Thank you for visiting our Website. We hope you find your virtual tour both spiritually enriching and informative.

The Church of the Virgin Mary is a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP (Saliba). The chancery is located in Englewood, New Jersey. Metropolitan PHILIP oversees over 250 parishes in the United States and Canada. The Church of the Virgin Mary is part of the Diocese of the Midwest, which is overseen by His Grace, Bishop MARK.

At the Church of the Virgin Mary, our mission is to serve God in all that we do, and to make Jesus Christ a real presence in the hearts of the faithful in Chicago’s Southwest Suburbs. In the summer of 2003, due to the large number of faithful living in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Metropolitan PHILIP assigned Fr. Malek Rihani and the faithful in this area to move forward and establish the mission Church of the Virgin Mary.

In the fall, we were given the official name of the “Church of the Virgin Mary”, with the Patronal Feast of the Holy Dormition. The Virgin Mary is our protector, and she intercedes on our behalf to her Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She stands as our example of faith and commitment to serve the Lord. As she received the calling of the angel Gabriel to bear the Son of God, and to commit her life to the Lord, so we too must receive the word of God, accept His Will, and serve Him to the best of our ability. As we pray in the Divine Liturgy, “Through the intercessions of the Theotokos (God-bearer), Savior, save us!”

In January of 2004, we began to hold services at St. Luke’s OCA Church in Palos Hills. This continued to be our home until December of 2004, when we purchased the property where we currently worship, in Alsip, IL. The excitement of this permanent site was seen in the eyes of the entire community. With the purchase of our new property, many of our members stepped forward and took on new responsibilities. Our organizations (Ladies Guild, Fellowship, Teen SOYO, Choir etc.) expanded their projects and activities, because they now had a home from which to do God’s work.

In the Spring of 2007, seeing that he could not handle the demands of a growing community as a part-time pastor, Fr. Malek requested that a full-time priest be assigned to the Church of the Virgin Mary.  His Grace, Bishop MARK, assigned Fr. Mousa Haddad as the first full-time pastor of the Church of the Virgin Mary in May of 2007.  Fr. Mousa arrived with his wife, Khourieh Delia, and their two children, Anthony and Philip.

Since Fr. Mousa’s arrival, the church has seen tremendous progress:  an increase in attendance and membership; a fuller cycle of liturgical services; a Christ centered ministry; an increase in spiritual activities; an increase in philanthropy and service to the community; an emphasis on full-time youth ministry; renovation of the church and fellowship hall, including renovating the altar.  In a short time, Fr. Mousa has gained the trust, support, and love of the faithful of the Church of the Virgin Mary, whom he dearly loves.

The Church of the Virgin Mary has many programs and activities to nourish the faithful:  A Sunday School with over 100 registrants; weekly ladies Bible studies; monthly Teen Soyo Bible Studies; monthly Fellowship Bible Studies; monthly Family activities; annual Christmas retreat for the Soyo; annual retreat for the Fellowship; annual Ladies Retreat; annual Marriage Retreat; a summer Vacation Bible School; an Arabic School; St. Mary’s Dabkeh Troupe; and “Liturgy after the Liturgy” in which we give back to the community through different volunteering and philanthropy events.

Within such a short period of time the Church of the Virgin Mary has grown from a concept to becoming the reality of a mid-size parish. By the grace of God, the church is filled beyond capacity.  We are grateful to our Almighty God and His Blessed Mother for smothering us with their blessings.  Yet we have many challenges ahead of us. However, we learned early on that when our hearts are full of love, forgiveness, patience, and most of all sincere prayer, that all obstacles will be removed, and doors will open wide for us.  If we keep Christ at the center of our ministry, God will bless us and help us accomplish what may seem impossible.  For with God, all things are possible!

Each one of us has been gifted with a talent by God; a talent which God has given us for the growth of His Holy Church. As we read in the Gospel of St. Matthew, he who buries his talents is not rewarded, but he who multiplies his talents, for the Glory of God, will receive treasures in heaven! We are grateful to all those who stepped forward, rolled up their sleeves, and made things happen. They spoke very little, but they accomplished much. The only reward we hope to get is that in the fullness of time, we will hear the words of our Lord: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Thank you for this virtual visit. We welcome you to join us, to volunteer on our committees, to be an active member of our church.  Join us in worship on Sundays at 9:15 a.m. for the Matins service, followed by the Divine Liturgy at 10:30am. Also, join us for Great Vespers Saturday evenings at 5:30 p.m. and Daily Matins Wednesdays at 10am.  (Confessions available by appointment with Fr. Mousa)

We look forward to praying with you. May God bless you and your loved ones!