A few notes to first time visitors:

• You won't be singled out or asked to do anything uncomfortable

• There is no expection for visitors to give financially.

• Children are welcome to remain in the service, but please don't worry if they need a break. We have a nursery space in the back with a window that overlooks the sanctuary. Feel free to take them back there.

• All of our services are held in English

 

We would love to meet you after the service! Please join us for coffee hour and introduce yourself to Father Peter.

Concerning Holy Communion 

We invite all Orthodox Christians who are duly prepared to receive Holy Communion. Amongst other things, proper preparation includes faithful fasting, recent confession, being at peace with others, and being on time to the divine services.

 

To receive Holy Communion, the Orthodox faithful approach the chalice. There you may stand or kneel and the head is tilted back slightly to receive the Body and Blood of Christ (the Host is dipped into the consecrated wine and placed on the tongue). Unlike in the Eastern Rite, arms folded across the chest are a sign that you do not wish to receive Communion. This, along with bowing your head, should be your posture if you are not Orthodox or if you are not spiritually prepared (by fasting and confession when necessary); the priest will then give a blessing instead of Communion. Blessed bread (called pain benit or antidoron), which is not the Communion bread, is offered to all as a sign of Christian friendship and hospitality. Orthodox Christians who wish to make their Confessions, may do so after Saturday Vespers, before Sunday Matins or by appointment.

 

If you are uncertain if you are blessed to receive communion, please wait until you have spoken with Father Peter.

If you are not prepared to receive you may come forward for a blessing and receive a piece of the Pan Benit, (blessed bread, not communion) in Christian charity and brotherly love.
 

About the Western Rite

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The Orthodox Church is the faith for the whole world - East and West. All Orthodox Christians share a common faith, hence we share Communion. Western Rite Orthodox Christians are grateful for the opportunity we have been given by our bishops to bring the Western Christian liturgical tradition back into the fold of the Church. Our forms of worship are based on the ancient Orthodox liturgies of Rome and the Western Church.

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If this is your first time to worship in a Orthodox church which uses the Western Rite, there are a few things that you should know.

 

If you are visiting a Western Rite parish for the first time, here are a few helpful notes:

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• You will see icons, candles, and opportunities for prayer upon entering.

• Our church uses a rood screen rather than an iconostasis.

• Services are participatory—feel free to sing and join in with responses, or simply observe. You can follow along in the Mass booklet with the weekly bulletin providing page numbers.

• Music includes Gregorian chant and hymns. An organ may be used in some parishes.

• Postures may include standing, kneeling, bowing, and making the sign of the cross. Unless there is a medical need, we only sit for the epistle readings and the sermon.

 

Visitors are always welcome to participate at their comfort level.

Our pastor and parishioners will be happy to answer any questions you may have about Orthodoxy in general, about the Western Rite, and about the journeys of faith which our members have made from many diverse backgrounds. We have a small bookstore in the Parish Hall where you will find additional resources on the Orthodox faith.

For more educational articles please visit our About Orthodoxy page.

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Thank You for Your Visit and God bless you!

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