(Just FYI - if you're primarily looking for info about finding an Orthodox parish to attend, or what to expect from an Orthodox service, scroll to near the bottom to find that) ===============================WHAT IS ORTHODOXY?=============================== The Eastern Orthodox Church - more properly called, per its official title, the Orthodox Catholic Church - is nothing less than the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded at Pentecost; the original and most perfect form of Christianity. This might seem like a radical claim to make due to the competing claim made by the Roman Catholics, along with the dozens of Protestant denominations that currently exist and say that the Church is merely an "invisible union" of all true Christians. Nonetheless, the Orthodox confess this to be the historical truth, although we love and greatly respect our fellow Christians who happen, for complex historical circumstances, to not be Orthodox. A longer answer is that the Orthodox Church is the second-largest organized confession of Christians on Earth, with somewhere between 200-300 million professing adherents. It's the primary form of Christianity that exists in Russia, Greece, almost all of the Balkans, and much of the Middle East (including in Israel/Palestine and Jerusalem itself, the very birthplace of Christianity). It has historically been an incredibly important part of Christendom - the Byzantine Empire, which preserved huge amounts of literature, philosophy, and art while the West descended into the so-called Dark Ages - was the center of Orthodoxy for well over 1,000 years. It's also the Church that has, more than any other organized Christian confession, retained the traditional teachings and practices of the faith in the face of modern, "liberalizing" influences. Despite the fact that hundreds of millions of people all over the world embrace Orthodoxy, it has only recently begun to make significant inroads into the Western world. For the first 1,000 years of Christianity, both what has come to be known as "Roman Catholicism" and Orthodoxy were united as one Church. But due to disputes over how powerful the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) was supposed to be, among other things, the West split with the Orthodox East around 1054 AD. Over the centuries, most people in the West simply forgot Orthodoxy even existed. Even when Protestantism emerged in the 1500s and broke with Roman Catholicism, Protestants were largely unaware of the Orthodox Church and its teachings due to the vast distance that separated them from the East. But in the 1800s and 1900s, immigration of Greeks, Slavs, and Arabs to North America and Western Europe served to reintroduce Orthodoxy to the West. Conversions to Orthodoxy by Protestants and Catholics began to occur as well - slowly at first, but, especially beginning in the 1960s-80s, they began to become extremely noticeable to those who look. There are now over 1,200 Orthodox churches and around 1 million adherents in the United States alone, and it not uncommon at all to find parishes where the majority of parishioners - sometimes even the priest himself - are converts to Orthodoxy. So it's not something you have to "be Greek" or "be Russian" to be. Orthodoxy is for everyone, no matter his country or ethnicity. If you're at all interested in learning about Orthodoxy, the below resources and FAQ should be able to help you familiarize yourself with it. ===============================ORTHODOX RESOURCES=============================== The following websites/videos/books are labelled (Beginner) for people who are totally new to Orthodoxy and (Intermediate) for those who already know some of the basics. Information About Orthodoxy: -----https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLXxULchJCYPZF4SlG8XS4A (Beginner): A collection of useful videos giving short, simple explanations about various aspects of the Orthodox faith to those totally unfamiliar with the Church. -----http://ww1.antiochian.org/discover (Beginner/Intermediate): An extremely good collection of various articles about Orthodoxy. If you're totally new, start with the "Introducing Orthodoxy" articles. -----https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church (Beginner/Intermediate): Yes, it's a wiki article, but it's actually a really good (if long) description of what the Orthodox Church is like, along with its history. -----https://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith (Beginner/Intermediate): A digitized version of a ~1000 page 4-volume series about Orthodoxy by the former dean of St. Vladimir's Seminary in the USA. It's organized into numerous categories and sub-categories, allowing you to hone in on any aspect of Orthodoxy you want to learn about. -----http://www.pravoslavieto.com/docs/eng/Orthodox_Catechism_of_Philaret.htm (Intermediate): A very long catechism that has historically been used by the Russian Orthodox Church. If you're a fan of question-answer style catechisms, this is a pretty good one. General Websites: -----https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/ (Beginner/Intermediate): A collection of simple and easy-to-read blogs run by Ancient Faith, the largest Orthodox evangelizing group in America. Since several new posts are made every day, it's a great way to familiarize yourself with Orthodoxy. -----http://journeytoorthodoxy.com/ (Beginner): A collection of stories from converts to