• What is Orthodox Christianity? What is Greek Orthodox Christianity?

The Orthodox Church traces its origins back to the first Christian Pentecost in 33 A.D., when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church. Our theology and our worship derive from the teachings of Jesus Christ Himself and of His Apostles. The Orthodox faith represents an unbroken tradition that has preserved the timeless truths of the early Church and continues to highlight their relevance to each new generation of Christians. Orthodoxy is not only a body of theological doctrines: it is a sacramental way of life that opens to the faithful a richer experience of reality.

Greek Orthodoxy refers to those parts of the Orthodox Church where Christian tradition has been shaped by Greek civilization, language, and music. It is worth remembering that the New Testament itself was written in Greek, and that Greek culture has played an important role in transmitting the Christian message, not just in obvious places such as Greece itself or Cyprus, but also in the Greek diaspora.

The Orthodox Church consists of many independent regional or national churches (e.g., Greek, Russian, Serbian, Romanian) and has roughly a quarter of a billion members worldwide. America's complex history of immigration has produced different Orthodox jurisdictions representing many of these traditions. They vary in language, music, and even architecture, but they share the same theology, the same sacraments, and the same Apostolic tradition.

To learn more about the structure and history of the Orthodox Church, please read our introductory article.

• What if I am not Greek?

That is not a problem in the slightest. The vast majority of Orthodox Christians are not Greek, and being Greek Orthodox does not require you to be Greek any more than being Roman Catholic would require you to be Roman. If you attend our Sunday Liturgy, you will likely hear the Lord's Prayer recited in a number of languages other than Greek and English, a fact that reflects the diverse national backgrounds of our congregants.

• What is the Divine Liturgy, and what can I expect when I come to Liturgy?

The Divine Liturgy is the most important of all Orthodox Christian church services. It is celebrated every Sunday of the year and often on other days of the week. It is central to our worship because it is when we sacramentally receive Holy Communion (and is therefore our equivalent of a Western "mass"). The Divine Liturgy includes prayer, music, and readings from Holy Scripture. Sunday Liturgies highlight the Resurrection of Christ; each Sunday is thus a little Pascha (Easter).

The Liturgy is an image and foretaste of the Divine Kingdom. In it, the faithful step outside of ordinary time and have mystical access to eternally relevant events: the Last Supper, Christ's sacrifice, and the Resurrection. Our most profound encounter with God, Holy Communion, is at the center of the Divine Liturgy, and the beauty with which the sacrament is celebrated has been for many the prime attraction of Orthodox Christianity. Over a thousand years ago, Russian emissaries witnessed the Divine Liturgy being celebrated in Constantinople and related that they did not know whether they were in heaven or on earth.

• What is Orthros?

Frequently the Divine Liturgy is preceded by Orthros, which is a prayerful, educational, and very musical service that highlights the themes of any day in the life of the Church. Any Sunday Orthros evokes, among other things, the experience of the original Easter morning, when Christ's tomb was found empty, revealing that He had resurrected from the dead.

• May I receive communion?

Holy Communion is reserved for baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves through prayer, fasting, and confession, according to the guidelines of the Church. If you are not yet ready to receive communion, you are warmly encouraged to come forward at the end of the Divine Liturgy to receive antidoron (blessed bread) distributed by the priest as a blessing and as a sign of our hospitality.

• How do I become Orthodox?

The Orthodox Church is intended for all people, and becoming Orthodox is not at all difficult. Annunciation Cathedral offers classes for adults who would like to be catechized and acculturated in the life of the Church. Converts are received by the sacraments of baptism and/or chrismation, depending on their previous religious background. Contact us for more information.

• How do I know when to stand, when to sit, when to make the sign of the cross, etc.?

Orthodox worship has a rich physical vocabulary that can take time to learn. Start slowly by imitating the people around you to whatever extent you feel comfortable. You will gradually learn that standing, for example, is the appropriate position for certain kinds of prayer and for receiving a blessing, among other things. We have our own way of making the sign of the cross, where the placement of the fingers of the hand represents our belief in the Trinity and in the two natures of Christ. If you talk to the cathedral staff or attend one of our classes (Introduction to Orthodoxy and Foundations of Orthodoxy), you can learn how to do it properly.

• How can I follow along with the service?

Most Orthodox worship services are different from day to day because they are meant to reflect special themes and commemorations of saints as are appointed in the Orthodox calendar. For that reason, particularly during an Orthros service, you might benefit from seeing the exact text of the service being said on your mobile phone or tablet. The Digital Chant Stand app is free and available from Apple's App Store and the Google Play store and will provide you with a text very close to what the priest, chanters, and choir are using.

• I have so many questions. Who can help me?

It is natural to feel overwhelmed by the richness of our faith. Our priest, Fr. Constantine Economos, and our various teachers and evangelism coordinators are happy to provide answers and guidance as you make your spiritual journey.

• What should I do first?

Come to Divine Liturgy (consult our online calendar for times). Regular attendance at church services is irreplaceable as a means of seeing how we worship and what we believe. If your schedule does not permit Sunday worship, consider joining us for a weekday evening service. Join one or both of our classes (they both permit online attendance). And, if you are with us on a Sunday, come to our coffee hour — we would love to meet you.