Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit Orthodox Church
Archpriest Steven C. Kostoff
4285 Ashland Ave, Cincinnati OH 45212 - (513) 351-0907

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Monthly Calendar with smartphone sync


 

LEARN ABOUT ORTHODOX LENTEN WORSHIP:

The Weekdays of Lent Great Lent  The Sundays of Lent

Today's Scripture  |  Today's Saints  |  Today's Prologue

New to Orthodoxy? Visit our About Orthodoxy section, ideal for inquirers and seekers!

And watch our services via livestream on our YouTube Channel. Come and see!

 


  • 19

    Mar

    Tuesday
    CLEAN TUESDAY
    7:00PM Great Canon of St Andrew


    Fast
  • 20

    Mar

    Wednesday
    Holy Fathers Slain at St. Sabbas Monastery
    7:00PM Great Canon of St Andrew


    Fast
  • 21

    Mar

    Thursday
    CLEAN THURSDAY
    7:00PM Great Canon of St Andrew


    Fast
  • 22

    Mar

    Friday
    CLEAN FRIDAY
    6:00PM Presanctified Liturgy


    Fast
  • 23

    Mar

    Saturday
    Martyr Nikon and 199 Disciples
    9:00AM - 12:00PM Confessions
    6:00PM Great Vespers and Confessions


    Fast
  • 24

    Mar

    Sunday
    Sunday of Orthodoxy
    9:10AM Hours
    9:30AM Divine Liturgy
    Fast: wine & oil
  • 25

    Mar

    Monday
    ANNUNCIATION
    9:30AM Divine Liturgy
    Fast: fish, wine, & oil
  • 27

    Mar

    Wednesday
    Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica
    6:00PM Presanctified Liturgy

    Fast
  • 29

    Mar

    Friday
    Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa
    7:00PM Akathist Hymn

    Fast
  • 30

    Mar

    Saturday
    Ven. John Climacus
    9:00AM - 12:00PM Confessions
    6:00PM Great Vespers and Confessions

    Fast
  • 31

    Mar

    Sunday
    St. Gregory Palamas
    9:10AM Hours
    9:30AM Divine Liturgy

    Fast: wine & oil
Great Lent Resources

 

GREAT LENT

NOW THROUGH APRIL 26

 

Explore our Great Lent Resource Section with:

  • Complete Great Lent Schedule,
  • Fr Steven's meditations and suggested reading list,
  • Helpful videos, articles and resources,
  • Holy Week service books & resources,
  • and much, much more.

Learn about our Lenten Worship to get the most out of this beautiful season:

 

We hope to see you on our Journey to Pascha, the Lord's Resurrection!


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Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge

 

2024 GREAT LENT

BROCHURE

 

NOW AVAILABLE!

  • Available in church or by download
  • All Lenten services included,
  • Plus fasting guidelines,
  • With full Holy Week & Pascha schedule,
  • Edifying spiritual article and other helps for our lenten journey,
  • The ideal reminder for your desk, bulletin board, or fridge.

View the cover of our Great Lent Brochure.

Download the brochure in PDF format.

Learn more on our Great Lent page.


 

The FIRST WEEK

 

Services every night the First Week

One of the primary themes of Lent is that of our exile from Paradise. Lent is a time when we weep with Adam and Eve before the closed gate of Eden, repenting with them for the sins that have deprived us of our free communion with God. The Great Canon chanted every night of the First Week presents a "deep dive" into this sense of exile using vivid examples from the Old and New Testaments to instruct us in their lessons and soften our hearts.
 
But Lent is also a time when we are preparing to celebrate the saving event of Christ’s death and rising, which has reopened Paradise to us once more (Luke 23:43).  Thus sorrow for our exile in sin is tempered by hope of our re-entry into Paradise.  Continue reading...

 

Join us for the Journey, and explore our Great Lent Resources...


Current Features

 

INQUIRERS CLASS

Inquirers Class to Begin February 27 - If there is anyone who would like to join the next Inquirers/Catechetical Class, then be aware that the class will begin on Tuesday, February 27, at 6:00 p.m. via Google video call.

 

For those who are attracted to the Orthodox Church and who would like to take the "next step" in drawing closer to the Church with eventually entering into the full communion of the Church, this class is an essential beginning and component in that endeavor. If you are interested, please contact Kevin Rains or Fr Steven.


