About St. Paul’s

Although St. Paul’s as a community celebrated its first services in Irvine in 1978, it is part of the worldwide Orthodox Christian Church that began on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem as described in the Acts of the Apostles, and today spans the globe from Palestine to Japan, Greece to Tanzania, Russia to Argentina, England to Korea, Romania to Kenya. Initially established by men and women of Greek descent, St. Paul’s today reflects the American experience and is comprised of more than 450 families representing more than a dozen different nationalities.

Although we are one of the largest Christian communions in the world, many people visiting St. Paul’s for the first time ask: what is the Greek Orthodox Church? The best way to answer that question is to ask a couple of questions. Did you know that every book of the New Testament was originally written in Greek? That the Apostle Paul preached in Athens not far from the Parthenon and wrote five letters to the Churches he established in Corinth, Philippi and Thessalonika that are today books of the Bible? Who are we? The answer is actually very simple: we are that Church written about on the pages of the New Testament some 2,000 years later! Read more

Newcomers and visitors are always welcome at St. Paul’s! While it is our hope that this website will help you learn more about our parish and the Orthodox Christian faith we confess, we hope – above all else – that you will personally come visit us. Please feel free to visit St. Paul’s and pray with us on any given Sunday. You will discover an ancient yet dynamic faith, a welcoming Church family, and perhaps even a spiritual home where you can plant roots to deepen your relationship with Christ in the Holy Spirit.

With love in the crucified and risen Lord,

Father Steve Tsichlis

WORSHIP WITH US

We invite you to come and worship with us! Our community continually strives to provide a holy place of worship that is inviting to all. We sincerely hope that your worship experience with us will bring you closer to our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Please accept our invitation to join us after Divine Liturgy next door in the Parish Center for Coffee Hour. If you are not familiar with Orthodox worship, please ask one of our Welcome Committee members or one of the Ushers for assistance.

Are you a Christian? If you are seeking spiritual direction or would like to know how to become a Christian, please contact our pastor, Fr. Steve at father@stpaulsirvine.org

Orthodox Christians, like the earliest Christian communities that met in the catacombs of ancient Rome and other places, believe that art can be used to praise and glorify the living God. To help in understanding the beauty and meaning of the art that adorns the interior of our Church, please view the brief videos below.

VIDEO RESOURCES

Many people are unfamiliar with the Orthodox Christian faith and often ask us what we believe. Tracing our roots to the earliest Christian communities in the New Testament – Corinth, Thessaloniki, Athens and other ancient centers of the Christian faith – our beliefs are essentially the same. To learn more about what we believe, please view the videos below. 

About Icons

About Our Dome

One of the most striking features of our Church is the dome and its depiction of Christ, as well as other figures from both the Old and New Testaments.

About Being Human

What We Believe About Baptism

What We Believe About the Bible

What We Believe About the Marriage