About Holy Transfiguration · McLean, Virginia
Holy Transfiguration is a Melkite Greek-Catholic parish in McLean, Virginia, belonging to the Eparchy of Newton (Massachusetts) and celebrating the Byzantine liturgical rite in full communion with Rome. Formed in the late 1960s out of the St. Paul Center Byzantine Information Bureau in Washington, D.C., it was formally erected as a parish in 1971 and moved to its present home on Lewinsville Road in 1980. The community worships primarily in English (with recurring responses and festal hymns in Greek and Arabic and an Arabic choir), uses the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and is known for its Byzantine iconography, sacred relics (including a relic of the True Cross), and its annual Middle Eastern Food Festival on Labor Day weekend. Today the parish is shepherded by Rt. Rev. Mark Melone with Rev. David Baroody and a team of deacons, readers and staff, drawing some 400 families to its single Sunday Divine Liturgy.
- Established
- 1967 (mission formally established 1970; parish erected 1971)
- Patron
- The Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ
- Rector
- Rt. Rev. Mark Melone ([email protected], 703-734-9566)
- Diocese
- Eparchy of Newton (Melkite Greek-Catholic); geographically located within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Arlington.
Why belong here
Holy Transfiguration offers the beauty of Byzantine worship in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in full communion with the Pope of Rome, drawing both lifelong Melkites and Roman Catholics hungry for a deeper encounter with the ancient Christian East. The parish is a multi-generational, multi-ethnic community of about 400 families, with vibrant sacramental life, Byzantine iconography, sacred relics, an Arabic choir alongside English liturgy, a Sunday school, and the popular annual Middle Eastern Food Festival on Labor Day weekend that opens the church to the wider McLean community. Whether you are a Roman Catholic fulfilling your Sunday obligation or someone seeking the universality of the Antiochian tradition, visitors are welcomed, instructed in the faith and incorporated into the Church.
Mass times at Holy Transfiguration
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sundays — following Orthros (after the 9:15 AM service)
- Saturdays — following Vespers (after the 6:00 PM Great Vespers)
- Mystery of Reconciliation (always call ahead to verify times)
About Holy Transfiguration
Holy Transfiguration is a parish of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church, the Church of Antioch in communion with the Church of Rome, located at 8501 Lewinsville Road in McLean, Virginia. The parish encompasses men, women and children of Middle Eastern heritage alongside many families from other backgrounds, all cleaving to the greater Tradition of the Church. As the parish explains in its First-Time Visitor FAQ: a parish 'encapsulates the Church, unlimited by bounds of race and nationality,' and the universality of the Antiochian tradition is reflected in its membership today. Holy Transfiguration is shepherded by the Patriarch of Antioch — the city where St. Peter visited before Rome and where the disciples were first called Christians — who is in full communion with the Holy Father.
- Melkite Greek-Catholic Church (Church sui iuris)
- Eparchy of Newton (Massachusetts) — canonical jurisdiction
- Geographically within the Roman Diocese of Arlington
- Byzantine liturgical rite (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom)
- Roman Catholics may receive Holy Communion and fulfill their Sunday obligation here
Parish History
The community was formed in 1967 as an outreach of the St. Paul Center Byzantine Information Bureau in Washington, D.C. It moved between Providence Hospital Chapel and Holy Cross Chapel in 1968, was established as a mission under the patronage of the Holy Transfiguration in 1970, and was erected as a full parish in 1971. After years of meeting in a former pre-Civil War Methodist meeting house on Route 7, the parish moved in 1980 to its present site on Lewinsville Road, where it built a Byzantine-style temple with a parish hall and a later-added education wing. In 2021 the parish marked its 50th anniversary as a Melkite parish in the Washington area.
- 1967 — Formed as outreach of the St. Paul Center Byzantine Information Bureau, Washington, D.C.
- 1968 — Worshiped at Providence Hospital Chapel and Holy Cross Chapel
- 1970 — Mission established under the patronage of the Holy Transfiguration
- 1971 — Parish erected; moved to Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA
- 1980 — Moved to 8501 Lewinsville Road, McLean, VA
- 2021 — Celebrated 50th anniversary of the parish
Schedule of Divine Services
The parish celebrates the Byzantine liturgical cycle primarily in English. The principal Sunday gathering is Orthros (Matins) at 9:15 AM followed by the Divine Liturgy at 10:30 AM. Saturday evening Great Vespers are sung at 6:00 PM, and additional Weekday Vespers or Divine Liturgies are scheduled on select Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Feast Day Vigils are held at 7:30 PM with the Divine Liturgy on the Feast Day itself also at 7:30 PM. The parish also operates a Typica Service at 10:30 AM in Annapolis.
- Sunday Orthros — 9:15 AM
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 10:30 AM
- Saturday Great Vespers — 6:00 PM
- Wednesday Vespers / Divine Liturgy — 6:30 PM (select days)
- Feast Day Vigil Vespers — 7:30 PM
- Feast Day Divine Liturgy — 7:30 PM
- Annapolis Typica Service — Sundays 10:30 AM
Languages and Liturgy
All services are celebrated in English — the Eastern Churches had a vernacular liturgy long before the Roman Church — but recurring responses and festal hymns are also repeated in Greek and Arabic. An Arabic choir sings a portion of the Divine Liturgy, giving the parish a distinctive multilingual character that reflects its Middle Eastern heritage and the universality of the Antiochian tradition.
