Our Roots

The Orthodox Church is the historic church of Christ Jesus and the apostles. From first-century Jerusalem, it grew into today’s global family of regional churches, from ancient strongholds in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa to younger branches in America, Asia, and Australia, with around 260 million members worldwide.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople grew out of first-century missionary work by the apostle Andrew around the Black Sea region of the Roman Empire. Based in Istanbul, Turkey, former capital of the Byzantine Empire and major center of the ancient Christian world, it is “first among equals” amid the worldwide family of Orthodox Christian churches.

The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America launched in 1938 to minister to immigrants from Carpathian Rus' (then part of Czechoslovakia, now straddling Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine). Today it serves Orthodox Christians of all backgrounds in some 80 parishes and missions from its headquarters in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Our Life

Worship: We gather at 9:30 on Sunday mornings for the Divine Liturgy, a sung service of praise, prayer, and Bible readings in which we encounter Jesus both in the words of the Gospel and the bread and wine of the Eucharist, offered in response to his bidding: “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25). On request, we also offer prayer services for the living and memorial services for the dead at 9:15 a.m. before the Sunday Divine Liturgy. And yes, our worship is in English!

Fellowship: Coffee hour after Sunday’s Divine Liturgy gives us a weekly chance to meet new friends and catch up with old ones. We also gather for seasonal socials throughout the year to enjoy good food and good company together.

Philanthropy: Following up on Jesus’ call to love God and neighbor, we partner with local charity People Helping People in Hernando County to help adults and children in need — because Jesus told us that how we treat the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the unclothed, the sick, and the jailed is how we treat him (Matthew 25:31-45).