Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church

Established in 1951, Saints Peter and Paul Church is one of the oldest Eastern Orthodox parishes in South Florida.

Our first service was held at the downtown YMCA on December 19, 1951 with the V. Rev. Cornelius Svigoon officiating. Fr. Svigoon served without pay for the preliminary first six weeks, consented to serve for $60 per month for January and February 1952 - and from then on $80 per month with increases as financial status warranted.

Fr. Svigoon later negotiated and acquired the use of the Ada Merritt Jr. High School Auditorium for a regular Sunday morning service for a very small nominal fee.

Pledges were asked for, received, and the church was able to purchase the necessary sacred items and build up the treasury.

Using a public school auditorium for church services had many difficulties, such as setting up the altar on the stage, getting everything ready for Sunday morning and then dismantling and removing everything immediately after the service to make way for the school to use during the week.

Another problem was - where to serve on our two main holidays. We could use the school only on Sundays, but what to do for Christmas and Easter. The Episcopal church was always willing to help, particularly Holy Cross.

We were constantly on the lookout for a proper place to establish our own church. In August 1954 attention was called to a mansion located at 1411 S.W. 11 Street. The mansion was originally built in 1927 for John Bernard Reilly - the first elected mayor of Miami. With the purchase of the property in the fall of 1954, we then adopted and recorded our charter in November 1954, by-laws were in place December 1959 and in 1957 the Sunday School was established with 20 children enrolled. On November 20, 1960, the property was paid for and a "Burning of the Mortgage" banquet was held.

Rev. Svigoon retired in June 1958 and his place was filled by the Right Rev. Archimandrite Job Radziwill.

March of 1964 brought to us the V. Rev. Fr. Theodore Soroka and Matushka Sophia (Hubiak). Born in Belle Vernon and a graduate of St. Tikhon’s Seminary, he had served parishes in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio. Having served Saints Peter and Paul church for thirty-one years, Fr. Soroka retired in 1995, but continued to worship with us until he fell asleep in the Lord on February 8, 2012. Matushka Sophia continued to be a vital part of our parish until she moved back to Belle Vernon (May 2012). On July 1, 2012, Matushka Sophia peacefully fell asleep in the Lord. Having served the Orthodox Church faithfully for all their lives, Fr. Ted and Mat. Sophie will be remembered with great love and appreciation for their untiring work in the Lord's vineyard.

After Fr. Theodore's retirement, the V. Rev. Pavel Soucek and Matushka Paula joined us for a few years before transferring to Pennsylvania. Fr. Pavel fell asleep in the Lord on January 15, 2009 in Old Forge, PA.

Protodeacon Nicholas Fedak was ordained to the diaconate in 1989 and was elevated to Protodeacon on June 9, 1996. Protodeacon Nicholas fell asleep in the Lord on October 6, 2009.

Our current pastor, V. Rev. Alexander Padlo has been with us since November, 2002, ministering to the needs of the faithful in the area.

Saints Peter and Paul Church has served the Orthodox Community in South Florida for over 50 years and we pray for God’s guidance through the next fifty.

Memory Eternal to all our clergy, founders, parishioners, and friends who have fallen asleep in the Lord.

Many years to all who have supported and continue to support and join us in worship