On Saturday, September 13th, we welcomed three new members into the Orthodox Church through the rites of Baptism and Chrismation - Eric Glenn (Patrick), Kohl Miller (Gabriel), and Eric Morris (Patrick).  May God grant each of them many years!

On Saturday, August 31st, the Culver family was received into the Orthodox Church through the rites of Baptism and Chrismation.  The service was conducted by Fr. John Monto and Dn. George Kaloroumakis and was attended by many family members, friends, and parishioners of St. Thekla's.  Our newest members are: Zeb (Silouan), Sarah, and Winston (George) Culver.  May God grant them many years!

On Thursday, July 31st, the Rt. Rev Santosh Murray, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton, Maryland met with Fr. John Monto and members of St. Thekla for a ceremonial "passing of the keys" for the church and Parish House from the Episcopal Diocese to St. Thekla Orthodox Church.  During his visit Bishop Santosh toured both buildings and remarked that he was pleased that the church was once again being used as a place of worship.  He also noted that it was fitting that the former St. Paul's church was now named for St. Thekla who was one of his most ardent followers.

His Grace, Bishop Thomas visited St. Thekla Orthodox Church the weekend of July 12^th & 13^th.  During that visit he met with the Parish Council to discuss their plans for the continued growth of St. Thekla.  His Grace advised us to be prudent as we grow our congregation to ensure continuity with our parish’s goals and objectives.

He then participated in Great Vespers which was attended by many of the faithful of St. Thekla.  This was followed by a dinner with the Parish Council members and their spouses.

Sunday’s Divine Liturgy was inspiring.  Bishop Thomas spoke to a full church and shared much information based upon his experience and love for the church.  He reminded us that, “the church is a hospital for sinners”, and that it should remain a place for healing and spiritual growth for each of us.

Immediately following Liturgy, Bishop Thomas blessed the interior and exterior of the church, as well as the parish hall.  All of the attendees then shared in a celebratory luncheon.

Please see the Photos page of the website to see pictures from the weekend.

“Wow!”  That was Fr. John’s reaction when he began his homily in front of over 100 parishioners, family, and friends of St. Thekla at our first Divine Liturgy in our new location (22005 Church St., Hillsboro).  We were absolutely overwhelmed by the number of people who came to worship and celebrate with us on Sunday, May 25^th, and were very blessed to have a number of visitors, guests and inquirers join us for this service.

Fr. John began by blessing our new church which was built in the 1850s.  This was followed by the Doxology during which the refurbished church bell tolled for the first time in 50 years to announce the beginning of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.  At the conclusion of the Liturgy each family received a cross that was created by one of our contractors using wood from flooring removed during the renovation of the altar area.

Following Liturgy everyone moved to the Retreat House for fellowship and a light lunch.  The children especially enjoyed the new property which has ample outdoor space, and soon a lively soccer game was underway.

There is still work to be done as we continue the move-in process, but we know that with God’s grace and over time we will thrive at this location.

We invite you to join us for Divine Liturgy on Sunday with hours at 9:15 and Liturgy at 9:30.

St. Thekla will be participating in the Hillsboro/Queen Anne yard sale on Saturday, June 7.  We will also have the church open for visitors from 10 AM until noon on that day.

On Sunday, March 16th, St. Thekla received the gift of a beautiful Gospel cover donated by the Galanos family in loving memory of Thomas Galanos.  Tom was a very active, supportive member of St. Thekla during our earliest years.  His contributions to our church included serving on the parish council, as well as helping in many other areas that benefitted our church.  Tom always greeted you with a smile and friendly words each Sunday.  We are so grateful to his family for their donation which we will use with love for many years.  May his memory be eternal!

We are pleased to share with you that on January 31, 2025, St. Thekla Orthodox Church closed on the purchase of property and buildings that will soon become our permanent home.  The property that we purchased is the current site of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Hillsboro, Maryland, located at the corner of Maple & Church Streets.  In addition to the church building the purchase also includes the existing retreat house.

The existing church building is an historic Episcopal church that features a board-and-batten Carpenter Gothic-style structure set on a brick foundation. Its design is based upon a book of plans and sketches published in 1852 by Richard Upjohn.

St. Paul’s Church Hillsboro was established in 1748, and a church was built in 1768, but fell into decline in the early 19th century. The current church building was constructed in 1856-1857 and consecrated in 1858.  Rev. George Beaven was the first Rector who served for 52 years until his death in 1909.  The church continued until the 1950’s when it was deconsecrated and sold to an individual who intended to move it to another location, however, the move did not take place. In the late 1960’s, the church was purchased by members of the Beaven family and re-consecrated by the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton.

In the 1990’s, Rev. Marianne Ell became Rector. At that time work was begun to build a parish hall and community center on the church property.  That work was suspended in 1994 when the Ells family moved.  The church and the nearly finished parish hall lay empty for 20 years.  In 2014, then-Bishop Bud Shand allocated funds to finish the parish hall and invited Francie Thayer to establish a Retreat House.

