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Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Messages From Our Ministers

Fr. mark's weekly reflection.

"I Am the Bread of Life” 

During this month of August, we will be hearing readings from chapter six of the Gospel of John, which is all about how Jesus gives us the true Bread from Heaven. Last week we heard about how Jesus multiplied loaves and fishes. Today Jesus begins his long sermon about the “Bread of Life.” The sermon begins with general words about the fact that our spiritual hunger is satisfied just from believing in Jesus. When we get to the second half of the sermon (after verse 51), Jesus will begin using strong words about how we must eat his flesh and drink his blood.  But isn’t it true that we feel satisfied just by the thinking of Jesus? Just pronouncing his name gives us joy. When we read about him in scripture and pray to him, we feel nourished. We experience a sense of well-being and peace. Everyone experiences this, even those who are not Catholic. Non-Catholics do not have the Eucharist and they do not have the entire “Body of Christ” which is the church and all the wonderful things within it. The non-Catholics have only the bible and their faith in Jesus. But they feel that is enough because it seems to fill them. I remember when I was young, I had friends and relatives who were not Catholic, but we enjoyed talking about Jesus together and reading the Bible late into the night. We felt joy and satisfaction because Jesus promised that we would: “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them,” (Matthew 18:20). Jesus also gave this promise which we hear in today’s Gospel reading: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst,” (John 6:35).

The beauty of being Catholic is that we don’t just think about Jesus, or talk about Jesus, but we actually get to see him when we adore the Eucharist and to receive him into ourselves when we receive Holy Communion. As Catholics, we know that we have priests who can actually change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus and give him to us. 

Today is August 4, the feast day and the anniversary of the death of Saint Jean Vianney, who was a saint who had great devotion to the Eucharist. He is the patron saint of parish priests. He is my favorite saint, and I am privileged to have been given a first-class relic of him which I am displaying today at the altar at all Masses. He is called the “Cure of Ars” because he was the priest in a tiny French village called Ars from 1818 until the day of his death on August 4, 1859. 

St. John Vianney had very humble beginnings. He was the fourth of six children in a poor but pious family. His family was poor, but his pious parents always had room at their table for those who were needy. When John Vianney was a child, he also saw his parents assist and welcome the priests who sought refuge in their homes during the persecutions of the French Revolution. Seeing the heroic virtues of his parents and priests, he decided to become a priest. He had great difficulty with his studies but was eventually ordained at age 29. He was sent to Ars which was a tiny village that consisted of about sixty scattered farmhouses. On his way to Ars, he got lost and a young boy had to give him directions. He thanked the boy and said: “You have shown me the ways to Ars; I shall show you the way to heaven.” 

One of the first things he did when he arrived at Ars was to return the expensive furniture. He removed the fine paintings and covered the walls with pictures of saints. Then he began to expand the tiny church and to fill it with the finest statuary, vestments, and gold chalices. Nothing was too good for his church. Then he spent much time there in his church praying day and night for his parishioners. Eventually, the parishioners were converted by his fervent sermons, by his charming catechism lessons, and by the wise counsel that he gave them in the confessional. 

People discovered that the saintly priest could read their hearts and he knew the sins that they failed to confess. Many pilgrims came to go to confession to the saint. He would have to spend 16-18 hours a day in the confessional. For many years he lived without the food and sleep that are humanly necessary. He slept only one hour a night and during this hour evil spirits would accost him especially when some notorious sinner was planning to confess to him on the following day. Eventually, a railroad track had to be built because in the last years of his life, 90,000 pilgrims per year would go to Ars to go to Confession to this saint and to listen to his preaching. St. John Vianney, pray for our priests and for our seminarians!

Gospel Meditation

Do we sometimes think that Jesus is given only to the highly qualified, special religious people? In the Gospel of Luke today we hear about the presentation of the Lord in the temple. The newborn son of God is passed around like a baton in a relay race, not guarded like a precious jewel or a breakable china dish. We can see him going from the arms of Mary to Joseph, then to the priest performing the ceremony, then to Simeon the old man, and then to Anna the old widow. Each one receives him and then hands him to the next. A tidal wave of joy and thanksgiving follows wherever he is placed. Believe me, you are qualified to hold Jesus in your arms. How can I say that with such confidence? Because the mother decides who is qualified. The Blessed Virgin, embodied in the Church, holds him out to you and me. She rejoices to place him in our arms to hold and to hand him on, too.

— Father John Muir

Mensajes de Nuestros Ministros

Reflexión semanal del p. mark.

AVIVAMIENTO EUCARÍSTICO

“Recordad que las buenas confesiones y las buenas comuniones son los primeros pasos para una buena educación”. Así dijo San Juan Bosco, patrón de la juventud porque dedicó su vida al mejoramiento y educación de los niños de la calle, y do los jóvenes pobres y delincuentes. Se le dio el título de “Padre y Educador de la Juventud” cuando fue canonizado en 1934. Confesarse bien y comulgar es lo más importante para los niños de nuestra Escuela Católica, y de nuestro programa de Catecismo y de nuestro grupo juvenil. También lo es para los adultos. Cuando una persona va a confesarse y confiesa bien sus pecados, y luego se acerca dignamente al altar para recibir a Nuestro Señor Jesús en la Sagrada Comunión, eso transforma el corazón, la mente y el alma de esa persona. Es inútil tratar de educar sin promover la recepción de los sacramentos de la penitencia y de la Eucaristía. 

