Welcome To St Nicholas Cathedral

The history of the Cathedral located in Los Angeles, California, is truly a story of people of vision, courage, dedication, leadership and religious conviction. It is the story of the needs of many Orthodox families who had settled in the greater Los Angeles area since the turn of the twentieth century. It is a story of those who had devoted their lives to the service of our community, of leaders who are no longer with us but who shall always remain dear in our hearts because of their wisdom, love and accomplishments. Their legacy continues today.

Christmas Service Schedule
Schedule for Services Christmas Eve • جدول الخدمات لعيد الميلاد

Wednesday, December 24, 2025 • الأربعاء 24 كانون الاول

With the angels, the shepherds, the wise men and all the saints, let us come to adore Him Christmas Eve.

8:45 a.m.         Royal Hours of Christmas

10:30 a.m.      Divine Liturgy
(Paramon of Christmas)

While we encourage all to come to both the morning and night services (which are not the same), this may be an excellent opportunity for those who cannot drive after dark, for young children and entire families to celebrate the birth of Christ together.

8:00 p.m.        Christmas Matins

9:30 p.m.        CHRISTMAS DIVINE LITURGY

This is the traditional Christmas ‘midnight’ Liturgy, but we’re starting as early as possible, given that it is winter, and will be dark for a while already.

A reception will follow to break the Fast.

مع الملائكة والرعاة والحكماء وجميع القديسين، دعونا نأتي لنسجد له عشية عيد الميلاد

8:45 صباحا    ساعات عيد الميلاد الملكية

10:30 صباحا  القداس الإلهي
           
(بارامون الميلاد)

بينما نشجع الجميع على المجيء إلى كل الخدمات الصباحية والليلية (وهم مختلفون)، قد تكون هذه فرصة ممتازة لأولئك الذين لا يستطيعون السواقة بعد حلول الظلام وللأطفال الصغار والأسر بأكملها للاحتفال بميلاد المسيح معا.

8:00 مساءً     صلاة السحر لعيد الميلاد

9:30 مساءً     القداس الإلهي لعيد الميلاد

هذا هو قداس عيد الميلاد التقليدي "بمنتصف الليل"، لكننا نبدأ في أبدر وقت ممكن، نظرا لأنه موسم الشتاء، وسيكون مظلما لفترة من الوقت بالفعل.

سيتبع ذلك حفل استقبال للفطر بعد الصيام

 

Christ is Born!  Glorify Him!   المَسيحُ وُلِدَ \ فَمَجِّدوهُ

Lenten Service Schedule

HOLY WEEK & PASCHA 2025

LAZARUS SATURDAY • APRIL 12 • سبت لعازر
Matins 9:30 AM • Divine Liturgy, 10:30 AM
Great Vespers, 6 PM • Confessions Follow

Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead shows He can raise all mankind. Please also join us for lunch after Liturgy, and help us prepare for the Feast by preparing and decorating the Lord’s house.

PALM SUNDAY • APRIL 13 • احد الشعانين

Matins, 7:30 AM
Divine Liturgy, 9:00 AM
Divine Liturgy, 11:00 AM

 

Bridegroom Matins, 6:30 PM
Confessions Follow

We celebrate the triumphant entry of our Lord into Jerusalem, to face his voluntary death. “We like the children carry the palms of victory,” in procession. Adults and children may also bring decorated candles. To accommodate the large number of worshippers, we will have two liturgies Palm Sunday morning, with Bishop Anthony presiding. Join us at either 9 am or 11 am. Both Liturgies will be celebrated in a mix of languages. There will be a procession, coffee hour and pre-holiday bake sale after each liturgy.

The Procession with the icon of Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, takes place, and we remember the righteousness of Joseph who, like Christ, suffered unjustly with patience and was exalted.

GREAT MONDAY • APRIL 14 • الاثنين العظيم

Presanctified Liturgy, 10 AM
Bridegroom Matins, 6:30 PM
Confessions Follow

We remember the example of the ten virgins waiting for the Bridegroom.

 

GREAT TUESDAY • APRIL 15 • الثلاثاء العظيم

Presanctified Liturgy, 10 AM
Bridegroom Matins, 6:30 PM
Confessions Follow

We remember the woman who anointed the head and feet of our Lord, wiping them with her hair, in contrast with Judas and his betrayal of Christ. The Hymn of Kassiane expresses these contrasts with profound poetry and majesty.

