Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church sits on French Hill Road in Wayne, New Jersey, where its members have gathered for the Divine Liturgy since the summer of 1964. A parish of the Orthodox Church in America within the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, it is home to cradle Orthodox, converts, and inquirers seeking to live according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Beginnings in the Fire House
The parish traces its origins to August 23, 1964, when Father John Nehrebecki, Dean of the New Jersey Deanery, joined the founding members of Holy Resurrection for their first Divine Liturgy in the activity room of the Wayne Community Fire House. Later that year, Father Alvian Smirensky was assigned as pastor. Father Alvian had been ordained a priest on September 13, 1958, by Metropolitan Leontii, and before coming to Wayne he had served as a military chaplain with the US Naval Reserve alongside his pastoral work at the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection in Manhattan's East Village.
Services in those early years moved from one temporary facility to the next while the fledgling community prepared to build. During the winter of 1968, construction began on what would become the present church building on French Hill Road, and the structure was consecrated in 1969. Photographs from that period record the excavation, the cinder blocks rising on three acres of land, and the brick and wood frame that would house the new parish.
Father Paul's Fifty-Five Years
The shape of Holy Resurrection as it is known today is closely tied to the long tenure of Father Paul Kucynda. He was ordained to the holy priesthood on January 7, 1968, having married Barbara Anne Kuntzevich the previous June at Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn. The young priest and his matushka arrived in Wayne shortly after his ordination, beginning ministry with twelve families and the three-acre parcel that would become the parish campus.
Father Paul served as rector of Holy Resurrection for nearly fifty-five years. Under his pastoral care the church building was completed, a church school was established, a choir was organized, and the steady rhythm of Orthodox sacramental life took root. In 2018, the Most Reverend Michael, Archbishop of New York and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, gathered past and present parishioners with clergy from near and far to honor Father Paul's fifty years in the priesthood. The parish marked its forty-fifth anniversary in 2014 with another major celebration.
The parish has kept a careful archive of those decades. Annual pierogi-making, choir rehearsals in the parish house, picnics on the grounds, weddings in the newly consecrated building, and printed parish directories every six or seven years have all been part of the community's shared life, and the church preserves a photographic record of each milestone.
Archpriest Stephen Evanina Today
The current pastor is Archpriest Stephen Evanina, whose silver jubilee of ordination was celebrated on November 9, 2024, at a hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Holy Resurrection. He serves as rector of the parish under the omophor of Archbishop Michael of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey.
Father Stephen is supported by a parish council that meets on Tuesday evenings, by a choir that rehearses through the program year, and by the lay leadership of the parish's various ministries. A men's group gathers on fifth Tuesdays for fellowship, and the parish keeps an active schedule of social and educational events alongside its liturgical calendar.
The Sunday Divine Liturgy
The heart of parish life at Holy Resurrection is the Sunday Divine Liturgy, the central worship service of Orthodox Christianity, at which the Eucharist is celebrated. The Sunday Divine Liturgy is typically held in the morning, most often at 9:00 AM, with 10:00 AM celebrated during parts of the year. Children and teens are encouraged to participate fully in the liturgy and are among the first to receive Holy Communion.
Each Sunday Divine Liturgy is followed by a coffee hour in the parish hall, a longstanding tradition that gives the community a chance to greet visitors, catch up after the week, and welcome newcomers. Feast-day Divine Liturgies throughout the year draw the community together for major commemorations such as the Nativity of the Theotokos in September, the Elevation of the Holy Cross, the Protection of the Theotokos in October, the Transfiguration in August, and the Dormition of the Theotokos. Festal services often include the blessing of fruit, flowers, or other elements associated with the particular feast.
Great Vespers and the Weekly Cycle
Saturday evenings at Holy Resurrection are given over to Great Vespers at 5:00 PM. Vespers is the evening prayer of the Orthodox Church, traditionally celebrated at sunset, and includes psalms, hymns, scripture readings, and incense. On major eves such as the Elevation of the Cross, Great Vespers is combined with a Litya, a procession with the blessing of bread, wheat, wine, and oil. A monthly Panikhida, a service of remembrance for the departed, is served on the third Saturday of each month.
On Wednesday evenings during the program year, the parish gathers for Vespers combined with a lecture series. Recent offerings have included "Hearing the Church's Hymns," an instructional series exploring the theology and meaning of Orthodox liturgical music.
Church School for the Youngest Parishioners
Children's religious education at Holy Resurrection is centered in the Church School, which meets every other Sunday throughout the academic year. Children and teens attend the Divine Liturgy with their families and are the first to receive Holy Communion. After a light snack following Communion, students gather for age-appropriate classes beginning around 11:15 to 11:20 AM and concluding at noon. The school calendar includes twenty-five instructional sessions each year, designed to help students know, love, and live the teachings of the Orthodox faith while building lasting friendships within the parish.
