Welcome
The Church’s doors are open to everyone. Anyone may come and pray with us, celebrate with us, and participate in our parish family’s events and activities.
First-time visitors are welcome to come for any of the services listed on the church calendar and are invited to contact Fr. Christopher if they have any questions before or after services.
9th Thursday After Pentecost
No fast
Saints
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Apostle Silas of the Seventy
The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Silas was a disciple of the Savior. Saint Silas was a respected figure in the original Church at Jerusalem, one of the “chief men among the brethren” (Acts 15:22). The Council of the Apostles was convened at Jerusalem in the year 51 to deal with the…
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Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy
The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Silvanus was a disciple of the Savior. The Holy Apostle Silvanus preached the Word of God together with the chief Apostles Peter and Paul. In his First Epistle, the holy Apostle Peter makes mention of him: “By Silvanus, a faithful brother to you, as I suppose,…
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Apostle Crescens of the Seventy
The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Crescens was a disciple of the Savior. The Holy Apostle Crescens is mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (2 Tim. 4:10), saying that Crescens had gone preaching to Galatia. He was made bishop there, and afterwards he preached the Word of God in Gaul (modern-day…
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Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy
The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Epenetus was a disciple of the Savior. The Holy Apostle Epenetus was made bishop at Carthage. In his Epistle to the Romans, the holy Apostle Paul writes: “Greet my dear Epenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ” (Rom. 16:5).
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Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy
The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Andronicus was a disciple of the Savior. The Apostle Andronicus is mentioned by Saint Paul: “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, ... who are of note among the Apostles, who also were in Christ, before me” (Rom. 16:7). The holy Apostle Andronicus was…
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Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople
The Holy Martyr John the Soldier served in the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). He was sent with other soldiers to find and kill Christians. Although he seemed to persecute them, Saint John was actually a secret Christian, and provided much help to his fellow…
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Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Herman of Solovki
The Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Herman of Solovki took place in the year 1484. Saint Herman lived as a hermit at the River Vyg, by a chapel. It was here in the year 1429 that Saint Sabbatius of Valaam monastery came upon him while seeking a solitary place for his ascetic deeds. Herman told…
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Hieromartyr Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon, and those with him
The Hieromartyr Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon; the presbyters Parmenius, Helimenas, and Chrysotelus; the deacons Luke and Mocius; the holy Persian Martyrs Abdon and Sennen; and the holy martyrs Olympius and Maximus suffered during the third century under the emperor Decius (249-251). When Decius…
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Hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy, and those with him
The Hieromartyr Bishop Valentine and his three disciples, Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius, and the righteous Abundius lived during the third century. Saint Valentine was a bishop in Umbria (Italy), in the city of Interamna. He received from God the gift of healing various maladies. At this time…
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Venerable Angelina of Serbia
Saint Angelina was the daughter of Prince George Skenderbeg of Albania. Her mother’s name is not known, but she raised her daughter in Christian piety and taught her to love God. Saint Stephen Brancovich (October 9 and December 10), the ruler of Serbia, had come to Albania to escape those who…
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Icon of the Mother of God of Okonsk
There is no reliable historical information about the origin of the Okonsk Icon of the Mother of God, but it is thought that the Icon came from Georgia. According to tradition, the Okonsk Icon was received by the Georgian King Vakhtang IV from Jerusalem in the XV century, and at first it was at…
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Venerable Anatole II of Optina
Saint Anatole the Younger (Alexander Potapov in the world) longed to be a monk from his youth. His mother would not give her blessing for this, so he entered Optina monastery only after her death. Anatole lived in the Skete for many years as cell attendant to Saint Ambrose (October 10). After his…
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Saint Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor
Saint Tsotne Dadiani, a virtuous military leader and the prince of Egrisi, lived in the middle of the 13th century. During that time Georgia languished under the yoke of Mongol oppression. After the death of Queen Rusudan, the Mongols began to exact exorbitant fees from the Georgian princes, and…
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Velikorets Icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
Miraculously, the Velikorets Icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker was found in the land of Vyatka in the XVI century. According to legend, a certain believer, who had left home on business, saw many burning candles near the Great River. Bewildered, he stopped, but then drove on. On his return…
Readings
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ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 15:35-41
IN THOSE DAYS, Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, 'Come, let us return and visit the brethren in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.' And Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp contention, so that they separated from each other; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. -
MATTHEW 20:17-28
At that time, as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
The Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church (often called The Eastern Orthodox Church) is the earliest Christian Church, the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and described in the pages of the New Testament. Her history can be traced in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Twelve Apostles. For twenty centuries, she has continued in her undiminished and unaltered faith and practice. Today her apostolic doctrine, worship and structure remain intact.
Read the "Discover Orthodox Christianity" section on the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese webpage, and the Nicene Creed, to learn more about Orthodoxy.
Address & Services
Our services are currently being held at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, 300 Simeon St., Kitchener.
What To Expect
Visitors will notice that the congregation actively participates in services by crossing themselves, standing, bowing, kneeling, reciting traditional prayers together, and singing. Don’t be intimidated – no one expects you to know what these acts and symbols mean or when you should do them. There are spiral-bound service books in the hallway (the narthex) leading into the main part of the church (the nave) that will guide you through the service.
Regular Services
Sunday
Divine Liturgy 11 a.m.
Saturday
Vigil 6 p.m.
Get In Touch
Send us a message or reach out to us directly.
Contact
Father Christopher Rigden-Briscall, Pastor
Phone: 519-807-2986
"This, then, is the aim of the Liturgy: that we should return to the world with the doors of our perceptions cleansed. We should return to the world after the Liturgy, seeing Christ in every human person, especially in those who suffer. In the words of Father Alexander Schmemann, the Christian is the one who wherever he or she looks, everywhere sees Christ and rejoices in Him. We are to go out, then, from the Liturgy and see Christ everywhere."