St. Philip the Apostle Orthodox Church
Orthodox Church in America
9100 El Portal Dr. Tampa, Florida 33604
Parish History
Parish History

     At the All American Council in July of 2005, His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri, archbishop of Dallas and the Diocese of the South, gave his blessing for the start of a mission in Tampa, Florida.  Fr. Joseph Ciarciaglino, chaplain to the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at the University of South Florida, was designated as the priest in charge.The purpose of this endeavor was to seek out Orthodox who had fallen away from the practice of their faith as well as to bring the true faith of Orthodoxy to Tampa in a parish where all services are in English.

     With an original band of five, joined shortly by one other, and with the blessing of the Archbishop to invoke St. Philip as its patron, the mission began the task of finding a suitable place for worship.  Several sites were located but none was satisfactory.  Then by the grace of God a small protestant church was located that was for sale. Through the aid of a benefactor, financing was arranged and the closing occurred in early October. 

     The members cleaned, painted, repaired and refurbished the building. With the aid of Tom Johnson of Tom Johnson Construction, a parishioner of Fr. Joseph at another parish, 1,800 square feet of the building was renovated into a proper Orthodox temple. An iconostasis using state of the art reproductions from Orthodox Images was constructed (see "Photo Album" at left). On November 6, 2005 the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated.



St. Philip the Apostle Orthodox Church, of the OCA Diocese of the South, is centrally located in Tampa, FL serving the entire Tampa Bay area.
Our phone number is (813) 933-9807.
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Schedule
Saturday, March 30
5:00 Great Vespers followed by confessions
Sunday, March 31
St. Innocent of Alaska
9:30 Divine Liturgy
Wednesday, April 3
7:00PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts        
SERMONS BY FR. JOSEPH

FR. JOSEPH'S SERMON ON SUPREME COURT DECISION REDEFINING MARRIAGE.
A sermon by Fr. Joseph regarding the recent Supreme Court decision legalizing same sex "marriage" and what should be the reaction of the Orthodox Church and of individual Orthodox Christians. Click here.

Video


Location
St. Philip the Apostle Orthodox Church
9100 El Portal Dr.; Tampa, FL 33604
Detailed Map

The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

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St. Philip the Apostle Orthodox Church is part of the Diocese of the South, which is presided over by His Grace Alexander, Bishop of Dallas and the South. Our mission is bringing the joy of Christ's resurrection to those who have never heard the Good News, and to strengthen and encourage the faithful who reside within Old Forge and the local area. 

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The Holy Scripture is a collection of books written over multiple centuries by those inspired by God to do so. It is the primary witness to the Orthodox Christian faith, within Holy Tradition and often described as its highest point. It was written by the prophets and apostles in human language, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and collected, edited, and canonized by the Church.

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Holiness or sainthood is a gift (charisma) given by God to man, through the Holy Spirit. Man's effort to become a participant in the life of divine holiness is indispensable, but sanctification itself is the work of the Holy Trinity, especially through the sanctifying power of Jesus Christ, who was incarnate, suffered crucifixion, and rose from the dead, in order to lead us to the life of holiness, through the communion with the Holy Spirit.

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