One of Woodstock's Most Spiritual, Beautiful and Historical Churches:

Church of the Holy Transfiguration
of Christ on the Mount

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The Church and Baptistry
Picture (Left):

Church Of The Holy
Transfiguration Of Christ
On The Mount

and Copper-Dome Baptistry
(lower left, in background)
recently built by Reverend
John Nelson and wife Bríd &
help of other Woodstockers

Spring, Summer & Fall - 1998.




Picture (Left):

The Church
(right foreground)

& The Baptistry
(lower left)

Winter, 2002
(in color)




Picture (Left):

The Baptistry

Winter, 2002
(in color)

Notice the round
hand-made copper-
clad 'Onion' Dome
(on top of Baptistry),
which is an authentic
Orthodox Catholic
Dome, in that it was
built in the tradition of
Syriac Russian Orthodox
Christian Architecture. *
(now blue-ish green in color
from aging in the weather)

* See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion_dome for more about Eastern Orthodox Architecture.


Church of the Holy Transfiguration of Christ on the Mount
in Woodstock, NY

Church Clergy and Staff:

Bishop John LoBue
Spiritual Father and Bishop of the Church
Head of the Synod of Bishops of the Western Orthodox Rite in the Eastern United States

Reverend Deacon John Nelson
Pastor at the Church
Curator and Caretaker of the Church and Grounds

Rob Turner
Cantor



Founders of the Church of the Holy Transfiguration of Christ on the Mount,
on top of Mead's Mountain in Woodstock, New York.


Picture (Left):

Father Francis, who was an
ArchBishop of the Western Rite
of the Old Catholic Faith of England,
was the Founding Father of the
Church of the Transfiguration
of Christ on the Mount
from the 50's through the early 80's,
(then known as "Father Francis' Church",
& "The Old Catholic Church on the Mount").

He was revered by the hippies invading
Woodstock in the late 60's and early 70's,
dubbed by some as "The Hippie Priest",
although he himself was not a Hippie,
but definitely had love for all humanity,
and in that respect, was a Hippie at heart.

His message to all that knew him then, and
the 'Vibe' emanating from the Church during
those years, embodied the message of our
Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ, which is:
"Love One Another, as I have loved you").

He was respected by all Woodstockers,
a much loved hero and Spiritual leader
to many people in the Woodstock Area.



Picture (Left):

ArchBishop John LoBue
of The Abbey Of His Holy Name,
located in West Milford, New Jersey,
is currently the Spiritual Father & Bishop of
The Church of the Holy Transfiguration of
Christ on the Mount in Woodstock NY,

He is also Head of the Synod of Bishops
of Western Orthodoxy in the Eastern U.S.

He is responsible for the Conversion of the
Church from Old Catholic - Western Rite
to its present status as a Church of the
Western Orthodox Catholic Faith,
following the Western Orthodox Traditions
and practicing the ancient service of the
Western Orthodox Sarum Rite.




Picture (Left):

Father John Nelson, (right), standing in
the foreground, in front of the Baptistry.

The building (which Father John built in
1998 with the help of his wife, Bríd, and
others from the Town of Woodstock), has
a full-immersion Baptismal Font made of
stones and tiles, large enough for an adult,
and also features a Traditional Orthodox
hand built copper-clad Onion Dome.




Picture (Left):

The Baptistry on the Church Grounds,
where already many full-immersion
Baptisms, which were performed by
ArchBishop John LoBue, have taken
place inside over the past ten years.

The ceremony, requiring the Baptismal
Subject to be Crucimated in the Western
Orthodox Faith, is a truly beautiful and
moving experience for all who attend.




Picture (Left):

This is the Altar of The Church Of The
Transfiguration Of Christ on the Mount.

Father Francis did much of the ornate
handiwork including the lace, lattice and
woodcarvings found at and near the Altar.

This Church is truly an Historic Landmark,
and has recently been awarded the status of
"Historical Landmark" by the United States
Government's Historical Society.




