A Sustainable Parish to the Glory of God
In the Spring of 2021, our Parish was featured by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America for our campus design, specifically the sustainability of our church grounds. Our campus includes:
Mavron and xynesteri grape vines (imported from Cyprus) for sacramental wine.
Figs, peaches, nectarines, apricots, apples, pomegranates, cherry trees, persimmons, lemons, oranges, mandarins, and grapefruit (approximately 80 trees) for the enjoyment of our stewards.
Palm trees from which to harvest branches for Palm Sunday.
Olive trees for table olives.
Bee hives for the production of honey.
We entrust our bees to the protection of St. Modomnoc, our fruit trees to the care of St. Tryphon the Holy and Great Martyr, and our future gardens to the care of the Theotokos.
Our efforts to maximize the grounds and to grow fruits and vegetables are part of a much larger plan to make our Parish a model of sustainability. We hope to install solar panels and take other measures (like the recent effort to replace all our exterior lights with LED fixtures) to be even better stewards.
An icon of the Lord amidst our olive trees
Planting our stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots)
Planting citrus trees for an Eagle Scout Project
Planting lemon trees
Rosemary growing in front of Founders’ Hall
Xynesteri and Mavron vines
Palms to harvest for Palm Sunday
Three of our bee hives