Schedule of Services
Services at the Cathedral are conducted in English (E) and Church Slavonic (S).
Saturday, January 15
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10:00 am - Divine Liturgy (S)
- 6:00 pm - Vespers on Zoom (S)
- 7:00 pm - Vespers on Zoom (E)
Sunday, January 16
- 9:00 am - Divine Liturgy (E)
Wednesday, January 19
- 9:00 am - Divine Liturgy (S) - Theophany and Blessing of the Water (OC)
Saturday, January 22
- 6:00 pm - Vespers on Zoom (S)
- 7:00 pm - Vespers on Zoom (E)
Sunday, January 23
- 9:00 am - Divine Liturgy (E)
Saturday, January 29
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10:00 am - Divine Liturgy (S)
- 6:00 pm - Vespers on Zoom (S)
- 7:00 pm - Vespers on Zoom (E)
Sunday, December 30
- 9:00 am - Divine Liturgy (E)
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Please find access information below for the Vespers on Zoom
Slavonic Vespers (Saturdays at 6:00PM)
Meeting ID: 495 705 7491
Password: 663978
English Vespers (Saturdays at 7:00PM)
Meeting ID: 210 068 7480
Password: 208156
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Pastoral Care
Clergy are available by phone and email for spiritual care as needed. If you want to set up an appointment, please find clergy contact information below. You can find the website Pastoral Care page here.
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Scripture Readings for January 16
Colossians 3:12-16
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Luke 18:18-27
18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26
And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
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The Lord's Baptism - The Blessing of Water
Water does not mean much to us today. It’s one of life’s essential comforts, accessible automatic, cheap. You turn on the tap and there it is… However, for thousands of years water was a primary religious symbol and to understand why this was so we must recover the almost completely extinguished feeling for the cosmos.
To people of the ancient world, water was no less than a symbol of life itself and of the world as life … Water is truly a precondition for life. One can go without food for a long time, but without water a person will die very quickly, so we can say that human beings are by nature thirsty beings. Without water cleanliness is impossible, co water is also a symbol of cleansing and purity. Water as life and as purity, but also beauty, power and might, as we see it reflect and absorb, so to speak, the boundless blue sky. All of this describes the perception or experience of water that placed it at the centre of religious symbolism.
Go into a church the eve of Epiphany while the “Great Blessing of Water” is being celebrated. Listen to the words of the prayers and hymns, pay attention to the rite, and you feel that there is more here than merely ancient ritual: it has something to say to us today, just as it did a thousand years ago, about our life and our perpetual and unquenchable thirst for purification, rebirth, renewal… In this celebration water becomes what it was on the first day of Creation, when “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). The words of the service echo this in praise and thanksgiving: “Great are You, O Lord, and marvellous are Your works, and there are no words which suffice to hymn Your wonders…” Once again, humanity stands before the mystery of existence. Once again, we experience the world joyfully and we see its beauty and harmony as God’s gift. Once again we give thanks. And in this thanksgiving, praise and joy we once again become genuine human beings.
The joy of Epiphany is in the recovery of a cosmic experience of the world, of recovering faith that everything and everyone can always be washed, purified, renewed, reborn and that regardless of how dirty and clouded with mud our life has become, no matter what swamp we might have rolled in, we always have access to a purifying stream of living water, because humanity’s thirst for heaven, goodness, perfection and beauty is not dead, nor can it ever die. Indeed, this thirst alone makes us human beings. “Great are You, our Lord, and marvellous are your works, and there are not words which suffice to hymn Your wonders…” Who said Christianity is depressing and grim, morbid and sad, and pulls human beings away from life? Look at the faces of worshippers that night and see the light and joy that shines as they listen to the psalm thundering its exultation, “The voice of the Lord is upon the waters” (Ps 29:3), as they watch the priest sprinkling volleys of blessed water throughout the church and those glittering drops fly as if throughout the whole world, making that world once again a possibility and a promise, the raw material for a mysterious miracle of transformation and transfiguration. God Himself entered this water in the form of a man; He united Himself not only with humanity, but also with all matter and made all of it a radiant, light-bearing stream flowing towards life and joy.
But none of this can be experienced or sensed without repentance, without a deep change of consciousness, without the conversion of mind and heart, without the ability to see everything in a new light. This was precisely the repentance John the Baptist preached and which made it possible to see Jesus approaching the river Jordan and lovingly accept Him as God Himself who from the beginning of time loved the human race and created the whole world for us as an image of His love, eternity and joy.
Fr. Alexander Schmemann
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This Week's Events
Please note that access information for all Zoom sessions is the same, and is listed at the bottom.