The book being read and discussed in the class is primarily Vol. 1 of Fr. Thomas Hopko's book, The Orthodox Faith - Doctrine.


Our

YOUTH GROUP

is now

'TORCH'

Teen Orthodox

Revealing Christ’s Hope

 

Introducing our newly-organized Parish Youth Group,  'TORCH.'  This ministry is led by Jacob & Adalia Boehne, and Rhett & Jenny Harkins. From their mission statement:

 


 

FOCUS Cincinnati Chapter

Facing the Needs of our Neighbors... Together

 

Our local Orthodox parishes have created a FOCUS Cincinnati pan-Orthodox group, with the goal of working together to meet the immediate needs of our neighbors. Our own Charlene Myers is serving as the first City-wide Director.

 

Please view this presentation on FOCUS Cincinnati. You can learn more about FOCUS North America on their website. Please contact me if you would like more info on this initiative. The links below are an ideal way to volunteer and provide your support.

 

In Christ,

Fr. Steven

 

FROM CHARLENE:

 

1. We need volunteers for our FOCUS Meal Service initiative. Please sign up here.

 

2. Our Parish Food Pantry is another ministry serving our neighbors you can volunteer to help with.


3. Please consider donating to help support FOCUS. The link is here.

NOTE: Please be sure to signify "Cincinnati" when you donate. Thank you!


Thank you for all that you do to help us make FOCUS Cincinnati Successful.
Charlene Myers


America's Newest Saint, Matushka Olga of Alaska

 

MATUSHKA OLGA OF ALASKA

 

Joyous News - The Orthodox Church in America has issued an official proclamation announcing the glorification of Matushka Olga of Alaska. She is now numbered among the saints whose names are on the ecclesiastical calendar! Her feast day is November 10, and she is also commemorated on the Second Sunday After Pentecost when the OCA celebrates All the Saints of North America. Please read the Proclamation on our Midwest Diocese website.

 

Explore our new Special Resource Page for Matushka Olga, with more info, icons, and video, and which we hope to greatly expand over the coming year.

MORE NEWS, Below the Fold

image

 

CHURCH SCHOOL

This year we are studying:

the Epistles, the Feasts, & the Sacraments

Late registrations welcome! Please contact Fr Steven or our Church School Director Terrie Sauer for more info.


PRAYERS & AID FOR UKRAINE

  • Message from Met. Tikhon on Peace in the Ukraine
  • UNICEF Update; ways to donate to aid for children in Ukraine
  • Articles & Commentary on the war
  • Suggested prayers for the suffering during the conflict,
  • Visit our UKRAINE RELIEF PAGE...

From our 2022 Pilgrimage
From our 2022 Pilgrimage
From our 2022 Pilgrimage

 

MONASTERY PILGRIMAGE

 

St. Katherine Sisterhood was blessed to visit Holy Dormition Monastery, Rives Jct MI, October 13-15th, 2023.

 

The monastic life is alive, vibrant, and a central dynamic force in the life of the Orthodox Church, and has been since the early 4th century, with roots going back to the Apostolic period, and even to many of the Old Testament prophets, such as Elijah. Did you know there are nearly a hundred Orthodox monasteries spread across North America? We are fortunate to have a few monasteries in our region, only three to four hours away, and we make a group pilgrimage to one of them each year. Some of our parishioners have even become monastics! 

 

See our special page on monasticism, and contact Fr Steven if you are interested in learning more.


LIVESTREAM MINISTRY

We livestream on our YouTube channel most of our services, including Great Vespers on Saturday evenings at 6:00pm, and the Hours & Divine Liturgy at 9:10am on Sunday mornings. As always, we invite you to "come and see" and join us in person, but we hope our livestream ministry may be a help and blessing whenever needed.


Met. Tikhon at the 2024 March for Life
Met. Tikhon at the 2024 March for Life

 

SANCTITY OF LIFE

SUNDAY

 

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon announced Sunday, January 21, 2024, as Sanctity of Life Sunday to be observed in parishes of the Orthodox Church in America. See Fr Steven's comments, and links to Met. Tikhon's address, plus much more on our Sanctity of Life page.


