Ten Americans embrace Orthodoxy in Oregon on Pentecost Sunday
The parish of St. Jacob of Alaska intends to continue the saint’s missionary traditions in America.
The Orthodox community in Oregon gained ten new members on the feast of Pentecost. Priests Mark Solomon and Damian Kuolt baptized a group of Americans who had consciously chosen Orthodoxy. Representatives of St. Jacob’s parish called the mass baptism a testimony to living faith in the region, OrthoChristian reports.
The community in Bend grew out of a small group of believers founded in 2003. At first, services were held there only by visiting priests, but over time the faithful built a full-fledged parish.
Today the church carries out active missionary work and describes itself as a hospital for the sick and a safe harbor for those seeking communion with God. The parish bears the name of St. Jacob of Alaska and seeks to continue his missionary traditions in America.
As previously reported by the UOJ, eight local residents in Vietnam embraced Orthodoxy in the Russian Orthodox Church.