St. Dimitrie Orthodox Christian Church
504 Sport Hill Rd. Easton, CT 06612

Welcome to the website for St Dimitrie Orthodox Church in Easton, CT. We are an Orthodox Christian Church under the auspices and ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Romanian Episcopate of America, Orthodox Church of America.

We invite you to review this site and find out what is happening in our  community, learn about our 100 year history, our Orthodox  Christian faith and join us in worship. Click here or go to the ABOUT tab for additional information. 

Our Mission Statement

To know and experience the love of GOD –Father, Son and Holy Spirit; to worship Him in spirit and in truth as taught by the Lord through His Apostles; and to welcome and encourage others to know and love Him! 

Thank you for visiting the website of St. Dimitrie Orthodox Christian Church in Easton, Connecticut. This site provides a glimpse into our parish, our Faith and our community.  We hope these announcements, updates, photographs and history will be interesting and enjoyable.

 

Our family invites you to come participate in the life of our parish and worship with us. 

Services: Our doors and arms are open to you and we pray you find a home with us.

Sunday Matins begins at 9:15am and Liturgy at 10:00am. 
All our services are held in English with Romanian prayers and hymns (which are also repeated in English) - and our choir

Feast Days: Vespers will be held at 6:00pm the night before the Feast Day and Liturgy will be held at 10:00am on the holiday. Please see our Monthly Calendar for additional information.


General Assembly Meeting - Feb 9, 2025

Our annual General Assembly Meeting was held on Sunday, February 9, immediately after Liturgy in the Tonna Hall.

Anyone interested in the future of our community may attend the meeting but only parishioners in good standing may vote. If you have any question about your dues or eligibility, contact Pete Fatsy at pfatsy@yahoo.com

Click here to view the reports from Fr George, or. President Pete Fatsy 


Please Donate Items for Caraga

Caraga is scheduled for Saturday, February 22nd at 10:00 am.

We wish to continue the tradition that commenced four years ago due to Covid.
In lieu of food (or do both) please consider donating one or more of the following requested kitchen items:

 

Thank you very much!

  • Paper towels (we need many)
  • Clorox Spray
  • Liquid Dishwashing Detergent
  • Sponges - with green scour pad on one side
  • Large Plastic Food Bags
    • Twist-Tie  - 1 gallon
    • Zip-loc - 1 gallon or 2.5 gallon
  • SOS or Brillo steel wool pads
  • Paper plates (luncheon & small) for coffee hour
  • 5 oz. Paper cups for coffee and garu  (holy wheat)
  • Large black garbage bags
  • Wire ball “scrubbies”
  • Bottles of Water
  • Coffee and Creamer
  • Pam Non-stick Spray
  • Olive Oil
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Walnuts from Costco - 3 lb bag
  • Black plastic food containers from Restaurant Depot (ask Psa. Marian)

 

 

Blessing of Homes

Starting January 6th Father Alex will be making house visits for blessings during the Theophany.

There will be a sign-up sheets at the candle stand and next to the Holy Bread/Coffee Hour books in the hall.  Father Alex will be making calls to coordinate times he will visit.  Those who do not have access to the sign-up sheets are invited to call the church office (203) 268-8237 or email him at fr.alexanderbitis@gmail.com

Jan 11 - 12, 2025. Retirement Dinner Honoring Fr. George and Installation of Fr. Alex

 This past weekend saw historic changes for our St Dimitrie community.

Thank You to Fr. George M. Coca and Psa Mariana for their years of service to our community.

Welcome and Congratulations to Fr. Alexander D. Bitis and Psa Ioana as they begin a new chapter.

Click the photo album on the right for photos of the weekend


Thank You Fr George for your Spiritual Guidance and Commitment to our St Dimitrie Community
On Sunday, Fr George's announced that he served his last official service.
He thanked the community for a wonderful journey and added "it was a pleasure to serve as your pastor."
Father also reminded everyone that he and Psa Marian are still members of our parish - but they will now serve in a different capacity.

During Coffee Hour, Parish President Spiro Fatsy surprised Fr George with a cake  

Click here to view his announcement

 

Click to view video selections from Fr. George's Retirement Dinner


Helen Soter has fallen asleep

Our sincere condolences to the family of Helen Soter on the repose of their mother.
Relatives and friends may greet the family on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. in The Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull. A Trisagion prayer service will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the funeral home on Wednesday.

Funeral services will take place on Thursday January 9, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. with visitation from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow in St. John Cemetery, Monroe.

For obituary and additional information, please go to Abriola Funeral Home website.

Memory Eternal!

 

 


Welcome Fr. Alexander Bitis - our new Parish Priest and his wife, Ioana

Reverend Father Alexander Daniel Bitis is a Romanian-American priest originally from Queens, New York. He moved to Connecticut in 2020 to study pedagogy at Quinnipiac University where his wife, Preoteasa Ioana, also began her medical studies.

Fr. Alexander holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Hunter College in New York, a Bachelor’s and Licentiate in Pastoral Theology from Facultatea Sfantul Andrei Saguna in Romania, and a Master’s in Pedagogy from Quinnipiac University.

