Our Priest: Fr. John Parsells

Father John was born in Kodiak Island, Alaska, where his father, also an Orthodox priest, was doing missionary work. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Manville, New Jersey, where he was raised as a member of Ss. Peter & Paul Orthodox Church. After completing high school, Father John studied at Montclair State University, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Following graduation, he embarked upon the first of two pilgrimages to the Holy Land, where he began to feel and discern the Lord’s call to serve Him in the priesthood. When he returned from Israel, he enrolled in Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, PA, where in 2005 he received his Master’s of Divinity Degree.

While studying at the seminary, Father John was also making good use of his technical training, writing computer software which would allow Orthodox churches to easily and effectively manage their parish websites. In 2003, he launched Orthodox Web Solutions, a web design and hosting company which today serves hundreds of such parishes. A week before completing his theological studies, Father John was pleased to announce the release of a new website dedicated to Orthodoxy in America. This website, located at orthodoxyinamerica.org, uses mapping software to show where all the Orthodox churches in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are located, and is linked to Google to provide driving directions and satellite imagery. About ten years later, Father John would launch Orthodox 360, an Orthodox media company offering fully interactive 360° virtual tours and professional video services to Orthodox churches.

Two weeks after graduation from St. Tikhon's Seminary, Father John married his wife, Emily, herself a daughter of a priest and a first grade teacher in the NJ school system. Together they live at the Parish Center in Berlin, MD, with their three children: Elisabeth, Alexander, and Nicholas.

Meet with our Priest

Should you have any questions about the Church or Orthodoxy Christianity, or if you would like to schedule a confession or meet with a priest for pastoral counseling, please feel free to schedule an appointment with Fr. John below.

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Christ the Savior Orthodox Church
10315 Carey Road
Berlin, MD 21811
302-537-6055


  • Thu
    7Nov

    7:00pm Vespers
  • Fri
    8Nov

    Synaxis of the Archangel Michael
    9:00am Div. Liturgy
  • Sat
    9Nov

    St. Nectarios of Aegina
    6:00pm Vespers

Latest News
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St. Michael's Party & Parish Thanksgiving - 11/03/24

On Sunday, November 3, 2024, the children participated in our annual St. Michael's party, by dressing as saints and angels, and they also enjoyed special activities. The St. Michael's Party also coincided with the parish Thanksgiving meal with the traditional foods and fixings. Many thanks to all who made this year's St. Michael's Party and Thanksgiving meal such a great success!



Recent Photos

We've raised
$117,511.00
Our Goal
$144,750.00
Stewardship - $144,750.00

Our Neighbors

St. George - Ocean City, MD
St. Andrew - Lewes, DE
Holy Trinity - Whaleyville, MD
St. Nicholas - Dover, DE
St. Thekla - Easton, MD

What is the Orthodox Church?

“The Orthodox Christian Church is evangelical, but not Protestant.
It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman.
It is not denominational, it is pre-denominational.
It has believed, taught, preserved, defended, and died for the
Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago.”
– Our Life in Christ

What is the Orthodox Church?

“The Orthodox Christian Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman. It is not denominational, it is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, defended, and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago.”
– Our Life in Christ

Christ the Savior | Contact