We are an American Orthodox parish in the Diocese of the West of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and our services are entirely in English. A growing Christian community of people from various backgrounds, we share a common commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ, to each other and to the Apostolic Faith. Most of us, more than 95% of us, are Orthodox converts, and we warmly welcome families, couples and all those looking for a deeper experience of the salvation offered in Christ our God. Is there a meeting of Heaven and earth? Come and see.
The view from our new cross, looking toward the Columbia River estuary.
(from the Orthodox Church in America). The circumstances of the Dormition of the Mother of God were known in the Orthodox Church from apostolic times. Already in the first century, the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite wrote about Her “Falling-Asleep.” In the second century, the account of the bodily ascent of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven is found in the works of Meliton, Bishop of Sardis. In the fourth century, Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus refers to the tradition about the “Falling Asleep” of the Mother of God. In the fifth century, Saint Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, told the holy Byzantine Empress Pulcheria: “Although there is no account of the circumstances of Her death in Holy Scripture, we know about them from the most ancient and credible Tradition.” This tradition was gathered and expounded in the Church History of NikÄ“phóros Callistus during the fourteenth century.
"There is such a thing as a true American: an honest, forthright, normal person for whom Holy Orthodoxy is quite natural; and the harvest of these true Americans is only beginning."
—St Seraphim Rose
Do You Have Questions About the Orthodox Faith?
And/or are you interested in finding out how to become an Orthodox Christian? If so, we say glory to God! We suggest attending a few services and then contacting us.
If you live outside of the general vicinity of Astoria, Oregon, find an Orthodox Church near you.
