SJTB

Recent events

Looking back on parish life

DDB Dinner, Syracuse

Parishioners travelled to Syracuse for the annual dinner of the Distinguished Diocesan Benefactors. The DDB programme was begun by His Eminence Archbishop Michael as part of his Vision for Our Future, inviting the faithful of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey to support, through a voluntary yearly gift, three things no single parish can carry alone: the mission parishes of the diocese, the seminarians studying for its priesthood, and established parishes in need of help. The dinner is the diocese's way of thanking those who have taken up that call.

Pani Jan VanDuyn stands to address the benefactors' dinner, guests seated at tables laid with white cloths, pastries and a bright autumn flower arrangement.

Pani Jan VanDuyn, Treasurer of the Diocese, presents the purpose and need for the DDB programme.

Guests seated at the long tables, a priest in cassock at the left, with wine, cups and plates of food in front of them.
Three guests listening at a corner table, with cups, a candle and a small vase of red and white flowers before them.

2026 Diocesan Assembly

Father David Mezynski, Steve Frattere, Pani Jan VanDuyn, treasurer both of our parish and of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, and Deacon Mitchell VanDuyn attended the 2026 Diocesan Assembly, held at the Church of the Mother of God of All Sorrows in Princeton, New Jersey, together with about a hundred other delegates and observers from across the Diocese.

The assembly in session in the nave: clergy and lay delegates seated at tables with papers before the iconostasis, while a delegate speaks at the microphone. Autumn garlands and chrysanthemums decorate the church.

Pani Jan — Diocesan Treasurer, presents the 2026 Financial Report

Metropolitan Tikhon and Archbishop Michael greet one another with the kiss of peace, in mitres and vestments of blue and gold, with clergy and parishioners standing on either side.
Metropolitan Tikhon, vested in mitre and blue-and-gold sakkos, blesses the congregation with the candles, a server at his left and a priest in gold vestments at his right.

The miracle-working, myrrh-streaming Hawaiian Iveron Icon

The Iveron Icon has visited our sister parishes across NY State. Parishioners greeted the icon at St. Peter and Paul's in Buffalo and Sts. Peter and Paul in Herkimer.

Clergy in blue-and-gold vestments stand in the centre aisle during a service, with a gilded processional cross raised above them and a gold mitre visible among the group further forward; parishioners fill the pews on either side, some holding printed service sheets, beneath a large crystal chandelier and icons hung along the pale walls.
Black-and-white photograph taken from the nave: a bishop in a jewelled mitre stands at a cloth-draped analogion before the iconostasis, reading from an open book held up in front of him, while a server or clergyman in a brocade sticharion stands close beside him. Shafts of light cross the frame over the candle stand, the painted icons of the icon screen — the Theotokos with Christ, Christ blessing with a Gospel book, and ranks of saints and feast scenes above — and a candle table at the left; vestment colours cannot be identified in the monochrome image.
Clergy and servers in blue-and-gold vestments stand in the centre aisle during a service, one of them holding a tall lit candle, while the congregation stands on either side in the pews; ahead of them is the carved and gilded iconostasis with its icons and royal doors, and a large crystal chandelier hangs over the red-carpeted nave.
Inside the church before the carved wooden iconostasis, a parishioner in a dark shirt and olive trousers stands with hands clasped beside clergy in blue and gold vestments and black head coverings, one of them holding a lit candle, with another parishioner in a grey headscarf and quilted vest at the right. Visible behind them are an icon of Christ enthroned holding the open Gospel, a wall painting of a bishop-saint in blue and gold, and a large blue and gilt processional cross at the left.

Mountain Men's Retreat

Parishioners sitting in camping chairs around an open fire at night, gathered under a white pop-up canopy at a wooded campsite; several wear heavy coats and hats, and one person stands in the left foreground near the flames, which rise brightly from a ring of stones.

The Diocesan Annual Mountain Men's Retreat is held on the third weekend of October in the Adirondacks, and is attended by men from across the Diocese. Participation is open to all men 18 years and older.

To be added to the mailing list for announcements and future retreats, contact Father Martin (frmartin@epix.net).

An open-air chapel set up in a clearing at the edge of the woods: a grey canopy tent shelters an altar draped in a gold cloth with a small wooden tabernacle or shrine behind it, framed by corn stalks, pumpkins and pots of yellow and pink chrysanthemums. Three icons stand on easels in front — the Mother of God with the Christ Child on the left, Christ Pantocrator holding an open Gospel book on the right, and, centre foreground in a wooden frame, Christ in a red robe and crown of thorns (the Bridegroom / Extreme Humility).
Six men in jackets and hoodies sit in folding camp chairs around a stone-ringed fire pit in a wooded campsite, with a grey canopy tent and trees behind them; three cast-iron skillets of bacon and sausages cook over the embers in the foreground, with a covered Dutch oven set on the ground nearby. This shows an outdoor gathering or campout rather than a liturgical service.
A small cedar icon shrine with a peaked, gabled roof and a carved cross in its pediment, mounted on the trunk of a large lichen-covered tree in a green woodland; inside, a gold-ground icon of Christ in a dark blue-green outer robe over a red tunic, his right hand extended in blessing. At the lower right edge, the corner of a dark camping tent is visible among the trees.
Three men sit in folding camp chairs beside a stone-ringed fire pit where a bright fire burns, at a wooded campsite with a white pop-up canopy and a blue dome tent behind them; one wears a black cassock and holds papers on his lap, while the others, in casual jackets, read from printed sheets, with stacked firewood and autumn trees in the background.

Youth Day at Seabreeze!

