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Organizations

Parish Council

George Thomas

President

Bassam Hamwi

Treasurer

Viviane Acar

Member

Ghady Thomas

Member

Ihab Siouti

1st Vice President

Patricia Aramouni

Secretary

Jado Monsour

Member

Matthew Tannis

Member

Joseph Ayoub

2nd Vice President

Joyce Tannis

Member

Roula Thomas

Member

Ronnie Skaff

Member

Legal Advisor

Charles Saikaley

Hierarchical Special Events & Liaison

George Hanna

Archdiocese Board of Trustees Member

Dimitri Zeidan

Cathedral Office Administrative Assistant

Cindy Maheral 

Bookkeeper

Jenny Qi

Order of St. Ignatius

Fr. Ghattas Hajal

Diocesan Advisors

Dimitri  Zeidan

Diocesan Advisor

Joyce Tannis

Ambassador

The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch is an organization of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America with the objective of financially supporting the departments, programs and charitable works of the Antiochian Archdiocese, Patriarchate of Antioch and the Orthodox Christian faith. The Order assists the Antiochian Archdiocese in its continued effort to reach out to all in need and bring to them the message of the Gospel.
 
The membership of the Order is comprised of clergy and lay individuals who make a lifetime financial commitment and pledge to work together in harmony to promote the spiritual and financial well-being of the Antiochian Archdiocese and the Orthodox Christian faith.
 

Antiochian Women

Nadea Saikaley

President

Denise Issa

Treasurer

May Hanna

Kitchen Coordinator

Zeina Ibrahim

VP

Natalie AbouAssali

PR

Danielle Wehbi

Religious

Amal Saikaly

Secretary

Amal Ayoub-Saikaley

Humanitarian

The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America was founded in 1973 through the vision of His Eminence Metropolitan Philip Saliba as an organization of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Its purpose is to develop a spirit of Christian leadership, awareness, and commitment; to foster a genuine expression of love and service through works of charity; and to instill a sense of fellowship and a deeper understanding of the heritage and traditions of the Orthodox Church.
Church School

Kelly Hamwi

Director

Mary Swaita

Assistant Director

“When your children are still small, you have to help them understand what is good. That is the deepest meaning of life” – St. Paisios of Mount Athos
At St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church School, our goal and hope is to build upon the solid spiritual foundation that is laid in the homes of our children. Through our weekly Church School program, students from K4 to grade 12 are given the opportunity to learn more about what it means to live out their Orthodox faith in today’s world. By drawing from the wisdom of the saints, the scriptures, and the liturgy itself, the youth can begin to see how God’s continuing work of salvation is active in their own personal lives. The St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church School Program is delivered by Orthodox teachers who are not only dedicated and have a great passion to teach but also have a wonderful love for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and all His children.  We encourage you to bring your children to us to help them along in their spiritual journey in the Orthodox faith as Jesus called us to do: “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.“(Matthew 19:14).  We will in turn prepare your children to fulfill their baptismal calling to serve Christ and the Church, and to be a light unto others. The St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church School Program:
 
  • exposes our students, young and old, to the many facets of Christian Orthodox teachings
  • engages them in various humanitarian activities to become more Christ-like
  • challenges students to better know and understand the scriptures through participation in Bible Bowl competitions
  • provides them with the opportunity to express and share their faith and God-given talents through the Creative Arts and Oratorical Festivals (visit antiochian.org/festivals)
  • provides students with the opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Savior through Christmas concerts
  • and much more…..!
We invite parents seeking additional resources for further spiritual learning and growth to begin here: antiochian.org/content/raising-godly-children-bishop-thomas
Teen SOYO
 

Kathleen McKinnon

Youth Director

Myriam Zakaib

Youth Director

Leiah Shawah

President

Kevin El-Saikali

VP

Nicole Ajrab

Secretary

Pierre Fakhouri

Secretary

Reina Hawa

Treasurer

“Teen SOYO is the youth movement of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. The purpose of Teen SOYO is to integrate each young person fully into the Total life of the Church expressed through living the faith in Worship, Witness, Fellowship, and Service.
 
Our Teen SOYO chapter participates in many activities, such as spiritual discussions led by Fr. Nektarios, Ask Abouna Q&A’s, BBQs, making blankets and Care Packages for the Homeless, praying together and much, much more. As a result of our chapter’s activity in recent years, we have won our diocese’s Humanitarian award, Most active chapter award and most active teen award. Our SOYO is a family and we are always ready to welcome new🙏 members. Please get in touch if you/your teen would like to join steliassoyo@gmail.com.
 
Teen SOYO meetings are held on Friday evenings from September  – late June, at 6:00 pm, for youth ages 12-18
 Young Adults Ministry
 

Sub-Deacon George Saikali

Overseer

Bianca Ghattas

Executive

Daniela AbouAssali

President

Christeen Ammari

Executive

George Shacker

Executive

 St. John’s Orthodox Study & Fellowship

Ben ThomasPresident

President

Deacon Yakoub Daoura

Executive

Sub-Deacon George Saikali

Executive

The Fellowship, simply defined, is the service arm for lay ministry in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese by offering programs that assist spiritual growth, provide leadership training for lay ministry, programs for young adults, and opportunities for outreach and humanitarian activities. 
 
