Welcome to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit Website
The Holy Spirit parish was established in 1995 when approximately 50 families desiring to foster pastoral care and an intimate spiritual experience were granted permission to operate as a mission and subsequently as an official parish of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Metropolis of Detroit.
In 1998, we entered our present location, the former South Avenue Baptist Church. Construction of an iconostasis and the placement of icons in the altar area have transformed this sanctuary into our home of Orthodox prayer and worship.
Our parish, comprised of 170 families from diverse backgrounds, is a vibrant community with many opportunities for religious education, active youth and young adult programs, warm fellowship, and a wonderful spirit of volunteerism. We are a family-centered community helping each other to live our Orthodox Faith to the fullest.
"Our mission is to promote the spiritual well-being of those committed to the Greek Orthodox Faith and Traditions, and to reach out to all Orthodox Christians, converts, partners in inter-faith marriages and the un-churched Orthodox in the greater Rochester, New York area. The abiding purpose of the parish is to provide for full participation in the liturgical and sacramental life of the church through worship, service, witnessing, and community fellowship."
Holy Spirit GOC Mission Statement
Support Our Ministries
Click here to make a contribution to support Holy SpiritIn order to assure that the church receives the full value of your donation, please consider increasing your donation to cover the 4% fee charged by PayPal for their service.
2025 Stewardship Form
Please print and forward a completed copy to the church office.
Holy Spirit Church Events
Spring 2025 Preorder Bake/Food Sale
Preorder by April 6 while supplies last
Pickup on April 11-13, 2025
Download Order Form
2025 Lenten Schedule:
Saturday of Souls: 9:00 am on Feb. 22, March 1, March 8
Forgiveness Vespers: 5:00 pm on Sunday, March 2
LENT BEGINS: Clean Monday, March 3, 2025
Sunday of Orthodoxy Pan-Orthodox Vespers: 6:00 pm on Sunday, March 9 at St. Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Wednesdays 5:00 pm
Presanctified Liturgy & Lenten Potluck Dinner
Fridays at 9:00 am
Presanctified Liturgy
Fridays at 6:00 pm
Salutations to the Theotokos: March 7, 14, 21, 28
At Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church:
March 14, March 28
At Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church:
March 7, March 21, April 4
Akathist Hymn: April 4 (at Annunciation GOC)
Philoptochos Lenten Collection
We are collecting items during Lent to help Willow Domestic Violence Center in Rochester, NY.
Click the button below for a list of needed items you can donate.
Download List
Lenten Psalm Readers
March 3 - April 11, 2025
The goal is to read the Book of Psalms, also called the Psalter, daily during the 40 days of Great Lent 2025 individually and as a group. The Book is divided into 20 sections called Kathismata consisting of 1-8 psalms. Each reader will be assigned one of the sections per day, so if we have 20 readers, the entire Psalter will be read through by the group each day! At the end of 40 days each individual reader will have read the entire Book of Psalms twice through. We also pray for each other daily.
The Book of Psalms is an allegory of each person’s spiritual journey, the story of God’s dealings with every human soul. St. Athanasius the Great said, “The Psalms are different from the rest of Scripture in that while the rest of Scripture speaks to us, the Psalms speak for us. When we pray the Psalms, we are praying the words God has given us to pray.”
Please let the church office or Anna know if you would like to join us this Lent.
Download Flyer
Philoptochos Spring 2025 Dates
Holy Spirit Philoptochos Book Club (HSPBC)
Open to All Parishioners
Book: “Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica"
Tuesdays, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
We are moving from Wednesdays to Tuesdays.
Tuesdays:March 11, April 8, May 13, June 10
Currently offered in-person at church and via Zoom. Contact Anna Pink for the zoom link.
Download Flyer
Church School
on Sundays after Communion
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Level 1 for Ages 3—8
Please register your child(ren) by completing a registration form. Late registrations will be accepted. Return completed forms to the church office.
Spring 2025 Schedule
Church School will be on Sundays after communion from January 5 - April 27, 2025
NO Classes on: Jan. 19, Feb. 16, March 9, March 23, and April 20
Download ScheduleDownload Registration Form
Orthodox Missions
For more information visit their website:https://www.ocmc.org/
Give to support the Orthodox Christian Mission Center.
Donate OnlineHere is a short video on Orthodox Missions among the Turkana (in country of Kenya):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59-arWb-MZE
Friends of the Metropolis
Click to download giving form and for more information:
Download Giving FormFood Pantry Collection
Our parish collects food and other necessities for those in need in Rochester. We are currently donating to the Monroe Library branch, who have a food pantry to distribute to those in need. A table with bins for collecting items is along the fellowship hall wall. To donate financially, write a check out to “Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church” with “Food Pantry Donation” in the memo line.
Philoptochos Refugee Project
We are continuing with Household Goods Collection for Saint’s Place to help refugees (from Ukraine, African, and South American countries in turmoil) resettle here in Rochester. Most come with nothing or very little as they have run for their lives.
See flyer for list of what Saint's Place needs and what they are not taking.
View Our Updated List
Blessing Bags
Philoptochos is collecting items to assemble blessing bags, which are great to keep on hand in your car so you can have the bag to hand to someone in need. Donate a little or a lot – we have a suggested list of blessing bag items.
+ Blessing Bags: We have run out of blessing bags. Please bring in more items that can fit inside a gallon Ziploc bag so we can assemble more bags. Here are some suggestions: Toothbrush and toothpaste, Socks, Hand sanitizer gel or wipes, Tissues, Snack bars, Trail mix packs, Tuna and cracker packs, Soap, Deodorant, Band-Aids , Nail clippers, Bottle of water, [Gloves, knit hat in colder weather] Please bring in whatever you think would be useful and place in the designated boxes in the fellowship hall.
View Blessing Bag List
Metropolis Webinar Series
View Webinars on The Passions and other topics online at: https://discoverorthodoxy.org/webinarseries
You can also visit us on our Social Media sites:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HolySpiritGreekOrthodoxChurch
Services at Holy Spirit
Sundays: Orthros: 9:00 AM | Divine Liturgy: 10:00 AM
We can view live services on Facebook or see the recordings for later viewing.
View Live On FacebookAGES Initiatives
AGES Initiatives is an online resource that provides a calendar of church services. It has the entire service including special hymns of the day, the epistle, and the gospel. This comes in handy if you prefer to follow the service with something written in front of you.
Click here to visit AGES Initiatives
Other sites to see:
National Directory of Orthodox Mental Health Providers:
https://www.assemblyofbishops.org/directories/mental-health/
https://www.goarch.org/live-
Check our Calendar for other events...
For information on our services please contact the Church office at (585) 244-1976 between 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Thank you...