Durante este año los obispos de este país han tratado de reeducar a los católicos sobre la Eucaristía, y el “Avivamiento Eucarístico” concluyó la semana pasada cuando más de 60,000 católicos caminaron en una procesión masiva que llevó a Jesús, expuesto en una Custodia, por las calles de Indianápolis, Indiana. Fue parte del “Congreso Eucarístico Nacional” del 17 al 21 de julio. Estuvieron presentes algunos miembros de nuestra parroquia, y también sacerdotes y seminaristas de nuestra diócesis. Esta enorme procesión fue la conclusión de una “Procesión Eucarística Nacional” aún más grande. Hubo cuatro procesiones que trasaron un enorme Cruz sobre todo el país de los Estados Unidos. Cuatro procesiones llegaron de cuatro direcciones y convergió en el medio en Indianápolis. Más de 100,000 personas participaron en los distintos segmentos, recorriendo más de 6,500 millas. Más de 1,000 Hostias Eucarísticas fueron llevadas en los distintos segmentos de las procesiones. Había cuatro “rutas” diferentes, cada una de las cuales llevaba el nombre de un santo: “ La Ruta Mariana” venía del norte, partiendo de las cabeceras del Mississippi, descendiendo por Wisconsin e Illinois. “La Rute Santa Elizabeth Ann Seton” vino del Este, comenzando en New Haven, Connecticut y cruzando las Montañas Apalaches. “La Ruta San Juan Diego” vino desde el extremo sur de Texas. “La Ruta Junipero Serra” fue la ruta más larga, cubriendo más de 2,200 millas, comenzando en San Francisco y atravesando las montañas y llanuras del oeste de este país. Se puede ver videos y testimonios sobre estos eventos en el sitio web de la Diócesis de Stockton.

Para nosotros que permanecimos aquí en Stockton, podemos revivir nuestro amor por Jesús confesándonos y adorando a Jesús en nuestra iglesia y recibiéndolo en la Sagrada Comunión. No necesitamos viajar lejos. Solamente necesitamos peregrinar de la casa a nuestra iglesia parroquial. Y podemos continuar a aprender de la Eucaristía durante el mes de Agosto porque vamos a escuchar lecturas cada domingo de Capítulo seis del Evangelio de Juan. Vamos a escuchar el sermón que Jesus da sobre el “Pan de Vida” que ha descendido del cielo para dar vida al mundo.

Meditación Evangélico

“En cada familia hay problemas, y a veces también se discute. Padre me he peleado…; somos humanos, somos débiles, y todos tenemos a veces este hecho de que peleamos en la familia. Os diré una cosa: si nos peleamos en familia, que no termine el día sin hacer las paces. Si, he discutido, pero antes que termine el día, haz las paces. Y sabes ¿por qué? Porque la guerra fría del día siguiente es muy peligrosa. No ayuda. Y luego, en la familia hay tres palabras, tres palabras que hay que custodiar siempre: Permiso, gracias, perdón (Papa Francisco 12/27/2020). ¿Qué debo trabajar en mi familia para vivir en armonía? ©LPi

  Prayers

Prayer for the sick.

Many people are suffering from ailments of some form or another. Please join us as we pray for the sick, their families, and caregivers. ​

Aaron Ramirez

Angelina Munar 

Annabelle Dizon

Armando Fernandez 

Barbara Gini

Ben Munar Cables

Bernarda Maldonado Camargo

Carlos Felipe Ruiz

Carlos Rodriguez

Carmen Parrish

Celine Hoban

Connie Heim

Connie Tracy

Dan Lucchesi

David Rodahaffer

Debbie Brockney

Deborah Balisteri

Edith Contreras Ochoa

Elsa Valdez

Elvin Tyler

Evelyn Gesell

Gail Galela

Galdina Guzmán

George Reyes

Gilbert Ramirez

Gloria Fernandez 

Gloria Rangel Ortiz

Graciela Alegria Vargas

Guadalupe Deleon 

Janet Kavanaugh

Jeanette Toloy

Jocelyn Gonzalez

Kenneth McKellar

Lillian Martinez

Luz Maria Camarillo

María Guadalupe Barajas

Maria Ochoa

Maria Rivera

Marilyn MacLean

Mario Sepulveda

Matt Johnston

Mayra A. Castillo

Michael A. Mallare

Michael James Miller

Mildred Quitoriano

Noemi Bourez

Paloma Ochoa

Paulette Vetter

Rachel Stafford

Roger Roman

Ronald Ramirez

Scott Johnson

Sheila Bacus

Susan Klass

Tammie Parrino

Terri Lomeli

Terry Cabauatan

Tomas Larios Ortiz

​To add or remove names, please contact the Communications Coordinator at entationchurch.net" label="" type="email" href="mailto:[email protected]" data-runtime-url="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected] .

To see additional 'Prayers for the Sick', please click here . 

Mass Intentions

MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2024

7:00 AM: Soledad Farales 

12:15 PM: † David Wagner 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024

7:00 AM: Teresita Canda — birthday

12:15 PM: † Marcial de Guzman

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2024

7:00 AM: † Paz M. Campbell

12:15 PM: † Pricisla Valdez  

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2024

7:00 AM: Victor Maldonaldo-Luna —birthday 

12:15 PM: † Kenneth A. Gates

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2024

7:00 AM: Rosa Manzo — birthday

12:15 PM: † Joe and † Liouina Fontes

SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2024

8:00 AM: † Nicolas Alvarez Ruiz

5:00 PM: Roman Flores — birthday

In Remembrance Of

In remembrance of those who have gone before us.

