We welcome you to the web site of St. Anthony of the Desert.  Please take the time to look through our material.  We urge you, especially, to check the service schedule and the monthly calendar, then the announcement page, and lastly to browse through our pastor's writings in the section "About Orthodoxy." To read about the growth of Orthodoxy in America, consult the church history section in "About Orthodoxy." 

Please come visit us soon!  We welcome all visitors in a spirit of Christian love.

The church is located at the corner of Hadley and Alameda.  Our office is at 255 W. Hadley Street - LA VIDA.

The Schedule of Services for Great Lent through Pascha (April 3/4) is now posted under "service schedule" on the calendar pages.

We sponsor the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) Chapter at New Mexico State University.  Dr Louiza Fouli is faculty advisor.

TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE MISSION, CHECK OUT OUR PODCAST "MUSINGS ON MISSION," AT ANCIENT FAITH RADIO.  Newest podcast posted 02 February:  Taking Stock.

Fr Gabriel's SUN-NEWS columns are published every other week.  NEW 5 February:  "Blessings on You, Animals Definitely Included."  Check under ABOUT ORTHODOXY.

Check out the developing mobile ministry with homeless in our area.  This is St Maria (Skobtsova) the Martyr Hospitality Outreach.  Here's the link:  http://www.forministry.com/USNMGOARCSMTMH/home.dsp

Check out another exciting new ministry, St George's Orthodox Military Association.  Under the blessing of Bishop Daniel, Western Eparch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, USA. This is an attempt to connect servicemen and women of the Orthodox Faith or who are looking for Orthodoxy with one another and with the church.  The brains behind this is our own Vladimir Laven, firefighter at White Sands Missile Range.  Web site: www.orthodoxmilitary.org.  You can also get to this via FACEBOOK: use the search box on Facebook and type in "St. George etc."

We're about to launch a new small-group series in our area called, tentatively, "Conversations on Community."  This is a community-based concern beyond the limits of the congregation.  Las Cruces area people, watch for further announcements about this.

Christian faith spread through the Ancient Near East, which was part of the Roman Empire, very early.  In 313 the faith was legitimized in the Empire. In time, people began to move out of cities into desert hermitages.  These grew into great monastic centers, and St. Anthony was at the heart of the movement.

Archbishop ANTONY of our national church agreed that Las Cruces would be an appropriate place for the new mission.  Fr Gabriel had attended several mission and evangelism conferences sponsored by the AOC.  Both he and Pani-Matka Susan had background in campus ministry and so the fit seemed natural, despite the fact that we had no firm contacts with which to begin.  Fr Gabriel and Pani-Matka Susan both sought employment in the area and found opportunities at the University, Pani in food services, Fr Gabriel in teaching. 

We moved into our home on 15 September 2007.  Our first services began two Sundays later in our home in Mesilla and in December of 2007 we moved into the chapel of St Andrew Episcopal Church, Las Cruces, where we continue. 

We are blessed to serve under Metropolitan CONSTANTINE and our Bishop for the Western Eparchy, Vladyka DANIEL.

We are a mission of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA but we conduct all our worship in English and we are seeking to develop as an American Orthodox Church.  Our current membership consists of cradle and convert Orthodox people and we have a number of seekers and catechumens in process of becoming members.