Orthodox Mission Worldwide

Despite this, the faith of the locals remains strong; Bp. Alexei recently visited the faithful there, but he had left his hierarchical vestments behind. Not willing to miss a hierarchical liturgy, the people of Atka hired a pilot to fly them in and the liturgy began at 2PM, their enthusiasm unmarred by the fast. The suffering of the faithful there is great, but with the introduction of new endowed funds to support the operations of the diocese, God willing they will receive relief soon.

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Atka, AK. Founded in 1825, it is one of the westernmost parishes of the OCA Diocese of Alaska. St. Jacob Netsvetov was born on this island, and played a key role in the founding of the parish. The United States Armed Forces burned the church down in World War 2 as part of defensive preparations for a possible Japanese invasion. It was rebuilt, but the wood was green and the church eventually rotted out, with the current one being built in 1996. The Diocese of Alaska has a longstanding clerical shortage going back to the sale of Alaska to the United States, and this parish has not had a permanent priest since 1899.

Parish of the Holy Trinity in Oberá, Argentina. A parish of the Diocese of Argentina and all South America under the Moscow Patriarchate, it is the largest church in the province of Misiones and the center of Orthodox pastoral work there. The Church has been present in the region since the 1940s, supporting the Russian immigrant population there. While the parish is still mostly Russian, it is home to several Latino converts, most notably being the rector himself, Abbot Bartholomew Oviedo. A Paraguayan man, he oversees this parish and the other Orthodox churches of Misiones.

Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Chicago, IL. Founded in 1997, it is a parish of the OCA Diocese of Chicago and the Midwest, and one of three parishes belonging to the diocese in the city proper. The church was purchased from a collapsing Anglican denomination, and the parish boasts a unique blend of Anglican and Orthodox aesthetics. The parish was open for just over a year before needing to close temporarily for renovations. Fr. John Baker came in 2004 and his work over the next 17 years helped build up the parish and place it on solid footing for the future. Thanks in no small part to his work the temple was able to be consecrated by Abp. Job in 2008, and the faithful there look to a bright future.

St. Philip the Apostle Russian Orthodox Church in Sharkah, United Arab Emirates. Completed in 2011, it is a stavropegial church of the Moscow Patriarchate. The church bears golden crosses on each of its five domes, a feature rarely permitted for churches built in Muslim countries. Likewise its massive floorspace makes it the largest church of any kind in the United Arab Emirates. While Christianity is still small in the Arabian Peninsula, this church cuts an imposing figure and reminds everyone who sees it of the glory that Christ is rightly given. The clergy from this parish also pastor the faithful of the Church in various cities of Iran, carrying out the blessed works of the Church in a hostile land.

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Paris, France. Completed in 1861, it is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe under the Moscow Patriarchate, though this body operated under the Ecumenical Patriarchate until 2019. The parish itself precedes the construction of the cathedral, and was inaugurated in 1816 with a decree by Tsar Alexander I. Today the cathedral and the archdiocese occupy a key point of intersection between the Russian Orthodox Church and French society, with Met. Jean being a Frenchman and famous French actor Gérard Depardieu being baptized at the cathedral in 2020. As the Church bears witness of Orthodoxy, more and more of the French are finding their home within its communion.

Christ the King Orthodox Church in Tullytown, PA. Founded in 1994, it is a parish of the Western Rite Communities of ROCOR. The building itself is a good deal older, dating back to 1874 and is listed as a historic church of Bucks County. The Orthodox Western Rite exists to integrate Western Christians into the Church, but it is as of now very small and this is the only such parish to exist in Pennsylvania.

Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in Harbin, China. A parish of the now inactive Diocese of Harbin under the autonomous Chinese Orthodox Church, the parish began with a prayer house that was built in 1902. It was replaced by a wooden church in 1922 and then the current stone church was donated in 1930. After the Chinese Revolution many Russians and Ukrainians fled, and in 1958 the church was discontinued. It was reopened in 1984 and Fr. Gregory Zhu pastored the church, overseeing a period of much growth among Chinese nationals. After his death it was without a rector for 15 years, but Fr. Alexander Yu took over in 2016. For a time this was the only church in China where Chinese nationals were allowed to attend liturgy, and the parish today testifies to both the resilience of the Orthodox faithful and the hardships that the Church suffers in China to this day.

Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Midrand, South Africa. Founded in 1999 with the assignment of Fr. Sergius, it is the oldest Russian Orthodox parish in South Africa and the de facto cathedral of the Diocese of Johannesburg and Southern Africa under the Moscow Patriarchate. In 2003 the church was completed and its consecration was overseen by the future Pat. Kirill. Today the rector Fr. Daniel undertakes frequent mission trips to support communities elsewhere in South Africa and even in neighboring Namibia.

The conserved ruins of the monastery at Elda, Spain, comparatively recently recognised as the first unequivocally Byzantine monastery discovered in the country.