Fr Stephen Zelesnik of St John the Theologian Orthodox Mission – New Roads, Louisiana

Fr Stephen Zelesnik is a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. He was born in Colorado Springs in 1997 and was baptized as a baby. He began to take the Orthodox faith very seriously when he entered college in 2015. He graduated from the university of New Orleans in 2018 with a bachelors in Mathematics and bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. He received a Masters in engineering management in 2021. He began his MDIV degree at the Antiochian House of Studies in 2022 and is scheduled to graduate in May of 2027. The missionary challenges of Louisiana give him great purpose and drive. Fr Stephen believes that no matter how many people attend the liturgy or how nice the church building is, The Lord Jesus Christ is truly present when the liturgy is served and even a small storefront becomes more spacious than the heavens.
When Fr Stephen is not doing priest stuff he is hanging out with his family of 5 or working his secular job as an engineer at a nuclear power plant. Fr Stephen and St John the theologian Orthodox Mission are extremely grateful for the opportunity to receive share the faith support.

Parish Biography

St. John the Theologian Orthodox Church in St. Francisville, Louisiana, traces its origins to a Protestant Bible study formed in 2005 by seven local men seeking a deeper understanding of Scripture. As their study expanded to include church history and the writings of the Church Fathers, several members were drawn to Orthodoxy and began traveling long distances to attend Divine Liturgy. This journey culminated in December 2008, when the first Orthodox service was celebrated in St. Francisville, marking the beginning of an organized mission effort. After several years of prayer, travel, and discernment across nearby parishes, the faithful received a blessing in 2012 to establish a ROCOR mission. With the arrival of Fr. Matthew Harrington and his family that fall, the community formally became St. John the Theologian Orthodox Church, celebrating its first Nativity service on January 7th 2013.
Over the years, St. John’s has endured seasons of growth, loss, and perseverance. Clergy transitions, financial hardship, and the passing or departure of founding members tested the parish, yet a faithful remnant remained committed to keeping Orthodoxy alive in St. Francisville. The church worshiped in rented halls, borrowed chapels, private homes, and, after the disruptions of COVID, continued with visiting clergy serving as able. In 2024, the parish found a new home in a storefront in New Roads, Louisiana, ushering in a renewed period of stability and growth marked by baptisms and new catechumens. With the ordination and assignment of Fr. Stephen Zelesnik in May 2025, St. John’s entered a new chapter, once again offering weekly services and sacraments.