Diocese Update - February 2026

2026 SOYO Winter Retreat was held January 31 at St. George Church in West Roxbury. Youth and Advisors from throughout the Diocese pictured here with His Grace Bishop JOHN, Fr. Ghassan Haddad, Fr. Seraphim Solof, Fr. Milad Selim and Fr. James Irving at the retreat. 

Camp St. Joseph of Damascus - Lenox, MA

Now a full 6-night camp experience! Camp St. Joseph returns August 10-16, 2026, offering Orthodox youth a full week of faith, fellowship, and fun—close to home. Registration is now open!Visit www.campstjoseph.org for details and updates. Stay informed about camp announcements by joining our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/jovyyA.


Antiochian Village - Pennsylvania

Visit www.avcamp.org for more details. Registration will open on Wednesday, February 4. Details can be found here: https://avcamp.org/programs/register/ Be sure to login to your account PRIOR to registration starting to make registration go smoother and complete your health history in advance!
Session 1: June 14-26
Session 2: June 28 - July 10
Session 3: July 12-24
Session 4: July 26 -August 7
Special Olympics Sports Camp: August 8-15

Young Adult Retreat: Becoming Truly Human — An Orthodox Christian Perspective - February 7 in Worcester

Join us for a full-day retreat designed to help young adults step out of the noise and rediscover what it means to live fully, authentically, and spiritually awake.

Centered around Becoming Truly Human — a compelling, conversation-driven film exploring the search for meaning in a fragmented world — this retreat creates space for honest dialogue, connection, and a deeper understanding of the Orthodox Christian vision of the human person.

Whether you’re navigating faith, purpose, or identity, this retreat offers a grounding, welcoming environment to explore what it means to become truly human in Christ.

SCHEDULE

  • Divine Liturgy – 9:00 AM
  • Breakfast – 10:30 AM
  • First Session – 11:00 AM
  • Second Session – 12:00 PM
  • Lunch – 1:00 PM
  • Third Session – 1:45 PM
  • Q&A – 2:45 PM
  • Great Vespers – 4:00 PM


Link to Register: https://giving.myamplify.io/App/Form/8cba3bcb-a1cb-4941-a8e6-7123bea74fd1
Cost: $25 per YA
When: Saturday February 7th, 2026
Where: St. George Orthodox Cathedral
Who: Young Adults ages 18-35 

Winter Sacred Music Institute: February 5-8 in Phoenix, AZ

Make your plans to join the Department of Sacred Music in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona for the Winter Sacred Music Institute from Feb. 5-8, 2026. When most of North America is enduring frigid temps, St. George Church and this desert oasis await church musicians! Palm trees, beautiful terrain and, likely, no ice and snow are good reasons to travel, but even more appealing is the joy of voices joined in praise, learning together and the fellowship in the Lord that naturally follows.

Register now for the WSMI and book your hotel at the special rate by Jan. 5, 2026. We cannot wait to see you in Phoenix!

Men's Retreat - February 28 in Worcester

What it Means To Be a Man - An Orthodox Christian Perspective
Join us for a full-day men’s retreat designed to cut through the noise and rediscover what godly manhood truly looks like. Built around Lionheart Sessions — a powerful, video-based small-group experience — this retreat creates space for real conversation, brotherhood, and spiritual clarity.

Register by February 27 either online here, use the QR code on the flyer or call the Cathedral office at 508-752-9150 to reserve a spot!

Diocese Lenten Retreat - March 7 in West Roxbury

The Antiochian women of our diocese will hold its annual Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at St George, West Roxbury. With the blessing of Bishop John, we are honored to welcome Fr. George Parsenios as our guest speaker. His ministry among us is a true blessing, and we are deeply thankful for his readiness to serve the faithful in this way.
The theme for this year’s retreat is:
“You shall be to Me a royal priesthood and a holy nation.” — Exodus 19:6, with a particular focus on the life and witness of St. Olga of Alaska, whose steadfast faith continues to inspire us.
Retreat Schedule
• Divine Liturgy: 9:00 AM, the relics of St Olga will be available for veneration.
• Registration & Coffee Hour: 10:30 AM
• Session 1: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
• Lunch: 12:30 PM
• Session 2: 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM
We kindly ask that you share the attached flyer with your parishioners every two weeks to encourage registration. If anyone has questions, they are welcome to contact Amal Hourani, AW DOWNE Lenten retreat coordinator, at 617‑930‑7745.

Register online at http://2026lentenretreat.eventbrite.com/

Diocese Antiochian Women Meeting - April 18 in Pawtucket

The Diocese Antiochian Women will hold their next meeting on Saturday April 18 at St. Mary Church in Pawtucket beginning at 10:00 am. Please contact Rima Audy (Rimadaudy@gmail.com) with any questions.

Diocese Antiochian Women Book Club - February 18 at 8 pm

The new book for the Diocese Antiochian Women Book Club is "The Art of Myrrh Bearing: Encountering Christ through Serving Others" by Elissa Bjeletich Davis. A discussion with the author will be held on February 18 at 8:00 pm EST.

To join the event click the Microsoft Teams link below:

Microsoft Teams Need help?

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 210 031 172 584 56

Passcode: xw2Nn72C

Dial in by phone

+1 717-283-4744,,298046129# United States, Lancaster

Find a local number

Phone conference ID: 298 046 129#

We will open the meeting 30 minutes before Elissa speaks. Please plan to join about 20 minutes early to ensure a smooth technical experience. We are recommending watching the meeting in groups and to use a computer. On your computer you can join via web, or on your Microsoft Teams App. If you're joining from your mobile phone or tablet, you'll need to download the Microsoft Teams App in advance. 
For those unable to attend live, we hope to record the session and share afterwards.

Please contact Rima Audy (Rimadaudy@gmail.com) with any questions.

Save the Date! Diocese PLC June 20, 2026

St. George Church in Lowell will host the Diocese PLC on Saturday June 20, 2026. Location and more details to come soon!

2026 PLC Theme & Oratorical Theme:

Oratorical Theme: "You Shall be to me a royal priesthood and a holy Nation." Exodus 19:6 Visit https://www.teensoyo.org/oratorical for more details.
Bible Bowl Topic: Book of Exodus Visit https://www.teensoyo.org/bible-bowl for study guide and more details.
Church School Curriculum: A People Set Apart: Book of Exodus Curriculum
Creative Festivals: Theme and Resources

Upcoming PLC Host Parish Schedule

2026: St. George Church, Lowell
2027: St. George Church, Boston
2028: St. Mary Church, Pawtucket
2029: St. George Church, Lawrence
2030: St. George Cathedral, Worcester

January 2025 E-News from the Antiochian Archdiocese

View the January E-Newsletter with announcements from around the Archdiocese! 

Iconography Project at Our Cathedral

Our Cathedral in Worcester is in the midst of a historic iconography project, and you have the opportunity to be part of it in a lasting way. This is a unique chance to have an icon of your patron saint, or a large Biblical scene placed in the Cathedral of our Diocese, where it will inspire generations to come. For more information or to reserve an icon, please contact Fr. Milad at fr.milad.selim@gmail.com 

Image above is a digital rendering of the icons and not the exact background color or icons.

Save the Date!