The Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church is the first Christian Church.  The Church was 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.

Incredible as it seems, for nineteen and a half centuries she has continued in her undiminished and unaltered faith and practice. Today, her apostolic doctrine, worship, and structure remain intact. The Orthodox Church maintains that the Church is the living Body of Jesus Christ.

Many of us are surprised to learn that for the first 1000 years of Christian history there was just one Church. It was in the eleventh Century that a disastrous split occurred, resulting in the Western Church, under the pope, separating itself from the Orthodox Church. The papacy sought to establish itself over all of Christendom and finally succeeded in the West. But the rest of the Church rejected this innovation, knowing no so-called "universal head" apart from Jesus Christ himself.

Orthodox Cross

The Nicene Creed

(“...Thus, the Symbol of Faith is the only part of the liturgy (repeated in another form just before Holy Communion) which is in the first person. All other songs and prayers of the liturgy are plural, beginning with “we”. Only the credal statement begins with “I.” This, as we shall see, is because faith is first personal, and only then corporate and communal.”  see Symbol of Faith - Nicene Creed for more info)

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, True God of True God, Begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made:

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man;

And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;

And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; 

And ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father;

And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets;

And I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.

I look for the Resurrection of the dead,

And the Life of the age to come. Amen.

The Nicene Creed

The Lords Prayer

Our Father, Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy Kingdom come;
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

The Lord's Prayer

Quick Facts about the Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church is ...

  • The oldest Church in Christendom, although it is not familiar to many Americans.

  • The second largest body in Christendom with over 225 million people worldwide, less than 2 million of which are in North America.

  • One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, having an unbroken tradition from Jesus Christ and the Apostles to today.

  • Often referred to as "the Church of the Martyrs". In the twentieth century alone, more than 20 million Orthodox Christians have given their life for their faith, primarily under communism.

  • The Church of some of history's greatest theologians, scholars and writers including John Chrysostom, Jerome, Basil the Great, John of Damascus, Dostoyesvky and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

  • Often referred to by any number of its "ethnic" titles such as Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian, Syrian, Romanian, Bulgarian, etc. Orthodox literally means "true worship" or "true belief" and is a name that describes nearly all of Christianity in the first ten centuries of Church history.

  • We are Orthodox because we ascribe to the Orthodox teachings defined in the Bible, the Seven Ecumenical Councils, and the writings of the church fathers. The Nicene Creed and the Bible play a prominent role in our worship, beliefs, and piety.

Diocese of Worcester and New England
  • St. George Cathedral - Worcester

    30 Anna St., Worcester, MA 01604

  • St. John of Damascus - Dedham

    300West St., Dedham, MA 02026

  • St. George - Boston

    55 Emmonsdale Rd., West Roxbury, MA 02132

  • St. George - Norwood

     6 Atwood Ave.c Norwood, MA 02062

  • St. Mary - Cambridge

    8 Inman St., Cambridge, MA 02139

  • St. George - Lawrence

    8 Lowell St., Lawrence, MA 01840

  • St. George - Lowell

    44 Bowers St., Lowell, MA 01854

  • St. Mary - Pawtucket

    249 High St., Pawtucket, RI 02860

  • St. Michael - Cotuit

    62 Main St., Cotuit, MA 02635

  • St. Stephen - Springfield

    400 Wilbraham Rd., Springfield, MA 01109

  • Emmanuel Church

    25 Winthrop Terrace, Warren, Massachusetts 01083

  • Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

    358 Mountain Rd., Englewood, NJ 07631

Find an Antiochian Orthodox Parish

Understanding the Orthodox Church

Selected educational videos on the Orthodox Church and Faith

What Is the Orthodox Church?

Orthodox Church Misconceptions

Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church Differences

Introduction to the Orthodox Church

The Sign of the Cross, Icons, and Tradition

The Role of the Virgin Mary

Why So Many Different Orthodox Churches?

Overview of the Orthodox Divine Liturgy

Why Orthodox Practices Closed Communion?

What is Orthodox Christianity?

Six Minute Church Tour

Women in the Church

Three Things to Know About the Bible

The Holy Trinity

Confession
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