About St. Catherine Orthodox Church | Orthodox Christianity in Aiken

Christ is in Our Midst! He is and ever shall be.

St Catherine Orthodox Church is a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, specifically the Diocese of Miami and the Southest. This is the American jurisdiction of the same Church of Antioch mentioned in the New Testament (Acts 11:26). The parish was founded in 1995 to foster Orthodox Christian community in the area of Aiken. We are a close-knit community of welcoming people with a passion for serving one another.

The Nicene Creed

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 worlds, Light of Light, Very God of Very 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 sits 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 proceeds 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 world to come. Amen.

What we believe

The Orthodox Church has continuity of faith since the time of Christ and the Apostles. A good description of the basics of Orthodox teachings can be found on the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. A summary of the foundation of our faith is found in the Nicene Creed.

What to expect as a visitor

The divine services of the Orthodox Church are liturgical. Our primary Sunday service is call the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom and has been in use for over 1,000 years. We may hold a short service of Psalms and prayers called the 9th Hour just before the Liturgy. If you arrive before the Liturgy starts, other parishioners may be quiet and prayerful as they prepare for the service. Most greetings and socialization will take place after the service.

Near the entrance of the Church is a basket of booklets containing the structure of the services. The Divine Liturgy booklets are in an ivory color and are labeled (the red booklets are for our Saturday evening Vespers services).

You do not need to overthink what to wear. You will find our parishioners in a wide range from casual to semi-formal. During the service, you will notice that many people stand for nearly the entire duration of the service. Please do not feel compelled to do so. If you are interested, the introduction to the Divine Liturgy service booklet calls attention to which parts are most worth standing for. Also, you do not need to feel embarrassed by any noise made by young children - we already has some vocal toddlers in our parish! If you would be more comfortable, however, feel free to go to the back room where there are some seats and toys.

We usually share some food and fellowship immediately following a Liturgy.

Other activities and ministries

In addition to regularly scheduled services, we sometimes hold special services for major feast days. We also hold Bible Study (at Fr Gregory's House) on Monday nights and Catechism class (over Zoom) on Tuesday nights. Our women's group (Myrrh-Bearing Women) meets twice per month as well. See the calendar page for updates or exceptions to our regular schedule.

We regularly collect donations of food items for Area Churches Together Serving (ACTS). We are assigned by ACTS an item to donate for each month of the year. See specifics on our ACTS page.

Leadership