Phone: 732-948-9939
Email: batushkaoc@gmail.com

Father Serge Lukianov was born on the Great Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God (April 7) in 1958 in New York City to Fr. Valery and Mat. Irina Lukianov. Two years later, the family moved to Sea Cliff, Long Island where they attended St. Seraphim’s Church and the children attended Russian School. On November 1, 1968 Fr. Valery was assigned as rector of St. Alexander Nevsky Parish, and the family moved to Howell, NJ. In 1974, Fr. Serge graduated from the parish’s Russian School. In 1976, he graduated from Howell High School and then attended Ocean County College for 2 years, where he studied liberal arts and music. In 1978, Fr. Serge enrolled in Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, New York, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Theology in June 1981. On August 9, 1981, he married Lubov I. Afanasenko. He was ordained to the diaconate in the Tikhvin Church by Metropolitan Philaret on May 23, 1982 and to the priesthood on August 29, 2000 in the cathedral by Archbishop Laurus. Fr. Serge and Matushka Luba have 5 children. On September 12, 2014, after the retirement of Fr. Valery, Fr. Serge was appointed dean of the cathedral and director of the Russian School. On March 4, 2019 he was assigned as the Rector of the parish.

Phone: 856-217-8721

Father Vasily Andrejuk was born on March 27, 1950 in Belostochina, Poland. He graduated from the Varshava Orthodox Seminary in 1969. On March 2, 1975 he married Olga Pinchuk. They have three children, Archpriest Daniel, Taisia and Elizabeth. Fr. Vasily was ordained a deacon on March 9, 1975 and priest on March 16, 1975 by Metropolitan Vasily. In 1988 his family moved to the USA where Fr. Vasily served in several parishes of the Belorussian and Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Churches. On Sept. 29, 2021 Fr. Vasily was accepted into ROCOR and attached to our cathedral.

Phone: 609-224-4159
Email: dr.lukanovakovic@gmail.com

A graduate of St. Sava Seminary in Belgrade and the Moscow Theological Academy, Fr. Luka was tonsured a reader in 1988, and would go on to work under the patronage and direction of three Serbian Patriarchs, defending his Master’s and Doctoral theses at theological institutions in Oxford and Rome. Immediately after his diaconal ordination on Nov. 21, 1989, Fr. Luka began his diaconal service in the Church of St. Sava in Belgrade, Serbia, of which he became the rector after his priestly ordination on Dec. 12, 2006. Starting in Dec. 2009, he served as rector of St. Luke the Apostle Church. At the same time, he taught theology, and fulfilled his obediences as head librarian of the Patriarchate Library and secretary of the Supreme Ecclesiastical Court, and was also the chancellor of the Serbian Patriarchate. Beginning in Oct. 2015, Fr. Luka served in London, UK, as the rector of St. Basil of Ostrog parish until Jan. 2017, when he received a canonical release from the Serbian Orthodox Church and was received into ROCOR by +Metropolitan Hilarion. On Sept. 6, 2019 Fr. Luka was attached to the cathedral, and on Mar, 1, 2023 he became a full-time cleric.

Fr. Rafael Melendez was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1962. He attended Regents College, State University of New York and earned an Associate in Science Degree (1992) and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a minor in Engineering (1994). He also studied at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY. In September 1989, he married Cecilia Vasconez. They have 2 children: Paisios and Sofia. Fr. Rafael was ordained a deacon on April 12,1998 by Bishop Vikentios of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and a priest on April 18, 1998, also by Bishop Vikentios. On February 16, 2018, he received a canonical release from the Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America and was received into ROCOR. He was assigned to St. Alexander’s on February 21, 2018.

Fr. Boris Slootsky was born on June 15,1941 in Harkov, Ukraine. He served in the Ukrainian Army and attended the Harkov Electro-Mechanical Technical School in 1960. He graduated from the Odessa Theological Seminary in 2001. He married Galina Groystan in August 1963. They have one son, Alexander. Fr. Boris was ordained a deacon on December 29,1996 in the Orthodox Church of America by Archbishop Peter and a priest on March 18, 2001, also by Archbishop Peter. On January 10, 2013, he received a canonical release from the Orthodox Church of America and was received into ROCOR. He was assigned to St. Alexander’s on Sept. 12, 2014.

Fr. Anthony Williams was born on Nov. 5, 1988 in Waterville Maine. His parents are Archpriest Chad and Matushka Cynthia. He graduated from Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY in May of 2013 with a Bachelor in Theology. In July 2013, he married Bridget Barker. They have 5 daughters: Angelina, Maria, Hanna, Katharine and Zoe. Fr. Anthony was ordained a deacon on September 6, 2015 and a priest on September 11, 2020; both times by His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion in his father’s parish of St. Alexander Nevsky in Richmond, Maine. He was assigned to St. Alexander’s (Howell, NJ) on September 12, 2020 as a full-time cleric.

Fr. Paul Drozdowski was born on February 23, 1980 in Perth Amboy NJ. His parents are George and Kathleen Drozdowski. Fr. Paul earned his high school diploma from Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill, NJ in 1998 and has a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Arts (BFA) from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. He also attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY. On July 12, 2009, he married Elizabeth Volmensky. They have 3 children: Kyril, Sophia and Gabriel. Fr. Paul was ordained a deacon on July 25, 2010 at St. Vladimir’s Memorial Church in Jackson, NJ by Metropolitan Hilarion and was elevated to protodeacon by His Eminence on August 28, 2015. He was awarded the purple kamilavka on September 12, 2019. Fr. Paul is a renowned iconographer. He was assigned to St. Alexander’s in September 2014.

Fr. Alexandre Sarandinaki was born on October 8, 1979 in New York City. His parents are Peter and Maria Sarandinaki. Fr. Alexandre graduated from Franklin Lakes High School in NJ, and also studied at Holy Protection Russian School in Nyack, NY. On August 6, 2006, he married Tatyana Roudenko. They have 5 children: Anastasia, Elias, Alexandra, Olga and Maria. Fr. Alexandre graduated from Menlo College (California) in 2010 with a BA in Business Management. On November 1, 2015, he was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco at St. John of Kronstadt Church in San Diego, CA. On November 6, 2021, he was awarded the double orarion by Archbishop Kyrill. After receiving a canonical release from Archbishop Kyrill, Fr. Alexandre was received into the Eastern American Diocese by Metropolitan Hilarion and assigned to St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on December 15, 2021.

Fr. Dimitry Lisan was born on the Great Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple, on December 4, 1982, in Kriuleni, Moldova. His parents are Michael and Valentina Lisan. Fr. Dimitry graduated from high school in 2001. On July 29, 2007, he married Veronica Kirilova. They have 4 children: Stelian, Emilian, Victoria and Stefan. On April 4, 2017, Metropolitan Hilarion tonsured him a reader and ordained him a subdeacon. On April 4, 2021, Bishop Jerome ordained him a deacon at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, to which he is assigned.