Articles and Resources for the Orthodox Christian Church

The Orthodox Christian Church

The Best-Kept Secret in America

      An ever-growing number of persons from various backgrounds are becoming interested in the Orthodox Christian Church. These individuals are discovering the ancient faith and rich traditions of the Orthodox Church. They have been attracted by her mystical vision of God and His Kingdom, by the beauty of her worship, by the purity of her Christian faith, and by her continuity with the past. These are only some of the treasures of the Church, which has a history reaching back to the time of the Apostles.

     In the Western Hemisphere, the Orthodox Church, which has its roots in the Middle East and Eastern Europe primarily, has been developing into a valuable presence and distinctive witness for more than two hundred years. The first Orthodox Christians arrived in the New World in middle of the 18th century through Alaska, but the larger immigration of Orthodox Christians came in the early 20th century. Our own parish of Saint Spyridon, was organized in Worcester in 1914. Our present church building is the second one used by our community. We are been on Russell Street across from Elm Park since 1951.

     The Orthodox Church, the second largest Christian denomination in the world, owes its origin in this country to the devotion of so many immigrants from lands such as Greece, Russia, the Middle East, Albania, Serbia, and other Balkan countries. Unlike many other national churches that began with missionaries bringing the message of Christ to pagan nations, immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries, Orthodox Christians from many lands and cultures, came to America in search of freedom and opportunity. Like the first Apostles, they carried with them a precious heritage and gift. To the New World they brought the ancient faith of the Orthodox Church and, as they established themselves, they called priests from their homeland and built houses of worship.

     Many Orthodox Christians in America proudly trace their ancestry to the lands and cultures of Europe and Asia, but the Orthodox Church in the United States can no longer be seen as an immigrant Church. While the Orthodox Church contains individuals from numerous ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the majority of her membership is composed of persons who have been born in America, some even are 5th generation Americans. In recognition of this, Orthodoxy has been formally acknowledged as one of the Four Major Faiths in the United States. Following the practice of the Early Church, Orthodoxy treasures the various cultures of its people, but it is not bound to any particular culture or people. The Orthodox Church welcomes all!

     There are about 5 million Orthodox Christians in this country. They are grouped into nearly a dozen ecclesiastical jurisdictions. The largest is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, of which we are a part, which has about 500 parishes throughout the United States. Our parish is part of the Metropolis (diocese) of Boston with the local hierarch being His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston. The Metropolis and each parish within it are also members of the national Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America headed by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, located in New York City. The entire Archdiocese is then subject to, and is part of the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople, one of the ancient patriarchates in Christianity.


Eastern Christianity

      The Orthodox Christian Church embodies and expresses the rich spiritual treasures of Eastern Christianity. It should not be forgotten that the Gospel of Christ was first preached and the First Christian communities were established in the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Saint Paul, on his various missionary journeys visited and wrote to the people of Thessalonica (2 epistles), Corinth (2), Philippi, Berea, Macedonia, Athens, Crete, Rhodos, Amphipolis, and several other cities and towns in Greece. The churches established there never ceased to exist. It was in these eastern regions of the old Roman Empire that the Christian faith matured in its struggle against paganism and heresy. There, the great Fathers lived and taught. It was in the cities of the East that the fundamentals of our faith were proclaimed at the Seven Ecumenical Councils, all of which were held in the East but later accepted by the Romans of the West.

     The spirit of Christianity which was nurtured in the East had a particular favor. It was distinct, though not necessarily opposed, to that which developed in the Western portion of the Roman Empire and subsequent Medieval Kingdoms in the West. While Christianity in the West developed in lands which knew the legal and moral philosophy of Ancient Rome, Eastern Christianity developed in lands which knew the Semitic and Hellenistic cultures. While the West was concerned with the Passion of Christ and the sin of man, the East emphasized the Resurrection of Christ and the deification of man. While the West leaned toward a legalistic view of religion, the East espoused a more mystical theology. Sin is seen by the West as a breaking of a law while the East sees it as a sickness needing remedy. Since the Early Church was not monolithic, the two great traditions existed together for more than a thousand years until the Great Schism divided the Church in 1054. Today, Roman Catholics and Protestants are heirs to the Western tradition, and the Orthodox are heirs to the Eastern tradition.

