Father John is survived by his wife Barbara Ealy (née Soroka), sister Kathleen Donmoyer, children Dr. Nicholas Ealy, Taisia Ealy, and Fatherr Gregory Ealy (Miho), four much-loved granddaughters Hannah Mills, Emma Mills, Nino Ealy, and Mila Ealy, and many nephews, nieces and cousins.

Born Watson Karl Ealy on May 1, 1935 in Lebanon, PA to Watson Edward Ealy and Catherine Ealy (née Magyar), Father John grew up at Saint Gertrude’s Roman Catholic Church, where he served as an altar boy and attended parochial school. Since his elementary school days, he was always attracted to the Orthodox Church.

Father John graduated from Lebanon Catholic High School in 1953 and, after working at a factory that summer, decided to enroll in college. He applied and was accepted to Millersville State Teacher’s College (now Millersville University) in Millersville, PA. In 1961, he received his master’s degree in science education from Western Maryland University and went on to teach for 35 years at private and public schools in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida.

In 1963 Father John enrolled in Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA. In his fourth year at seminary, Fathers John Meyendorff and Alexander Schememann from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary were invited to lecture. Their lectures were very well received by the students, and Father John left for the Orthodox Church along with some of the other students. After taking a teaching job near Harrisburg, PA, he met Barbara Soroka, the love of his life, while singing in the choir at Christ the Savior Orthodox Church. They married in August 1971 and immediately moved to Crestwood, NY where Father John studied at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary.

After completing Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, the Ealys moved in 1973 to Ft. Lauderdale, FL where Father John served at Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church. Two years later in 1975, Father John was reassigned to a small mission near Orlando. He would serve at Saint Stephen’s for the next 27 years as rector. At the time of the Ealys’ move to Central Florida, Saint Stephen’s was a small mission and could not pay Father John a living wage, so he took a teaching job at Saint Peter’s Catholic School in DeLand, FL. While Father John served a Saint Stephen’s, the parish grew, and became a well-established church in the Diocese of the South. Starting with only twelve people in 1975, parish membership grew to well over 150 by the time he retired.

Father John’s ministry can be summed up with the word love. He loved the Orthodox Church, the Divine Liturgy and liturgical services, and its people. He spent countless hours meeting with parishioners, teaching, traveling and visiting missions and churches throughout the Central Florida Deanery as its dean, holding Divine Liturgies and Presanctified Liturgies in homes and churches, and running summer church school programs and summer camps. He was instrumental in establishing Saint Justin the Martyr Church in Jacksonville, FL.

After retiring in 2002, Father John continued to serve as a supply priest throughout the diocese, filling in at missions and parishes in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. But, in retirement, he also found much time for reading, gardening, cooking and baking, writing his memoir, spending time with his growing family, and traveling. He took pride in his Hungarian cultural roots, and his love for all things Hungarian – especially its cuisine – was a constant in his life. He was overjoyed to have visited Hungary twice during his retirement.

The number of lives Father John has touched throughout his life, both as a pastor and a teacher, is incalculable. From his early years as a schoolteacher until his retirement—and even during illness—Father John never stopped teaching. He firmly believed and taught that our encounter with the Word of God takes place at the liturgical gathering, as we partake of the Eucharist with our brothers and sisters.

Funeral Services will be held at St Stephen the Protomartyr Orthodox Church, 1895 Lake Emma Road, Longwood, FL 32750.

Wednesday, March 11
Visitation: 4:30-6:30 PM
Presanctified Liturgy: 6:30 PM
Panikhida following Presanctified

Thursday, March 12
Funeral for a Priest: 9:30 AM
Mercy meal to follow

Burial: 3:30 PM
Burial will be at Saint Justin the Martyr, 2460 Old St Augustine Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32258

May Father John’s memory be eternal!

Born Konstantin Yefimov in Russia in 1946, Father Kyril immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1997, he came to Saint Tikhon’s Monastery and was tonsured to the Small Schema by His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman in 2003.

