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
January 2026 Sunday Events:
January 11: Vasilopita Sunday
Vasilopita Celebration will be held on Sunday, January 11. Checks to St. Basil's Academy may be made out to "Holy Spirit Philoptochos" with St. Basil's Academy in the memo. All cash and check donations will be sent to the Academy to support their philanthropic cause.
Learn more about the Story Behind Vasilopita Here
January 11: Memorial for names on Christmas Tree
January 18: Guest Speaker on Self-Care, Daphne Morrissey of Onebody Fitness and Nutrition, will be speaking on "Let's put on Our Own Masks Before Helping Others." Everyone is welcome to come join us to hear our guest speaker.
+ Theophany Services:
+ Friday, Jan. 2:
9:00 am Royal Hours of Theophany
+ Monday, Jan. 5: Eve of Theophany
6:00 pm Vesperal Liturgy
+ Tuesday, Jan. 6: Holy Theophany
9:00 am Orthros & Divine Liturgy with Blessing of Waters
+ Wednesday, Jan. 7: Synaxis of St. John the Baptist
9:00 am Orthros & Divine Liturgy
+ Other Services:
January
+ Saturday, Jan. 17: St. Anthony the Great
9:00 am Orthros & Divine Liturgy
+ Friday, Jan. 30: Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs
9:00 am Orthros & Divine Liturgy
February
+ Monday, Feb. 2: Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple
9:00 am Orthros & Divine Liturgy
+ Friday, Feb. 6: St. Photios the Great
9:00 am Orthros & Divine Liturgy
+ Tuesday, Feb. 10: St Haralambos the Hieormartyr
9:00 am Orthros & Divine Liturgy
Angels of Mercy Collection
Philoptochos will be collecting items and accepting monetary donations (make checks out to "Holy Spirit Philoptochos" with "Angels of Mercy" in memo line) for Angels of Mercy, which is a local ministry helping women survivors of trafficking and domestic violence with a Butterfly Boutique in Rochester.
Here are items they are in need of, which we will collect in the fellowship hall at church:
https://www.angelsofmercynewyork.org/butterfly-boutique-wishlist
Church School
on Sundays after Communion
We offer Church School on Sundays after Communion. Children ages 3-8 are welcome to attend.
Come join us for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level 1 Sunday School
Winter/Spring 2026 Schedule
Jan 4, Jan 18, Feb 1,
Feb 22, March 8, March 22,
March 29, April 5, April 19,
April 26, May 3, May 10 - Last Day
Please register your child(ren) by completing a registration form and bring with you to Sunday Church School.
Download Registration 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.
Holy Spirit Philoptochos Book Club
Open to All Parishioners
Book: “6 Hours, 7 Lessons: How Christ’s Light Transcends Our Darkness”
Look up https://thelouhs.com/6-hours-7-lessons/ for more information.
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Read Chapter 3 for January 13
Tuesdays:January 13, 2026, February 10, 2026, March 10, 2026, April 21, 2026, May 12, 2026, June 9, 2026
Currently offered in-person at church and via Zoom. Contact Anna Pink for the zoom link.
Philoptochos Meetings 2025 – 2026
General Meetings take place in the Philoptochos Room during coffee hour after the Sunday Divine Liturgy.
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Sunday, January 25, 2026
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Sunday, June 14, 2026
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
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 Form
Metropolis Webinar Series
View Webinars on The Passions and other topics online at: https://youtube.com/@discoverorthodoxy5059?feature=shared
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...