Shirley Spadafore

MaryLou Knisley

Alejandro Ramirez

Carmel Breakfield

Beverly Limbaugh

Marlene Neri

Marietta Quizana

Andrea Weesner

Olga Mendoza

Thelma Adams

Pushpamma Manda

Thelma Perdue

Ruth Segarini

Jose Salud Garcia Jasso

Norma Jean Luder

James R Fenelon

Vernon Franzi 

Henrietta Melinda Gietzen

Donna Mae Monaco

Estela Cortes

Salvador De Leon Samson

Marina Cueva

Nasser Y. Saleh

Myrna Garces

Fr. Joe Maghinay

Lolita Hilario

Benjamin Morelos

Nancy Bertilacchi

JoAnn Campigli

Romulo Gonzales

Antonio D. Alamo, Sr.

Pierce Lawrence (Chris) Brothers

Shirley Benecke

Arnold Arnulfo Rangel

Mario Gines

Yvonne G. Mariani

Frank Ramalho

Patricia Rut

Angelina R. Agpawa

Jack Jerome Vernon

Agnes Sombra

David Wagner

Ramon Espiritu

Marlo Eduardo Gesell, Jr.

Anne Marie Saiers Fowler

Christopher Thomas

Manuel J. Angel

Christofer Gores

Judith Gores

Prayer of the Faithful

We pray that we experience the Peace and Joy God wants for us in serving Him and others. 

Rezamos que a través del don de la Santa Comunión reflejemos el amor y la misericordia de Jesús a los demás.

Spiritual Communion

Even if one cannot sacramentally receive the Eucharist, everyone should be aware of the practice of making a spiritual communion. The following is a daily prayer for Spiritual Communion:

O my Jesus, I believe that You are in the Blessed Sacrament.

I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there and

unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

-St. Alphonsus Liguori

For more resources on Spiritual Communion, click here .

Grow Your Faith

Readings for the week.

From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

To view full readings, click here .

SUNDAY, AUGUST 25

Jos 24:1-2a, 15–17, 18b/Eph 5:21–32 or 5:2a, 25–32/Jn 6:60–69 

MONDAY, AUGUST 26

2 Thes 1:1-5, 11–12/Mt 23:13–22 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27

2 Thes 2:1–3a, 14–17/Mt 23:23–26 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28

2 Thes 3:6–10, 16–18/Mt 23:27–32

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29

1 Cor 1:1–9/Mk 6:17–29   

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30

1 Cor 1:17–25/Mt 25:1–13 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 31

1 Cor 1:26–31/Mt 25:14–30 

NEXT SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

Dt 4:1–2, 6-8/Jas 1:17–18, 21b–22, 27/ 

Mk 7:1-8, 14–15, 21–23

Stewardship Reflections

“Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?” - James 2:5

What is more important – being rich in faith or rich in possessions? Society tells us that possessions are most important. God teaches a different lesson. When we are rich in faith, we keep God first and experience true joy and peace. When we put possessions first, we soon realize we can never have enough and happiness is fleeting. When we put faith over possessions we truly realize it is better to give than receive.

“Pongan en práctica la palabra y no se limiten a sólo escucharla…” - Santiago 1:22

Es fácil entender la definición de corresponsabilidad – es vivir una vida agradecida y generosa. ¡La parte difícil es hacerlo! ¿Cόmo reflejan sus palabras y sus acciones la palabra de Dios? ¿Comparte diariamente con Dios su tiempo en oración? ¿Utiliza su talento para ayudar a los necesitados sin esperar nada a cambio? ¿Eres generoso con tus recursos financieros? Si no es así, ¿qué estas esperando?

Children's Prayer

Sharing the Gospel

After Jesus compared himself to manna, and said that he was sent from heaven, many of his followers turned away from him. They just could not accept what Jesus was saying. It was too hard for them to understand. We have something they did not have. We have the Holy Spirit to help us. Sometimes what we learn might be hard for us to understand, too, but we never need to walk away. We can have faith in Jesus. We can ask him to help us. 

Dear God, give me the faith to trust Jesus always. Amen. 

Something to Draw

 Draw a picture of yourself next to Jesus.  

Mission for the Week

Have you ever learned something about God that was hard to understand? Talk about it with your family, and together pray for each other. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you learn what God wants you to.

© 2008 LPi • PO Box 510817, New Berlin, WI 53151-0817 • 1-800-950-9952 x2469 • LPiResourceCenter.com 

Saint of the Week

 8 ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO |354–430| FEAST DAY: AUGUST 28

