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St. Nicholas Cathedral
Washington, DC
Church Address:
3500 Massachusetts Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20007

Office: 202-333-5060
Email: office@stnicholasdc.org
Web: http://www.stnicholasdc.org



Founded in 1930

Parish Contacts

Most Blessed  JONAH , [Bishop]
PO Box 675 
Syosset, NY 11791
Office: 516-922-0550

V. Rev.  Constantine White, Dean
13957 Saddleview Dr 
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Rev.  Valery Shemchuk, Associate Priest
46174 Chester Terr 
Sterling, VA 20165
V. Rev.  Denis Bradley, Attached
1718 Hoban Rd NW 
Washington, DC 20007
V. Rev.  Joseph Woodill, Attached
11401 Schuylkill Rd 
Rockville, MD 20852
V. Rev.  George Kokhno, Attached
2530 Chain Bridge Rd #203 
Vienna, VA 22181
V. Rev.  Vladimir Danylevich, Attached
10920 Bangor Pl 
North Bethesda, MD 20895
Rev.  Michael Popkhadze, Attached
23219 Murdock Ridge Way 
Clarksburg, MD 20871
V. Rev.  Daniel Hubiak, Retired, Attached
16 Wharf Ct 
Ocean Pines, MD 21811
Home: 410-641-7323 Email: d.hubiak@mchsi.com

V. Rev.  Michael Koblosh, Retired, Attached
Protodn.  Blagoje Siljegovic, Attached
2800 Mosby St 
Alexandria, VA 22305
Rev. Hierodn.  Philip (Majkrzak), Attached
Rev. Dn.  Sergius Miller, Attached
5606 Hamilton Manor Dr #2 
Hyattsville, MD 20782
Rev. Dn.  Patrick Mitchell, Attached


Lay Leadership


Mr. & Mrs. Martin & Marina McGuigan, Church School Coordinator
6617 Dearborn Dr
Falls Church, VA 22044

V. Rev. Constantine White, Young Adult/Campus Coordinator

Directions


From I-95 and points north

Follow I-95 to the Washington Beltway system and exit west onto I-495, Silver Spring. Follow 495 to the Connecticut Ave exit. Take Connecticut Ave south toward Washington. About 5 blocks after Connecticut crosses Military Rd, turn right onto Nebraska and follow to Wisconsin Ave. Go south (left) onto Wisconsin Ave. Stay on Wisconsin and cross Massachusetts Ave staying in the left lane. Turn left at the first light and follow to Massachusetts Ave. Turn right onto Massachusetts Ave. St Nicholas is approximately one block down on the right.

From the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and points east

Follow the Parkway to Rt 50, exiting Rt 50 west onto New York Ave. Follow New York Ave until it intersects with Massachusetts Ave at 7th St NW. Switch onto Massachusetts Ave and follow it to St Nicholas Cathedral on the left (approx. 1 block after the Vice Presidents residence, the Naval Observatory).

From points south

Follow I-395 toward Washington. Approaching Washington, follow signs for the Memorial bridge. Cross the river staying in the right lane. Exiting the bridge follow the right lane and curve down onto Rock Creek Parkway. Follow Parkway to Massachusetts Ave exit. Exit to light, and turn left onto Massachusetts Ave. Follow to St Nicholas Cathedral on the left (approx. 1 block after the Vice Presidents residence, the Naval Observatory).

From points west

Follow I-66 east to Washington crossing over the Roosevelt Bridge. Stay in the left lane: exit left. Keep to left following signs to Kennedy Center and Rock Creek Parkway. When road ends, turn left, then almost immediately turn right and then again right onto Rock Creek Parkway. Follow Parkway to Massachusetts Ave exit. Exit to light, and turn left onto Massachusetts Ave. Follow to St Nicholas Cathedral on the left (approx. 1 block after the Vice Presidents residence, the Naval Observatory).

by Metro

Get a bus transfer! Take the red line to Dupont Circle and use the Q St exit to 20th St, turn one block to Massachusetts Ave. Turn left and go 1/2 block to the bus stop. Board a bus marked N2, N4 or N6 (Friendship Heights) to St Nicholas Cathedral on the left, approx. one block after the Vice Presidents residence, the Naval Observatory.

