26871 Hobie Cir.
Murrieta, CA 92562
+1 (949) 829-3353
Click Phone for Hours
Sunday Liturgy: 10:00am
In English
Murrieta, CA 92562
Click Phone for Hours
In English
St. Mary the Theotokos Antiochian Orthodox Mission was established in 2015, as a Mission of the Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles and The West. The parish seeks to minister to the growing population in Murrieta, Temecula, and neighboring communities. The parish’s first priest, Fr. Ibrahim Chahoud, was assigned in August 2015, and worked very hard to gather the Orthodox faithful, and had the first Sunday service on November 29th of the same year. Sadly Fr. Ibrahim was diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer and after struggling for two years, he fell asleep in the Lord on January 13, 2019. May his memory be eternal.
V. Rev. Fr. Anania Hakimeh was assigned by His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH in August 2017 to serve St. Mary Mission while Fr. Ibrahim was ill. On February 10th His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph presided over the blessing and consecration of the future home of St. Mary, a 4-acre site that was generously donated by Mr. and Mrs. Saba. Today the church continues to grow, based on the parish vision and mission. The new strategic plan is designed to help our community move into a brighter future while continuing to welcome new parishioners to the Orthodox Faith by praising the resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ.
At St. Mary we have members who were raised Orthodox, as well as many who chose to convert to Orthodoxy as adults. We represent many different ethnicities and backgrounds. Our services are primarily in English, with a few hymns and prayers repeated in Arabic. We try to maintain an active liturgical life throughout the year and grow closer to one another through worship, common meals and fellowship, youth events, retreats, Bible study, and services. St. Mary Mission is currently located at 26871 Hobie Circle Unit 1, Murrieta, California, 92562.
Saint Mary, the Mother of God, or Theotokos. The Orthodox Church honors and venerates the Virgin Mary as “more honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim …” Her name is mentioned in every service, and her intercession before the throne of God is asked. She is given the title of “Theotokos” (Greek for “Birth-giver-of-God), as well as “Mother of God”. She has a definite role in Orthodox Christianity, and can in no way be considered an instrument which, once used, was laid aside and forgotten.
We celebrate our parish feast day on September 8th, which is the day the Church commemorates the birth of the Mother of God. The parents of the Theotokos were a devout couple, Sts. Joachim and Anna. For many years of marriage they were not blessed with children. Then God answered their prayer, they were able to conceive, and Mary was born. This feast day gives us an opportunity to meditate on the faithfulness and sanctity of Mary’s parents, as well as the great mercy of God in answering their fervent prayer with a child who would be found worthy to be Christ’s mother.
