On Monday, December 22, when the Holy Church celebrates the Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos and the icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy," Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York paid an archpastoral visit to the eponymous church in Staten Island, NY and celebrated Divine Liturgy there on the occasion of the parish’s patronal feast.

Serving alongside His Eminence were: Archpriest Serge Lukianov (dean of New Jersey), Archpriest Vasily Zelenyuk (parish rector), Archpriest Pavel Ivanov (rector of Holy Myrrhbearers Church in Brooklyn, NY), Archpriest Alexandre Antchoutine (dean of New York City), Archpriest Nikolai Gulin (rector of Our Lady "Inexhaustible Chalice" OCA Church in Philadelphia, PA), Protodeacon Eugene Kallaur (cleric of St. Seraphim Memorial Church in Sea Cliff, NY), and Protodeacon Paul Drozdowski and Deacon Dumitru Lişan (clerics of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Howell, NJ).

Numerous parishioners and believers from other parishes in Brooklyn, New York, and New Jersey gathered to pray during the service and share in the joy of the holiday. Many communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

After Liturgy, the clergy served a short moleben before the festal icon.

Metropolitan Nicholas addressed those present with a sermon on the feast. Speaking about the sinner depicted next to the Theotokos in the icon, the Metropolitan said: "The Mother of God three times asked her Son to forgive and have mercy on the sinner, and the loving Son, showing obedience, forgave him. This can also happen with us if we ask for forgiveness, do not repeat or even think about evil deeds and thoughts, but only speak good things, act kindly and correctly in our lives, and love God and our Church.

"…Let us be guided by wisdom, especially during the Nativity Fast. Around us we see how people are trying to decorate shops and workplaces. We need to prepare a good table for the holiday. But who thinks about spiritual life? This is the kind of concern we should have for our spiritual life, for meeting the Infant Jesus and uniting with Him, for receiving Him into our hearts. Let us ask God and the Mother of God, like the sinner in the icon, for help to continue to act according to Christian piety. This is what I wish for everyone. And then God will be in our lives."

Fr. Vasily thanked Metropolitan Nicholas and the visiting clergy for their joint prayers.

The sisterhood of the church prepared a delicious festal meal for everyone, during which interaction between the clergy and the faithful continued.

Parish Information

The parish dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy" was founded in 2008 with the blessing of Bishop Gabriel of Manhattan (now Archbishop of Montreal & Canada). Its first rector was Archpriest George Kallaur. The church did not have its own building and therefore rented several buildings in different locations.

On May 25, 2023, Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York appointed Archpriest Vasily Zelenyuk as the rector of the parish.

Currently, the parish is located in a building at 190 Cebra Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10304.

The magnificent iconostasis, the work of Bishop Daniel (Alexandrow; +2010) with icons by Nicholas A. Papkov, as well as church utensils, were transferred from a closed church in New Jersey. Parishioners, under the guidance of the rector, have done a lot of work to reconstruct the interior of the church.

Fr. Vasily noted that the parish is growing stronger every day. Divine services are held on Sundays and holidays, and a water-blessing moleben for the sick is held on Wednesdays. After each Sunday service, the sisterhood organizes lunches or teas, and the rector conducts Sunday school classes for adults. Small children’s concerts, plays, and matinees are organized for holidays. Currently, groups of children are being formed for Sunday school classes. The parish has a website and a Facebook page.

The parish currently has 40 official member families. On major holidays, an average of 180 people attend services in the church, and 280 people receive the parish newsletter by email. The parish has launched a fundraising page on GoFundMe to raise money for the purchase of a building for a church and spiritual center on Staten Island and for the renovation of the current church.

In 2025, the parish received all the necessary registration documents and church status. On the eve of the patronal feast day, a new parish council was elected in the church, and the sisterhood and brotherhood are actively functioning. This year, a media group was also created at the church.

With the start of the new year, it is planned to install parquet floors in the church, expand the iconostasis, arrange a large sacristy and altar server’s room, install stained glass windows, and build a choir loft upstairs.

The rector and the church’s active members ask for prayers and any possible assistance, especially from the residents of Staten Island.