As a youth, Augustine lived an excessive hedonistic lifestyle. He and his friends routinely stole, and boasted of sexual exploits. Augustine recalls in the Confessions that as a boy he stole fruit not because he wanted it but because it was not allowed. This led him to the idea of original sin: his very nature was flawed. ‘It was foul, and I loved it. I loved my own error—not that for which I erred, but the error itself.’ And because people are naturally inclined to sin, all are in need of the grace of Christ. This original sin, he believed, was manifested in our desire to be cruel to others, and our constant anxieties, pride and egotism. According to Augustine, our lives are imperfect by definition because we are human. Augustine worked as a teacher in Carthage and Rome and throughout his 20s, had numerous romantic relationships. He was finally drawn to Christianity at the age of 31 through listening to the teaching of St Ambrose – whom he admired for his rhetorical prowess – and through the constant encouragement of his mother, St Monica. He moved to the small coastal town of Hippo where he was ordained, sold his family property and gave the money to the poor. He lived an austere monastic life and later became bishop. It was in Hippo Augustine spent the remaining thirty years of his life ministering. He was a prolific writer, philosopher and preacher, with over 100 works on Christian doctrine and 350 sermons still in existence. Augustine was in his 40s when he wrote the Confessions, ruminating on his life up to that point. Augustine does not depict himself as a saint, but as a sinner, laying bare his worst human flaws in order that we might see how much God had redeemed him. And because he depicts his own weaknesses with such brutal honesty, we are able to read his life and recognize ourselves. Together with Gregory the Great, Ambrose, and Jerome, Augustine is one of the original four Doctors of the Church. St Augustine is the patron saint of brewers, printers, and theologians. 

 SAN BERNARDO |354–430| 

DIA FESTIVO: 28 DE AGOSTO

San Cuando era joven, Agustín llevó una vida excesivamente hedonista. Él y sus amigos robaban rutinariamente y se jactaban de sus hazañas sexuales. En las Confesiones, Agustín recuerda que, siendo niño, robó fruta no porque la quisiera, sino porque no le estaba permitido hacerlo. Esto lo llevó a la idea del pecado original: su propia naturaleza estaba viciada. ‘Era vil, y me encantaba. Amaba mi error, no aquello por lo que erré, sino el error en sí mismo’. Y debido a que las personas están naturalmente inclinadas a pecar, todas necesitan la gracia de Cristo. Este pecado original, creía Agustín, se manifestaba en nuestro deseo de ser crueles con los demás, así como en nuestras constantes ansiedades, orgullo y egoísmo. Según Agustín, nuestras vidas son imperfectas por definición porque somos humanos. Agustín trabajó como maestro en Cartago y Roma, y durante sus 20 años, mantuvo numerosas relaciones románticas. Finalmente, se sintió atraído hacia el cristianismo a los 31 años al escuchar las enseñanzas de San Ambrosio, a quien admiraba por su destreza retórica, y gracias a los constantes ánimos de su madre, Santa Mónica. Se trasladó a la pequeña ciudad costera de Hipona, donde fue ordenado, vendió las propiedades de su familia y dio el dinero a los pobres. Vivió una austera vida monástica y más tarde se convirtió en obispo. Fue en Hipona donde Agustín pasó los últimos treinta años de su vida ministrando. Fue un prolífico escritor, filósofo y predicador, con más de 100 obras sobre doctrina cristiana y 350 sermones que aún existen. Agustín tenía más de 40 años cuando escribió las Confesiones, reflexionando sobre su vida hasta ese momento. Agustín no se presenta a sí mismo como un santo, sino como un pecador, exponiendo sus peores defectos humanos para que podamos ver cuánto lo había redimido Dios. Y debido a que describe sus propias debilidades con tal brutal honestidad, podemos leer su vida y reconocernos en ella. Junto con Gregorio Magno, Ambrosio y Jerónimo, Agustín es uno de los cuatro Doctores originales de la Iglesia. San Agustín es el santo patrón de los cerveceros, impresores y teólogos. 

Augustine: A Voice for all Generations with Mike Aquilina

Explore the conversion story of one of the most significant figures in Church history and learn about his struggle to find answers amid a sea of competing voices. Travel to fourth-century Rome and Milan to discover why St. Augustine has become “A Voice for All Generations.”

Eucharistic Celebrations | Celebraciones Eucarísticas

Nature's Symphony

Faith formation & sacrament preparation 2024-25, k-12 grade registration, enroll your child(ren) by making an appointment or clicking the link below., contact our faith formation for children & youth ministry at 209-320-5722, to schedule your registration appointment..

(On-going formation for children and youth for BOTH those who need to receive sacraments and those who are eager to continue their formation.)

Adult Sacrament Preparation

Enroll today..

JOIN US ON THE WAY

. . . of the Lord. We hope you will join us on our journey to grow in faith and love as we get to know Jesus better.

Birthday Sparks

"Love opens our eyes and enables us to see, beyond all else, the great worth of a human being." - Pope Francis

We are the Church! Let's grow together.

Journey with us in faith.

Spreading faith and love. 

Keep up on the news and events at our parish.

Make the Church of the Presentation your home parish.

Your gifts make a difference in people's lives.

We welcome you all to be part of our Church community.

Office hours:, mon.-fri. 8:30am-4:30pm, useful links, contact info, church of the presentation (physical address), 1515 w ben holt drive, stockton, ca 95207 , ministry center (mailing address), 6715 leesburg place, stockton, ca 95207, ph: (209) 472-2150, fax: (209) 472-0541.

Parish School:

1635 W. Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton, CA 95207

Phone: (209) 472-2140

Fax: (209) 320-1515

www.presentationschool.org

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220 Church Street, Moscow PA, 18444

[email protected]

(570) 842-4561

St. Catherine of Siena Parish

On behalf of our parish community we wish to welcome you and your family to Saint Catherine’s. We are a community that can trace its roots back to the 1850’s and a little church that once stood in what is today, Saint Catherine’s Cemetery. Like all churches at that time, we began to grow with the great influx of immigrants and in 1923 moved into the beautiful stone church that can be seen from Church Street and houses our Chapel today.

