Our Parish
We at St Andrew are Orthodox Christians located in Eustis, Florida, worshiping according to the ancient Western Rite practiced by the early Christians in the West for the first 1,000 years of Christianity. We are canonical (mainline) Orthodox in the Antiochian Patriarchate headquartered in Damascus, Syria, under His Beatitude Patriarch John X, and in the self-ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America under His Eminence Metropolitan ANTONIOS.
Come join us! Our address is:
2815 S Bay St, Eustis, Florida 32726
What is the Orthodox Church?
The Orthodox Church is the original Christian Church, the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and described in the pages of the New Testament. It's history can be traced in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Apostles.
Although today there are countless Christian Denominations, many of us are surprised to learn that for the first 1000 years of Christian history there was just one Church. The first major split didn't occur until 1054 AD, and then 500 years later the Protestant reformation, which has split into the many different kinds of churches that exist today. Incredible as it seems, for over 2000 years The Orthodox Church has continued in it's undiminished and unaltered faith and practice. Being the second largest unified body of Christian believers worldwide, today its apostolic doctrine, theology, worship, and structure remain intact. One could attribute this unity to historical accident. We would attribute it to God.
All are welcome and we invite you to come and see, and experience for yourself the love of God and His Kingdom. We hope that your first visit to an Orthodox church will be enjoyable, and that it won't be your last.
Western Rite Orthodoxy
Western Rite Orthodox Christians hold the full Orthodox faith in common with their Eastern Rite brethren but celebrate Western forms of liturgy.
Liturgical diversity, both between and within the East and West, was common before the Great Schism of 1054 AD, yet not as diverse as it is today. At present, all of the Bishops who care for Western Rite parishes are themselves followers of the Eastern Rite.