For many years, Father Kyril labored as a groundskeeper and cared for the monastery’s bees. He fought several battles with cancer over the years and reposed following a recurrence of kidney cancer.

The funeral service for Father Kyril will be held at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery on Thursday, March 5, at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Father Kyril may be made to Saint Tikhon’s Monastery to assist with funeral expenses.

May Father Kyril’s memory be eternal!

Father Luke was born Rudolf Majoros on November 4, 1949, in Novi-Sad, Yugoslavia, to Laszlo and Katya Majoros. They also had one daughter, Klara. Rudolf was born into a Hungarian-descended, and Hungarian-speaking family, and he and his sister grew up speaking both Hungarian and Serbian.

As a teenager, he left Yugoslavia with his family, and they emigrated to Toronto, ON where his father had gone a year earlier. Rudolf completed his secondary education in Toronto. After this, he entered Saint Michael’s College at the University of Toronto.

For some years, he worked as an airline steward on Canadian Pacific Airlines (CPAir). This was his first permanent employment and exposed him to many different cultures, since he served on some international routes.

During his travels in the 1970s, when he would often stop and visit in Vancouver, BC, he met the man who would become his Orthodox sponsor and guide, Professor Demetrios Economou.  He guided Rudolf into the Orthodox Church and to his baptism in Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Vancouver where he was given the name Gabriel.  Later, Demitrios enabled the newly-illumined Gabriel to make a visit to Mount Athos for the first time.

A consequence of this visit was his decision in 1977 to return and to live permanently on the Holy Mountain at Hilandar Monastery.

In about 1980, at Hilandar Monastery, Rudolf Majoros was tonsured to be a monk of the Lesser Schema, and he was given the name Luka (Luke).  This occurred on the Feast of the Holy Apostle Luke 18 October/3 November.

Father Luke belonged to the generation of monks who arrived at the Hilandar Monastery in the 1970s, alongside the late Archimandrite Pajsije (Tanasijević) (1957 - 2003), Hieromonk Avakum (Medić) (1956 - 2006), Hieromonk Gavrilo (Vučković) (1944 - 2017), and Archimandrite Hrizostom (Stolić) (1939 - 2012), the last being the Bishop of Žiča.  Another of his contemporaries, and nearer in age, was the monk Andrej (Ćilerdžić), who later became a bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Father Luke served for many years as the “Archondar” (hospitality officer) at Hilandar Monastery, and he was the cell attendant (“kelejnik”) to the late Elder Nikanor (Savic) of Hilandar (later recognised to be a saint).

In about 1980, the Monk Luka was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Bishop Chrysostomos (Anagnostopoulos) of Rodostolon.  In 1985, Hierodeacon Luka returned to Canada to see his family with Monk Pierre (Vachon).

In January, 1986, Hierodeacon Luka went to Jamaica, where he lived for about 3 years, teaching English amongst other work.

In 1989, he returned to Toronto, ON, where he was received into the Orthodox Church in America and attached first to Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Toronto, then to the Annunciation to the Theotokos-Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Ottawa, ON.

Later he went with Monk Pierre (Vachon) sought out a site in Québec to make an attempt at eremitic monastic life in 1992.  He lived in the Protection of the Theotokos Hermitage in Saint-Eusèbe de Témiscouata, Québec.

On March 12, 2000, at the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint-Benoît de Nursie in Montréal, Québec, the Archdeacon Luke was ordained to the Holy Priesthood.  He was attached to the Communauté Monastique de Saint-Séraphim de Sarov, while he remained at Saint-Eusèbe de Témiscouata, QB.

Later, he was transferred to the Monastic Brotherhood of Saint Silouan of Mount Athos at Johnstown, ON.  From there, he served for a period of time at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in London, ON, “on-loan” to Metropolitan Sotirios (Athanassoulas) of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto.

