- Antiochian Women of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church -
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America was founded in 1973 through the vision of His Eminence Metropolitan Philip Saliba as an organization of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Its purpose is to develop a spirit of Christian leadership, awareness, and commitment; to foster a genuine expression of love and service through works of charity; and to instill a sense of fellowship and a deeper understanding of the heritage and traditions of the Orthodox Church.
All ladies who are members of our church and over the age of 18 are encouraged/invited to attend our meetings and social activities.
Coffee Hour and Refreshments are served after Divine Liturgy each Sunday. During Lent, we provide soup and salad dinners after Presanctified Liturgy ( Wednesday evening). Funds raised from the Coffee Hour and occasional Bake Sale go to providing supplies for our altar, our church kitchen, bathrooms and our philanthropic organizations:
St. Paisius Monastery: we pray for and collect items for our dear Sisters in Christ several times a year.
Community Food Bank: twice a year we collect non-perishable food items and money for this non-profit organization. In 2009 we collected 600 pounds of food.
Youth On Their Own: a non-profit organization which helps teenagers continue on in school when their home life is disrupted.
Fall Tea: a recruitment effort and social function for all our ladies. Lots of good food and tea is served.
Altar Needs: provided for by our ladies - altar cloths, altar boy robes, flowers/palms for all the Holy Days.
So, who are the “Antiochian Women”? Quite simply, they are each and every woman — from 19 to 99 — who is a member of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church. They are wives, mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. They are daughters, sisters, aunts, and cousins. They are the women who sit in front of you, next to you, and behind you in church. An Antiochian Woman is YOU!
Unfortunately, on more than one occasion, we have heard that the Antiochian Women are the “old ladies who work on coffee hour.” However, our seniors’ service to Christ and His Church is NOT confined to the kitchen. To say so is a disservice to the hard work that they have done in building the Church to new heights. Antiochian Women are not just grandmothers or greatgrandmothers — they are college students, young women in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, middle-aged women, and yes, senior citizens. If you look around your church, you will see the Antiochian Women in a variety of services — teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir, or serving on the Parish Council, to name just a few. As we study the writings of the Church Fathers to learn more about our faith, we should also study the women who have gone before us so that we may become better workers in Christ’s Church.
This “Sisterhood Serving Christ Through Serving Others” have committed themselves to serving Christ and His Holy Church. By giving a few minutes each day, week, month or year, the Antiochian Women serve those who are in need.
