New home nearly ready for Orthodox 
http://www.norwichbulletin.com - By FRANCIS McCABE, Norwich Bulletin -Monday, July 7, 2003
NORWICH - When one or more is gathered in God's name, a church is born. But it is nice to have one to  call home. That is what Paul Przybylski, and about 70 other parishioners, are looking forward to in the coming months as the new Russian Orthodox church, the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, is in the midst of being built on Canterbury Turnpike.
Currently the construction of a multi-use hall is underway, which will act as the church until funds can be raised to build a separate building.  
The hall will house a chapel, a book store and a hall for different events.  
The Rev. Basil Grisel, pastor of the church, said he expects the hall to be completed by December.
He said construction of the church will start in a few years after more fund-raising.
"We wanted a space that allows us to grow," Grisel said. That space, located at 364 Canterbury Turnpike, was sold to the church by the Tarryk family, a member of the parish.
The church is being built at a cost of about $400,000, according to Przybylski.
The congregation broke away from Norwich's other Russian Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas, about five years ago after a conflict over tradition. Grisel said there has been a movement by Orthodox churches to leave the Julian calendar year, which runs 13 days behind the modern calendar.
The congregation has been meeting at the Norwich Grange ever since.  
The tradition this congregation follows requires the use of candles at each mass. Unfortunately when the Norwich Fire Department found out how many candles they were using at the Grange, they were concerned a fire hazard existed in that building, according to Przybylski.
So the congregation worked to raise money to build a church of their own, where the tradition they fervently believe in could be practiced. They asked Orthodox churches throughout the country to raise  
the $400,000 to build the hall.
The new church is expected to be built two years after the congregation settles into the hall.
According to the Orthodox Church of America's Web site, any Orthodox Church is derived from Middle Eastern, Hellenic or Slavic history, whether it is called Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox or Romanian Orthodox.
Each sect has its own cultural differences that make them unique, without affecting the basic teachings and faith of Orthodox Christianity.