Then, in 2003, Father Luke was sent to serve at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Sudbury, ON. He returned to the Archdiocese of Canada in late 2006, and he began to serve as Priest-in-charge of Saint Gregory of Nyssa’s Church in Kingston, Ontario.  While he served at Kingston, he lived at the Hermitage of Saint Anthony at Westport, Ontario.

In 2011 he was elevated to the dignity of Igumen. In 2012, Father Luke was released from his responsibilities in Kingston, and he was transferred to the Monastery of Saint Silouan in Johnstown, ON.  There, he served in the Chapel of Saint Silouan the Athonite, and he travelled often to Potsdam, NY, USA, where he nurtured the beginning of Saint Olympia Mission.

In 2015, Father Luke was elevated to the dignity of Archimandrite and in 2016 the Monastery of Saint Silouan was closed.  As a consequence, Father Luke and another monk moved to Kilmarnock, ON, where they continued as the Hermitage of the Protection of the Theotokos.  Father Luke served in the Domestic Chapel of Saints Cosmas and Damian.

Father Luke was fluent in speaking English, French, Hungarian, Serbian, and Greek.

At the end of 2024, because of the pending sale of the property where they had lived, Father Luke and Father Victor (Eryomin) moved into an apartment in Ottawa.  They prayed at home, and they attended services at the Annunciation to the Theotokos-Saint Nicholas Cathedral, and Saint Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church.

In 2025, Father Luke’s health began to suffer and he received various treatments, which culminated in a surgery.  Despite the surgery, which was followed by chemotherapy, Father Luke’s health had deteriorated sufficiently that his body could not tolerate treatment, and he remained in a hospital for a lengthy period of time.  Then, in February, 2026, he was admitted to the Saint Vincent Hospital in Ottawa’s palliative care ward.

The Funeral Service for the Burial of a Monk will be held at the Annunciation to the Theotokos-Saint Nicholas Cathedral (15, Eccles Street, Ottawa, ON) on Tuesday, February 17 at 6:30 PM The Memorial Divine Liturgy with a final, brief Memorial Service will also be helf at the cathedral on Wednesday, February 16, at 10:00 AM. Both services will be presided by His Eminence Archbishop Irénée and the Cathedral Dean, Archpriest James Giggs. Interment will be in the spring at the Saint James Anglican Cemetery at Maitland, ON.

May Father Luke’s memory be eternal!

Bishop Seraphim was born Joseph Sigrist on December 13, 1941 in New York and baptized in a Presbyterian Church. He was brought up in Pleasantville, NY and studied at Nyack College. While studying at Nyack he began to attend the Orthodox Church and, on completing his degree there, he was received into the Orthodox Church at Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral in New York. He then began study at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and, after graduating in 1967, went to Japan to assist the Orthodox Church in Japan.

In Japan working first as a teacher in a church related school and assisting as a deacon at the Toyohashi Church, he was tonsured a monk with the name Seraphim and served first as a parish priest in the town of Nakanida and then, being consecrated in Tokyo on December 19, 1971, from that time served as Bishop of East Japan living in Sendai.

Bishop Seraphim served in Japan for 19 years, returning to the United States in 1987. He taught in the graduate department of religion at Drew University, wrote three books, and visited Russia frequently in recent years in support of mission especially to youth in Russia.

The funeral services for Bishop Seraphim will be held at Holy Trinity Church, Yonkers, NY and is as follows:

Monday, February 16
6:00-7:00 PM Viewing
7:00 PM Burial Service

Tuesday, February 17
9:00-10:00 AM Viewing
10:00 AM Divine Liturgy followed by Panikhida (served in the presbyteral manner)
A catered meal will be in the hall following Divine Liturgy, followed by interment at New Skete.

View a photo gallery of the funeral services

May Bishop Seraphim’s memory be eternal!

He was born in Terryville, CT, where he grew up as a member of Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Church. Following his graduation from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Father John began his ministry in the late 1970s with his first assignment to the Annunciation Albanian Orthodox Church in Natick, Massachusetts.

