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WELCOME TO
SAINT SOPHIA
HELLENIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
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Our mission is to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind – and our neighbors as ourselves.
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Priest
​Fr. Peter Kostakis​
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Ιn and through Jesus Christ and His Holy Orthodox Church, our lives are transformed through worship, Sacraments, metanoia,
service, learning, fellowship, and Christ-centered community.​
Pastoral Care
This icon, located at the Holy Metropolis of Neapolis and Stavroupolis, near the city of Thessaloniki, conveys the sacred work of a priest. It was painted by Lukas, of the monastery of Xenofontos, Mount Athos.
The Orthodox Church follows the procedure prescribed by the Apostle James: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sin, he will be forgiven" (James 5:14-15).​
The Orthodox Church has always viewed body and soul as connected thus stressing the good health of both, following our Lord, Jesus Christ's exhortation to his disciples to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons" (Matthew 10:10), "heal the brokenhearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind" (Luke 4:18; see Is 61:1), and to heal "all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease (Matthew 4:23).
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What is Pastoral Care
At some point or another, as Orthodox Christians, we may come to a difficult juncture in our life, face serious problems or must confront complex situations in which the care of the Church, through the priest, is needed. If a member of the Church needs to consult the priest or is in need of special prayers, a person should contact the Church Office and if necessary, make an appointment to see the priest. There is never any shame in needing the love and guidance of a brother or sister in Christ, most especially our spiritual Father, the priest. Furthermore, all consultations with the priest are strictly confidential.
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The purpose of pastoral care is to cultivate the healing, transforming presence of the living Christ in the lives of the people within the parish and beyond. In the Orthodox Church, the sacraments and liturgical services are central to pastoral care. Beyond the sacraments, pastoral care takes place in a variety of forms and includes everying from hospital or home-bound visitations, to information discussions about faith and life, to offering a pastoral presence in times of crisis.
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Please call the Church office or email the parish priest if you would like to arrange pastoral care for yourself or a member of your immediate family.
860-442-2377
Bereavement Support
For individuals who have lost loved ones and who need help/spiritual guidance and support while going through the grieving process are encouraged to reach out to the Church Office and the priest for support, guidance and care.
Blessing of Home or Business
By custom, homes and businesses are blessed following the Great Feast of Theophany (January 6). Upon invitation, a priest will come at a mutually agreed time to lead a brief prayer service that includes the sprinkling and drinking of Holy Water. Members may also pray and then sprinkle their home or business themselves with Holy Water from bottles provided at Church. A two-page handout contains an appropriate order of prayer for those who wish to do this themselves. Items useful for the service: icon, candle, censer, cross, small bowl of water, bunch of basil or other leafy green. If you would like the parish priest to bless your home or business, please contact the Church office as this is done by appointment.
Confession
The value of Holy Confession is twofold. First, through this sacramental act of the ordained priest and the Christian believer we have the assurance of divine forgiveness, according to the words of Christ (John 20:23). Secondly, Holy Confession provides the opportunity to talk about one's deep concerns, to receive counsel and to be encouraged toward spiritual growth, all of which are universally recognized as extremely beneficial to personal life.
The Priest hears confessions by appointment. Please call the Church or email the priest directly to schedule an appointment for confession. If you reach the office after hours, you may leave a voicemail for the priest in his mailbox.
Counseling and Support
The Orthodox Church recognizes that all persons, including Orthodox Christians, experience times of crisis and the need for healing, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The Divine Mysteries (sacraments) of the Church are provided for this purpose. Orthodox faithful are encouraged to receive Holy Communion, Holy Unction, and Holy Confession regularly. In addition, the faithful are encouraged to contact their priests for personal spiritual guidance, prayers for protection, blessings of homes or businesses and so on.
Home and Nursing Home Visits
The priest or a designated member(s) of the church will visit “home-bound” parishioners and parishioners in nursing homes and who need prayer and support. The priest also offers the Sacraments of Confession, Holy Unction and Holy Communion. If you or a family member would like a visit, please contact the church office via phone or email and provide the full name of the person to be visited, the name and location of the nursing home (or address of their home) and whatever additional information you think may be helpful.
Hospital Visits
It is appropriate to inform the priest of a planned stay at the hospital. Some people will ask the priest to pray for them after Liturgy on Sunday, prior to a planned surgery in the coming week. In addition to praying for one's comfort and healing, clergy are able to administer the sacraments of Holy Confession, Holy Unction and Holy Communion at the hospital or prior to a scheduled hospital procedure.
