Holy Cross - St Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church
ΙΕΡΟΣ ΝΑΟΣ ΤΙΜΙΟΥ ΣΤΑΥΡΟΥ - ΑΓΙΟΥ ΝΕΚΤΑΡΙΟΥ
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Welcome to Holy Cross - St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church in Barrie, a Parish of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada. While we hope that our website provides you with information about our Parish, we sincerely pray that you will come and pay us a personal visit. We welcome all Orthodox Christian faithful (and those interested in learning about Orthodox Christianity) to our Parish.
Our Community was established in 1984 in the Township of Springwater, Ontario (just outside of the City of Barrie) to provide a place of worship for ALL Orthodox Christians in Simcoe County and Muskoka Region. We are a community of families and individuals from various backgrounds who share in the traditions and ageless beliefs of our Holy Orthodox Christian Faith.
With God’s grace, we aim to provide a place where all belong to Christ, through worship (δοξολογία), sacramental life (μυστἡρια), everyday spiritual discipline (ασκήσεις), sanctification (θέωσις), education (παιδεία), witness (μαρτυρἱα), fellowship (κοινωνία) and service (διακονία).
Rev. Archimandrite Theodoros de Oliveira was born in São Paulo. He completed his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University - Rome in Philosophy, Theology and Theology of Mission. His thesis was on the theme: "The Theological Vision of Mission according to the Orthodox Perspective". He also completed Greek language courses in - "Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinôn" - Athens and "Aristotélio Panepistímio" - Thessaloniki. Graduated in Social Work - Registered by the Canadian Association of Social Workers n. 834521
Missionary activities in: Kenya, Mozambique and Haiti. Diaconal Ordination - June 26, 1993
Priestly Motto - “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor..." (Luke 4:18)
In late 1982, His Eminence Archbishop Sotirios (then Bishop), received a letter from a parishioner, the late Bertha Heliotis, stating her willingness to donate funds towards the establishment of a Greek Orthodox Church in the Barrie-Orillia area. His Eminence organized a meeting with the members of the local Greek-Canadian Associations and all of the Greek Orthodox families in the surrounding areas regarding the need of a Greek Orthodox Church in Simcoe County.
After holding services at St. James Anglican Church in Orillia twice a month, the founding committee and Fr. Stavros Moschos began investigating sites to either construct or rent a premise to conduct services. Eventually their search led them to our present Church (the old St. James Crown Hill Anglican Church & Cemetery) which was selected and secured at a reasonable rent. Though the location was ideal, the refurbishing of the long abandoned Church would be costly. Nevertheless, it was agreed that the proposed refurbishment would proceed and the committee would embark on a money raising effort. With the initial donation as a starting point, the Church (to be known as Holy Cross-St. Nektarios) was on its way. The property would later be purchased by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada in the 1990’s
In December of 1984 the inaugural service was conducted. Fr. Stavros would guide the community for the next 10 years. Fr. Konstantinos Tsagaris would lead our Parish for a short time, until Fr. Joseph Friej was assigned to pastor our community until his death in 2006. Fr. Anatoliy Bandura was our next Priest who served for a couple of years and was followed by Fr. George Papazoglou, who served until 2016.
In November 2016, we received Parish Priest, Fr. Theodoros Alamanos, who, under his guidance, has encouraged us to embark on new journeys. From its humble beginnings with only 2 services a month, we are now at 2-3 services a week! With continued yearly renovation projects, the 200 year Church structure, has served as our home and continues to do so as our parish has slowly grown with both Greek and non-Greek individuals and families, seeking the Orthodox faith and learning to live it to its fullest!
(705) 726-9875
StNektariosGOC@gmail.com
We're delighted to connect with you. Whether you have questions, want to get involved, or simply need support, our doors and hearts are open to you.
Our doors are open to all, and we warmly invite you to explore the richness of our shared journey. Come, be a part of a community where hearts connect, faith flourishes, and love abounds.