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

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.

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Christmas Celebration 2025


We will celebrating the Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ in the Flesh with a liturgy  on Thursday, December 25 at 10:00 am.

This is a very important Holy Day in the course of human Salvation, and I hope everyone will be here for the services.

Christ is born!                                        Glorify Him

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The Advent Period in Home Life


The Advent Period in Home Life

by Sophie Koulomzin

What is the meaning of the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord in our family life? How can we live through the preparatory period of Advent as a Christian family? Can this meaning be truly and naturally, unpretentiously, embodied in the experience of a family, a home with children, teenagers, adults and old people?

Of course, first of all, Christmas is a FEAST, a celebration, an occasion for joy. Understanding the real meaning of this joy (God coming to us to share our humanity) comes to every individual gradually, within the measure of his or her spiritual development, but the experience of joy, of rejoicing, of having a very happy time because it is Christmas is something that can be experienced by all members of the family, whatever their age, whatever their level of spirituality . . . if only there is someone within the family who remains a witness of the true meaning of this joy. The experience of a joyous celebration remains the foundation stone of understanding the meaning of the Lord’s Nativity.

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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…

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Icon of Saint Nicholas of Myra


O who loves, Nicholas the saintly, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
O who serves, Nicholas the saintly,
Him will Nicholas receive,
and give help in time of need,
Holy Father Nicholas!

 

 

Icon of Saint Nicholas of Myra

Feast day: December 6

This icon of Saint Nicholas of Myra is on the very right side of our Iconostas.

The veneration with which this saint has been honored in both East and West, the number of altars and churches erected in his memory, and the countless stories associated with his name all bear witness to something extraordinary about him. Yet the one fact concerning the life of Nicholas of which we can be absolutely certain is that he was bishop of Myra in the fourth century.

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Icon of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ


Icon of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Nativity

This Icon of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is found on the Iconostas of our church, in the row of great feasts.  This icon is more than just a beautiful Christmas piece. It conveys important theological truth as all icons do. Jesus is wrapped in swaddling cloths in such a way that he resembles one wrapped for burial. This indicates that He was born to die for us. The red heifer is present in the cave, which is symbolic of being offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the people. The ass which bore Mary and Him out of town for his birth is there foreshadowing the Triumphal Entry as He goes willingly to the Cross to reconcile us to Himself. The angel in the mountains is shown above two shepherds. This tells the story of how the angel appeared to the shepherds singing and glorifying the birth of Christ, calling them to join in the praise. St. Joseph the Betrothed is shown in a struggle against his temptation. The old man talking to him represents his temptation, when he considered “putting Mary away quietly” not knowing whose child she was to bear. Sometimes, the icon shows three men on horseback, they are the Magi following the star that is being guided by God so they can worship the King, Jesus Christ.

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Announcements


Nativity season events:

  • Sunday December 7th – St. Nicholas Day celebration with a visit from St. Nicholas.
  • Service for the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Flesh will be celebrated on Thursday, December 25th at 10 AM.
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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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