Our Faith
Orthodox Christianity is the faith of the Apostles, handed down in an unbroken and unaltered tradition from the first century to the present. Given in its fullness by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, it has remained the rock on which the Church of Jesus Christ has always stood and forever will stand.
The Orthodox faith has never been changed. From the day of Pentecost, Orthodox faithful have "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, in the fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers" (Acts 2:42). No Christian community has such a well-documented and unassailable record of faithfulness to the Gospel in its original form as do the Orthodox.
The Orthodox Church is one of the largest in the world (currently second in number of adherents), yet for a great many Americans she is almost unknown. She consists of a sisterhood of national churches (our parish belongs to the Orthodox Church in America) that maintain their unity throughout the world without recourse to a single, juridical head such as the Pope of Rome. The head of the Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ Himself. The Church’s bishops cooperate in a "conciliar" spirit consistent with that practiced by the Apostles at the Jerusalem Council of the first century (Acts 15). Their unity of mind assures the Church of continued adherence to the doctrinal, liturgical, and moral practices of the Apostles.
The Orthodox faith is inexhaustible. One can never stop learning about it. At Saint Elizabeth, we offer many opportunities to explore its richness, which we discuss on our Learning page.
But the best single expression of the faith is the Nicene Creed. It dates to the fourth century and the Orthodox Church has resisted changes to it by others since that time. Also known as the “Symbol of the Faith,” it is joyously sung by all at every Divine Liturgy:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He arose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spoke by the prophets.
In one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
