Yes, of course! And we welcome you to do so, as this is the best way to experience Orthodoxy. “Come and see…” John 1:46

We usually offer two kinds of services on a weekly basis: vigil from 5 to 8PM on Saturdays, and Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings. Vigils are beautiful services full of prayers and chants meant to prepare us for liturgy the following day, while Divine Liturgy is our “main” Sunday service during which Orthodox Christians pray together and receive the Body and Blood of Christ during Holy Communion. Some weeks, depending on the church calendar, we might have additional vigils and liturgies during the week to commemorate saints or feast days. You can find all of our upcoming services on our Calendar page.

You will first come into the foyer area of the church (what we call the narthex). Please continue past this space into the primary area, the sanctuary, where you will see people congregated to the left and to the right, leaving a clear passage in the center. Traditionally, in Orthodox churches men stand on the right and women on the left (in alignment with the icons of the Mother of God and Christ that you can see at the front of the church). However, feel free to stand wherever is most comfortable for you. We also have pews available for sitting. Orthodox Christians stand during the near entirety of services to the best of their ability, but we don’t expect nor require visitors to do so. Additionally, you will see people crossing themselves, kneeling, bowing, and kissing icons. You can join in if you wish, but are under no obligation to do so. If you have questions about what to do at any point of a service, don’t hesitate to ask one of our parishioners: we a majority convert parish, and are always happy to answer questions.

We encourage the tradition, as prescribed in the New Testament, of women wearing a head-covering or scarf during divine services. If you wish to do so as well, you are welcome to participate. For this purpose, we have a basket of head-coverings visitors can borrow on a table to the right as you enter the sanctuary. We also encourage our female visitors to avoid overly casual garb (skirts above the knee, tight pants, revealing shirts or dresses) and to remove their lipstick before kissing any icons or the cross, as is traditionally done as a sign of respect.

Men are encouraged to wear slacks (avoiding sweatpants or shorts) and closed-toed shoes. More formal wear is welcome, but not required.

No, if you are not Orthodox, you should just remain in place. Parishioners who take communion may offer you a piece of specially baked bread: you are welcome to take this and eat it at the time. At the end, people will come up again, to kiss the cross and take another piece of specially baked bread. You are welcome to come forward with them at this time.

Also known as coffee hour, this is our communal meal served after the Divine Liturgy. It is a potluck meal every week and all are welcome to join us for this time of fellowship, which is always free of charge. We are a peanut-free parish and label foods for common allergens.

Not at all. The Holy Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ is united by one faith and one belief in God, unchanged from the time of the Twelve Apostles. However, there are different administrations or “national churches” across the world, such as the Greek Church, the Russian Church, the Serbian Church, etc. We are Russian Orthodox in that we are a part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR, what we refer to as our jurisdiction): however, our parish is largely English-speaking American converts. Orthodoxy took deep root in Russia well over a thousand years ago, and you can still see our Russian origins in the Church Slavonic sometimes used during services. There are ROCOR churches all over the world that house Orthodox Christians of every nationality, so while some American parishes can be largely Russian demographically, this is not an exclusionary characteristic: just a consequence of our jurisdiction.

Yes! We love children and almost half of our congregation are children. You will see them in the sanctuary during services, as we do not believe in separating adults and children, since all are full-fledged members of the Church. As a result, you might hear children making some noise; that’s to be expected. If your child gets too loud, you are welcome to go outside for a while or to the children’s room and nursery accessible through the side entrance of the church (please ask a parishioner for directions if you need help). You can re-enter when your child is calmer. It’s actually common in our churches for parents with children to quietly go in and out, as need be.

When you walk in, chants and prayers may already be being read. It doesn’t mean you’re late—we preface the main service with prayers of preparation starting at 9AM. Our Liturgy is in English with some Church Slavonic (Russian). If you want to help support our church, just put your donation in the labeled box, near the back of the church. (We do not take up a collection during services.) You can also donate through the link on our website. Please mute your phone so that ringtones and notifications do not disturb the prayerful atmosphere we are trying to cultivate during services.

If you are not Orthodox, pray, read, attend services, and tell the priest of your interest in Orthodoxy. Fr Mark will guide you through further study, which includes a formal catechism so you can learn about Orthodoxy. After a period of time, you may be ready to receive Holy Baptism and so be joined to the Holy Orthodox Church. Our catechism class is open to anyone who is interested in learning about Orthodoxy. If interested in joining, please contact Fr Mark.

Only Baptized and Chrismated Orthodox Christians who have prepared by fasting, prayer, and recent confession may receive communion at St. Thomas. You should also make every effort to attend the Vigil service the evening prior, and should be on time for the Liturgy. Additionally, please contact Father Mark to introduce yourself, either before Liturgy begins or via email or text prior to visiting St. Thomas. This is to avoid questions having to be asked when you approach for communion. Please note that Fr Mark offers confessions on Saturdays during vigil and on Sundays up until the start of the Hours at 9:40. Holy Communion is given to parishioners of other canonical Orthodox Churches (Greek, Antiochian, Serbian, Romanian, etc.) if they are active parishioners and if they are eligible to approach for Communion according to the rules of their own Church, and have come to our parish as a guest. Please note it’s our custom for the one taking Communion to kiss the cup after receiving. If you arrive after the reading of the Gospel, we ask that you do not approach the Chalice. Finally, bear in mind that it is the task of the one holding the communion cloth on the priest’s left side to wipe the mouth of each communicant with the cloth. Don’t be offended if your lips are wiped by him using the cloth.

Welcome! If you are already Orthodox, and wish to join the parish, you may simply tell our priest, Father Mark, of your intent. Subsequently, if you wish to set up a recurring tithe to support our church, you may do so via tithe.ly. Any Orthodox Christian may join our Russian Orthodox parish at any time. In the United States, there exist various jurisdictions; each layman is free to attend whatever canonical parish he wishes to make his home. You should not, however, dart restlessly from one parish to another, with the result that you never find a true home in which to become established and grow spiritually. If you have any questions about parish membership or want to make St. Thomas your home, please talk to Father Mark so he can get to know you and sign up for our bulletin, so you can get the latest updates on services and other happenings at St. Thomas