In the 1980’s it became necessary to build a much larger church and with the skill of the architects, they constructed our present church, using the previous building. This allows us the unique opportunity to retain the traditional look in our Chapel while offering an updated look in our Main Church.

Again it became apparent that we needed to expand our campus to meet the growing needs of our parish. In 2009 the property across the street became available which contained not only a building that would become our Rectory, but a carriage house that met our needs for full time youth ministry and parish bible study groups. The old rectory was removed to make room for additional parking.

Today, Saint Catherine’s numbers over 1500 families from the surrounding communities and continues to grow. Although there are many families, we still try to keep a “sense of family”, a place where people know one another and truly care for one another

On the Palouse as it is in Heaven.

Welcome to real life.

Reaching the world for Jesus, one person at a time.

We gather every Sunday to encourage and pray for one another, hear God's Word, and lift up His name in worship.

Sundays at 9 & 11 AM

Live or On-Demand

Upcoming Events

Men's Breakfast

September 7 2024

Women's Coffee Connection

September 14 2024

Connect Class

September 15 2024

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Representation Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr

Founded 1970

Diocese: Stavropegial Institutions

Deanery: Stavropegial Chapels

Bolshaya Ordynka 60/2 Moscow, 119017

119017, Moscow Bol’shaya Ordynka 60/2

Website: ocapodvorie.ru

Office: +7 926 252 7303

Parish Contacts

General Location Travel to the station. Metro “Dobryninskaya”, then go to the Garden Ring underpass and reach st. B. Ordynka, go right, to the left temple.

Schedule of Services

5:00 PM All-Night Vigil. Saturday Evening

9:00 AM Divine Liturgy. Sunday Morning

For other service times, visit St. Catherine’s website .

Parish Background

Zamoskvorechie (‘the-area-beyond-the-River-Moscow’) epitomizes Orthodox Moscow, the Russian capital famed before the 1917 Revolution for its ‘forty-times-forty’ churches. The quite courtyards and nineteenth-century manor houses, occasionally broken by the characteristic onion domes of Russian Orthodox churches, convey more than anywhere else in Moscow the atmosphere of a patriarchal way of life, of the Moscow of her priests, of bells calling the faithful to vespers or the Divine Liturgy, the smell of incense and the sonorous chanting of Old Church Slavonic.

The names of the churches are indicative of the merchant guilds who patronized first their construction and then their maintenance: the Resurrection Church of the Barrel Makers, St. Nicholas’ Church of the Blacksmiths, the Resurrection Church of the Coin Minters… If one walks southwards from the Kremlin along Zamoskvorechie’s most important thoroughfare Bolshaya Ordynka St. (until the sixteenth century the highway to the Tartar ‘Orda’ or Golden Horde headquarters) one will encounter one such church before reaching the end of the street, St. Catherine’s Church ‘na Vspolie’ (‘in-the-Fields’), built in the mid-eighteenth century on the territory of the region’s cosmetics guild.

The cosmetics merchants’ settlement was originally established in the sixteenth century by order of Tsarina Anastasia Romanovna, while an adjacent church dedicated to St. Catherine was built by order of Tsarina Irina Feodorovna. A seventeenth-century chronicler tells us that in 1612, during the Time of Troubles when the Russian dynasty was threatened by Polish and Lithuanian adventurers, the site became a battleground between Russian soldiers and Lithuanian hetman Jan Karl Khotkevich. Having endured defeat once at the hands of the Russians, the redoubtable hetman dug himself and his troops into a fortification on St. Catherine’s parish territory. In the afternoon of 24 August 1612 the Russians attacked and drove the invaders out: ‘the bloodshed was great and awesome1, writes a contemporary eyewitness, ‘and out of shame the enemy scuttled all the way back to Lithuania’.

The original church, which was made of wood and may have suffered during the battle, later had a side-chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas dating from 1636. By 1657 the church is indicated as being made of stone with an additional side-chapel dedicated to St. Theodore Stratelates (known since 1625 and later dismantled). In 1696 the church underwent a renewal and a new antimins (a rectangular cloth upon which the Divine Liturgy is served and showing an image of Christ in the burial tomb and with relics of saints sewn into it) was presented to the church.

The eighteenth century saw the parish church of St. Catherine’s undergo major changes and reconstruction. The style was no longer that of the medieval onion domes and elaborate Oriental low slung gables. The order of the day in architecture, inherited from the Westernization that Tsar Peter the Great had subjected his vast empire to, was European baroque and rococo, pavilion gardens and aristocratic elegance. This tradition was continued by the Empress Catherine II the Great, who, though German by nationality, had married into the Russian dynasty, adopted the Orthodox faith and inherited the throne in 1762 after a palace intrigue. Catherine never held Moscow in high esteem, condemning it as ‘the seat of sloth… full of symbols of fanaticism, churches, miraculous icons, priests and convents, side by side with thieves and brigands’. She visited this (in her view) semi-Asiatic city only a handful of times during her lifetime, preferring the vibrant court life of the northern capital St. Petersburg. Nevertheless, her reign left its mark on the city, not least of all through the new church dedicated to her patron saint Catherine of Sinai and executed by her favourite architect Karl Blank.

