ABOUT OUR CHURCH
Church in honor of the icon of
Our Lady "Joy of All Who Sorrow"
Main celebration: Commemoration Day of the Icon: November 6th
Commemoration Day of the Icon (with coins): August 5th
We hurry in our sorrows and needs to the Mother of God, because we firmly know that with the same Motherly love She hears both a chaste and a repentant sinner ... And for those who despair in life, She is an “undisclosed Refuge”. No one is cramped in Her loving heart, it accommodates the grieving, and the offended, and the hungry, and the overwhelmed, and the sick with various diseases - She accepts everyone who comes to Her with sincere faith and will not hesitate to send Her help ...
John (Krestyankin)
History
Russians from a displaced persons camp who immigrated to Philadelphia together in 1951 founded the Russian Orthodox Church of Our Lady in the Northern Liberties neighborhood. One of the founding fathers of the Church was Father Eugene Lyzlov.
In October 1957, the parish relocated to the Spring Garden neighborhood at the intersection of 20th and Brandywine Streets, one block north of Spring Garden and six blocks west of Broad Street.
Our parish maintains the fullness of the Russian Orthodox tradition liturgically and in its teachings. We use the Julian calendar and a mixture of mostly Slavonic and some English in services. Members of all ethnic groups are welcome to worship with us! In addition to our original members, our parishioners are recent immigrants from the post-Soviet Union countries and converts.
The church's present home in a former Protestant building has a fine stone facade with small arched windows reminiscent of Orthodox churches in the Balkans, and is topped by a gold three-bar Russian cross. On the Brandywine side of the building, a small garden with a crucifix shrine adorns the space in front of the rectory. The church space is a place of light and holiness, both 'an earthly heaven' and a reminder of the best of the old country, as was Father Eugene's intention.
We are delighted to welcome you to our Church!