Parking

Parking for St Nicholas Cathedral is on side streets around the Cathedral. Parking is limited to two hours, 7 AM to 6:30 PM M-F, except for holidays.



Schedule of Services


St Nicholas Cathedral Office is open from 10 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday except during weekday Liturgies and on Saturdays from 1-4 PM.

Saturday Evening
5:00 PM Vigil (English and Slavonic).

Sundays
1:00 PM Akathist (Georgian)

Sunday Morning
9:00 AM Divine Liturgy (English); 10:45 AM Divine Liturgy (Slavonic).

Sunday Morning
9:00 AM Divine Liturgy (combined languages), Feasts and Special occasions.

Mornings of Great Feasts falling on work days
10:00 AM Divine Liturgy (English and Slavonic).

Confessions
Confessions are heard before or after Vigils, or by appointment. General Confession in English is celebrated on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, after Vigil. General Confession is Russian is celebrated on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, after Vigil. General Confession is not celebrated between Pascha and Pentecost or Christmas through Epiphany.



Ministry Groups


Parish Council
Our council consists of 12 elected members, with 2 deputy trustees and 3 auditors. The executive committee is chosen from the elected members by the board, with the exception of the President who is elected at an Annual Parish Meeting. Meetings are held monthly.

Choir
Our choir sings at all liturgical services. New members are always welcome. Information on the choir's CD recording can be found at www.stnicholasdc.org or through OCPC (https://secure.oca.org/ocpc/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=29)

Altar Servers
Both adults and children serve regularly at liturgical services.

Church School
Church School is now held in English, Russian and Georgian. Registration occurs on the first Sunday after Labor Day and runs through Memorial Day. Children between ages 3 to grade 12 are welcome to attend. Special activities include service projects in the local and Orthodox communities and educational field trips.

Adult Classes
Adult religious education in English, Russian and Georgian is available. For details please contact the church office.

Dormition Guild
The sisterhood is now the Guild! We have expanded to include all members of the parish. We will continue to support the many aspects of church life, from raising funds to decorating for feasts. Everyone is welcome to join.

Inquiry Class on the Orthodox Faith.
Fr Constantine White leads a class meeting on Saturdays at 3:30 PM in the Annex for anyone wishing to learn more about Orthodoxy. A new class begins in September each year. For more information please email to dean@stnicholasdc.org.

FOCA - Chapter 79
The Nations Capital "R" Club meets monthly. Religious, philanthropic, and social events are held throughout the year. Our club has over 50 members.

Good Samaritans
The Good Samaritans is a group of church members who undertake various activities, such as providing transportation and running errands for those who are ill, throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area. They also visit these people at special times throughout the year; at Epiphany they bring holy water, at Pascha they bring dyed eggs and blessed foods, and at Transfiguration they bring blessed fruit.

Youth Group
Chapter 79-J of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America is currently inactive.

Outreach
Currently our Cathedral sponsors many forms of outreach from providing support to missionaries and seminarians to serving meals at a local shelter.

Tours of the Church
We are always happy to provide a tour of the Cathedral. Arrangements can be made by contacting the church office at office@stnicholasdc.org.

Chaplaincy
While not officially part of the Church, spiritual support is provided to Orthodox students at Georgetown University. Vespers are held once a week, on Tuesdays, at the campus. Fr Constantine White serves as chaplain, and can be contacted on campus at 202-687-5186.

Relics
In December of 1996, the relics of St Herman, St Innocent, and St Tikhon were installed by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius. In 2001 the relics of St Raphael of Brooklyn, St Alexis of Wilkes-Barre, St Nikolai of Zicha, St Nicholas of Japan, St Daniel of Moscow, St Elizabeth the new Martyr and St John of Kronstadt were installed by His Beatitude. We also have a relic of out Patron Saint, St. Nicholas on display in an icon in the church. They may be venerated before and after services.

