A Warrior Saints Parish in Northeast Phoenix
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church stands on Gold Dust Avenue in northeast Phoenix, one block southwest of Tatum Boulevard and Shea Boulevard, where it has anchored Orthodox Christian life since the present sanctuary was dedicated in 1986. The parish belongs to the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and is known across the region for the Way of the Warrior Saint, a teaching movement founded by its pastor that calls members to live a "Crucifixional Life" by following Jesus Christ and putting God's will ahead of their own. Everything the parish does flows through E3 - Educate, Enrich, Empower - its three-part framework for growing disciples.
From a Hall on Indian School to Gold Dust Avenue
The story of St. George begins more than seventy-five years ago, when Orthodox Christian families scattered across Arizona felt the need for their own church home in Phoenix. On June 23, 1949, eight men - H. Fattaleh, George Ghiz, N.A. Romley, David Saba, James Saliba, N.E. Schaded, Fred Shaheen, and George F. Tibshraeny - signed the original articles of incorporation. After months of correspondence with Bishop Samuel David, the founders chose a five-acre site at 45th Street and Indian School. Father Sweity helped local men collect funds for the land, and Orthodox Christians from across the state were drawn into the project. Before any building was finished, services were held in private homes, at the Greek Orthodox Hall on Virginia, and at the Episcopal Church on Roosevelt.
The Indian School church was dedicated on October 8, 1950. A few years later, around 1952, a hall was added and the original building was converted to the sanctuary. A bell tower was later raised on the hall to give it a more church-like appearance, and a separate church school building was dedicated in 1964 to relieve the crowded, partitioned classrooms that had been meeting in the hall.
The parish then turned its eyes to a larger campus. In October 1980, the community purchased land on Gold Dust Avenue. Then, before dawn on Christmas morning of that same year, an electrical fire devastated the Indian School church, destroying the building and most of its contents. The congregation worshipped in the church hall while the new campus moved forward. The Indian School property was sold in May 1981, ground was broken at the new site in August 1982, and the first services in the Fellowship Hall and school building were held in April 1983. A ceremonial groundbreaking for the present sanctuary followed in December 1984. The new church was dedicated on December 7, 1986 and consecrated on November 1, 1987.
The Way of the Warrior Saint
The teaching that gives St. George its particular character is the Way of the Warrior Saint. Warrior Saints are described as people who "overcome the darkness by living a Crucifixional Life." Being Crucifixional means setting aside one's own will in order to follow God's commandments, modeled on Jesus Christ's victory on the Cross. The movement is carried out through E3. Educate fills the mind through classes and Bible study. Enrich fills the heart through cross-centered worship. Empower fills the hands by giving back through tithing, time, and ministry. Members of every age are welcomed as Warrior Saints, and the parish takes seriously the call to stretch and sacrifice in imitation of Christ.
Pastors and Pastoral Team
V. Rev. Fr. Dr. Christopher Salamy has served as pastor of St. George since 1999. He holds a BA in Philosophy from Loyola Marymount University, a Master of Divinity from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and a Doctorate from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. His ministry is described as marked by a deep commitment to biblical instruction and by his effort, through the Way of the Warrior Saint, to form a generation of strong, thoughtful, and inspirational Orthodox Christian leaders.
Rev. Fr. Raphael Hanna serves as Assistant Pastor. A native of Koura, Lebanon, born in 1983, he is fluent in French, English, Arabic, and liturgical Greek. Trained in law at the Lebanese University and in theology at the Balamand School of Theology, he also earned a degree in Byzantine Music from Greece and served as the choir director (protopsalti) at the Balamand. He was ordained a deacon in 2023 and to the priesthood in 2024 by His Eminence Metropolitan SABA. He and his wife Samira are the parents of two children, Kosti and Elena.