Over the course of many decades of priestly service, Father John served parishes in Wisconsin, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and Illinois, dedicating his life to the spiritual care of the communities entrusted to him. He also worked as a professional counselor to those in need.

Father John was predeceased by his parents, sister, and nephew. He is survived by his children and grandchildren.

Services will be held at Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church, 416 Ewing Ave, Madison, IL 62060 from 4:30 PM until 8:00 PM on Friday, January 23, 2026 with a Funeral of a Priest served at 6:00 PM.

A Funeral Liturgy will be held at Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 24, 2026, with His Eminence Archbishop Daniel as celebrant.

Burial will follow at Nativity of the Virgin Orthodox Cemetery in Glen Carbon.

Those wishing to honor his memory may send donations to Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church, specifying in memory of Father John Pawelchak.

May Father John’s Memory be eternal!

Born on May 25, 1939, Father Stephen graduated from Saint Vladimir’s Seminary in 1969, and was ordained to the priesthood that same year. Following graduation he was assigned to the Chapel of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk, an English-language community at the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection in Manhatta

In the 1960s and 1970s, Father Stephen and his wife, Matushka Lois, were instrumental in organizing monthly trips with seminarians to hospitals and mental health institutions in the New York area. Father Stephen was a licensed and practicing psychotherapist who at one time served as Dean of Students at Blanton-Peale Graduate Institute in Manhattan.

As a member of the OCA’s Department of Lay Ministries, he was actively involved in the Church’s official outreach and ministries to people with special needs and disabilities. He had also participated in various activities of the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion (OCAMPR).

Father Stephen was attached to Saint Mark Church, Bradenton, FL, in his retirement. During his active priestly ministry, he had served there for several years starting in 1988, and also pastored the English-speaking community at the bilingual Christ the Savior Church in New York City, beginning in 1976, which was then under the leadership of Father John Meyendorff.

Father Stephen was predeceased by his beloved Matushka Lois, who fell asleep in the Lord on April 30, 2013.

Funeral services for Father Stephen will be held at Saint Mark Church in Bradenton, FL. Monday, January 19, 6:00 PM Funeral Vigil; Tuesday, January 20, 9:00 AM Funeral Liturgy. The Committal and Burial will take place Tuesday, January 20, at 2:30 PM at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Sanford, FL.

May Father Stephen’s memory be eternal!

With courage and determination, Julia enrolled in Elmira College. An honor student, she obtained her Associate Degree in secretarial studies in 1947. She subsequently left Elmira for New York City and was employed as a stenographer and notary public at the Waldorf Astoria. At that time, she met Michael Romanchak, and it was love at first sight. Michael and Julia were married in 1951, after which Michael was ordained to the priesthood. Assigned first to Saints Peter and Paul in Syracuse, NY and then to the Holy Trinity in Catasauqua, PA. Devoted to her faith, Julia directed the choir, did the secretarial work, taught Saturday school, sewing, arts and crafts, Russian dancing, catechism, and reading in English and Russian, all while lovingly raising two children.

Despite leading a full life, Julia’s dream was to complete her college degree, so she began night school at Moravian University. Having made the dean’s list, she received a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1972 and was accepted at Lehigh University where she nearly finished her Master’s. She taught English at Catasauqua High School and Middle School but ultimately went back to secretarial work at the Bethlehem Steel from which she retired in 1990. She then conducted the choir at Saint Mary’s Orthodox church in Allentown and only fully retired in 2012 at the age of 87.

Predeceased in 2012 by her husband, Archpriest Michael, of 60 years, Julia is survived by her son, Sergius and his wife, Louise, grandsons, Hierodeacon Marc, Eli and his wife, Salome, and great grandsons, Geele and Ayrick. She is also survived by her daughter, Paula, and granddaughter and namesake, Arianna Julia Cagli. 