Orthodoxy from various backgrounds. A good resource for new people to read so that they can see the paths that others took to arrive at Orthodoxy. -----http://ww1.antiochian.org/content/first-visit-orthodox-church-twelve-things -i-wish-id-known (Beginner): A really good article with tips for attending an Orthodox liturgy on Sunday for the first time. -----https://oca.org/saints/lives (Beginner/Intermediate): A basic collection of Orthodox hagiographies (lives of the saints) showing you short stories about the various saints commemorated on a given day. -----https://oca.org/orthodoxy/prayers (Beginner/Intermediate): A basic collection of morning/evening prayers, along with various other ones for common needs. -----http://www.saintgregoryoutreach.org/ (Beginner/Intermediate): Another collection of more prayers, including ones for more detailed needs. -----http://orthochristian.com/ (Intermediate): Another major Orthodox blog with new posts every day. It tends to post articles for a specifically Orthodox audience that, while extremely informative, are perhaps more detailed than people totally new to Orthodoxy will understand. -----http://www.pravmir.com/ (Intermediate): Another Orthodox blog similar to Orthochristian in complexity. -----http://byztex.blogspot.com/ (Intermediate): A content-aggregator blog specializing in news stories. Useful for those who already understand what's going on in world Orthodoxy. -----http://www.abbamoses.com/fasting.html (Intermediate): A site listing the Orthodox fasting rules, for those wishing to do this. Make SURE you talk to a priest first, however, before beginning such efforts. Videos: -----https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au3GeeOXHcM&t=22m30s A video of a liturgy done in English in a Russian Orthodox Church. Because Orthodox churches do the same liturgy in every church, almost every Sunday, this video will give you a very good overview of what you'll encounter in an Orthodox church the first time you attend. -----https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VNdXMFleBM An audio version of a liturgy in English, though one done in the "Greek" style of singing, instead of the Russian style. -----https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mXl8C4-M_4X The first part of a two-part series about Mount Athos, one of the centers of Orthodox monastic life - a mountain in Greece where 2,000 monks live. This will give you a brief, but good, glimpse of what Orthodox monasticism and spirituality is like. -----https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm2qSeiTCfI An extremely aesthetic video explaining certain elements of the Orthodox liturgy. Well worth a watch, especially once you've already been to a liturgy or two. Books: -----https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Revelation-Human-Heart-Seraphim/dp/0938635034 (Beginner): A wonderful and very short (50 page) "letter" addressed to people seeking religious truth about the purpose of religion and why Orthodoxy should be their goal. -----https://www.amazon.com/Orthodox-Church-Introduction-Eastern-Christianity/dp /014198063X (Beginner/Intermediate): The first-ever "introduction to Orthodoxy" book written in English, and generally considered to still be the best one on the market for those curious about Orthodoxy. -----https://www.amazon.com/Orthodox-Faith-4-Set-Updated/dp/0866420878 (Beginner/Intermediate): A detailed 4-volume series on a huge number of aspects of Orthodoxy. A free version is also available online at https://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith. -----https://www.amazon.com/Orthodox-Confession-Catholic-Apostolic-Eastern/dp/11 12173943 (Intermediate): A 17th century catechism approved by the Patriarchs of Moscow, Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem. It's quite good at explaining what Orthodoxy teaches. -----https://www.amazon.com/Laurus-Eugene-Vodolazkin/dp/178074871X (Beginner/Intermediate): Though this is a fiction book, it beautifully illustrates a lot of elements about Orthodoxy, especially Orthodox spirituality and mysticism. Anyone new to Orthodoxy will learn a lot from reading this book. -----https://www.amazon.com/Hours-Typica-St-Tikhons-Monastery/dp/1878997823 (Beginner/Intermediate): A short Orthodox prayer book containing the "prayers of the Hours" to be prayed daily. A great book to get if you're looking to establish a consistent prayer life. -----https://www.amazon.com/Psalter-Prayer-David-Mitchell-James/dp/0884654184 (Beginner/Intermediate): The Psalms, arranged in the traditional Orthodox style with notes on which to read every day of the week/year. Also great to get for those looking to have a regular prayer rule. -----https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Book-Holy-Trinity-Monastery/dp/0884651754 (Intermediate): An Orthodox English prayer book containing many of the more famous Orthodox prayers, including morning and evening prayers and well-known canons and akathists. Music/Podcasts: -----http://www.ancientfaith.com/radio A streaming service that runs Orthodox music 24/7, along with streaming liturgies every Sunday morning. -----http://radio.myocn.net:8080/;stream/1 Another service that streams Orthodox music constantly. -----https://www.youtube.com/user/Callixtinus A great channel with a ton of old Gregorian chants, Byzantine chants, and Russian chants. -----http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts A collection of