast, for we are your servants.
Let us not be put to shame.

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

Worshiping here for the last sixty years.

Sunday Mornings Services

Sunday Mornings

9:40 AM – Hours (The Third and Sixth Hours are usually read together before the Liturgy)

10:00 AM – Divine Liturgy – Holy Communion is offered to those baptized Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves for the reception of the Sacrament by prayer and fasting. Blessed Bread is available for all our visitors at the very end of the Divine Liturgy.

Saturday evening

6:30 PM – Saturday Vespers

Reminders

The Sisterhood’s food drive is ongoing. Donation bins are located both downstairs and in the back of the church. Please be generous. Thank you!

More…

Archbishop Michael Visits the Church of the Mother of God for 60th Anniversary Celebration, Fr. Matthew’s 50 Years of Priesthood, and Tonsuring of Two Readers

On August 8th 2026, the parish of the Church of the Mother of God, Joy of All the Sorrowful, was blessed with an archpastoral visitation by His Eminence Archbishop Michael. The occasion brought together three significant celebrations: the 60th anniversary of the parish, the 50th anniversary of the ordination of the Very Rev. Dr. Matthew Searfoorce to the priesthood, and the tonsuring of two men to the office of Reader.

The Roman Empire

The Universal Expectation of the Messiah

Having been freed from the empire of the Greek kings, the Jews did not have long to make use of their freedom. The Romans, having conquered the whole known world, also subjugated the Jews (64 B.C.). They placed over Palestine the procurator Antipater from the tribe of Esau, an Idumean (or Edomite). He very cleverly secured the confidence of the Romans, but was soon poisoned.

After him, his son Herod, called Herod the Great, was appointed governor of Galilee. He was a suspicious, brutal and cunning man. He also, like his father, skillfully gained the confidence of the Roman authorities and was declared King of the Jews. In order to find favor among the Jews, King Herod restored the Jerusalem Temple. Having received the title of King, he was still subordinate to Caesar, the Roman Emperor. From the time that the Jews came under Roman power, they were always subject to a Roman ruler, a deputy of the Roman Emperor. The Jews were allowed to keep their Sanhedrin, their council of high priests and elders of the people; but the power of the Sanhedrin was strictly limited. The Sanhedrin, for example, could not impose the death penalty without the permission of the Roman ruler, to whom belonged the highest authority in Israel.

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.

About the Patron of our Parish

Icon of the Mother of God joy of all the Sorrowful

^{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.

Purpose

The Church of the Mother of God is a local parish of the Orthodox Church in America, gathered together to worship God, to grow in communion with Him, and to live the life of the Gospel according to the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church.

As a parish, we seek to deepen the faith and spiritual life of our members, to welcome those who are searching for God or seeking a church home, and to share with them the fullness and beauty of the Orthodox Christian faith. We strive to educate our members and those who wish to learn more about the faith, to offer charitable assistance to those in need, and to bear witness to Christ and His Church throughout southern New Jersey.

Our purpose is ultimately simple: to know Christ, to live in Christ, and to invite others to come and see.

Welcome

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