- Primary language: English
- Greek — recurring responses and festal hymns
- Arabic — Arabic choir and congregational responses
Faith Formation and Sunday School
The parish operates a Sunday School for the religious education of its children, coordinated by Miss Georgianna Kostak ([email protected]). The parish's First-Time Visitor FAQ explains that Holy Transfiguration is committed to forming children and adults in the Byzantine Christian tradition, with sacramental preparation leading to Baptism, Holy Chrismation (the Eastern-rite equivalent of Confirmation) and First Holy Communion within the Divine Liturgy.
- Sunday School — contact [email protected]
- Sacramental preparation for Baptism, Chrismation and First Communion
- Religious education for children of parish families
Music and Liturgical Arts
Music is central to Byzantine worship at Holy Transfiguration. The English-language congregation sings responses and festal hymns in Greek and Arabic, and an Arabic choir sings a portion of the Divine Liturgy. The temple itself is decorated in the Byzantine iconographic tradition and houses several first-class sacred relics — including a Relic of the True Cross and relics of St. Joseph and St. Anne — which visitors are invited to venerate and learn about during parish events.
- Arabic Choir
- English liturgical music for the Byzantine rite
- Byzantine iconography throughout the temple
- First-class relics including True Cross, St. Joseph, St. Anne
Outreach and the Middle Eastern Food Festival
Holy Transfiguration's signature outreach is its annual Middle Eastern Food Festival on Labor Day weekend. The 28th annual festival was held September 4–5, 2021, also marking the parish's 50th anniversary. The menu traditionally features hummus, baba ghannouj, spinach and meat pies, mujaddara, falafel, kafta, chicken shish kebab, chicken shawarma and beef shawarma, along with home-made Middle Eastern pastries. In normal years the festival includes children's games, a petting zoo and vendors, with church tours explaining the Liturgy, icons and Byzantine traditions. Pastor Father Mark Melone has described the festival as an exercise of 'our most Middle Eastern of charisms — hospitality.'
- Annual Labor Day weekend Middle Eastern Food Festival
- Traditional menu: hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, shawarma, kebabs, pies, pastries
- Children's games and petting zoo in normal years
- Church tours explaining Byzantine Liturgy, icons and traditions
- Free admission and free parking
- Anniversary milestone: 50 years in 2021
Parish Life and Community
Today Holy Transfiguration numbers roughly 400 families. A typical Sunday brings hundreds of the faithful to the single Divine Liturgy, served by a pastor, an assisting priest, four deacons, a subdeacon, seven readers and two seminarians. Parish life is shaped by both Byzantine spirituality and Middle Eastern hospitality, with coffee-hour fellowship (Agape meals), the annual festival, feast-day celebrations (such as the Sunday of Orthodoxy with its traditional procession of icons), and a Parish Advisory Council chaired by Mr. Michael Hajjar guiding temporal affairs.
- About 400 families on the rolls
- One Sunday Divine Liturgy drawing hundreds of faithful
- Parish Advisory Council — Michael Hajjar, Chairman
- Coffee hour / Agape meals after Liturgy
- Sunday of Orthodoxy icon procession
Clergy, Staff and Contact
The parish is shepherded by Rt. Rev. Mark Melone (Pastor) with Rev. David Baroody assisting as a parish priest. Four deacons — Joseph Olt, Steven Rosenzweig, Stephen Costanzo and Eric Ortiz — minister alongside a corps of readers. Deaconess Melissa Olt serves as Parish Secretary, Sam Hondros as Financial Secretary, Georgianna Kostak as Sunday School Coordinator, and Michael Hajjar chairs the Parish Advisory Council. The parish office is reachable at [email protected] or +1 (703) 734-9566.
- Pastor — Rt. Rev. Mark Melone ([email protected])
- Parish Priest — Rev. David Baroody
- Parish Secretary — Deaconess Melissa Olt
- Financial Secretary — Sam Hondros ([email protected])
- Sunday School Coordinator — Georgianna Kostak
- Parish Advisory Council Chairman — Michael Hajjar
- Office email: [email protected]
- Office phone: +1 (703) 734-9566
Visiting and Frequently Asked Questions
The parish's First-Time Visitor & FAQ page welcomes Roman Catholics who are baptized, confirmed and in a state of grace to share the Holy Eucharist at Holy Transfiguration, and Orthodox Christians may receive as well. Visitors worship alongside Middle Eastern families and faithful from many other backgrounds. The parish explains that 'Melkite' refers to Middle Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine tradition — the term comes from 'melek' (emperor), since these Christians followed the emperor's faith in upholding the Council of Chalcedon. The 'average Greek Catholic is no more a Hellenic Greek than the average Roman Catholic is Italian.'
- Roman Catholics in good standing may receive Holy Communion
- Orthodox Christians may also receive
- Open to visitors of all backgrounds
- 'Melkite' — from Arabic/Syriac 'melek' (emperor), referring to Chalcedonian fidelity
- Byzantine or Greek Catholic — terminology explained for newcomers
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Armond J. Jacopin1971 – c. 1971
First pastor of Holy Transfiguration; died suddenly, prompting the arrival of his successor to bury him and take over the fledgling parish.
- Father Joseph (Francavilla), Archimandrite1971 – November 13, 2019
Came to McLean directly after his 1968 ordination in Boston; built up the parish from 30 families to roughly 400; oversaw the 1980 move to 8501 Lewinsville Road and construction of the Byzantine temple; served 47 years. Fell asleep in the Lord at age 76.
- Rt. Rev. Mark Melone2019 – present
Current pastor; led the parish's 50th anniversary celebration in 2021 and continues the Middle Eastern Food Festival tradition.