We praise God for the life, witness, gifts and ministry of His servant, Pastor Anna Kalandova.
Pastor Anna Kalandova heard the words of Father God on July 28, 2005 which said: "Well done good and faithful servant...enter into the reward of your Master."
Pastor Anna Kalandova served the Church of Jesus Christ for 30 years as an ordained Lutheran pastor. She was born February 10, 1951 in Velky Lom, Slovakia, moving in infancy to the Lutheran parsonage in Kalinovo, there to be raised along with her siblings Emily, Jan and Olga by her parents, The Rev. Jan and Olga Kalanda. After attending local schools she studied theology and prepared for the ministry at the Lutheran Theological Faculty in Btatislava during the years of Communist rule. Never wavering in her sense of vocation, she completed her studies as one of a very small group of theological students in those difficult days and was ordained into the Lutheran ministry in November of 1975. This year has marked her 30th anniversary of ordination.

Pastor Kalandova served the Lutheran parishes in Tomasovce, Rimavska Sobota, and surrounding towns. She did graduate theological work in Leipzig, Germany and was an accomplished photographer whose work often appeared in church publications. Pastor Kalandova also represented the Lutheran Church in Slovakia at national and international conferences.

Upon here arrival in the United States, Pastor Kalandova studied English, spent one year in practical pastoral training at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and was installed as pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Trenton. New Jersey in 1984 where she served for eleven years. During this time Pastor Kalandova also had an active radio ministry, preaching the Gospel twice a month to her homeland of Slovakia through Radio Free Europe. This ministry continued into mid 1990's. Pastor Kalandova also served the Lutheran Church as assistant to the Bishop of the Slovak Zion Synod, as Slovak editor of the publication The Zion, and as an active member of the synod's International Relations Committee. In recognition of these wider church ministries, Pastor Kalandova was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Upsala College in 1994.

Pastor Kalandova's chief focus and the heart of the ministry was always that of a parish pastor, however. This led to her acceptance of a call extended to her by St. Stephen Lutheran Church of Edison, New Jersey in 1996 where she labored and live as pastor, preacher, teacher and friend through the Ester Holy days of this year. Her years at St. Stephen were marked with mutual respect between pastor and people, the continuation of the vital daily ministry of any parish, the introduction of new ministries and liturgies and a continuing outreach ministry to the neighboring community as well as to people in Diaspora from her homeland who lived in the north-central New Jersey area. Pastor Anna served as a cluster counsel of the New Jersey Synod for several years giving guidance and care to the thirteen ELCA congregations for the Raritan Cluster.

Pastor Kalandova was pre-deceased by her father The Rev. Jan Kalanda. She is survived by her mother, Olga, sisters Emily and Olga, brother Jan, her fellow members and parishioners of St. Stephen and a host of relatives and friends who commended her, with thanksgiving to her living, loving God.