Our Hierarchs
Cathedral Dean
Fr. Joseph was born in Brooklyn, NY on June 24, 1983 to Elias and Jeanet Hazar, from Marja’youn Lebanon and Damascus, Syria, respectively. From the very young age of 3 years old, he felt a calling to serve the Lord as a priest. He was baptized at St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, the first parish founded by St Raphael of Brooklyn.
On Palm Sunday in 2004, Joseph was ordained a Subdeacon by Metropolitan PHILIP of blessed memory. In 2006, he received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Hellenic College (Brookline, MA) and his Master of Divinity in 2011 from St Tikhon Orthodox Seminary in South Canaan, PA. After seminary, he spent a year furthering his studies at the Patriarchal seminary of the Balamand in north Lebanon.
Fr. Joseph served as youth director, intern, and pastoral assistant at the Basilica of St Mary (Livonia, MI), St Elijah Church (Oklahoma City), St George Church (Cicero, IL), and St George Church (Fishers, IN). He has also given numerous retreats and lectures throughout the country. He also served in various capacities at a number of Orthodox camps throughout the country, beginning with 3 summers at the Antiochian Village in Ligonier, PA.
In 2014, Joseph married his wife, Jennifer, and they have three daughters. On June 28, 2015, Joseph was ordained to the diaconate, and on June 9, 2016, he was ordained to the holy priesthood, both ordinations by the laying on of hands by His Grace, Bishop ANTHONY of Toledo and the Midwest.
In 2016, Fr. Joseph was assigned to be the pastor of St John Orthodox Church of Levittown, NY.
On August 1, 2018, Fr. Joseph was entrusted the care of the flock of St George Cathedral in Charleston by His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH, where he holds the title Dean of the Cathedral. Here, Fr. Joseph works closely with the parish family to do the will of God and work towards salvation, which is the only thing that is truly important in this world.
Cathedral Staff
Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Nicholas spent his youth in New England. His father is a priest in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, currently at Holy Trinity in Concord, NH, and his mother has been teaching Classics at the University of New Hampshire.
After high school, where he met his wife to be, Nicholas studied Classics at the University of New Hampshire.
Pursuing graduate studies at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, Nicholas was blessed to be able to complete his doctoral studies with a dissertation that focuses on the Divine Liturgy of St. Gregory the Theologian.
Since completing his Ph.D., Nicholas has been teaching Greek, Latin, literature, and history to anyone who will listen, from elementary age to college students. Most recently, he served as the headmaster at Veritas Classical Academy in Marietta, Ohio.
The Church has always been an important part of his life, and he is currently working on completing an M.Div. through the Antiochian House of Studies, in the eventual hope of ordination.
He is blessed with three wonderful children, and an incredible wife, who is tolerant of his book buying habit.