At present the parish of St. Catherine’s consists of two churches, the older summer (‘cold’, because it does not have heating) church in honour of the saint herself, and the winter (‘warm’, because it has heating) church, dating from the mid-nineteenth century. Construction on the summer church, commissioned by the empress and paid for by the state treasury, began on 25 May 1766 and was consecrated on 28 September 1767. The church combines Moscow baroque with elements of rococo. The imposing baroque iconostasis contained silver Royal Doors weighing approximately 130 kilograms and was erected by a craftsman by the name of Blokhin, who lived in the vicinity of the church. The icons in the iconostasis were painted at a slightly later period by artists D.G. Levitsky and V.I. Vasilevsky. The frescoes, like the icons, were painted by Levitsky in the naturalistic style that betrayed the prevalent Western influence on Russian church art. Levitsky later gained fame as the artist who painted the frescoes for the original Christ the Saviour Cathedral, a monumental structure built to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon in 1812 and Russia’s main church. Some of Levitsky’s work has been uncovered beneath a later layer of frescoes and can be seen in the northern transept of the church. The large rotunda, purely European in origin yet capped by the traditional Russian onion dome cupola and cross, dominates the exterior aspect of the church. On the interior walls of the dome there can be seen nineteenth century frescoes depicting the Meetng of Our Lord in the Temple. At the west entrance of the church a belfry towered over the architectural complex and dominated the Zamoskvorechie skyline.

Of especial interest are the outer metal railings of the territory of the church that were placed here under Blank’s supervision in the 1769. These ornate railings are a unique example of eighteenth-century Moscow metal work and are broken by stone columns topped by the imperial state symbol of Russia borrowed from Byzantium, the double-headed eagle. The double-headed eagles also crowned the main metal gates to the church, but were removed in the 1920s. Before their installation at St. Catherine’s, the railings fenced off Cathedral Square in the Moscow Kremlin between the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael and the Patriarchal Palace. They were forged during the reign of Peter the Great according to a design by H. Konrad and later transferred to St. Catherine’s by order of the Empress Catherine, thus making them the oldest extant structure of the present architectural ensemble. The railings and columns lend to the church an air of elegance procured by the then imperial penchant for imitating English pavilion parks and gardens.

In 1870-1872 the winter church was constructed with three altars: the main altar was dedicated to the Image of the Saviour-Not-Made-by-Hands (consecrated on 21 November 1872) and two side altars, dedicated to St. Nicholas (consecrated on 24 November of the same year) and St. Alexander Nevsky (consecrated on 10 November, also in the same year). The later church was executed according to a design by the architect P.P. Petrov, although some documents list the architect as one D.N. Chichagov. The bell tower was also enlarged during this period. Although containing few of the refined features of the earlier summer church, the architect did consciously build the new church in harmony with the style of the old. In 1879 the parish engaged the architect G. Ivanitsky to construct in the southwest part of its territory a two-storey retirement home for the widows of state councillors to replace an earlier wooden retirement home built in the 1750s. In the northwest corner of the church a rectory was also built.

By the turn of the century St. Catherine’s was one of the richest parishes in the area, with buildings extending along Bolshaya Ordynka St. and maintaining a large number of parish clergy. Among her parishioners was the Russian theologian, philosopher, poet and spiritual leader of the Slavophile movement Alexei Khomyakov, baptized here in 1804 and born in a house adjacent to the parish (the Israeli Embassy now stands on this site). At present it is the only parish church in Moscow dedicated to the great martyr Catherine and one of the few Russian Orthodox churches dedicated to women saints. The church’s existence before its closure in the Soviet period was crowned by pastoral visits and the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on St. Catherine’s Day (24 November Old Style, 7 December New Style) by the recently-elected Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin), canonized a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1989, a fact that would acquire providential meaning when the church would be reopened for worship after the collapse of the communist regime in the 1990s.

When the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia in 1917, the Church was the primary object of their hatred. The sufferings visited upon the Russian Orthodox Church in these years of militant atheism were unrivalled in history. Bishops, priests and ordinary believers, remnants of the old ‘reactionary’ imperial Russia, were declared enemies of the people by the Bolsheviks and shot in their tens of thousands. Church buildings were desecrated and blown up (including the aforementioned Christ the Saviour Cathedral), icons looted and destroyed, church property plundered ruthlessly. St. Catherine’s Church did not escape the communist terror. We may surmise that along with most of the parish clergy in Moscow St. Catherine’s priests were tried by a pseudo-legal Cheka commission and summarily executed. Soviet records show that on 6 April 1922 seventy two gold and silver objects weighing approximately 200 kilograms were confiscated from the church. In 1931 the church was closed completely and all of the icons stolen, save for the patronal icon of St. Catherine, which was transferred to the neighbouring the Resurrection Church of the Coin Minters. When this church was closed the icon was taken to the Church of Ss. Florus and Laurus, located some ten minutes’ walk away from St. Catherine’s. The fate of the icon became unknown after the closure of this church. The bell tower of St. Catherine’s was dismantled in 1931, while the two desecrated churches were used for profane purposes.

After its closure the church was used to house the offices of a machine equipment institute and up until the 1970s was used for living accommodation. The summer church was divided into three floors with communal flats. After the church was reopened for worship in 1994 it has not been uncommon for people to drop by and say that they used to live in the church, often poitning out the window to their old room. Indeed, one priest who was passing by dropped in to say that he had actually been born there! In the early 1980s the church buildings were turned over to the Igor Grabar State Restoration Centre which began restoration on the church – the green onion dome with a golden cross again appeared on the top of the church while the living accommodation was torn out and part of the frescoes on the wall were uncovered.