In late 2023, the Parish Council of St. Thekla’s Orthodox Church received confirmation from the Episcopal Archdiocese of Easton of their intention to enter into a purchase agreement for the property.  The Parish Council requested final approval from our parishioners to pursue the property purchase, as well as approval and blessing from the Antiochian Archdiocese to move forward.  The past year has been a time of great activity preparing the property for purchase as our new home. 

There is still work to be done as we deal with some needed repairs as well as renovations.  Some of this is already underway as we begin to transform the existing church into a temple for Orthodox worship.  We know that with God’s help, as well as that of our parishioners, we will be making our move soon.

Please visit our Photos page to see the property.  We will be updating these as work progresses.

We will keep you updated on our progress, and may God bless our parish community!

During Divine Liturgy on February 9, Fr. John Monto installed the newly elected members of St. Thekla's Parish Council for 2025.  Those are:

• President - Sbdn. Andrew Ristvey
• Vice-President - Sh. Ellen Kaloroumakis
• Secretary - Aaron Amick
• Treasurer - Pat Rogers
• Trustees - Diane Pappas and Rob LeCompte

Join us as we read through seventy-nine books of the Orthodox Study Bible in one year.  It's never too late to pick up with us as we journey from Genesis to Revelation!  Email or text Lowen Howard (lowen.howard@gmail.com / 410-989-3220) if you would like to be added to the online men's book club Slack group.

The men's book club meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm.  Locations are subject to change.

OSB bible-reading-card.pdf

Prior to Divine Liturgy on Sunday, January 12, Dn. George and Reader Dylan installed the new icon of St. Thekla on our iconostasis.  The icon was generously donated by Rob and Emily Lowe and was written by the artist who did the original icons on the iconostasis.

On January 5th, the faithful of St. Thekla's celebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil for the feast of Theophany (January 6).  In addition, we celebrated St. Basil's Day (January 1) by blessing and partaking in St. Basil's bread (Vasilopita).

During his homily Deacon George shared information on the significance of St. Basil's bread.

"As we know, Jan. 1st is significant for several reasons, Christ’s circumcision, the civil New Year, and the feast day of St. Basil.  On his feast day, a tradition began centuries ago to acknowledge his defense of the faith, love for his flock and his charity. A special bread or “pita" is baked on January 1, to honor of our Holy Father Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia - hence Vasilopita. 

One year, during a time of terrible famine, the emperor levied an excessive tax upon the people. TFAiling to pay would certainly put one in prison. The families had to relinquish their few remaining coins as well as pieces of jewelry, including precious family heirlooms. Learning of this injustice against his flock, St Basil the Great, armed with the gospels went to the emperor seeking his repentance. By God's grace, the emperor repented! He canceled the tax and instructed his tax collectors to turn over to St Basil all of the chests containing the coins and jewelry which had been paid for taxes by the people of Caesarea. 

But now St Basil was faced with the daunting and impossible task of returning these coins and pieces of jewelry to their rightful owners. After praying for a long time before the icons of Christ and His All-holy Mother, St Basil had all the treasures baked into one huge "pita." He then called all the townspeople to prayer at the cathedral and, after Divine Liturgy, he blessed and cut the "pita," giving a piece to each person. Wondrously each owner received in his piece of Vasilopita his own valuables. They all joyfully gave thanks to God who had delivered them from abject poverty, and to their good and holy bishop, St Basil the Great.

We observe the tradition of the Vasilopita each year on January 1st - the date on which St Basil reposed in the Lord in the year 379". 

adapted from AOCNA

On Sunday, October 27th, the parishioners of St. Thekla's came together for a farewell luncheon for George Cody.  George was instrumental in the creation and development of our church and will always be regarded as our "godfather". He began by running an ad in the local paper to see if there was interest in establishing an Orthodox presence on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.  His dedication and work enabled us to move from monthly meetings to semi-montly Liturgies, and finally to our current calendar of regular Sunday Liturgies.  He served as a reader during Liturgy and was an invaluable mamber of the Parish Council, serving as Treasurer and as a member of St. Thekla's Financial Committee.

George is relocating to Connecticut where he will be close to his family (especially his grandson who is the apple of his eye).  We will certainly miss him, but wish him all the best in his new home.  May God grant him many years of health and happiness!

On Sunday, September 29, Georgia and Peter Pappas held an organic egg sale following Divine Liturgy.  We are happy to report that they raised $85 which they donated to St. Thekla's Church School Fund.

Prior to Divine Liturgy on Sunday, September 8th, Denise Howard and Jason Wise were received into the Orthodox Church.  The service was conducted by Fr. John Monto and Dn. George Kaloroumakis and was attended by many family members, friends, and parishioners of St. Thekla's.

On August 29, 2024, Deacon George Kaloroumakis received the Master of Theological Studies from the Antiochian House of Studies.  The ceremony took place at the Antiochian Village in Bolivar, PA.

On March, 23, 2024, George Kaloroumakis was ordained to the Diaconate by his grace, Bishop Thomas.  The ordination took place at Holy Cross Orthodox Christian Church.