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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St. Thomas Sunday


St. Thomas Sunday

By Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas and the South

(The following is a brief reflection on the Gospel reading for the Sunday after Pascha, John 20:19-31)
 

When the disciples had gathered on the new Passover (Pascha), the Lord’s Day or Resurrection Day, Jesus entered the room where they were – “the doors being shut…for fear of the Jews” – stood in the midst of them and showed them His hands and side. Christ then greeted them with that salutation, retained by the Church through the ages, with which the priest greets the faithful at each of the important parts of the Divine Liturgy and other services: “Peace be unto you.” Twice our Lord delivers this message of peace to His disciples that “first day of the week.” We are reminded in this of the Savior’s words before the Crucifixion: “My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you” and “these things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.” (John 14:27; 16:33) The Resurrection, of which the beloved disciples were witnesses, was the confirmation of Christ’s entire life of prophecy and sacrifice. It was a reassurance that the peace He had come to give the world was not vain or imagined. Nor was it peace on strictly a human level, for example the absence of war or strife among men. Rather this peace was the presence of the Prince of Peace in the midst of human existence. It was the long awaited reconciliation between God and man, and in God a profound “union of all men” as children of the Most High, a peace that the world is unable to provide or understand.

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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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2026 Pysanky Class


2026 Pysanky Class – See photos
On march 15th, Mat. Holly held a class on Pysanky egg decorating after the Coffee Hour.

Pysanky eggs are Easter eggs decorated using a wax-resist dyeing method. Designs are “written” in hot wax before being dyed. This tradition dates back to ancient times and incorporates both pagan and Christian symbols, making pysanky a significant cultural and religious artifact.

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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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