The collapse of the Soviet regime and the end of communism in Russia in the early 1990s changed the fortunes of the Russian Orthodox Church dramatically. The Church was now free to claim back its lost property and naturally St. Catherine’s Church was one of hundreds of places of worship to be formally returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. The collapse of communism also brought with other freedoms for the Church, not least of all the opportunity to establish closer ties with her sister Local Orthodox Churches. It was in 1992 that the first representative of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), Archpriest Daniel Hubiak, arrived in Moscow to set up a representation church (usually denoted by the Greek word ‘metachion’) to the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Orthodox Christianity arrived on the American continent in 1794 through the efforts of Russian missionaries in Alaska. Cut off from the Mother Church after the Revolution of 1917, the Orthodox of America divided along ethnic lines, with the Russian Orthodox Church in America having no genuine contact with their brothers and sisters in Soviet Russia. Contacts were renewed in the 1960s and resulted in the granting of the Tome of Autocephaly to the young Orthodox Church in America in 1970. The agreement between the Russian Orthodox Church and the OCA provided for the establishment of a metachion and the advent of democracy in Russia was an opportune moment to realize this stage in the OCA’s growth.

OCA services were initially held in English in the bell tower Church of St. Symeon the Stylite at St. Daniel’s Monastery until a suitable church could used by the OCA in Russia. The lot fell on St. Catherine’s Church in-the-Fields because of its central location and size. On St. Catherine’s Day 1994 the first prayer service in the church in more than sixty years was conducted jointly by the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the primate of the Orthodox Church in America His Beatitude Theodosius, Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada. Fr. Daniel Hubiak was appointed rector of the recently returned church.

Among the worshippers at this joyous occasion was Mikhail Vladimirovich Przhevalsky, grandson of the famous Russian explorer. Mr. Przhevalsky, now deceased, shared with the younger generation of new parishioners his memories of being an altar boy at St. Catherine’s before its closure by the communists. His most vivid recollections are of the visits to the parish by Patriarch Tikhon, who had earlier spent ten years of his episcopal career as head of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA. It was St. Tikhon who gave his blessing to the first translations of the liturgical services from Church Slavonic into English and it was St. Tikhon who first considered the possibility of an autocephalous American Church. And now it was the turn of a living eyewitness to describe how this saintly bishop preached the word of God in a church that would come to represent the interests of Orthodox Americans in Moscow some seventy years later.

The OCA’s mission is to minister to English-speaking Orthodox Christians in Moscow. Among the regular parishioners there have been Americans, English, Australians, Dutch and Belgians, as well as Orthodox Christians from the conventionally more traditional Orthodox countries such as Greece, Serbia and Romania. The growing community is, of course, made up overwhelmingly of Russians of all ages and backgrounds. The OCA representation church in Moscow provides for them a unique window upon world-wide Orthodox, a means of coming to know the truth of the Orthodox adage that it is the faith, not nationality, that brings people together. St. Catherine’s OCA Church has become a byword in Moscow for the unity and the universality of the Holy Orthodox faith.

• Church Life

• Trinity Reformed Church

Welcome to Trinity Reformed Church

We are a reformed, evangelical church serving our local community in Moscow, Idaho.

Our Sunday worship services are at 8:30 & 11:00 am.

Sunday’s worship bulletin can be found here .

Audio of last Sunday’s sermon can be found here .

Who are we?

Want to Get Involved?

Follow along with what we're doing.

That all may know Jesus Christ

Truth, life & hope, fueling a passion for christ that will transform our world.

theCROSSingRwanda

Sharing the Gospel of Christ

Seeing Rwandans born-again

Bible School for training pastors & leaders

Buying land & planting churches

“For Christ

my life is laid before,

To do His will

in Twenty Twenty Four ”

VBS 2024 - The Great Jungle Journey

Join us for a Jungle Journey through the 7 C’s of History: Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, and Consummation. Kids will discover how these events shape our world, and they will learn to reconnect the Bible to their everyday life. Open to all children entering Kindergarten - 6th grade.

S UNDAY E VENING W ORSHIP

A time of worship and praise, fellowship and food.  July 14th, 6:00 pm @ The CROSSing .

"Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts" Jeremiah 15:16 NASB

We believe that as disciples of Jesus Christ we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him daily.  We believe the ministries at The CROSSing are His and He is Lord of them, we are to follow Him as He leads us in those ministries.  Learn more about the different ministries.

Messages from our times of Celebration

715 Travois Way Moscow, ID 83843   USA  

Through our worship, we offer our prayers, our praise and ourselves to God. We join in community as disciples of Christ, preparing ourselves to serve others and make a difference in our world. All are welcome to join our services either in-person or online.

For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.

Matthew 18:20.

Download the bulletin for this Sunday’s service and see announcements for this week in the life of the church.

Join Online

Because of technical difficulties, there will be no livestream for August 25, 2024.

For recordings of past services, visit our YouTube channel .

Join In Person

What time are the services?

Sunday services are at 10:30 a.m. during the academic year and 9:30 a.m. during the summer (Memorial Day weekend through late August).

Where is the church?

The church is located at 405 South Van Buren Street, Moscow, Idaho 83843. View map .

Where can I park?

There is a parking lot on the north side of the church (includes ADA-accessible spaces). On Sunday mornings, parking is also available in the Latah County Courthouse parking lot south of the church across 5 th Street.

What are the worship services like?

