Do I have to be Greek to attend Sts. Constantine & Helen?

Absolutely, no!

The Orthodox Church views itself as the historic church, the church of the New Testament, and as such, it is open to all who seek a relationship with the living God, and who wish to abide by the traditions and doctrines taught by our Lord Jesus Christ to his Apostles, and by the Apostles to the subsequent generations of Christians.

Orthodox Churches have the reputation of being ethnic havens. This is because most Orthodox parishes in the USA were founded in the last 50-100 years by immigrants from another country. Historically speaking, the Orthodox churches have been strongest in the Mediterranean area and in Eastern Europe. The first churches in the United States were started by immigrants crossing from Siberia into Alaska; later, by others from Europe. Many of these communities have strong ties to the communities of their ancestral homes. Sts Constantine & Helen was founded in the 1950’s by people who were either immigrants or the children of immigrants.

Today the majority of parishioners consider English to be their first language. Most have a least one parent of Greek heritage, but there are also parishioners of African and Asian ancestry. Among the current members of our Parish Council, six of the twelve have a non-Greek surname.

The services are conducted mostly in English, with a few hymns and prayers in Greek. There are two reasons for the usage of Greek- to communicate with those who first language is Greek and to honor the Greek heritage of this community and the Christian church.

The term “Greek” Orthodox has two connotations. One is that the New Testament was written in Greek and the hymns, prayers and writings of the early church were also written in Greek. The other is that the founders of our parish had strong ties to the church community of their birth and/or ancestry. This historical reality does not negate the “catholic” or universal calling of the church to be a spiritual home for all who seek salvation.

Do I have to be Greek to attend Sts. Constantine & Helen? No. Everyone is welcome to visit and pray with us. However, if you wish to receive sacraments, you must be a practicing Orthodox Christian. If you are not quite sure what this means, perhaps the best thing to do would be to speak with an Orthodox priest.

5/07/08