A visitation will be held at Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, 980 Bridle Path Road, Bethlehem, PA 18017 on Monday, January 19, 2026 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, followed by a Panikhida served Father Nikolai Breckenridge.

The Funeral will be on Tuesday January 20, 2026 at 10:30 AM at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery, 175 St. Tikhon’s Road, Waymart, PA 18472.  Burial will follow in Saint Tikhon’s Cemetery in Waymart, PA.  Funeral arrangements were by the Herron Funeral Home in Bethlehem, PA. 

May Matushka Julia’s memory be eternal!

Father Andrew was born on March 12, 1950, Ralph Allan Moulton, in Rural Englewood, CA, the youngest child of Colonel Ralph and Mary Moulton. With a father in the Air Force, Father Andrew’s childhood with his two sisters Georgia and Colleen, was spent never living in one place for more than four years. He had fond memories of life in Cleveland, OH, St. Petersburg, FL, and even Spain. The family attended church every Sunday at the Protestant base chapels. In Spain, where the US Air Force bases were in early development, Father Andrew was the only non-Catholic student at his elementary school, and the priest there gave him lots of attention as the sole opportunity for spreading the Catholic faith. Father would later say that he had never thought of being a pastor but was interested in being a priest, long before he knew of the Orthodox Church.

After graduating from Northeast High School in Saint Petersburg, FL, Father took an Air Force ROTC scholarship at Michigan State University in East Lansing and studied Mechanical Engineering. There he met Joan Yarbrough, the love of his life. They married in 1971. Once when traveling home for winter break, Joan received a ride from a kind stranger, Father Photius Donahue, who introduced himself as a Professor of Religion, when her flight was re-routed through Detroit. Father Andrew and Joan started taking classes on Eastern Christianity from Father Photius at Michigan State, and he and Joan eventually converted to Orthodoxy and were Chrismated by Father John Bohush (Captain USAF) at Chanute Air Training Center, IL.

Following graduation from MSU, the young couple spent three and a half years completing Father Andrew’s tour with the Air Force, mostly at Pope Air Force Base, NC, where their first child Christian was born, while Father worked as an aircraft maintenance officer on C-130 transport planes. After completing his service, they returned to Michigan where he earned an M.S. in Computer Science. Attending Saint Andrew Orthodox Church, where Father Photius was the priest, he was tonsured reader and subdeacon, and ordained a deacon, and then ordained a priest by His Grace Bishop Clement of Sourozh at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in New York City, NY, on January 24, 1979. Over the years, Father Andrew was blessed with several dedicated and loving mentors who helped guide him in his pastoral work, including Father Photius Donahue, Father Raphael Biernacki, Father Roman Braga, and Father Don Freude. In 1983, Father Andrew was assistant to Father Photius, when he departed this life.

Father Andrew and his family transferred to the Bulgarian Diocese of the OCA in 1988, through the great kindness and support of His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill (Yonchev). By this time their son Christian had other siblings, James, Mark, and Elizabeth. In 1987, Father received his first and only independent pastoral assignment at Saints Cyril and Methody Orthodox Church in Granite City, IL, a beloved role from which he finally retired due to illness on December 31, 2024. During his pastorate, Father was assisted by Father Kiril Antonoff in retirement and Subdeacon George Bakan. While acting as pastor at Saints Cyril and Methody, he also worked a full-time job as a Computer System’s Engineer, working initially with his own start-up software company and then later for Cerner Corporation. In 2017 he retired from his secular career after 17 years at the Radiology Department at Washington University School of Medicine. His work in the parish continued beyond his secular retirement, not only at his own parish but also helping to establish Saint Nicholas Orthodox Mission in Lawrence, KS, during the early 2000s. He supported the work of FOCUS in St. Louis, MO. He was a spiritual support and guide for many Orthodox Christians in St. Louis and beyond.