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Please note: the priest cannot administer Holy Communion to those who are unable to swallow, those on intake-restrictions, and those unable to convey their own consent (unconscious, etc.). Holy Unction is the normal alternative in such situations.
Area hospitals no longer inform the Parish of inpatients due to confidentiality restrictions. Even if patients request notificaiton to their pastors or parish, hospital volunteer staff often cannot do so in a timely manner. Therefore, if you or an immediate member of your family are in the hospital or in need of pastoral care, please contact the Church directly. If you are calling outside of office hours, please listen carefully and select the appropriate prompt to reach the priest. Please give the full legal name (the name under which the individual has been admitted to the hospital) of the person to be visited, the name and location of the hospital and whatever additional information you think may be helpful.
Pre-Marital Counseling
Pre-marital counseling is offered (and required) for all couples seeking to be married at Saint Sophia. The counseling involves teaching the couple about the nature and purpose of the sacrament of marriage in the Orthodox Church. In addition, the counseling addresses certain practical concerns in marriage in an effort to help couples navigate their way through marriage successfully and to identify (and if possible resolve) areas of difference that may become a source of conflict later.
Several sessions of pre-marital counseling are given by a parish priest to any steward (and their future spouse) in good standing at Saint Sophia who is planning to be married. This is done by appointment and is kept in confidence. Please contact the Church office to arrange your premarital sessions.
Marriage and Family Counseling
The Church offers Orthodox healing of the soul to all who are experiencing stress in personal or family life. For Orthodox Christians, this therapy is experienced through spiritual direction and the sacraments, including Holy Unction, Confession, and the prayers for healing and protection which are an integral part of the life of the Church. Where psychotherapy or professional marriage or family counseling are indicated, our priests will refer individuals to others, and with consent of all the parties will work together with the counselors to help bring about healing and resolution.
Prayer List for Healing
If you would like to add your name, or the name of a member of your family, to our prayer list "For Healing of Soul and Body" in our weekly and monthly newsletters, please call or email the church office. Or, if you prefer, you may click on the button below to make the request.
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction in the Orthodox Church involves fostering the healing and spiritual growth of people in a sacramental, liturgical, and community context and through a personal pastoral relationship with one’s spiritual guide – aka “spiritual father” or “spiritual mother.”
Therefore, in addition to participating in the services and sacraments of the Church and in addition to personal prayer, reading scripture and practicing the spiritual disciplines, every Orthodox Christian should seek spiritual direction from a trusted, mature and faithful spiritual father or spiritual mother. Ideally, one’s spiritual father will also serve as one’s father confessor (in the case of a spiritual mother, one can go to her for spiritual counsel and advice and also go to a father confessor for the sacrament of confession). While this is usually one of the designated roles of parish clergy, some individuals have a pastoral relationship with a spiritual father who is not connected to the local parish.
If you haven’t already done so, please speak with your priest to arrange spiritual direction.
Questions Regarding Last Rites
The Orthodox Church does not have a tradition of "last rites." A person who is terminally ill may receive the sacraments, if they are able to, but the Orthodox Church does not teach that "last rites" are somehow required in the last moment of one's life. Families shoudl not believe they asked the priest to come for the last time when a loved one is sick. They are wecome to call the priest again! Furthermore, now is the time to remember that sacramental participation must be cultivated in times of health. Call the priest before it seems like the final days. Regular and frequent participation in the Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion is very important for Orthodox Christians througout a person's life. Holy Confession is encouraged as part of the visits and may be a helpful first step before Holy Communion.
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What may be more necessary in an end of life situation is Holy Confession. Indeed repentance for our sins and reconciliation with God and people is always desired, even to our last breath. Thus, the Parish Priest may ask visitors present to leave the room temporarily in order to converse privately with patients. This is particularly required if the Sacrament of Holy Confession is to be administered.
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The Priest cannot make medical decisions for patients or families, but can assist in the decision-making process when difficult choices must be made. The Church does have certain guidelines in the most serious cases, but very few concrete rules. The spiritual, physical and mental welfare of patients and their personal dignity is of the utmost importance in hospital ministry. A patient's privacy is also important and respected.
© 2026 Saint Sophia Hellenic Orthodox Church
All Rights Reserved
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