Dear visitors,
Welcome to the website of St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and thank you for visiting!
Here you will find information about our vibrant parish life and about the Orthodox faith, which is at the heart of everything we do.
St. Thomas is one of the 55 parishes of the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey. His Eminence, Metropolitan Apostolos, is our Head and Spiritual Father, guiding us with wisdom and love.
Since its foundation, St. Thomas has grown into one of the most active and dynamic communities of our Metropolis. Through the dedication of our faithful, the parish has become a true spiritual home for generations of Orthodox Christians in South Jersey, a place where faith, fellowship, and Hellenic heritage flourish together.
Our parish is also well known in the wider community through the annual St. Thomas “Greek Agora Festival”, a joyful celebration of faith and culture that welcomes thousands of visitors each year.
Today, we continue to build on this strong legacy with hope and vision. We recognize and honor the tireless work of the Parish Council, the Philoptochos, and the many organizations that serve our faithful. Above all, we place our hope in the youth and in the ministries of the church — the Sunday School, the Hellenic School, and many others that keep our faith alive for the next generation.
If you are not yet a member of our community, we warmly invite you to join us. Everyone is welcome in our church, and we would be blessed to include you in our parish family.
We wish you a pleasant visit to our website, and we thank you again for stopping by.
With love in Christ,
Protopresbyter Georgios Oikonomou
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The Reverend Protopresbyter Georgios Oikonomou was born in Thessaloniki in March 1980 and grew up in the Ilioupolis section of the city. He received his primary, secondary, and university education in Thessaloniki, earning his PhD in Theology in 2011.
In 2003, he married Anastasia Mesemanoli, and together they have been blessed with five children: Ioannis, Styliani, Grigorios, Arsenios, and Loukas.
He was ordained to the Holy Diaconate on May 21, 2006, and to the Holy Priesthood on July 1, 2006, by Metropolitan Varnavas of Neapolis and Stavroupolis. He was assigned to the Parish of Saints Constantine and Helen in Ilioupolis, Thessaloniki, where he faithfully served for more than sixteen years, focusing especially on youth ministry and catechesis. He also served as the director of the summer camps of the Holy Metropolis of Neapolis and Stavroupolis for ten years.
In addition to his parish ministry, he worked for eighteen years as a teacher of Religious Education in Greek secondary schools. He has authored and published many theological and pedagogical books and articles, as well as catechetical resources.
With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Fr. Georgios came to the United States in December 2022 to serve as Presiding Priest of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
As of September 1st, 2025, and with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey, he has been appointed as the new Presiding Priest of St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where he continues his pastoral ministry with dedication and love for the people of God.
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Ο Πρωτοπρεσβύτερος Γεώργιος Οικονόμου γεννήθηκε στη Θεσσαλονίκη τον Μάρτιο του 1980 και μεγάλωσε στην περιοχή της Ηλιούπολης. Εκεί ολοκλήρωσε την πρωτοβάθμια, δευτεροβάθμια και πανεπιστημιακή του εκπαίδευση και το 2011 αναγορεύτηκε Διδάκτωρ Θεολογίας του Α.Π.Θ.
Το 2003 νυμφεύθηκε την Αναστασία Μεσεμανώλη, με την οποία απέκτησαν πέντε παιδιά: τον Ιωάννη, τη Στυλιανή, τον Γρηγόριο, τον Αρσένιο και τον Λουκά.
Χειροτονήθηκε Διάκονος στις 21 Μαΐου 2006 και Πρεσβύτερος την 1η Ιουλίου 2006 από τον Σεβασμιώτατο Μητροπολίτη Νεαπόλεως και Σταυρουπόλεως κ. Βαρνάβα. Διορίστηκε στον Ιερό Ναό Αγίων Κωνσταντίνου και Ελένης Ηλιουπόλεως Θεσσαλονίκης, όπου διακόνησε για περισσότερα από δεκαέξι χρόνια, έχοντας ιδιαίτερη ευθύνη για τη νεολαία και την κατήχηση. Παράλληλα, διετέλεσε αρχηγός των εκκλησιαστικών κατασκηνώσεων της Ιεράς Μητροπόλεως Νεαπόλεως και Σταυρουπόλεως για δέκα χρόνια.
Εργάστηκε επίσης ως θεολόγος καθηγητής στη Δευτεροβάθμια Εκπαίδευση για δεκαοκτώ χρόνια. Έχει συγγράψει και εκδώσει θεολογικά, παιδαγωγικά και λογοτεχνικά βιβλία, διηγήματα και άρθρα, καθώς και κατηχητικά βοηθήματα.
Με την ευλογία του Σεβασμιωτάτου Αρχιεπισκόπου Αμερικής κ. Ελπιδοφόρου, από τον Δεκέμβριο του 2022 υπηρέτησε ως Προϊστάμενος στην κοινότητα του Αγίου Νικολάου Βαλτιμόρης.
Από τον Σεπτέμβριο του 2025, με την ευλογία του Σεβασμιωτάτου Μητροπολίτου Νέας Ιερσέης κ. Αποστόλου, ανέλαβε καθήκοντα νέου Προϊσταμένου στην ενορία του Αγίου Θωμά Cherry Hill, συνεχίζοντας με αγάπη και αφοσίωση τη διακονία του προς τον λαό του Θεού.