Sacred Patriarchal and Stavropegial Orthodox Monastery of St. Irene Chrysovalantou — Local services in New York

I had to add one star and that is because this is a Church and a house of worship for God and I am a Catholic . I recently attended a "baptism " where the priest was very rough with a baby . He even dropped the baby and the baby banged his head and didnt even stop the baptism to see if the baby was ok. Later on that evening the baby was vomiting and exhibiting signs of a concussion and dry drowning. I dont know who monitors these men of the church. A ceremony that was supposed to be a pleasant experience ,a child being introduced to the church, turned out to be a very traumatic experience. I attended a different,more modern Greek orthodox church where the sacrament of baptism was spiritual and pleasant to babies, not abusive . This experience was totally opposite. I am a true believer in God and baptism and raising children to have faith,but antiquated, torturous rituals dont make a baptism more spiritual or cultural they just traumatize innocent babies and may possibly injur a child...

My mother died some months ago on a Sunday so it’s very important to light a candle, real not electric, every Sunday since. However, local closures of Catholic churches so swiftly after restricted service presented a challenge until I stumbled upon St. Irene’s Greek Orthodox Church.

It is surely the most immaculate church in all of New York, it’s interior a thousand times more beautiful than Savior of Spilled Blood and St. Mark’s Basilica put together. The Greek people there are gentle and kind. It is a privilege to visit and I feel blessed to have this wonderful refuge of peace so near...

This church is great, and I find the majority of the people here to be welcoming and helpful. One piece of feedback I would like to offer is to continue the excellent work you're doing. For those interactions where I felt a bit uncomfortable due to monotone communication, I suggest adopting a more professional and constructive communication approach. In NYC, I particularly appreciate constructive communication, respect, and support, especially from people in my community, the...