The program exists to support parents in the responsibility they took on at their child's baptism, when they affirmed their commitment to raise their children in the Orthodox Christian faith. Classes draw on prayer, worship, Scripture, the lives of the saints, and fellowship to help young people develop a strong spiritual foundation that will guide, strengthen, and sustain them throughout their lives.
Orthodoxy 101: A Door for Inquirers
Adults who want to know more about the Orthodox faith - newcomers, inquirers, or lifelong Orthodox Christians seeking deeper formation - are invited to Orthodox 101. The introductory class is held Saturday afternoons before Great Vespers and is described by the parish as suitable both for those who are completely new to Orthodoxy and for those who wish to deepen their understanding of the teachings and life of the Church. The class is also used to prepare those preparing to join the Church through Baptism and Chrismation.
The Orthodox Faith at Holy Resurrection
Holy Resurrection teaches the Orthodox Christian faith as preserved by the first seven ecumenical councils. Orthodox Christians believe their Church has kept the apostolic tradition in its fullness, with a rich liturgical life centered on the Eucharist and the seven Holy Mysteries: Baptism, Chrismation, Communion, Matrimony, Orders, Repentance, and Unction. The parish keeps the Orthodox liturgical calendar, observing the Twelve Great Feasts, Pascha (the Feast of Feasts), the Dormition, and a long cycle of saints' days, with the Protection of the Theotokos on October 1 especially cherished.
The parish teaches the Nicene Symbol of Faith, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the Christian ethic shaped by the Sermon on the Mount. Holy icons are venerated as windows into heavenly reality; fasting is observed in the four great fasting seasons and on appointed weekdays; and prayer is rooted in the tradition of the Jesus Prayer. The parish keeps an extensive catechetical library online, covering the church year, the sacraments, the church building and its furnishings, fasting rules, liturgical music, monasticism, and the icons and feasts of the Mother of God.
Orthodox theology holds that the Church is the mystical Body of Christ, with Christ Himself as its head. The Orthodox Church is a family of self-governing autocephalous churches, with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople holding titular primacy as first among equals, and is not a centralized organization under a single pontiff. Holy Resurrection stands within this universal tradition and shares the Orthodox conviction that the fullness of grace is preserved within the canonical Orthodox Church.
Music, Choir, and the Annual Picnic
Music is integral to Orthodox worship, and Holy Resurrection maintains a parish choir that rehearses regularly and sings the responses of the Divine Liturgy and the services of the daily cycle. Choir rehearsals are typically scheduled on Mondays and Saturday mornings in the weeks leading up to major feasts. The choir's work extends a tradition that has been part of Holy Resurrection since at least 1971, when the parish archive first records choir rehearsals in the parish house.
Coffee hour following each Sunday Divine Liturgy is its own ministry, a time of fellowship that often extends into the afternoon. The annual parish picnic, traditionally featuring a pig roast and hosted by the Orthodox Young Adults, draws the wider community together in early autumn. Summer movie nights, seasonal gatherings, and the steady rhythm of coffee hours fill out the social calendar alongside the liturgical year.
Within the Diocese of New York and New Jersey
Holy Resurrection is part of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey of the Orthodox Church in America, under the pastoral care of Archbishop Michael. The parish maintains close ties with St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, and several parishioners have studied there, with some going on to ordained ministry in the Orthodox Church. The parish has been represented at diocesan youth days and other regional gatherings, and joins the wider Orthodox Christian community through shared feasts, lectionary, and liturgical music.
Visiting Holy Resurrection
Visitors are warmly welcomed at Holy Resurrection. The Sunday Divine Liturgy is the best entry point for first-time guests, and coffee hour afterwards offers an opportunity to meet the pastor and parishioners. There is no formal dress code beyond the usual respect for Orthodox worship, and visitors typically find a mixture of more formal and more casual attire among those in attendance. Children are welcome, and the priest is happy to answer questions about the service or the faith before or after the liturgy.
For those unable to attend in person, services and other content are shared online through the parish YouTube channel. Recordings of past services, lecture series, and catechetical material are also available through the parish's online presence, which also hosts the daily Ancient Faith Saint of the Day and The Path daily scripture readings.
Giving, Mail, and the Mailing List
Holy Resurrection accepts donations online through Tithe.ly, with gifts directed to the General Fund supporting worship, ministries, clergy, and the educational life of the parish. Donations by mail are also welcome, and the parish office can be contacted to direct gifts to specific categories. The mailing address is Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church, 285 French Hill Road, Wayne, NJ 07470, and the office can be reached at office@heisrisen.org or by phone at 973-568-9654.
The parish maintains an active mailing list for news and announcements, and newcomers are encouraged to subscribe through the mailing list form. Online giving is available through Tithe.ly, and services and recordings are shared on YouTube.