Orthodox Women in Healing Ministries
The group, open to all Orthodox women in the helping professions, i.e. nurses, physical therpists, physicians, mental health counselors, occupational therapists, clergy wives, and others, meets regularly in the basement of the Church. Lectures, sponsored by OWHM are held throughout the year. These lectures are open to everyone, men and women. For more information, contact Daria Virvan at 301-262-5984.

Therapia
A local Orthodox therapy service is available offering a variety of counseling services. Call 301-231-3826 for more information.

Gift Corner/ Bookstore
Lots of great gifts to choose from. Come see our icons, jewelry, and more. We maintain a wide variety of religious books in English and Russian. The gift corner hours are 9 AM to 2 PM Sundays and by special appointment.



Upcoming Events


No Information at this time



Parish Background


Founded in 1930, as the Russian Church of St Nicholas, the parish was originally located on Riggs Pl in northwest Washington, DC. The first pastor was Rev John Dorosh who lived above the chapel. In 1934 the Dormition Sisterhood and the Nation's Capitol "R" Club were formed. In 1935, the parish moved to 1708 Church St, also in northwest Washington just a few blocks from Riggs Pl. In 1938, Fr Paul Lutov replaced the retiring Rev Dorosh. Fr Lutov helped to introduce English into parish services to ensure that the Word of God could be understood by everyone.

After WW II, Fr Lutov left his post as rector although he remained active in the parish. St Nicholas's rectors from 1948 to 1951 were Monk-Priest John (Morozov) and Fr Nicholas Makovelosky. The parish had grown to 100 members by about 1950. In 1951 Metropolitan Leonty blessed the newly purchased site at Massachusetts Ave and Edmunds St, our current location.

In 1955 after the death of Bishop Jonah (rector), Archpriest Arkady Moiseyev became Rector of St Nicholas Church. Fr Moiseyev guided St Nicholas through the building and dedication of our current facility. The edifice was completed in late 1962 and was dedicated as a National War Memorial Shrine in 1963.

Over the years, St Nicholas Cathedral has had many dedicated clergy serving our church. With the elevation of St Nicholas to the Metropolitan's Cathedral Fr Arkady Moiseyev became Dean and Fr Dmitry Grigorieff Provost. In the early 70's, Fr Dmitry was very active in ensuring that there were regular English Liturgies. In 1986 Fr Dmitry was elevated to Dean of the Cathedral and Fr Constantine White became Associate Pastor. In February 1998 Fr Dmitry became Dean Emeritus and in December 1999 Fr Constantine was installed as Dean. Fr Dmitry has retired but continues to live in the area and has remained active in our parish community. Fr Valery Shemchuk joined the Cathedral as Associate Priest in November 2002.

St Nicholas has always had a very active Choir. Mr Nicholas Borodulia was the choir director from 1955 to 1985. From 1996-2002, Professor Serge Boldireff led the choir to a more visible role. The choir has sung the responses at Liturgies celebrated by Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow, Patriarch Ilia of Georgia, Metropolitan Sawa of Poland, and at St Vladimir's and St Tikhon's Seminaries, and more recently at the Enthronement of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman.

The St Nicholas Sunday School was first organized in 1950 and continues today with an enrollment of about 25-30 children. Sunday School in English is held in the parish annex immediately following the English Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings from Labor Day through Memorial Day. Church School in Russian is held at 9:30 AM on Sundays at the parish annex. For more information, please contact the Cathedral office.

In 1991 St Nicholas Cathedral was honored to have a group of dedicated iconographers arrive from Moscow led by Alexander Moskalionov who wrote icons throughout the Narthex in traditional style. Several new icons were created commemorating the arrival of Orthodoxy to America as well as the tragedies in Russia in the early part of the 20th century. This project was completed in the fall of 1994. A new iconostasis was made to compliment the iconography and was installed in 1995. The church is open for tours and visiting for groups of more than 10 upon request. For groups of less than 10 we encourage you to visit before or after a regularly scheduled service.

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