podcasts from Orthodox priests and laypeople. The ones by Father Thomas Hopko are often considered to be especially good, though they are all worth checking out. Church Locators (labelled with what countries they show listings for) (please note that this Pastebin cannot vouch for the accuracy or completeness of non-US church locators, and you should always independently use Google to confirm which churches exist near you): -----http://www.assemblyofbishops.org/directories/parishes?parish=&clergy=&city= &state=52&searchType=parish (USA/Canada): Probably the best locator that shows you Orthodox Churches in America, along with their jurisdictions (see the FAQ of this pastebin) and websites. It's generally about 95% accurate. -----https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ (USA/Canada/Mexico): Another locator. Not quite as accurate as the one above, but it makes the jurisdiction of each parish more obvious. -----http://www.assemblyofbishops.org/assets/files/news/scoba/AtlasOfMonasteries SecondEditionBookmarkedOptimumSize.pdf (USA): A list of all Orthodox monasteries in America, plus descriptions of many of them. A very fun read, too. -----https://orthodox-world.org/en/index (All countries): A site attempting to catalogue the location of all Orthodox churches in the world - useful for those not in the United States or Canada. -----http://www.orthodox.net.au/en/map#!/catid=5;4;3;6;2;7;8 (Australia/New Zealand): This website also specifically clarifies whether a given church does services in English or not. -----https://www.englishliturgy.org/ (United Kingdom): Please note that this one ONLY lists Orthodox parishes that do their liturgies in English. -----https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=de&mid=1nidkyDH_32L0BWbn-sCkyuvGsy0 &ll=51.104832676796306%2C9.756949425850053&z=6 (Germany) -------------------Western Rite Section-------------------- The "Western Rite" is a relatively recent movement in Orthodoxy that attempts to use the traditional liturgies of the West while maintaining the beliefs of the Orthodox Church. Western Rite churches, while fully Orthodox, thus tend to have church services that look more "Catholic" or Anglican than traditional Orthodox services. Only about 3% or so of Orthodox parishes in the USA are Western Rite, but it's a growing movement. ----https://www.orthodoxwest.com/ A major Western Rite site with lots of resources and information about the Rite. ----https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I4nB2CLIP0 A video of a Western Rite mass. ----https://www.orthodoxwest.com/locate-a-church A list of all Western Rite parishes under the Antiochan jurisdiction. ----https://www.rocor-wr.org/parishes A list of all other Western Rite parishes (these are under the "ROCOR" jurisdiction). ----https://westernorthodox.info/links/parishes.html A complete list of all Western Rite parishes, both within the United States and in other countries. ==================================ORTHODOX FAQ================================== -Q: Why do some Orthodox Churches call themselves "Greek Orthodox" or "Russian Orthodox" or "Serbian Orthodox," and stuff like this? Are they different denominations? Are only Greeks or Russians or Serbs allow to go there? -A: They're not different denominations; those names only exist in the West due to the fact that most Orthodox churches here were founded by immigrants. The names denote the community that founded them and the jurisdiction of the Church that governs them on a day-to-day basis. All the different "ethnic names" are all part of the same Church and are all friendly with each other. If you become Orthodox, nothing binds you to one specific jurisdiction - if you join a Serbian Orthodox parish, nothing stops you from attending services at a nearby Russian Orthodox parish, for instance. -Q: There's a parish near me that has "Mission" in its name. What does that mean? -A: A "mission" generally is a smaller Orthodox congregation. What exactly this means varies widely. The smallest missions are sometimes just 10 or so people who don't have a permanent building, and who primarily do lay services ("typica" services) with a priest that visits them once a month or so. Larger missions have 30-40 regular attendees with full-time priests, and some even have small churches. If there's one near you, you should check their websites to see exactly what kind of services they do. -Q: I looked up churches near me, and there's a bunch of different ones: some are Greek, some are Antiochan, some are "OCA"... which should I go to for my first time? -A: As mentioned above, all the different "ethnicities" of Orthodox Churches are fully Orthodox. However, each jurisdiction does have its own culture due to its unique history in America, and some are more preferable than others when one is new to Orthodoxy. Below is a list of the different major jurisdictions in America and a description for each. Please keep in mind that each parish has its own culture, so the following descriptions are just general and will not apply in every church: ----1. Greek Orthodox (GOARCH): The biggest jurisdiction in America in terms of both numbers and resources - about half of all Orthodox in the USA attend Greek churches. The heavy majority do their services in English, so they are always options for first-time visitors. They do tend to retain a noticeable "ethnic" component, the extent of which varies in each parish (some have it heavily, some