Invitation/Important Facts

You are invited to come and learn more about the Orthodox Church. When visiting our Church, you might want to be aware of the following:

1. The Eucharist (Communion) is reserved for those baptized individuals professing a belief in the real presence of Christ in the consecrated bread and wine. More particularly, before receiving communion, the communicant is asked to reflect on his or her life and to be reconciled to a right relationship with God through the sacrament of confession if serious sin has interrupted that relationship. Those visiting for the first time are asked to speak with a priest before Divine Liturgy to discuss their reception of the Eucharist.

2. As is the tradition among the Orthodox Churches, the bread we consecrate is leavened bread that consists of wheat flour, water, and leaven (a strain that is over 100 years old).  If you are gluten intolerant, please speak with a priest before Divine Liturgy to request a low-gluten bread or some other option.

3. You should be aware that a typical Divine Liturgy for Sunday lasts approximately 1½ hours.

4. We are “non-canonical”. We have elected to remain independent so that our rites (recovered from ancient manuscripts) are not again replaced by rites which, though valid, do not come from our tradition. We have elected to remain independent so that our spirituality is not diluted by another spirituality. We have elected to remain independent so that we will never risk being entangled in political affairs. We are "canonical" in that we accept the first seven Ecumenical Councils but we are not yet in union with the Ecumenical Patriarch.