We are a diverse congregation, blending modern and traditional styles in our worship. A typical service includes congregational singing, responsive readings, scripture, prayer, and a message by the pastor.

What should I wear?

Come as you are – some of our congregation dresses up a bit for Sunday services while others are very informal. We welcome you however you are comfortable.

Attending with children

Children are welcome to join their families at services. Rocking chairs and a children’s area are available in the back of the sanctuary for children who need a little activity. Children’s Church is also offered during the school year.

Building Bridges, Building Family

Welcome Back Potluck!

Women’s Retreat

Our ministries.

Our mission is to see bridges built; connecting children to God and to each other through caring community and teaching Jesus’ offer of freedom through the gospel. We provide daily devotion guides as well as Sunday teaching and childcare.

We offer free Biblical Counseling in an effort to provide quality, Christ-centered, Biblical counseling to individuals, marriages and families who are hurting and seeking guidance and healing. This service is open to everyone in need of counsel.

For ages 7-12th grade. A time growing in and applying God’s Word to our lives while having fun in an engaging environment. Snacks, Fellowship, Activities, and Worship Together!

Whether you have an hour, an evening, or a weekend, Bridge offers a variety of opportunities to meet other women and support each other in every stage of womanhood. Bible and book studies, craft and game nights, weekend retreats.

Our small groups meet regularly in effort to grow relationships with each other, develop worship and experience of Christ, and engage in a lost world. We have various meeting times, locations, and topics to accommodate men, women, and families.

Our retreats are three days, two nights, and out of town but not too far. Women, Men, and Family retreats are an opportunity to create new friendships, and deepen your knowledge and application of God and His Word.

UPWARD • INWARD • OUTWARD

960 W. Palouse River Drive • Moscow, Idaho 83843 • Map > (208) 882-0674 • Calendar • Member Directory • Reserve

Partner Care M-F 8AM - 5PM CT

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The Moscow Good News Church is one of the largest Protestant churches in the former Soviet Union. In the early 1990s, Rick and Denise received the call to start churches in the former Soviet Union. With their family of three young sons, they moved from the United States to Latvia in 1992, opening the first Good News Church in Riga in 1993.

A few years later in the year 2000, the Moscow Good News Church was started in Moscow. And in 2007, Rick and Denise began expanding Good News Church in the surrounding area.

The Renners also minister to people through their online Good News Church (ignc.org), which provides spiritual food for viewers and responds to their spiritual needs as they reach out to the ministry. The Internet Good News Church provides a marvelous opportunity to minister to people who do not have a local church home. Currently, more than 200,000 online church members watch from 56 countries every month! More than 300 volunteers, as well as our Moscow team minister to these precious souls from around the world.

In the past five years, the central Moscow church has opened three satellite churches in the north, south, and southwestern parts of the city. Each affiliate of the Good News Church is unique and has its own face. But we are all one body, and our principal task is to lead people to Christ, get them established in the Word, and involve them in the local church.

Your generous support continues to make a huge difference in people’s lives around the world through these and other outreaches of RENNER Ministries.

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As interest in the CREC increases, please read our Constitution and By-Laws , including our Memorials.

These congregations reflect the catholicity of the Reformed tradition.

Information for individual church contacts can be found in their general info when searching for a church. Presbytery contact information is available on our churches page.

Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse

420 East Second Street Moscow, Idaho 83843 Directions (208) 882-4328 [email protected]

Sunday Services: 10:00am

What is music?

As we continue our series examining our liturgy in depth, Sam, Wachira, and Alex will explore different perspectives on what makes music, music. We will feature performances that challenge our ears and engage the imagination.

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About the UUCP

We are a caring community dedicated to the free and open search for spiritual, intellectual and emotional growth. We value....

Our Little Free Pantry Needs Donations!

Our Little Free Pantry Needs Donations! The free little pantry out in front of the church has been a great success…so much so that we’re running out of food to fill it with!

How can you help?

Family Promise, 9/18 – 9/15

We will host four families at the church through the shelter program. Volunteer today help with set up, prepare food, host dinner, and overnight...

Sign up here!

Special Notices

• Family Promise Sign-up Five adults and five children ages 11 months through 14 years are ...
• You are invited to join an Antiracism Learning Circle this fall. It’s on Zoom, so you can join from anywhere!  First Unitarian in Portland ...
• Racial Justice Reading Group Upcoming August and September Meetings The August meeting of the Racial Justice Reading will be held 7 ...
• August 2024 Month of Sundays—Planned Parenthood August 2024 Month of Sundays—Planned Parenthood Our August Month of Sunday’s recipient will ...
• UU Chalice Lighters Program As many of you are aware, the UUCP has been a longtime ...

Upcoming Events

• Library Committee Fri 08/30/2024 10:00 AM Church Library / 3rd Floor
• Folk Dancers Fri 08/30/2024 7:30 PM Church Fellowship Hall
• Navigators Sun 09/01/2024 3:00 PM Church Fellowship Hall
• Operations Committee Meeting Mon 09/02/2024 12:30 PM Zoom
• Wholly Crones Mon 09/02/2024 1:30 PM Church Library / 3rd Floor
• ...view all events

Testimonials

We knew we can’t do this all on our own. We need a community. Now, we come for the peace and feeling of belonging.

Al Chidester

You never have to make excuses for what gets said here. It’s all clear, what people are saying.

Margaret Dibble

I sometimes think the most amazing thing about the church is that I go to it. I’m not a natural church goer. I’m neither religious nor spiritual.