Over 38 years, Father Andrew raised his family in Granite City, IL, while also faithfully pastoring at Saints Cyril and Methody, where he brought many converts to the Orthodox faith. He was blessed to see decades of life for many parishioners and to marry his children and baptize his grandchildren at his parish. He was known for his charming children’s sermons, often featuring a quirky or surprising prop brought from home each Sunday. He loved to take orders at the monthly fish fry in the parish hall as people came in. He would quote his favorite movie lines in sermons or coffee hour and was a voracious reader, remembering his younger days when so few good Orthodox books were available in English. Father Andrew was a particular fan of reading the ancient church fathers. He enjoyed watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball and Friday Night Fights on TV as well as helping his wife with home projects.

Father Andrew loved to serve the Divine Liturgy and often talked about the beauty and mystery of the liturgy. He was dedicated wholly to making sure that a Divine Liturgy was served for his people every Sunday. His love for serving the liturgy was evident in the final years of his life when he struggled to serve far beyond the physical strength of his body.

He leaves his beloved wife Popadia Joan, children Christian (Erin) of Lawrence, KS: James (Catherine) of Plano, IL; Mark (Dee) of Bastrop, TX; Elizabeth Sparks (Nathan) of Lake Stevens, WA; grandchildren Alexis, Simeon, Emily, Nicholas, Luke, and Basil; sisters Georgia Moulton and Colleen Kirkland and husband Dennis; as well as beloved nephews, nieces, parishioners, and friends.

Visitation will take place at Saints Cyril & Methody Orthodox Church in Granite City, IL, at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, followed by the funeral service for a priest at 6:00 PM. On the following day, January 14, the Divine Liturgy will begin at 9:00 AM, followed by Trisagion Prayer and interment at Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Cemetery in Glen Carbon, IL. A meal will follow in the church hall. His Eminence Archbishop Alexander (Golitzin) will be the celebrant.

Donations in Father Andrew’s memory may be made to Saints Cyril & Methody Orthodox Church, Granite City, IL and FOCUS Gateway City.

May Father Andrew’s memory be eternal!

Father Paul was born on August 4,1938 to Paul and Rose Pyrch in Pittsburgh, PA.  Growing up in a Russian-immigrant household deeply rooted in the local Orthodox Church led him to pursue a career in the Priesthood as a young man. 

After completing his undergraduate studies in Theology and Music at Columbia University, Father Paul entered into study at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.  He was privileged to study under Father Alexander Schmemann, of blessed memory, his Father Confessor and life-long spiritual mentor. Shortly after graduating from seminary, he married Virginia Dofner, of blessed memory, on June 4, 1961.  Serving nine months as a Deacon, Father Paul was then ordained to the Holy Priesthood by the late Archbishop Benjamin of Pittsburgh on June 3, 1962.  He was assigned to a small parish in Royalton, IL where, in ten years, he revitalized the parish making it one of the more active parishes in the Midwest.  With his leadership, this small parish raised thousands of dollars for Saint Vladimir’s Seminary in his drive to call others to God’s service.

After his assignment to his home parish in Ambridge, PA, Father Paul was commissioned into the United States Navy as an Eastern Orthodox Chaplain in 1975.  He served the military community honorably for 23 years while receiving numerous personal awards for his ministry to thousands of Sailors and Marines around the world.  He served three tours of duty with the United States Marine Corps–quite likely among his favorite duty stations–and was the first Orthodox Chaplain ever assigned to a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS NIMITZ
(CVN-68)—one of a total of twenty-three US Naval ships on which he served throughout his career.  His knowledge of Russian enabled him to provide assistance to Commanding Officers in translating incoming messages from Soviet ships during the Cold War.

Father Paul retired from the Navy in 1997 and was attached to the Dormition of the Theotokos Parish, in Norfolk, VA.  Ever anxious to continue his life of service, Father Paul also took a position with H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments as an After Care Coordinator providing grief counseling to families in the Hampton Roads area at that time. Father Paul came out of retirement in 2010 to serve the Dormition parish for nine months until a new Priest could be assigned, and later to serve the parish of Saint Elpis in Hopewell, VA, (Greek Archdiocese) for one year while they were without a Priest. 