Rev. Fr. Peter Samore is attached to the parish. He assists with divine services and the sacraments, leads occasional Bible studies, and makes home and hospital visits. He and his wife Nora met at St. George, were married there in 2019, and had their two daughters baptized there as well. He was ordained to the diaconate at St. George on July 23, 2023 by His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, and to the priesthood on August 31, 2025 by His Grace Bishop Anthony of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Los Angeles. In his full-time work, Fr. Peter serves as Director of Communications for the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and publishes the divine services used in all parishes of the Archdiocese.
The pastoral team also includes Christian Farradj as Youth Pastor. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and tonsured as a Reader at St. John the Evangelist in Orinda, California, he graduated from the University of Saint Katherine with a degree in Kinesiology. He hosts "A Joyful Noise" on Ancient Faith Ministries Kids and co-founded the Sons of Antioch Byzantine Choir, with a diploma in Byzantine Music from the Hellenic Conservatory of Music and Arts in Athens and the School of Ecclesiastical Music of Mount Lebanon.
Valerie Haddad serves as Director of Ministry, Growth and Development. A former commercial pilot with an MBA from the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph's University, she is married to Dn. Michael and the mother of two. Matthew Peters is the Ministry Lead, coordinating outreach with the clergy and project coordinators. Erin Thobias is the Director of Media and Communications.
Sunday in the Orthodox Life
The Sunday cycle begins with Orthros, the morning service of Matins, at 9:00 AM. The Divine Liturgy, the parish's main worship service, follows at 10:00 AM. Both are chanted and sung primarily in English. Because the parish family includes members from all over the world, visitors may also hear a small portion of the service in Arabic, Greek, Slavonic, or Spanish. The Liturgy typically runs to about 11:30 AM, after which children move to Sunday School for Preschool through High School. Those unable to attend in person can join the Divine Liturgy via the parish livestream.
Worship at St. George follows the ancient Orthodox tradition. About seventy-five percent of the service is sung, traditionally a cappella under the direction of a choir. Most Sundays the parish uses the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, with the longer Liturgy of St. Basil observed on certain Sundays in Lent and on Christmas Eve. The sanctuary's iconostasis separates the altar from the nave with its Holy Doors and Deacon's Doors. Communion is reserved for Orthodox Christians; visitors who do not commune are often offered antidoron, the blessed bread cut from the same loaf as the Lamb, as a sign of fellowship. The parish also asks visitors to be mindful of Orthodox fasting, which sets aside meat, fish, dairy, wine, and olive oil on most Wednesdays and Fridays and during four other periods of the year, including the Great Lent before Pascha.
Ushers greet visitors at the main doors of the sanctuary on the south side of the campus, and the parish gathers after the Liturgy for Fellowship Hour in The Legacy Ballroom so the priest and members can meet newcomers. Two parking lots serve the campus. A printed church etiquette booklet helps newcomers learn the customs of Orthodox worship, from how to cross oneself to when to stand.
Educate: Classes and Bible Studies
The Educate pillar of E3 runs from September to May and offers a broad slate of formation. Adult Bible Study and Teen Bible Study meet on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Orthodoxy 101, a thirteen-week introduction offered each Fall on Wednesdays at 5:30 PM, walks through sources of doctrine, the Holy Trinity, Scripture and Tradition, the sacraments, the liturgical year, church architecture, and church history, ending with a question-and-answer session. Orthodoxy 102 follows in the Spring on Wednesdays at 5:30 PM, working through the Divine Liturgy itself, from the vesting prayers through Holy Communion, in preparation for Holy Pascha and reception into the Orthodox Church.
For women, the parish hosts a Ladies Morning Bible Study on the first Thursday of each month at 10:00 AM and a Ladies Evening Bible Study on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM. A summer Inquirer Night series gathers on Wednesday evenings for topics such as "Discovering the Orthodox Faith," "Worshiping in the Orthodox Church," and "Living the Orthodox Christian Life," each followed by an "Ask Abouna" session with the priest.
