St. Thomas the Apostle Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America (OCA)
St. Louis, MO
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You were a disciple of Christ, and a member of the divine college of Apostles. Having been weak in faith you doubted the Resurrection of Christ, but by feeling the wounds you believed in His all-pure Passion: pray now to Him, O all-praised Thomas, to grant us peace and great mercy.
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Dearly Beloved,
Christ is in our midst!
The month of March brings us this year to the start of the Great Lent (Postul Mare) which, for us, Orthodox Christian, is a school of repentance, its teachers being the great saints, both men and women, and the lessons that are being taught being the services that we will be celebrating, starting from the middle of the month.
For this month, we will be keeping up with our usual schedule for the most part, except that the Catechism class will be taking place on Sundays during Great lent, given the fact that we will be having the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts every Wednesday during this time.
If you’d like to see the schedule of our Church in a printable format, please access the following link here. For the online version, you can go here.
Please also be aware of the fact that tomorrow morning, we will be having a Spring Cleaning at our Church; if you have not already signed to help out, please consider to do so and let us know by accessing the following link here.
As always, please make sure to double-check the Google Calendar on our website (https://www.stthomasstl.org) before coming to one of these services or other events, since at times there may be changes or cancellations to the schedule, due to unforeseen circumstances or unexpected events.
After the Sunday Divine Liturgy, you are of course also invited to join us for the Coffee Hour, generously sponsored by our Church's Aurora Ladies Auxiliary Organization. If you need to, the group will have its second meeting for 2024 on Sunday, March 17, at 1 pm, after the Divine Liturgy. All AURORA members, please try to make all possible effort to attend. Your hard work is an inspiration for all of us!
We hope to see you this Sunday, as well as at the other services held at our Church!
In Christ,
Rev. Fr. Tiberiu Opriș
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Friday March 1st
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6:00 pm – Vespers
(Reader's Service)
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Saturday March 2nd
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8:00 am – Third and Sixth Hours, Typika (Reader's Service)
10:00 am – Church Spring Cleaning
5:00 pm – Great Vespers
6:00 pm – Mystery of Holy Confession
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Sunday March 3rd
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Thirty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
(The Prodigal Son)
8:45 am – Matins
10:00 am – Divine Liturgy
11:30 pm – Sunday School
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Monday March 4th
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6:00 pm – Daily Vespers (Reader's Service)
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Tuesday March 5th
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8:00 am – Daily Matins (Reader's Service)
6:00 pm – Daily Vespers (Reader's Service)
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Wednesday March 6th
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8:00 am – Daily Matins (Reader's Service)
6:00 pm – Daily Vespers (Reader's Service)
7:00 pm – Catechism Class
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On March 25th
The Orthodox faithful celebrate the Feast of The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Birthgiver of God and Ever-Virgin Mary.
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Pan-Orthodox Fundraising Event hosted at our Church
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Friday March 8 @ 6:00 pm
With the blessing of Archbishop NATHANIEL, our Church will be hosting a Pan-Orthodox fundraising event. We will have a special guest joining us from Cameroon, Archimandrite Anastasios (Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria).
The complete schedule is as follows:
- 6pm - Supplications to the Birthgiver of God
- 7pm - Presentation and Refreshments
Feel free to let others know, and bring family, friends, and acquaintances for what promises to be a special evening.
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Praying for each other is a tangible display of our love within the Christian family, a testament to our living faith. Just as our bodies require nourishment, our souls find sustenance in prayer. Scripture echoes this truth—Jesus advises us to 'watch and pray' (Matthew 26:41-42), and St. Paul sought the prayers of his fellow workers (2 Corinthians 1:11). In the words of James, 'Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, for powerful and effective is the prayer of the righteous' (James 5:16).
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Therefore, we invite you to pray for our fellow Orthodox Christians as such:
- For the healing of their soul and body: Magdalena, Hermina, Flori, George, Dianne Elizabeth, Aurica, Flora, Niculina, Antonia, Maria, Florica, Georgeta, Tatiana, Constantin Florin, Ioana.
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For the blessed repose of those fallen asleep in the Lord: Maria, Mother Elizabeth, Protodeacon Taras, Deacon Joseph, Priest Costică Demetriu.
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For the progress in the Orthodox faith of the catechumens at our Church, and in all the Orthodox Churches, and for whom we pray at each and every Divine Liturgy, that they may be numbered among God's chosen flock: Michaela (Jacqueline) and Dymphna (Teresa), and for the inquirer George.
In your mercy, you could also pray for the non-Orthodox Christians who:
- are suffering from various illnesses and afflictions: Diana, Bryan, Alexander, Chanda, Brianna, Haley, Andy, Luigi, Mandy, Dominic, Magdalena.
- have departed from this life: Adrian.
Please continue to pray also for the people who are impacted by the conflict in Ukraine, and also for all those who are suffering from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, especially for the following:
Archimandrite Teofil, Protosyngellos Ioan, Protosyngellos Roman, Priestmonk Avraam, Nun Nicodima, Nun Nicolaida, Nun Tavita, Nun Iustina, Nun Veronica, Sister Maria, Sister Floarea, Sister Dorina, Sister Elena, Gabriel with his family, Roxana with her family, Priest David with his family.
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Sound Technician - Enhance church acoustics.
Photography/Videography - Capture moments during services and events.
We're always seeking new ways for members to engage. Feel called to serve in these or other roles? Or have skills to benefit our community? Please reach out to Fr. Tiberiu via email or phone.
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Andrei Ștefănescu, the FOCUS (Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve) representative for our Church, has set u p a collection bin for your donations in the social area of St. Thomas. We will periodically take your donations to St Michael's Orthodox Church, the HQ of FOCUS - St Louis / Gateway City. This is a great opportunity to put into practice what we hear preached at Church, so all of us are highly encouraged to participate as much as it is within our power, thus allowing Christ to work in and through us (the Liturgy after the Liturgy).
As part of the FOCUS Gateway City Pantry and Clothing Closet Rotation, our Church has been asked to bring the following items only:
- Towels (small hand towels, please no bath towels)
- Women's bras
- Men's underwear
- Men’s short sleeve dress or polo shirts- med and large.
- Men’s jeans and khakis- med and large, tall and short.
- Big soup cans 18 oz
- Small soup cans 10 oz
There is no longer a need of:
- Baby or kid clothing
- Women’s clothing
- No more socks needed at this time.
You can also make a monetary donation if bringing these items to Church is not possible. Please note that FOCUS Gateway City recently launched a initiative meant to attract monthly sponsors who would commit to donating at least $25/month, in order to increase their income and be able to expand. In order to find out more, please access their website.
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Helping our Orthodox Brothers and Sisters in Alaska
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Each Sunday until April 1, our Church will be taking a collection for the Orthodox Diocese of Alaska, according to the decision taken at the 2023 ROEA Congress, so that we may be fulfilling the task of loving our impoverished neighbors who are struggling to preach the Gospel under very difficult conditions.
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Vatra Generations Project
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Please help support the restoration of the historic hearth of the Romanian Orthodox faithful in North America, in order to honor the heritage of the Episcopate and to ensure that this treasure will be passed to future generations.
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About us
Are you new here? Learn more about our church family.
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Want to learn more about what's happening in our community?
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Illness or Hospital Visits
In times of illness or hospitalization, it is crucial for Orthodox Christians or their relatives to promptly inform us.
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Thank You to Our Benefactors
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supports and actively participates in the life of our church.
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