Diocese: Diocese of New York and New Jersey
Deanery: New Jersey Deanery
Address
830 Jefferson Ave
Rahway, New Jersey 07065-2618
Website: orthodoxrahway.org
Parish Contacts
Lay Leadership
Directions
Garden State Parkway from the south
Take exit 131 (not 131A or 131B) to the traffic light. Make a left and proceed 4-5 miles to the end (St George Ave). Take a left onto Hazelwood Ave (Dunkin Donuts is on the corner). Turn left and go 1 block.
Garden State Parkway from the north
Exit 135 (Clark). Bear to the left around the circle. About halfway around the circle make a right and towards the left—making a left onto Westfield Ave. After 2 traffic lights, make a right onto Jefferson Ave. The Church is straight ahead on the corner of Hazelwood Ave.
Schedule of Services
6:00 PM Vespers
Saturday and Wednesday Evenings, and Eves of Great Feasts
9:30 AM Divine Liturgy
Sunday Morning and Mornings of Great Feasts
For a complete list of upcoming services, please visit the Monthly Calendar on the parish website.
Parish Background
The first Orthodox parish in Rahway was organized in 1916 as part of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America, later more commonly known as the “Metropolia.” That parish is known as St John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church. A group of about 50 families left St. John’s In 1967 to formHoly Trinity Orthodox Church. They first met on December 10, 1967. In 1968, the small community moved from Colona Civic Improvement Club to the U.A.W. Hall in Clark, and then to the Abraham Clark School in the same town, where Sunday services were held for the next ten years. Feast days and events (baptisms, weddings, funerals, etc) were held at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Rahway. A rectory was purchased in 1969, and then in 1978 a permanent parish home was established with the purchase of the current building in Rahway.
Our first priest, Fr Theophil Krehel fell asleep in the Lord on January 16, 1987. He was followed by Fr Peter Telencio, who was also a US Army Chaplain at Fort Monmouth. Fr Peter was an interim pastor until Fr John Jillions was assigned in October 1987. He was just returning to the US after serving a parish in Brisbane, Australia for three years. Holy Trinity Church celebrated its 25th Anniversary in September, 1992. After almost seven years as pastor, Fr Jillions moved to Greece with his family in August, 1994 to continue his education at the University of Thessaloniki. Fr Witalis Suszczenia then served the parish until 2008. Fr James Worthington arrived in late 2010 with his wife and children, and Fr. Thaddeus arrived in September of 2011 with his wife Velislava, who is a native of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Fr. Thaddeus is from Kentucky. They are working to make the parish a home for all who are looking for a closer relationship with Jesus Christ in the traditional Orthodox faith.
Holy Trinity Orthodox Church is home to a wide variety of ethnicities. In the community are people of Russian, Belorussian, Romanian, Irish, Italian and English ancestry. The parish strives to live the Orthodox life in light of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to proclaim the Gospel “to all nations”, starting with our neighbors.