A group of children pose together at an outdoor pavilion event, with a toddler seated in a stroller and a rented mobility scooter marked "RENT-ME 6" in the foreground. Picnic tables, tents, and an amusement park ride are visible in the background under a sunny sky.
This photograph shows four young girls seated together in a spinning teacup-style amusement park ride, smiling and holding onto the central wheel. The background shows a sunny outdoor amusement park with pathways, rides, and visitors walking about.
A woman and four girls pose together outdoors at an outdoor gathering, with one girl seated on a mobility scooter and wearing a leg cast. Picnic tables, canopy tents, and a stroller are visible in the background under a sunny sky.
This photograph does not depict Orthodox parish life: it shows a man, a woman, and three children posing by a metal railing at an amusement park, with a swing ride and miniature car track visible in the background. I can't provide the requested liturgical description since there are no clergy, vestments, or parish setting in the image.
A woman and four young girls sit together on a wooden bench at an outdoor playground, smiling for the camera. A play structure, fencing, and other visitors are visible in the background.
Members of the congregation gather under a picnic shelter at an outdoor parish event, serving pizza and drinks from folding tables. Additional canopy tents, picnic tables, and a mobility scooter are visible in the grounds beyond.
Members of the congregation, including children and families with strollers, gather at picnic tables under a pavilion for a parish picnic, with a lake visible in the background beyond a wooden fence.
Members of the congregation gather for a parish picnic under a pavilion overlooking the water, with children and adults seated at picnic tables surrounded by snacks and coolers.
A smiling infant in a green swim shirt and blue sun hat sits in a stroller outdoors, holding a small crocheted ball.
This outdoor photograph does not depict Orthodox parish life: it shows two young girls riding a small red track-guided car at an amusement park, passing a mock Texaco gas station facade with a "Moose X-ing" sign nearby and balloon-themed ride decorations visible in the background.
This image does not show an Orthodox parish setting; it depicts two young children riding a small pink car on a track-based amusement ride, with another vehicle visible in the background on grass. As this does not match the context of a parish website (liturgical services, clergy, or church events), I'd recommend not using this caption format, but if needed for a general description: two children ride a miniature pink convertible car on an amusement park track ride, with a teal car visible in the background on a grassy area.
This image does not show a church service or parish event; it shows two women wearing sunglasses smiling for a selfie at an outdoor amusement park or boardwalk on a sunny day. Since this does not depict parish life or liturgical content, I'd recommend not using it for the website's events/services section, or confirming whether the correct file was selected.

Project Mexico 2026

Not a depiction of parish life: a wide panoramic view at dusk from a rooftop terrace over a dry hillside village, with scattered white and yellow houses, dirt roads, low scrub and a pale, clouded sky. At the left edge a bearded man in a patterned short-sleeved shirt leans against the terrace wall, with one or two other people barely visible in the shadows behind him.

This summer nine volunteers from the parish travelled to Baja California to join Project Mexico, working alongside teams from across the country to build a home for a family in need. The week was spent framing, roofing and finishing the house, with morning and evening prayers in the open-air chapel at St Innocent Orphanage. The parish sends a team every year.

Two worshippers stand with their backs to the camera in an open-sided wooden pavilion chapel, facing a clergyman in a dark cassock who stands before the icon screen — with icons of Christ, the Theotokos and other saints flanking the central doors beneath a Mystical Supper icon — while a black-and-white dog lies on the concrete floor beside a red patterned rug.

Diaconal Retreat

A bishop in a gold mitre and gold vestments embroidered with deep red floral designs stands at the centre of a hierarchical service, flanked by priests, deacons and altar servers in matching gold, while a server reads from an open book held before him; behind them are icons and a large wall fresco of a winged archangel, and one clergyman records the moment on his phone.

Reverend Deacon Sean (McNulty) and Reverend Deacon Mitchell (VanDuyn) attended the Diaconal Training Retreat at Endicott, New York.

Hierarchical Liturgy — St Thomas Sunday

A bishop in white and gold vestments and mitre stands with his crozier before the iconostasis, surrounded by priests, a deacon and servers in white and gold, with icons of Christ, the Theotokos and the saints behind them. In the foreground a child sits on the floor watching, beside a flower-decked tetrapod with an icon and standing candles, and Easter lilies set around the solea.
A bishop in white and gold vestments and a jewelled mitre stands before the iconostasis, with a priest in white and gold beside him and a server in a gold sticharion holding an open service book; icons of Christ, the Theotokos and the saints, with the Mystical Supper above the royal doors, fill the icon screen behind them. In the foreground parishioners stand watching, one wearing a straw hat with a floral band, with a walking frame at the end of the pew.
Clergy in white and gold vestments serve at the open royal doors of the iconostasis, with servers in white robes standing on either side holding candles and processional fans, while a small congregation stands and watches from the nave; a chandelier hangs beneath the painted apse of archangels, and an icon with flowers rests on an analogion in front of the ambo.
A bishop in white and gold vestments, holding his crozier, stands at the foot of the sanctuary steps as several children come forward to venerate the cross and receive a blessing, with another clergyman in gold vestments serving at the left before the icons of the iconostasis. On the right stand an analogion with an icon, a tall gilded vigil lamp, and vases of white and pink lilies on a white cloth embroidered with a gold cross.
Parishioners standing together during a service, several facing the altar beside the wooden pews, while a child in a grey waistcoat and red neckerchief holds onto the base of a brass standing candle stand set with lit tapers. Beside the child, someone in a cream headscarf, knitted cardigan and long rose-patterned skirt stands in prayer; wall icons and an American flag are visible in the background.