Welcome!
We are a Western Rite Orthodox church located in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC. As a congregation of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, we are part of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East (“…the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” Acts 11:26). While we share the faith of all Orthodox Christians around the world, as a Western Rite congregation we are blessed by our bishops to use the ancient forms of Western worship. Most of us are converts from many different backgrounds who have come to Orthodoxy in search of authentic Christianity and a place where we may grow in knowledge and love of God. In the Orthodox Church we have found the “pearl of great price” and we rejoice to share what we have discovered. We hope that you will explore our web site and join us in worship.
Sermons by Fr. Nicholas Alford
A Meditation for Election Day
Do we manifest Christ by the way we live? Most of us probably do live generally decent lives, Christian lives that include concern for truth and for the ways of God. But problems arise in those areas where we fall short – and we all do fall short in differing ways. To manifest Christ in our lives we must constantly work to make things … More...
The Lives of the Saints
St. Columbanus
(Feast Day ~ November 21) The Irishman, Columbanus, born in 543, was intellectually gifted, and his education in grammar, rhetoric, geometry and Holy Scripture could have prepared him for any number of important positions. But instead of other possibilities, he chose to dedicate himself to Christ in the monastic life. If he thought that by … More...
Latest News
November newsletter
We will celebrate several important feast days in the month of November. All Souls will be celebrated on Saturday, November 2, with Lauds for the Departed at 9:40, Requiem Mass at 10:00am, and pot-luck brunch following. We will remember the names of our departed loved ones at this Mass, so please submit your names to … More...
The Good News of Orthodoxy
From a Homily by St. Bede the Venerable
Dearly beloved, today we keep holy-day, with one great cry of joy, in memory of all the Saints whose presence is a gladness to heaven; whose prayers are a blessing to earth; whose victories are the crown of holy Church; whose testimony is now to be honored in proportion to the glory imparted to it by the agony which was endured in the giving of it. … More...