Tuesday, January 18
- 7:00 pm - Fr. Michael's adult education on Zoom
Wednesday, January 19
- 7:00 pm - Choir rehearsal in the nave
Thursday, January 20
- 7:00 pm - Michael Haldas' adult education on Zoom
Zoom Access Information
Meeting ID: 210 068 7480
Password: 208156
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Currently at St. Nicholas |
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Pennies for Alaska: 2021 Report
Congratulations! The Pennies For Alaska total collection in 2021 was $778.93. Thank you for the flurry of donations which came in the fourth quarter of the year. Half a dozen canisters were taken home to start new coin collections. This was made possible in part by the return of empty canisters which attracted new donors. We are grateful for the generous checks sent in the mail and submitted online.
We have started the new year with a most welcome donation from a young brother and sister in our parish who decided to pool "their own money" after the holidays to give a generous $45 to Pennies For Alaska. Grateful thanks to all contributors for your continued support of St. Herman Seminary in Kodiak, AK.
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Pledging for the Year 2022
Dear brothers and sisters,
St. Nicholas Cathedral thanks you for your generous and loving support throughout the years, and especially over the past two years when so many have faced difficult circumstances.
If you would like to pledge for the coming fiscal year (February 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023) online, rather than by filling out a paper copy, you can find the form to complete here. We appreciate the return of your pledge as soon as possible.
St. Nicholas Cathedral has always been blessed with talented parishioners who have organized and participate in multiple activities and initiatives that enrich the life of our parish and community. We are grateful to all who are working to ensure that our Cathedral remains a center of Orthodoxy and spirituality.
Every generous gift will support our Cathedral's ongoing ministries, services and necessary renovation projects.
We thank God that we again are able to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and other services together. We also are continuing our online education programs, prayer and services to enhance understanding of our Orthodox faith. Thank you again for your continued support.
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2022 Calendars Available
Dear brothers and sisters,
Liturgical calendars for 2022 will be available starting on Christmas Day at the Cathedral. They will be at the back of the church and can be picked up after Divine Liturgy. Please, just one per family. Due to high postage costs, calendars will not be mailed this year.
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Mask Wearing Update
Dear brothers and sisters,
The DC government has reinstated its requirement that masks be worn indoors. St. Nicholas had continued to require masks to ensure the safety of our parishioners and clergy, but we wanted you to be aware that it is now a requirement in the District. Masks must cover one's nose and mouth.
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Daily Prayer and Reading in Russian
Dear brothers and sisters,
Please join us for prayer/reading in Russian daily at 6:00 pm on Zoom.
Please note for those who do not have a computer, you can call in.
Dial by your location
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 495-705-7491
Password: 663978
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Spiritual, Cultural, and Fun Opportunities |
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Opportunities in Medicine
The Culmore Clinic, which provides medical care to the residents of the Falls Church, Arlington and Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia, area, is looking for physicians and nurse practitioners. Both positions are part-time, with the physicians being volunteers and the nurse practitioners being paid positions. If you are interested or know anyone who might be, please contact Lisa Hornstein at 571-380-4923 or lisah@culmoreclinic.org.
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The Russian Ball
Under the Gracious Patronage of Her Imperial Highness The Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, Professor and Mrs. Paul du Quenoy - Chairmen, and Prince Nicholas Obolensky - Co-Chairman,
request the honour of your presence at The Russian Ball, held for the benefit of the Count Vladimir Tolstoy-Miloslavsky Memorial Scholarship Fund.
When: Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 6:30 PM
Where: The Cosmos Club, 2121 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC
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Ongoing at St. Nicholas Cathedral |
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Birthdays and Anniversaries
January Birthdays
- 01 - Fr. Denis Bradley
- 02 - Suzanne Tolstoy
- 08 - Alexandra Gripas
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12 - Galina Slavsky - Milestone
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15 - Nicole Andonov
- 17 - Vadim Massalskiy
- 23 - Matthew Paige
- 24 - Andrey Knyazev
- 28 - Bob Cowgill
- 30 - Nina Shafran
January Anniversaries
- 21 - Svetlana & David Moser
We encourage our parishioners to keep the church informed of your important dates so that we can recognize them publicly. Please email these dates to Andrea Lutov at lululutov@gmail.com.
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Parishioner Memorial Project
Each month we hope to highlight the memory of a departed parishioner or friend of St. Nicholas Cathedral. If you have a loved one or friend that you would like to have featured, please send a short biography with their contributions to our Cathedral life, no matter how great or small - with a digital photo if available - to Lisamik56@gmail.com with the words "Memory Eternal" in the subject line. Please include the date and year of death, as we will try to highlight the departed around an anniversary.
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ADDRESS
3500 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Telephone: 202 333 5060
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