St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. at the site of its future church and community center complex at 85 Voorhees Corner Road in Raritan Township.


A reception will follow at Beaver Brook Country Club in Annandale. This event marks the beginning of construction of the Saint Anna Greek Orthodox Church and Cultural Center, in commemoration of Saint Anna and in memory of Anna Bouras, the late wife of the parish’s Grand Benefactor, Nicholas J. Bouras.
His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey will preside over the blessing of the site. The bishop oversees 56 Greek Orthodox parishes in New Jersey, the Greater Philadelphia area, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Among prominent Greek-Americans expected to attend are Fox News chief political correspondent Mike Emanuel, who will emcee the event.
The faithful of St. Anna have been working toward their goal of building a church and community center since establishing their parish in 2002. Since 2006, the community has been holding services at Allerton United Methodist Church in Annandale.
St. Anna offers religious education, Greek language school, Greek folk dance troupes, and participation in the statewide Greek Orthodox Youth Association. Its annual OPA! Greek Festival attracts more than 5,000 people each year and has helped to build awareness of the Greek-American community in the area.
The new church complex is near Route 202. The first phase of the two-phase site plan includes construction of a Byzantine style Church (sized at about 3,900 sq. ft. with 220 seating capacity); an administration building (sized at about 1,700 sq. ft.); education space for six classrooms (sized at about 2,300 square feet with student capacity of about 120 children); a community center that converts to a full size basketball court and includes a kitchen (sized at about 7,800 square feet with 350 seating capacity); and a parking lot.
The target date for completion of the first phase of construction is July 2012. A $3.5 M capital campaign was launched in 2008 and this, along with the building fund and other community fundraising efforts, will provide the necessary funding to complete construction.
“From the state and county level, the building of our parish reflects the growth of the Greek-American community in New Jersey and the growing ethnic and cultural diversity in Hunterdon County,” said parish council President John Kaldes.
“As we gather to celebrate our groundbreaking, we are mindful that our community center will one day serve not only the needs of our parish, but also the needs of the local community.”

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