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St. Mark's Orthodox Church

452 Durham Road
215-860-9640

St. Mark's Orthodox Church is a pan-orthodox parish in the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania. We are a small, but active parish with a deep love for the traditions and practices of the Eastern Orthodox faith.

St. Mark's Church was founded on November 15, 1972 by a small group of people who had in mind a parish open to Orthodox believers of all national backgrounds. Although the worship services were initially held in the parishioner's homes, the services were eventually moved to St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Doylestown, PA. His Eminence, Archbishop KIPRIAN confirmed the name of the new mission as St. Mark's Church (the Apostle and Evangelist) on November 2, 1974.

In July 1973 the V. Rev. Vladimir S. Borichevsky was appointed to serve the parish and the Liturgies came to be celebrated in Old Historic Trinity Episcopal Church in Buckingham, PA. Fr. Borichevsky continued to serve the parish until he was appointed Dean of Faculty of St. Tikhon's Theological Seminary in 1977.

Fr John Kowalczyk served St. Mark's from 1977 to 1979. He was succeeded by the reappointment of Fr Vladimir, who remained until 1986. On June 1, 1986, Fr Stephen Karaffa was assigned to the parish. Under Fr Stephen's term the parish acquired its own property, some five acres of wooded land with a home in Wrightstown, PA (the present location). The grounds were cleared for a church edifice and parking area. Construction began in August, 1988, and on October 14, the new building was consecrated by His Grace, Bishop HERMAN.

In September of 1992, the present rector, Very Rev. Theodore Heckman, was assigned to St. Mark's.


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