 

Orthodox

     Christians of the Eastern Churches call themselves Orthodox. This description comes to us from the fifth century and has two meanings which are closely related. The first definition is "true teaching" and was used to differentiate the "main" adherents from the heretical parties that developed at various times. The Orthodox Church believes, and can prove, that she has maintained and handed down the Christian faith, free from error and distortion, from the days of the Apostles. The second definition, which is actually the more preferred, is "true praise or glory." To bless, praise, and glorify God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the fundamental purpose of the Church. All her activities, even her doctrinal formulations, are directed toward this goal. It also emphasizes the fact that, for Orthodox Christianity, the faith of the Church is in her worship.

     Occasionally, the word Catholic is also used to describe the Orthodox Church. This description, dating back to the second century, is embodied in the Nicene Creed, which acknowledges One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. From the Orthodox perspective, Catholic, a Greek word meant to emphasize the fullness of the Church, means that the Church is "whole or complete," affirming that the Church has preserved the fullness of the Christian faith.
     It is not unusual for titles such as Greek, Russian, and Antiochian to be used in describing Orthodox Churches. These appellations refer to the cultural or national roots of a particular parish, diocese, or archdiocese.

 

Diversity in Unity

      The Orthodox Church is an international federation of patriarchal, autocephalous, and autonomous churches. There is no Pope figure and each national church is usually self-governing. Each national church is independent in her internal organization and follows her own particular customs. However, all the churches are united in the same faith and order. The Orthodox Church acknowledges that unity does not mean uniformity. Some churches are rich in history, such as the Church of Constantinople, while others are relatively young, such as the Church of Finland. Nevertheless, each has a patriarch today. Some are large, such as the Church of Russia, while others are small, such as the Church of Sinai. Each Church is led by a synod (council) of bishops. The president of the synod is always a bishop and may be known as the Patriarch, Archbishop, Metropolitan, or simply, Bishop. Among the various bishops, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is accorded a "place of honor" and is regarded as "first among equals." In America and Western Europe, where Orthodoxy is relatively young, there are a number of dioceses and archdioceses which are directly linked to one of these autocephalous Churches. While our Archdiocese enjoys a good measure of internal autonomy and is headed by an Archbishop, it owes its spiritual allegiance to the Church of Constantinople.

 

Daily Christian life

  • Begin and end the day with prayer to God.
  • Try to include God in your life throughout each day. Use Orthodox Christian podcasts to learn your faith while in the car or doing chores.
  • Families with children should try to pray together at least once per day. Just before meals are a great time to give thanks to God.
  • Begin fasting to increase spiritual maturity and gain virtues. Use the calendar on the Archdiocese website to see how to fast.
  • Be charitable. The Old Testament teaches we give 10% to God. Stewardship to our parish can be done via credit card on this site.
  • The New Testament teaches us to give to God unconditionally. In other words, we don't pay for services; we support services.

Daily Personal Prayer

  • Begin by making the sign of the cross and praying either the Lord’s Prayer or the entire Thrice Holy prayers (Trisagion prayers).
  • This prayer habit can be prayed in the morning and evening.
  • Learning formal Orthodox prayers from Orthodox prayer books teach us how to pray to God and what to pray for. They also help us learn how to hear God's answers.
  • Remember, prayer is meant to transform us, not God. God knows what we need better than we do. A good prayer should transform the person praying.

Weekly Community Worship

  • Worship and prayer are not the same thing. Worship, one can reasonably argue, is the reason for our existence, the purpose of our life. We worship together, learn together, grow together, and serve together. Prayer is an individual effort done in private, and meant to strengthen us throughout the week.
  • Sunday Orthros and Divine Liturgy. The Orthros (Matins/Morning) Service is mainly in Greek and is meditatively in nature. It consists of psalms, hymns, Scripture, and prayers. It prepares us for the Divine Liturgy. 
  • The Divine Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Orthodox Church and is also celebrated on weekdays for major feast days and popular Saints' days.  Please refer to the Church Calendar for days/times. Visitors would only be expected to attend the Divine Liturgy which begins just before 10 am on Sundays.

Youth Religious Education

     Youth religious education begins with worship each Sunday morning at 9:45am in the nave of the church building. Classes last 45 minutes and begin immediately after the children receive Holy Communion. We also have a number of ministries for young people that we hold throughout each moth. See our Ministries tab for more information and Church Calendar for events. 

Adult Religious Education

     We offer a weekly adult Bible Study and Orthodoxy 101 classes on Monday evenings. See the Church Calendar for more information.