To our Visitors

From the Rector

          Welcome to our St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church. I am glad that you have come. We welcome our visitors. Although it is not permitted to converse in the church, especially during services, we have a meal in our hall downstairs after the Divine Liturgy on Sundays at which we may socialize and get to know each other. Please be our guest.

          Our parish was founded in 1929 by Russians who, having left Russia during and after the Revolution, desired the freedom to worship in the Orthodox manner. Many came here to Stratford to work for Igor Sikorsky in his newly founded aircraft company. Indeed, Igor Sikorsky was one of our founding members, and a faithful parishioner until his death in 1972. In the beginning, we met for services in a house at 37 Lake Street, a block away from our present location. The rector lived upstairs with his family, and the services were held downstairs. The church building was completed in 1941, and we have held services here ever since.

          Our first Rector was Hieromonk (later Archimandrite) Panteleimon, founder of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York. He was followed by Father Stephan Antonuk, who served here from 1934 through 1968, when, as a widowed priest, he was made bishop and transferred to Alaska. My immediate predecessor was Father Stavros Rousos, who served from 1980 to 2000.

          I am Father George Lardas, an American of Greek ancestry, born and raised Orthodox. I am a graduate of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York, in 1983, and ordained to the priesthood in 1989. I served a parish in Houston, Texas before coming to St. Nicholas in Stratford in April of 2000. I speak Russian, which I studied when I was a student at the University of Michigan, and I also spent four months in Russia. I chose to go to the Russian seminary because I believe that the Russian Church preserves the traditions of the Orthodox Church, such as the Orthodox calendar and the order of services, best of all the Orthodox Churches here in America.

          Our parishioners are a mix of old Russian immigrants, their children and grandchildren, American spouses and converts, and even Greeks and Serbs, and recently, new immigrants from Russia. Some families have been in our parish for five generations. Accordingly, we use both Slavonic and English in our services, so best to serve our pastoral needs.

          We have a Parish Council, elected annually, a Sisterhood, a Brotherhood, and a Church School that meets on Sundays. Our annual events include a Pelmeny Dinner in January, Bliny before Great Lent, a Fall Picnic, and a Brotherhood Dinner in November, and usually, a Russian Festival in June.

          If you wish to receive our Parish Bulletin either by mail or email, please ask at the Candle Desk.

          Please do not be afraid to approach me or any of our parishioners. We are glad to answer any questions. And, again, if I can be of any service to you (I can, for instance, serve a moleben, pannychida, wedding or baptism), please do not hesitate to ask. At the end of the Liturgy, do not hesitate to come and kiss the Cross and introduce yourself to me. I try to greet our visitors, but it is not always possible during the services. If you need to contact me for any pastoral need, or if you wish to ask a question, please call me at my number, (203) 386-9516.

                                                  God bless you!

                                                  Rev. George Lardas, Rector