St. Elias Orthodox Church
Antiochian Archdiocese
716 Copeland Ave, La Crosse, WI
/ About / Administration
Administration

ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE OF NORTH AMERICA

DIOCESE OF TOLEDO AND THE MIDWEST

His Eminence SABA, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of North America

His Grace Bishop ANTHONY, Auxilary Bishop of the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest

Met. SABA
Met. SABA
Met. SABA

Metropolitan Saba was born in Latakia, Syria in 1959. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Tishreen in Latakia, and a bachelor’s degree in theology from the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology in Balamand. His Eminence is fluent in Arabic and English.

His Eminence was ordained a priest in 1988 and elevated to the dignity of archimandrite in 1994. He pastored St. Michael the Archangel Church in the Archdiocese of Latakia until 1998. During that time, Metropolitan Saba edited and published the Orthodox Christian magazine Farah geared toward children and families.

In 1998, Metropolitan Saba was elected and consecrated as an auxiliary bishop to His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV of thrice-blessed memory. In 1999, His Beatitude and the Holy Synod of Antioch elected him as metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Bosra, Hauran and Jabal Al-Arab in Syria. Read more>

 

Bp. ANTHONY
Bp. ANTHONY
Bp. ANTHONY

Bishop ANTHONY was born Richard Anthony Michaels on the feast day of St. Anthony the Great, January 17, 1956. Bishop ANTHONY attended the University of Michigan, where he received his B.A. in Literature, Science and the Arts, having a double major in History and English Literature. Following his university degree he attended St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree and graduated as a valedictorian of his class. Besides English, he has a reading knowledge of biblical Greek and is currently learning Arabic, at the request of His Eminence Metropolitan PHILLIP of blessed memory. 

He taught modern philosophy at Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, Michigan, before becoming a pastoral assistant and youth director at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, for two years. Read more>


ST. ELIAS ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

Reverend Father Nicholas Hanna - Pastor

Subdeacon Ephraim Gorgy

Rev. Fr. Nicholas
Rev. Fr. Nicholas
Rev. Fr. Nicholas

Father Nicholas M. Hanna was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1970 to devout parents Mansour and Samira Hanna. As a child, he attended the public-school system in Beirut until grade 6. With his parents, he moved to Jeita near Jounieh in Keserwan and completed his high school and graduated from Notre Dame of Louize in Keserwan in 1987. He traveled to Michigan, USA, and earned his MBA in 1995.  Like his late father who was killed during the Lebanese civil war in 1983, he was extremely interested in theology from a young age and the life of the saints. He and his wife, Khourieh Sofia, immigrated to the United States in July 2004, when and where he joined the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Los Angeles where he served from 2004 to 2014 as a deacon and a priest.

In 2011, during the Chicago Archdiocesan Convention, he received from the hands of the late Metropolitan Philip Saliba, of Thrice Blessed Memory and Eternal Rest, his MA, Master’s Degree in Pastoral Theology. The Holy Spirit ordained him a priest by the laying on of hands of Archbishop Joseph on Sunday, September 15, 2013, and he was assigned the pastor of St. George Church in Upland, California, until his move to Canada on July 7, 2019, as he served St. Philip Antiochian Orthodox Church until June 2023. Fr. Nicholas is serving as the pastor of St. Elias Church in La Crosse, WI since September 1, 2023.

Father’s interests and hobbies include country music, Byzantine music and Mediterranean Classic music, mainly Lebanese and Egyptian, reading, biking and hiking. On the spiritual level: saying the daily prayers, daily liturgical readings and the lives of the saints and the prophets and the great personalities of the Old Testament. His patron saint is St. Nicholas of Myra, and the closest saints to his hearts for daily intercession and prayers are the Theotokos, St. John the Forerunner, St. Anthony the Great, St. Necktarios and St. Paisios.

Sdn. Ephraim
Sdn. Ephraim
Sdn. Ephraim

Subdeacon Ephraim was born in Egypt. He was raised Coptic Orthodox. When he was 8 years old, he started serving as an acolyte and a choir member on regular basis. He was blessed with a loving and strong-faith family and Christian community. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Cairo University. He traveled to the U.S. for graduate education. He earned a Master's and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. While in graduate school he became associated with St. Mary Magdalene Antiochian Church in Manhattan, KS and grew close to the Antiochian Church's rich tradition and history. He was influenced by the spiritual experience that St. Mary Magdalene and her faithful offered to the community.

After graduation, he relocated to Huntsville, AL. While in Huntsville he attended Holy Cross and Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. Him and his wife were part of the church choir. Later, the family relocated to La Crosse and joined St. Elias Antiochian Church. With the invitation of Fr. Dionysios, he was ordained a subdeacon by His Grace Bishop ANTHONY (Michaels) on December 17, 2017. Sdn. Ephraim and his wife led the Sunday school ministry. In his spare time Sdn. Ephraim enjoys reading about the church saints, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, and patristics, especially the writings of St. John Chrysostom.

 

St. Elias is a small church that relies heavily on the generous donations

and regular contributions of our parish members, friends and those who have historical ties to the church. A sincere thank you for any support you can offer for the well-being and long term survival of St. Elias.

May God be with you!


  • Fri
    29Mar

    4:30pm Catechumen Class
    6:00pm Akathist to the Theotokos
  • Sat
    30Mar

    5:00pm Vespers
    Confession 4:30pm & after Vespers
  • Sun
    31Mar

    Gregory Palamas
    8:45 Matins (Morning Prayers)
    9:15 Sunday School
    9:45 Orthodox Story Time
    10:00 Divine Liturgy


St. Elias Orthodox Church * 716 Copeland Ave * P.O. Box 3176 * La Crosse, WI 54602-3176