The parish also runs a bookstore on campus, open on Sundays following Divine Liturgy and by appointment, offering Orthodox Christian books, liturgical resources, and Holy Scripture. Recommended reading for inquirers includes works by Fr. Thomas Hopko, Alexander Schmemann, Paul N. Tarazi, and Kallistos and Timothy Ware.
Little Warriors, SHIELD, and SOYO
Children and young people worship together with the adult community at St. George; there is no separate children's church or youth service, just "the gathering of the One Body of Christ, an intergenerational assembly in which all participate equally." After receiving Holy Communion, students move to Sunday School classes.
St. George Little Warriors (SGLW) is the ministry for children ages four through eleven. It hosts quarterly events, including Vacation Bible School in the second week of June from 9:00 AM to noon. SHIELD gathers fourth through sixth graders for evening activities. SOYO, the Society of Orthodox Youth Organizations, is the youth group for seventh through twelfth graders, focused on building community and grounding young people in the Gospel during the junior high and high school years.
The Ladies of St. George
The parish's Ladies ministry is described as "the backbone of our parish family," embodying the spirit of hospitality through service and care at every turn. The Ladies also host the parish's signature event each year, the Greater Phoenix Area festival with Middle Eastern flair, featuring delectable food, dancing, live music, and a Kids' Zone complete with bounce houses, sno-cones, and popcorn.
Reaching Out Beyond the Parish
Through its Empower pillar, St. George regularly sends volunteers into the wider Phoenix community. Parishioners serve at Andre House, a ministry to the homeless, and at Desert Mission Food Bank. They also pack meals for Feed My Starving Children. Closer to home, the Hospital and Homebound Ministry arranges visits to parishioners who cannot attend services, sitting with someone in a hospital or at home, or bringing meals to a family in need.
Stewardship and the Empower Pillar
St. George defines tithing in Scripture as ten percent of annual income and encourages members to grow in their giving year by year. Tithes can be given through the PushPay app by texting "Dragon" to 77977, by check, by cash in the envelopes provided at the Stewardship kiosk in the narthex, or by credit card through PushPay. Members can also designate Archdiocese Dues through PushPay, fill out an annual Commitment Card, or include St. George in their estate plan through a will or revocable trust. Stewardship Chair Bill Fender works with parishioners who have further questions. Giving statements are available through the parish's Church Community Builder portal, and the St. George app keeps members connected on iOS and Android.
Becoming Orthodox at St. George
Parish membership is open to Orthodox Christians and non-Orthodox alike, and follows the same E3 pattern. Those who wish to become Orthodox are invited to attend Orthodoxy 101 and 102, meet with the pastoral staff, attend Orthros and Divine Liturgy on Sundays and the Lenten services, make a lifetime confession, participate in social and service ministries, return a tithing card, visit another Orthodox church, and select Orthodox godparents. The pastoral office can be reached at office@stgeorgeaz.org.
What the Parish Believes
St. George teaches the faith of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church as understood in the Orthodox tradition. There is one God revealed as the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - three distinct persons sharing one essence of nature. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took flesh of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, was crucified and raised for our salvation, and will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. The Holy Spirit is Lord and giver of life, proceeding from the Father. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and is read in every divine service, understood alongside Holy Tradition, the apostolic teaching that continues in the Church's dogma and practice. The Church itself is the Body of Christ, founded by Jesus Christ, universal, and directly connected to the Apostles. The Virgin Mary is honored as Theotokos, the birth-giver of God, and the saints are venerated through icons without being worshipped. Orthodox priests serve as teachers of the Word, ministers of the sacraments, and spiritual fathers, and they may be married and maintain a family life.
Plan a Visit
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church is located at 4530 E Gold Dust Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona, with two parking lots on campus. Sunday Orthros is at 9:00 AM, the Divine Liturgy at 10:00 AM, and Sunday School follows at 11:30 AM. The parish is happy to work with families who need sensory accommodations or physical modifications to attend services. The parish office can be reached at (602) 953-1921 or office@stgeorgeaz.org.