Orthodox Philly
Icon of Christ from Saint George Orthodox Church in Upper Darby, PA. Copyright 2016, Alexei Mansour.
Icon of Christ from Saint George Orthodox Church in Upper Darby, PA. Copyright 2016, Alexei Mansour.
Hello and welcome to Orthodox Philly. I’m your host, Nicholas. Happy Day! 🎉
Philadelphia has a rich tradition of Orthodox Christian expression. There are dozens of parishes in the Greater Metropolitan Area, and many other ways to get involved.
Former iterations of this website aimed to educate about all the parishes and events going on in the area, but I’ve reined in my ambitions since then. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please send an email to info@orthodoxphilly.org, and I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to help.
Finding a parish community is a deeply personal affair. Some people will love the parish closest to them, others will have to try a few before finding a forever home.
As you look for parishes, there are several locators you can use:
In addition to parishes, the following Facebook groups are lightly active.
There is a relatively active GroupMe chat for area young adults. You can ask for details in either of those Facebook groups.
One of my favorite resources for learning about Orthodoxy is Ancient Faith Ministries. They produce a wide variety of podcasts and other materials that you can use on your own time. Just remember the words from the Gospel of John, eventually you have to “come and see.”
There are a variety of philanthropic efforts hosted by the various parishes throughout the region. Asking around your parish is a good place to start, but after that let me suggest three pan-Orthodox ministries: FOCUS Philadelphia, IOCC, and Project Mexico.
FOCUS Philadelphia is the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve. As of April 2025, we serve an outdoor meal every week in Center City Philadelphia to the poor and hungry. We gather donations and volunteers to serve those in need, and we hope to expand our operations to other sites in the near future.
Interested folks are welcome to volunteer with us, whether in preparing or serving food, and we gratefully accept donations. You can find more information on the FOCUS Philadelphia Website. Self-disclosure: I’m on the advisory board, so I’m a little biased.
IOCC is the International Orthodox Christian Charities. I’m less familiar with them, but I always hear good things about their disaster response, emergency assistance, and various other humanitarian programs. They operate here in the United States and in countries like Greece, Ethiopia, and the Holy Land, among others.
My understanding is the Philadelphia Community throws a benefit banquet every year, but I’m sure there are other ways to get involved throughout the year, just check out the IOCC Website.
Finally, a dear friend is a big booster for Project Mexico, which sponsors an orphanage and homebuilding in Northern Mexico. My friend regularly leads a team for a week-long trip whose goal is to build a whole new house for a family in need. There are teams every year from a variety of places, so you can learn more on the Project Mexico Website.
This is just a small sampling of Orthdoxy in Philadelphia. Please join me and us as a part of this community, seeking faith, growth, and service together.
—Nicholas