New Parish Photo

Our Parish Family, Autumn 2023!
Our Parish Family, Autumn 2023!
Our Parish Family, Autumn 2023!

 

PARISH FAMILY PHOTO PROVIDES 'TEACHABLE MOMENT'

Hope you were here this past Sunday, October 22, for the taking of our parish photo, our first one since 2017! A large group was indeed present, and the results are posted here, and on our Welcome Page, Photo Gallery, and Stewardship Page.

 

Following the photo, a perhaps understandable outburst of cheering and clapping broke out since it took some patience to set things up "just right," but here is a reminder that neither cheering nor clapping is appropriate for any services or events in the nave of the church.

 

Special thanks to Subdeacon Ron (Myron) Skulas for his photographic skills.

Contemporary Classics of Orthodox Literature

 

Read Fr. Steven's important new article, an "apologia" and guidepost on some of the great Orthodox writers and books of the 20th century, those pillars on whom our contemporary Church and writers stand. — Excerpt:

 

Contemporary Classics of Orthodox Literature

 

by Fr. Steven Kostoff


...A steady Orthodox reading discipline/program is essential in today's world perhaps more than ever. We are so ideologically bombarded from so many disparate quarters, that we need to remember who we are and what we believe! I am writing, though, with a particular concern in mind: Perhaps we are only - or mostly only - reading the most contemporary literature...

 

I want to make a heartfelt plea for the great writers who nurtured me, who nurtured an entire earlier generation or two, and who wrote the classics of twentieth century Orthodox literature. This is a great literature that placed Orthodoxy on the "map" both in America and in Europe and beyond - into Russia and other parts of the world. I strongly believe that we need to read these classics of the twentieth century, because these are the very books that served as the foundation for others to build on. These were books that allowed Orthodoxy to emerge from its sheltered ethnic communities; books which revived an abiding and lasting focus on the Fathers of the Church; books which completely restored the apostolic vision of the Liturgy and the Eucharist; and books that penetrated deeply into our genuine spiritual Tradition with the insights and practices that lead us to lives of holiness...

 

Read the complete article, with an extensive book list and brief line about each title...

 

Onine Parish Giving

Secure, easy, online giving.

Give towards your pledge, or make a simple donation.

Learn more and get started here  . . .

Featured Stories, Events and more

Get to know us through recent parish news and feature articles...

Mary Ellen Mitchell of Lydia's House

Our thanks to Mary Ellen Mitchell for coming to speak to us of Lydia's House on Sunday, April 30, following the Divine Liturgy.

 

You can learn more about the ministry and community of Lydia's House through the info on this page, and help support their wonderful work via their website.

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click to enlarge
click to enlarge

 

The mission of Lydia’s House is to provide a supportive and stable environment for women and children in crisis. Each guest and her children will be helped to move into long term housing at the end of her stay; however, housing at Lydia’s House is as stable as possible in nature. It is a place of hope and healing as well as a springboard from which guests can seek training, new skills, and work that will provide for their needs. Women live in community, share life and meals with one another, and are encouraged in their personal spiritual journeys.

 

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER:

Mary Ellen Mitchell, co-founder of Lydia’s House

Mary Ellen Mitchell is a co-founder of Lydia’s House. As a collegiate volunteer, she became interested in the root causes of homelessness at the Open Door Community in Atlanta. Shortly after her graduation from Emory University, she moved back to Cincinnati, her home, and became an on-site volunteer at Grace Place, a provider of transitional housing for women and children. Professional development continued for her in Washington, DC where she worked for Jubilee Housing, a nonprofit provider of housing and supportive services. She returned to Cincinnati in 2006 and went on to hone skills in fundraising and development and complete her MA at Xavier University. Mary Ellen has been married to Ben since 2008, is a member of Bellarmine Chapel and is the mother of three children. She lives in Norwood where she's helped renovate 5 houses, 2 parks and sometimes preaches at local churches.

 

Download and share our flier for this special talk.