GREAT WEDNESDAY • APRIL 16 • الاربعاء العظيم

Presanctified Liturgy, 10 AM
Sacrament of Holy Unction, 6:30 PM

We are anointed for healing of soul and body as Christ was anointed in anticipation of his burial.

GREAT THURSDAY MORNING • APRIL 17 • صباح الخميس العظيم

Matins, 9 AM
Liturgy of St. Basil, 10 AM

GREAT THURSDAY EVENING • APRIL 17 •مساء الخميس العظيم

Matins with the Twelve Passion Gospels, 6:30 PM

On this day, when Jesus first said to his disciples, “Take, eat; this is my Body,” Orthodox Christians make it a point to participate in Holy Communion. Following the Liturgy, we will perform the rite of the Footwashing with the Church School. A Communion breakfast follows.

We walk with our Lord through the Passion. A procession with the Cross commemorates Christ’s voluntary Crucifixion.

GREAT FRIDAY • APRIL 18 • الجمعة العظيمة

Royal Hours, 10 AM
Un-nailing Vespers, 3 PM

GREAT FRIDAY EVENING • APRIL 18 • مساء الجمعة العظيمة

Matins of Christ’s Funeral, 6:30 PM

We try to spend this day in Church, heeding our Lord’s words to “watch and pray.” Then help us decorate the bier (نعش). At Vespers, Christ is taken down from the Cross and placed in it. Dinner is served after Vespers.

We join Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and the Myrrh-bearing Women to sing in Praise of the buried Christ, and we process with the Bier and passing under it as if joining Christ in the tomb.

GREAT SATURDAY MORNING • APRIL 19 • صباح سبت النور

Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil, 10 AM

THE RESURRECTION • SATURDAY, APRIL 19 • القيامة

RUSH/MATINS/LITURGY, 11 PM

 

 

As we keep vigil, the Victory of Christ over death and his Resurrection ‘explode’ with throwing the leaves of victory. Please bring your children to this service. They will have an egg hunt after, too.

We receive the new Light and the Good News that “Christ is Risen.” We will bless red eggs, and you may also bring Easter Baskets to be blessed. An Agape Breakfast will follow.

AGAPE VESPERS • SUNDAY, APRIL 20 • الباعوث

Paschal Service in Spanish, 7:30 AM
Love Vespers, 1 PM

 

The Resurrection Service will be repeated early Pascha Morning in Spanish.

At the Agape (Love) Vespers, the Good News (Gospel) of the Resurrection will be proclaimed in as many languages as possible. A sign-up list will be posted during Holy Week for you to read any language you know (we might have the text available, if you don’t).

 

Typical Service Schedule
Sunday
7:45am - Divine Liturgy in Spanish
9:15am - Orthros (Matins)
10:30am - Divine Liturgy
  
Saturday
6:00pm - Great Vespers
  
Eve of Feast
6:30pm - Vesperal Divine Liturgy of the Feast

For some feasts, we serve a Vesperal Divine Liturgy on the eve of the feast.  Check our Cathedral Calendar for details.

  
Feast
9:30am - Feast Day Divine Liturgy

In most cases, we will serve Orthros along with Divine Liturgy on the morning of feast days.  Check the Cathedral calendar for current schedule and start times.

  
Today's Commemorations
Veneration of Apostle Peter's Precious Chains, Righteous Hierodeacon Makarios of Kalogeras, Romilo the Monk of Mount Athos, Nicholas the New-Martyr of Mytilene, Peusippos, Elasippos, and Mesippos the siblings, and their grandmother Neonilla
Today's Scripture Readings
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 12:1-11
About that time, Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword; and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church. The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, "Wrap your mantle around you and follow me." And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him. And Peter came to himself, and said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.
JOHN 21:14-25
At that time, Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. And he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go." (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me." Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?" This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
Today's Thought

St. Anthony the Great rebukes those who refuse to receive back penitents: “A ship suffered shipwreck and lost its cargo, and only with great difficulty did that boat reach the harbor – and you want to sink even that which was saved from sinking!”

St Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral
2300 W 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA  90057

Cathedral@StNicholasLA.COM
(213) 382-6269

To join our mailing list or to leave us an email, please use our contacts page. We look forward to hearing from you.