Throughout his life, Father Paul was blessed to have had the opportunity to travel much of the country and concelebrate extensively at various parishes in places like Jacksonville, FL; Charleston, SC; Bethesda, MD; Washington, D.C.; Roanoke, VA; Richmond, VA; Newport News, VA; Virginia Beach, VA; Poquoson, VA; Madison, IL; and Savannah, GA.  These beloved pan-Orthodox experiences shaped Father Paul’s Orthodox ministry in a way that he truly cherished.

Father Paul’s dedication and faithful service to Christ’s Holy Church was an inspiration to others fostering seven Priestly vocations for the Church and bringing countless new members to the Orthodox faith. Through the years, he served as a mentor to young Priests who sought his advice and direction–especially those in divine service to Orthodox Christians in our armed services.

Ever the consummate professional, Father Paul was also known to be an avid gardener, bass fisherman, and a huge fan of his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins. He was known by his family and close friends to have a keen sense of humor. His ship-shape-attention-to-detail personality reflected a man who loved God, the Orthodox Church, and his family fiercely and always “told the truth” as he would say.

Father Paul’s labors in the Vineyard of Christ for nearly 64 years were the experiences that mattered most to him. Many faithful were blessed by his efforts and devotion in serving our Lord and Savior for so many years. 

Father Paul is survived by his beloved family: daughters Catherine Raisor, Elizabeth LaMotte (Bo), and Faith Pyrch (fiance Eric Tilton); grandchildren Leah Raisor (Jenn), Rebekah Raisor (fiance Troy Todd), Drew LaMotte, Kyra LaMotte, George Gerber, Johnathan Pyrch
(Pashence) and great-grandson Elijah Pyrch, as well as his sisters Rosemary Pyrch Simpson (Howard, deceased), Carolyn Cunningham Ziady (Gus), and Barbara Pyrch Czerwinski (Tom), and many beloved nieces and nephews. 

The Funeral Service for a Priest will be held for Father Paul at the Dormition Orthodox Church, 736 Sheppard Avenue, Norfolk, VA on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 10:00 AM with visitation at the Church on Monday evening, December 8, 2025, from 5:30-6:30 PM and Trisagion service at 6:30 PM. A private burial will take place at a later date at Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veteran’s Cemetery in Suffolk, VA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological eminary, 575 Scarsdale Road, Yonders, NY 10707. 

May Father Paul’s memory be eternal!

Eleana was born in Detroit, MI, and studied zoology and geology at Michigan State and George Washington University, working as a computer programmer before enrolling at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in the 1980s. She went on to complete a Master of Divinity degree in 1986 and a Master of Arts in Christian Education in 1988. She then graduated with a Master of Library Science degree from Columbia University in 1989.

Eleana eventually joined staff as assistant librarian and later head librarian of the Seminary’s Father Georges Florovsky Library. She served faithfully for many years until her retirement in 2019, and was also known in the Seminary community for her generosity in support of seminarians and their families.

In addition to her work for the Seminary, Eleana remained an active member at all levels of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), serving on the OCA’s Metropolitan Council and Department of History and Archives; co-editing the book The Legacy of St. Vladimir (SVS Press, 1990); and writing articles for The Orthodox Church, The FROC Journal and the OCA’s Resource Handbook for Lay Ministries. Silk also served as secretary of the Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC).

The Funeral Service for Eleana will be held at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery, South Canaan, PA, on October 31, 2025 at 10:30 AM with the burial immediately following. Clergy are invited to serve and wear white vestments.

In lieu of flowers, checks may be sent to Saint Gregory the Theologian Church, 1500 Route 376, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590-6104, memo Eleana Silk Fund or at this link to assist in covering funeral costs.

May Eleana’s memory be eternal!