 

 

 

Meet our diocesan hierarch, Archbishop Daniel

 

UPDATE, NOV. 11, 2022 (OCA) - His Grace Bishop Daniel elevated to the dignity of Archbishop

Read Bishop Daniel's first official letter to the Midwest Diocese, Aug. 15, 2022:  'Grow a Mission' - Letter from His Grace, Bishop Daniel

On Tuesday, August 23, Bishop Daniel was interviewed by Fr. Thomas Soroka on Ancient Faith Today LIVE! This long-form interview and conversation (1 hour, 15 minutes) provides an excellent in-depth introduction to our new bishop. You can listen to the interview here.

 

After the repose of our beloved hierarch, Archbishop Paul, on Great and Holy Pascha of this year, Bishop Daniel of Santa Rosa, California, Auxiliary Bishop to His Eminence Archbishop Benjamin, Diocese of the West, was named Locum Tenens, to oversee the Diocese of the Midwest until the formal selection of our new hierarch.

Please note that you can always access both the Orthodox Church in America's national website, and our Diocese of the Midwest website, through the permanent links at the top/right of every page on our parish website.

Please join us in welcoming Bishop Daniel to the Diocese of the Midwest, and keep him in your prayers as he leads our parishes, missions, monasteries and evangelism.

 

MAN OF GOD film and New St Nektarios Resource Page

UPDATED NOV 7, 2022

 

NEW! Special Resource Page on St Nektarios

Widespread interest in the film, MAN OF GOD, has prompted us to create a new page:

St Nektarios the Wonderworker Resource Page,

  • featuring his Life, plus links to extensive additional resources on his ministry, writings, miracles, and more,
  • PLUS our special features on the film, MAN OF GOD, including movie trailer, film info, where to order, interviews, soundtrack, and much more, here.

 

MAN OF GOD now available to watch for free on YouTube, with ads. Scroll down for links to order digital download, DVD or BluRay.

Link to Ancient Faith Store, which has many books by and about St. Nektarios...

'MAN OF GOD' now available on VOD, DVD & Blu-ray in the U.S. & Canada!

Get your digital copy on one of the major platforms here!
https://linktr.ee/manofgodfilm

 

Get your physical DVD/Blu-ray copy from Amazon here!
For DVD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YKPNFTH

For Blu-ray: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YK4QPGH


The film is also available on demand through the major cable and satellite networks across the U.S. and Canada including Comcast, Spectrum, AT&T, Direct TV, Altice, Cox, Verizon, Frontier, Suddenlink, Mediacom, Armstrong, Shaw, Telus and Bell.

 

Excerpt from Fr Steven's review:

Everything about the film was of the highest quality - the script, the acting, the recreation of late 19th - early 20th c. Egypt and Greece, the musical score, and a fine eye from the director for the larger narrative and those details that leave a lasting impression. The director, by the way, is Yelena Popovich, a Serbian-American, who is an Orthodox believer. She has made a film unapologetically focusing on a "holy man" (the actual meaning of the word "saint") of deep faith and piety - St. Nektarios of Aegina (+1920) The Orthodox scholar, Constantine Cavarnos has described St. Nektarios in the following manner: "Metropolitan of Pentapolis, great Theologian, Philosopher, Moralist, Educator, Ascetic, Mystic, Miracle-Worker and Healer." His written legacy is quite prolific . . .

 

Proceed to our special page for St Nektarios and the film, 'MAN OF GOD' . . .

 

2021 - The Year in Photos

 

2021 - THE YEAR IN PHOTOS

Our webservant has been catching up on a momentous and full year, and the results are starting to be posted on our Photo Gallery page!

 

First up is a delightful look back at a year of new beginnings, with highlights from weddings, baptisms, new members, feasts, and more. Watch for additional galleries to be posted in the days ahead.

 

Recent Feature Articles on Parish Life

 

CELEBRATING 30+ YEARS

On June 30, 2020, the parish celebrated Fr Steven & Presvytera Deborah's 30 years of ministry here at Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit. View some wonderful images from the special program and meal, and read some of Father Steven's reflections on this significant anniversary.

AXIOS! and Thank you, Father Steven and Presvytera, and may God grant you Many Years!!!

View photos on our Photo Gallery...

