St. Stephen Orthodox Cathedral

04/27/2026

04/13/2026

Pascha 2026!!!

Christ is Risen!
Indeed He is Risen!

Joyous Feast of Christ's Resurrection! May we shine the light of His hope to all the world!

04/11/2026

Great and Holy Saturday

Vesperal Divine Liturgy (with Old Testament prophecies read by parish youth and young adults), followed by first blessing of baskets.

Cherubic Hymn of Holy Saturday
Let all mortal flesh keep silent, and in fear and trembling stand, pondering nothing earthly minded. For the King of kings and the Lord of lords comes to be slain, to give Himself as food to the faithful.
Before Him go the ranks of angels: all the principalities and powers, the many eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim, covering their faces, singing their hymn, “Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.”

04/11/2026

Great and Holy Friday

Scenes from preparing Christ’s tomb, Vespers, and Matins with Lamentations and Burial Procession

Ode 9
Do not lament Me, O Mother, seeing Me in the tomb, the Son conceived in the womb without seed, for I shall arise and be glorified with eternal glory as God. I shall exalt all who magnify thee in faith and in love.

04/10/2026

Holy Thursday Twelve Passion Gospels

Antiphon XV
Today he who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon a Tree, He who is King of the Angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns. He who wraps the heaven in clouds is wrapped in mocking purple. He who freed Adam in the Jordan receives a blow on the face. The Bridegroom of the Church is affixed to the cross with nails. The Son of the Virgin is pierced by a spear. We worship Your passion, O Christ. We worship Your passion, O Christ. We worship Your passion, O Christ. Show us also your glorious Resurrection.

Following the service, the faithful of the parish helped set up Christ’s tomb as we prepare to keep watch alongside Him through His sufferings.

04/09/2026

Holy Unction at St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Joint service with Fr. Victor and Fr. Martin, combining the parishes of St. Stephen’s and St. Mark's (Wrightstown, PA).

Glory to God for All Things!

04/08/2026

As part of his Holy Week pilgrimage through the Diocese, Archbishop Mark visited St. Stephen’s for Bridegroom Matins for Great and Holy Wednesday on Tuesday evening and the last Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts on Wednesday morning.

During Bridegroom Matins, his Eminence reflected on the hymns of the service, asking the faithful to question who they are most like: the harlot who reached for God or Judas who reached for the things of this world. In other words, do we as Christians value earthly gifts or the Giver of those gifts? His Eminence ended by encouraging the faithful to use the final days of Holy Week to meditate on whether we truly wish to be made whole and dedicate the work required to be made whole, not becoming discouraged by how far we are from wholeness because God is so infinitely whole that we will always have further room to grow.

After Matins, Fr. Victor presented Seminarian Alexander Koropsak, who is travelling with his Eminence and who started his journey to Orthodoxy at St. Stephen’s, with a gift from the parish to help fund his studies at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.

During the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts, his Eminence instructed the faithful to be conscious of Pharisaical envy, describing this as when we feel annoyance and envy about someone who lives a virtuous life, trying to extinguish the light in others due to our own pride. Instead, his Eminence encourages us all to live out our baptisms in likeness to Christ’s burial and resurrection. His Eminence finished by suggesting to the faithful that they try to maintain some level of asceticism even after Pascha, as this will help us to retain what we have gained during Great Lent.

Thank you for visiting us, Vladyka, and many thanks for your instruction!

04/07/2026

Bridegroom Matins for Great and Holy Thursday (sung on Monday)

Troparion:
Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching; and again, unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless. Beware, therefore, O my soul, do not be weighed down with sleep, lest you be given up to death and lest you be shut out of the Kingdom. But rouse yourself crying: Holy, holy, holy, art Thou, O our God. Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us.

Kontakion:
You know that this is the last hour, O wretched soul, and fear the cutting of the fig tree. Work diligently, therefore, at the talent given to you. Keep watch and cry: Let us not remain outside the Bridal Chamber of Christ.

Exapostilarion:
Thy Bridal Chamber I see adorned, O my Savior, and I have no wedding garment that I may enter. O Giver of Light, enlighten the vesture of my soul, and save me.

04/05/2026

04/05/2026

On this blessed Lazarus Saturday, St, Stephen’s welcomed three catechumens into the Holy Orthodox Church through two Baptisms and one Chrismation, as new life in Christ was proclaimed. May God grant the newly illumined Israel Rodriguez (Jacob), Daniel Marcilio (Gabriel), Vaughn Cohen (Moses), and their sponsors many blessed years!

04/03/2026

Pascha Schedule 2026

04/02/2026

“Let My Prayer Arise” hymn from the last evening Presanctified Liturgy of Great Lent, sung by Elizabeth Gorodenchuk, Sofia Ringe, and Anna Simon. We now turn towards the solemnity of Holy Week, entering the final stretch before Christ’s joyous resurrection.