Before answering the call to serve the St. Dimitrie Orthodox Church parish, Father Alexander spent nearly three years teaching at North Branford High School. His passion for teaching and guiding others led him to the priesthood, where he now humbly serves as the new parish priest bringing his rich experience in education, theology, and pastoral care to his community.

Click here to view the Appointment Letter from His  Grace +Nathaniel

 


Sunday School and MacAROY

We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

As Sunday School teachers, we watch many children grow into young adults here in the halls of St. Dimitrie. Together family and church provide a strong foundation for what lies ahead for kids today. When so many other activities distract families from attending church and Sunday School, we’ve been blessed to see children grow and develop hearts for God thanks to the devotion of Father George and Psa. Marian, moms, dads, grandparents, Godparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings.

As we look to the future and the aspirations to revive a youth group here at St. Dimitrie, energy is already building. Last month, St. Dimitrie hosted a youth bowling party. Young and old gathered after church at Nutmeg Bowl in Fairfield for an afternoon of fellowship that reunited some of our recent Sunday School graduates with our current students. Godly relationships and reminders of the tenets of our Orthodox faith serve as guideposts for our youth in a world full of challenges. Many thanks to our St. Dimitrie family who provides opportunities and resources to strengthen all of us!


Special Message from Fr. George about Communion

Fr George had a special message for everyone taking Communion.

Many people come with their head down and mouths barely open. He asked that people keep their head up and tilt it back a bit when they approach the chalice and keep their mouth open.

The most important thing he stressed is NOT to drop the sacrament. 


Andrew Schilira has fallen asleep.
Sincerely condolences on the passing of Andrew "Andrei" Shillira , 98. He reposed Sunday.
His funeral will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 12th  at 12 noon with military honors. Visitation at Church from 11 to time of service. 
 
Memory Eternal!
 
Click here to view his eulogy
 
The photos above  are from a Coffee Hour held last year to honor Andy on his 96th Birthday. Click here for the video or go to https://youtu.be/LgESOYt_YAU

Andy was in church every sunday and given his own parking spot.


We honored our Choir and Cantors at the 100th St Dimitrie Anniversary Dinner.

Thank You for Being Part of our 100th Anniversary Celebration

We are grateful so many of our friends and parishioners joined us on June 29-30, 2024 we celebrated the 100 Aniversary of our St Dimitrie community.

Click link for "100 Anniversary"  or go to "100 Anniversary" tab above for photos and videos of our weekend festivities.

 



Our Choir Singing During Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at our 100 Anniversary










Welcome Fr. Alexander Bitis

We welcome Fr. Alexander Bitis who will be serving his internship at St Dimitrie guided by Fr. George. He and his wife, Dr. Ioana Moldovan, live in Wethersfield where Fr. Alexander is a history teacher. His wife, the daughter of  Fr. Moldovan of Holy Transfiguration Romanian Orthodox Church in Manchester,  CT, is an intern at CT Children's Medical Center in Hartford.

Please introduce yourself to Fr Alexander and Dr Ioana.


The Lesko and Polke Funeral Home partnership has been disolved. The Frank Polke and Son Funeral Home will continue its services independently at a new location in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home building at 39 Benson Road, Fairfield, CT.

Many families in our community have used the services of Frank Polke Funeral Home and, in turn,  the Polke family has supported St. Dimitrie since we began almost a century ago. All of Frank Polkeand Son Funeral Home services and attention to special details and traditions remain the same and all pre-need contracts will continue to be honored. 

For any questions, Frank can be reached at (203) 556-5978 or (203) 556-5140.

frankpolkeandsonfuneralhome.com

39 S. Benson Rd, Fairfield, CT 06824
Tel: 1-203-334-5174
Fax: 203-254-8522

frankpolkeandsonfh@aol.com


Donations

Thank you for everyone who continues to make donations of supplies. The following items are always welcome.

Cleaning Supplies

Paper Goods

Food

  • Clorox Spray
  • Liquid Dishwashing Detergent - such as Dawn
  • Sponges
  • SOS or Brillo Pads
  • Paper Towels - we need many
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Paper Plates -  8 inches for coffee hour
  • Paper Coffee Cups
  • Small Paper or Plastic Cups for Gar (holy wheat)
  • Large Plastic Food Bags
  • Water Bottles
  • Coffee & Creamer 
  • Pam Spray
  • Olive Oil
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Cream Cheese

Items may be left on the table in the kitchen. If you cannot attend church on Saturday, we will gratefully accept these donations at any time. Thank you very much!


Light a Virtual Candle, Prayer Requests and Donations

Many parishioners have been expressing a desire to have candles lit and prayers said for them. Click the "Prayers and Virtual Candles" tab above (it will appear white when you mouse over it.)

  1. Request Candles be lit
  2. Submit Prayer Requests (confidential between you and Fr George)
  3. Make Donations

For additional information click this link for a pdf outlining step by step instructions.

 


St. Dimitrie in the CT Post!

St. Dimitrie 's new icons are in the Pulse Section of Saturday's (8/31/13) CT Post!  See the article "Creative Gifts, Spirituality Shine in Icon Painter's Art"

http://www.ctpost.com/entertainment/article/Creative-gifts-spirituality-shine-in-icon-4769165.php

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St. Dimitrie Romanian Orthodox Church 504 Sport Hill Rd. Easton, CT 06612 (203) 268-8237

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