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Our History
Sts. Joachim and Anna Orthodox Church
held its first services on August 18 and 19, 2012 (August 5 and 6, Old System), the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. We serve God in His Holy Church here with the blessing of his Eminence, Archbishop Peter of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). The ROCOR is in full canonical union with the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate, but is administratively autonomous.
When you visit us, we pray that you will find the love and welcome of Jesus Christ our Lord, God and Savior who desires that all men be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. We are eager to offer you our love in Christ! So many people who visit say they feel they have been made immediately to feel like they are family. This is how it should always be in Christ's Holy Church! If you don't yet have a home in a Orthodox parish and are looking for a place to grow in faith, hope and love, consider joining our family.
We are blessed to participate in the growth of Holy Orthodoxy in San Antonio and grateful to God for the cordial relations shared among the Orthodox parishes here: St. Anthony the Great (Orthodox Church in America), St. Ephriam of Syria (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese), St. Sophia (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese) and St. John Cassian (Romanian Orthodox Church).
If you are already a member of an Orthodox parish, we welcome your visit! The church family you already have loves and values you. May all our parishes work together for the spread of the holy Orthodox Church.
Administration
Patriarch
Metropolitan
New York, New York 10128
His Eminence Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Eastern America and New York
FIRST HIERARCH of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
Website of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
Archbishop
Des Plaines, Ilinois 60017
His Eminence Archbishop PETER of Chicago and Mid-America
Website of the Chicago and Mid-America Diocese
San Antonio, Texas 78240
210-305-1854 (Phone)
Father Christopher Allen
Our rector, Archpriest Christopher Allen, is a convert to Orthodoxy, having prevoiusly been an Anglican priest and ordained to the Orthodox priesthood in November, 2006. He has a heart for those seeking Christ's One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and has helped catechize many individuals as they prepare to enter the Orthodox Church.
In May, 2012, he, his wife, Matushka Nonna, and two sons returned from life as an active-duty Navy family in Okinawa, Japan where Fr. Christopher served as a chaplain with Marines and the only Orthodox priest on the island. He also served on a special mission in Afganistan where he provided ministry to Orthodox personnel deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
He holds two degrees in Linguistics, a Master of Divinity from Boston University, and the Diploma of Pastoral Theology from the Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America, ROCOR.
Fr. Christopher now serves the parish full time after completing 8.5 additional years of federal service as an instructor in English as a Second Language for the Defense Language Institute English Language Center on Lackland Air Force base from December, 2015 - June, 2024.
