The location of the site near to major traffic arteries of Interstate 84 and Route 684, is easily accessible from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and most of New England. It is also located in an area offering a wide range of lodging. Because there is extensive open land, offering peaceful and spectacular views, the site is idyllic for a small one-day pilgrimage, common amongst Orthodox Christians especially here in the United States.
Plans include a shrine dedicated to St. Nectarios, a modern-day saint known for his miraculous healing of many ailments, including cancer. The shrine would be built at the highest point of the property, overlooking the valley, where on a clear day one can see for many miles toward the Hudson River Valley. The grounds are ideal for religious processions, shrines, and other grottoes where people would be able to pray amid the beauty of God's creation.
Ours is a society full of many spiritual ailments. Our hope is to not just to serve our immediate needs for a new church building, but to develop a refuge for weary and heavily-laden pilgrims seeking spiritual truth. The road to this dream, we are sure, will be long and fraught with difficulties. But we believe that through addressing these and other difficulties we are provided opportunities that are important in the spiritual growth of our parish family.