don't have it at all), so non-Greeks who make a Greek church their home parish might occasionally feel a bit out of place. ----2. Orthodox Church of America (OCA): THE convert jurisdiction, and the only fully "native" Orthodox Church that exists in America. It was given independence in the 1970s by its mother church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and quickly became known for its desire to create a fully Orthodox, yet still American, culture within its parishes. All services are in English, the majority of parishioners are themselves converts, and their priests love nothing more than talking to non-Orthodox people who are interested in Orthodoxy. You can't go wrong with an OCA church for a first-time visit to an Orthodox church. ----3. Antiochan Orthodox: The second major convert-friendly jurisdiction after the OCA, despite the fact that the Antiochan Church is based out of Syria. In the 1980s, several thousand evangelical Protestants converted to Orthodoxy through the Antiochan Church, and this group transformed the Antiochans in America into an extremely pro-convert jurisdiction. Though their liturgy often retains a notable Arabic "flavor," most Antiochan churches do their services entirely or mostly in English and, like the OCA, are filled with friendly parishioners and priests who will welcome newcomers into their church and are happy to teach them about Orthodoxy. ----4. Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR): A pretty small jurisdiction, but a notable one. They descend from Russians who fled from the USSR when the communists took over in Russia, and who broke off from the Russian Church. It was only in 2007 that they rejoined the Russian Orthodox Church as an autonomous branch, and their time in "exile" has given them a unique culture. They tend to be convert-friendly (most ROCOR churches do their services in English, and there are many ROCOR priests who are converts) while retaining a tremendously pro-Russian outlook, viewing Russia as an example for American Orthodox to follow. They also are generally recognized as the most "conservative" Orthodox jurisdiction in America, in terms of both their adherence to tradition and their politics. ----5. Carpatho-Rusyn Orthodox: This is one of the tiniest groups in America, and is in fact an autonomous part of the Greek Orthodox Church, but is worth mentioning solely because, for whatever reason, it tends to be as convert-friendly as the OCA and the Antiochans. If you live near one, it's a good choice for a first-time visit. ----6. Serbian Orthodox: A relatively small jurisdiction, but still large enough to be worth mentioning. It's very similar to Greek Orthodox churches in that most churches do their services in English, but each parish has different degrees of an "ethnic" component. Still, like the Greek Church, there are many that are great and convert-friendly. There are some other tiny jurisdictions in America not included above (such as the Ukrainian Orthodox, the Russian Moscow Patriarchate (MP) Churches, the Romanian Orthodox, etc.), but it's unlikely you'll encounter any such churches, and if you do, it's almost guaranteed there will be others of the larger jurisdictions nearby. -Q: Okay, I'm interested in attending a liturgy. What should I know about it before I go? -A: First off, I recommend watching at least a few minutes of a video of a liturgy on Youtube to get the general "vibe" or what one is like. A good one is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au3GeeOXHcM&t=22m30s, but there are others. Beyond that, there are numerous guides online for those attending a liturgy for the first time. One of the more popular ones is http://ww1.antiochian.org/content/first-visit-orthodox-church-twelve-things-i-wi sh-id-known. Beyond that, here's some general tips: ----1. When you look at a church's website to see what time services start, you'll often notice something called "Orthros" or Matins taking place before the "Divine Liturgy." The Divine Liturgy is the main service, with Orthros/Matins being a "preparation" service for that. This is just a monastic style service consisting mostly of chanting (most people don't attend it fully, and only start showing up ~15 mins. before the Liturgy starts. So when you walk in, if you hear chanting going on, don't be afraid - you didn't show up late. ----2. The liturgy is about 90 minutes, so it's longer than most Protestant or Catholic services. Additionally, Orthodox stand during almost the entire service - many churches don't even have pews! But if you need to sit, you can, and no one will judge you. ----3. People will be bowing and crossing themselves a lot during the service. Again, if you're new, don't worry about the fact that you're not doing this, no one will judge you or wonder why you aren't doing it. ----4. About an hour and 15 minutes or so into the Liturgy, communion will be offered. Like with Catholics, and unlike most Protestant churches, those who receive it go up to the front of the church to take it from the priest, rather than it being passed out to the congregation. Non-Orthodox can NOT receive communion, so please don't go up. ----5. When the service ends, there's a protocol to properly leave the church. Everyone gets in a line and goes up to the priest. When you approach him, he holds out a cross, which you kiss, then you kiss his hand. Then he hands you some antidoron (blessed bread), which you eat while you leave.