The Fellowship chapter at St. Elias Cathedral has a good core of active members.  They are involved in many various ministries, such as teaching in the church school, chanting during church services, and coordinate charitable events such as the annual Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage Fundraiser, as well as representing the young adults of the Cathedral at the Diocesan Parish Life Conferences and the Archdiocesan Conventions.
 
The Fellowship regularly meets each Tuesday evening at 7:30 pm.  Special events information will be posted on the website.
 Sts. Joachim & Anna Family Ministry

Albert Hajj

Coordinator

Helene Hajj

Coordinator

 St. Raphael of Brooklyn Arabic Family Ministry
 
 

Rawad Khoury

President

George Tayyar

Executive

Nazeer Dglawi

Executive

Souha Issa

Executive

Nisrine Soueiti

Executive

Byzantine Choir

François Simion

Head Chanter

Sub-Deacon George Saikali

Head Chanter

 Altar Servers

Michael Massaad

Captain

Kevin Saikali

Vice-Captain

Many of today’s priests got their start as altar boys. The altar boys provide an essential service to the church by assisting the priest during liturgical services. For those interested in serving in the altar, please speak with Fr. Nektarios.

Parish Committees

 Finance Committee

Geoff Saab 

Bassam Hamwi

Chad Saikaley

 St. Elias Banquet Center

George Hanna  

President

Eddy Abou Nehme

Member

Danny Skaff

Member

Ronnie Skaff

Member

Ray Skaff

Member

Georges AbouAssali

Member

Jado Mansour

Member

Ihab Siouti

Member

 Website, Social media & IT

Eddy Abou Nehme

Sub-Deacon George Saikali

Zeina Matta

Kh. Miray Najjar

Layal Saikali

Elias Syoufi

 Property Management & Maintenance

George Thomas

Chairman

Gabriel Stevens

Vip Chairman

George Hanna

Member

Sub-Deacom George Saikali

Member

Deacon Yakoub Daoura

Member

Eddy Abou Nehme

Member

Chahine El-Chaar

Member

Ronnie Skaff

Member

Majid Ibrahim

Member

Ramsey Ibrahim

Member

 Lebanese Festival

George Hanna

Chairman

George Thomas

Member

Joyce Tannis

Member

Nada Ayoub

Member

Christine Ayoub

Member

Ray Skaff

Member

 New Year’s Eve

Georges AbouAssali

George Hanna

Mother’s Day

Chantal Samaha Salibi

Chairwoman

Kh. Helene Hajal

Member

Susanne Zeidan

Member

Antoinette Mikhael

Member

Gabriella Daou

Member

Kh. Miray

Member

Rola Nesrallah El-Saikali

Member

Public Relations

Natalie AbouAssali

Chairwoman

Viviane Acar

Member

Alexa AbouAssali

Member

Refugee Sponsorship

Ihab Siouti Bassam Hamwi Maher Sabanegh Osama Ghawi

Ihab Siouti

Bassam Hamwi

Maher Sabanegh

Osama Ghawi

Hospitality

Georges AbouAssali

Chairman

Deacon Yakoub Daoura

Member

Viviane Acar

Member

Zeina Matta

Member

Walid Salibi

Member

Stewardship & Planned Giving

Joseph Ayoub

Chairman

Geoff Saab

Member

Deacon Yakoub Daoura

Member

Bassam Hamwi

Member

Sam Thomas

Member

Susanne Zeidan

Member

Evangelism & Outreach

Fr. Nektarios

Deacon Yakoub

Bassam Hamwi

Jason Kouri

Albert Hajj

Nazeer Dglawi

Ignatius Rezkallah

Faye Thomas

Humanitarian Committee
 

TBD

St. Herman of Alaska Newcomers Settlement Committee
 

Melanie Thomas

Chairwoman

Monique Thomas

Member

Isam Said

Member

Sarah Zakhour

Member

Christmas
Market

Yolanda Hanna

Chairwoman

Nada Ayoub

Member

Christine Ayoub

Member

Christine Tannis

Member

Layal Saikali

Member

Sophie Chalhoub

Member

May Khouri

Member

Christmas Bake-sale Committee

Patricia Aramouni

Chairwoman

Kh. Helen Hajal

Member

Lynne Laviolette

Member

Helen Jeffrey

Member

Susanne Zeidan

Member

Nadea Saikaley

Member

Diane Billey

Member

Amal-Kamel Saikaley

Member

Parish Engagement Committee

Melanie Thomas

Kathleen McKinnon

Nicolas Mongrain

Maria Abou Nehme

Christmas Hampers

Joseph Karam

Christmas Raffle
 

Natalie AbouAssali

Joyce Tannis

Private School Feasibility Study Committee

Fr. Nektarios

Nadine Saikaley

Sub-Deacon George

Natasha Karam

Kelly Hamwi

Mary Swaita

Danielle Wehbi

Bassam Hamwi

Helene Hajj

Diakonissa Caty Daoura

Kh. Miray Najjar