 

For Our Daily Rule

Today's Scripture, Saints & Prologue

- The daily readings right here on our website

 

PODCASTS on the SCRIPTURES:

The Path - Daily scripture & commentary, inspired by the Saints

 

Search the Scriptures - Accessible Bible study for busy people

 

Daily Orthodox Scriptures - Reading Through the Bible in One Year

 

The Whole Counsel of God - Verse By Verse Through The Scriptures


PARISHIONER DELIVERS TALK AT ORTHODOX CONFERENCE

 

Christ the Savior parishioner Natasha Frasch delivered a talk at the 2019 conference, Speaking the Truth in Love, held at St Tikhon's Orthodox Seminary in South Canaan PA over the November 7-9 weekend.

 

You can learn more about the conference here, and listen to and download the presentations at Ancient Faith Radio.

SPECIAL VIDEO ON OUR ICONOGAPHER,

FR. ANDREW TREGUBOV

Dear Parish Faithful,
 
I just discovered this wonderful YouTube video featuring our parish iconographer, Fr. Andrew Tregubov, explaining the traditional method and theory behind icon painting. Quite fascinating. It is relatively short and very nicely produced. Please take the time to watch this. I invited Fr. Andrew to the parish many times, but he always had to decline because of his responsibilities in caring for his parents and in-laws. His wife, Galina, hand stitched our burial shroud that we venerate during Holy Week.
 
With Fr. Andrew as our iconographer, our parish is blessed with some of the best iconography being created today in North America. 
 
Fr. Steven

MONDAY MORNING MEDITATIONS

Fr Steven's book is available through the church office/bookstore, and online.

"For almost twenty years now, parishioners at Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit in Cincinnati, and friends in Christ from places near and far, have been receiving from Father Steven his 'Monday Morning Meditations' via email, or have been visiting his Orthodox Christian Meditations Blog. Now at long last a selection of Father Steven's reflections have been published in book form by Kaloros Press!"

Learn more on this special page, and purchase at the church, or order online here.

 

Parish Icon - The Holy Mandylion

The Patronal Icon of our Parish, by the hand of Fr. Andrew Tregubov
The Patronal Icon of our Parish, by the hand of Fr. Andrew Tregubov
The Patronal Icon of our Parish, by the hand of Fr. Andrew Tregubov

The 'Image Not Made By Hands'

Celebrated on August 16 - Learn about our Parish Patronal Feast, the Miraculous Image of Christ associated with it and its amazing story, through these special resources:

Read this OCA article about the history and feast of the 'Image Not Made By Hands', the 'Holy Mandylion'.

 

UPDATED FOR 2022! - Download our Orthodox bibliography on the Holy Mandylion and the Shroud of Turin 

This special PDF handout was originally produced for our 2019 Fall Retreat on the Shroud of Turin, and contains embedded links to books, articles, videos and more.

More Parish Features and Info for Newcomers . . .

 

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION — From our Church School program, to our Summer Bible Study, Fall Adult Classes, and Spiritual Retreats, and more, Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit offers many opportunities for deepening our faith while growing in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Come and join us!


 

MONASTIC MATTERS  —  Monasticism is essential to the life of the Orthodox Church. Did you know there are about 100 Orthodox monasteries in North America,  several within only a 3-4 hour drive from us? Explore some unique features, videos and articles on Orthodox monastic life, including our annual Parish Monastery Retreats, and much more. On our Monasteries page...


An Ideal Guide to the Liturgy . . .

The DIVINE LITURGY of the ORTHODOX CHURCH
Meaning, Preparation & Practice

by Archpriest Steven C. Kostoff

 

Third Edition, with a new Epilogue by the author

 

Seekers, catechumens and Orthodox faithful alike will be blessed by this trustworthy and inspiring guide to the Divine Liturgy and the Life in Christ, composed by our pastor, a faithful presbyter of the Orthodox Church in America.

 

Paperback, 64 pages, full color cover.

Reduced price, only $7.99! Learn more and order here...


 

WELCOME - LET'S GET ACQUAINTED! — Get to know us through photos of parish life and of new members to Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit. Also, photos honoring Fr Steven's 30 years at Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit. All this and much more on our Photo & Video Gallery page.


 

PARISH MINISTRIES  —  Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit members serve in various capacities within the church, and our parish helps support various ministries in our local neighborhood, as well as regionally and even internationally. Our Ministries page describes this vibrant area of parish life in more detail. Select ministries have their own pages with additional information. If you're wondering where you might put your God-given talents to work, this is a good place to start!