           The Church Of The Holy Transfiguration Of Christ On The Mount is truly a Masterpiece - an historical representation of the Western Orthodox and Old Catholic Traditions: Much of the interior design and work therein was performed by Father Francis, and later modification and restoration done by Father John Nelson and other members of the Woodstock Community, in 1995 through 1999. The recent addition of the Church's Batistry, including a beautifully hand crafted copper-clad traditional 'Onion Dome' on the Baptistry roof, and also the Religious Orthodox Artwork inside the Church, (including a beautifully painted Ornate Gate to the Interior Chamber of the Holy of Holies - hand carved by one of the parishoners, and a beautiful array of hand painted icons of Christ and all the Disciples and Saints including Mary, as well as all of the other delicately ornate hand painted and crafted works of Orthodox Art that reside therein), make this Chapel one of the rare and beautiful historical preservations of Woodstock's Spiritual Culture. It truly preserves the Tradition of the Western Rite of Old Catholic Orthodoxy as administered by Father Francis since the early 50's, while also the espousing the latter transformation to Pure Western Orthodoxy in nature by Bishop John LoBue and Father John Nelson, without sacrificing historical value of Orthodox Icons or Artwork, thus becoming currently the most beautiful Western Orthodox Catholic Church that it is today.

           The Church Of The Holy Transfiguration Of Christ On The Mount today is now a recognized Western Orthodox Catholic Church, and is currently under the Synod of Western Orthodox Bishops, headed by Bishop John LoBue of The Abbey of His Holy Name, in Milford, NJ. The Church is now practicing The Western Orthodox Sarum Rite, administered by Father John Nelson.

Services Are Held Every Sunday at 11:00 A.M.

           Please feel free to visit this Chapel, and to sign the Guest Book just inside the Chapel Door.
If you are Orthodox Christian, and wish to contact Father John Nelson, you may do so through the following email address:

ChurchOfTheHolyTransfiguration@wavelinks.net
or COTHTOCOTM@wavelinks.net
           ( Church Of The Holy Transfiguration Of Christ On The Mount )

If you wish to contact Father John personally, email him at:

        frjohn121@yahoo.com



Article by:                       - Rob Turner, alias RockRoovly
                                         RockRoovly@wavelinks.net

(To view a History of the early days of the Church before
the Church became officially a Western Orthodox Church,
in Father Francis,' time, during the 60's, click here).


Worthy Of Note:

Statement of Union of the Old Catholic Church of England and the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch


These Articles of Belief were originally issued by the Old Catholic Church of England in a pamphlet entitled: "The Articles of Belief of the Old Catholics of Great Britain and Ireland of the Western Orthodox Church". They served as the basis for the Union of that body, from which the Old Catholic Church of America descends, with the Holy Orthodox Church of Beirut, Syria, in the Patriarchate of Antioch.

Dogmatic Articles

1. The Way of Salvation.

Eternal Salvation is promised to mankind only through the merits of our Savior Jesus Christ, and upon condition of obedience to the teaching of the Gospel, which requires Faith, Hope and Charity, and the due observance of the ordinances of the Orthodox and Catholic Religion.


2. Faith, Hope and Charity.

Faith is a virtue infused by God, whereby one accepts, and believes without doubting, whatever God has revealed in the Church concerning true Religion.

Hope is a virtue infused by God, and following upon Faith; by it one puts their entire trust and confidence in the goodness and mercy of God, through Jesus Christ, and looks for the fulfillment of the Divine promises made to those who obey the Gospel.

Charity is a virtue infused by God, and likewise consequent upon Faith, wherby one, loving God above all things for His own sake, and their neighbor as oneself for God's sake, yields up one will to a joyful obedience to the revealed will of God in the Church.

3. The Church.

God has established the Holy Catholic Church upon earth to be the pillar and ground of the revealed Truth; and has committed to her the guardianship of the Holy Scriptures and of Holy Tradition, and the power of binding and loosing.

read more...



As members of the Orthodox Church in Woodstock, NY, and following in Father Francis' Tradition, we offer the following tesimony to our Faith:

"We do solemnly swear to uphold and teach this Statement of Orthodox Catholic Faith with utmost conviction, aided by Divine Grace, with God as our Judge."

- Thank You, and may God Bless You, today, and always. And may the Peace of The Lord be ever with you.



To see all of this article on the "Statement of Union of the Old Catholic Church of England (& Ireland) and the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch", go to the following website (or click on the link): www.oldcatholic.org/union.htm

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