Pastoral Care

Clergy are available by phone and email for spiritual care as needed. If you want to set up an appointment, please find clergy contact information below. You can find the website Pastoral Care page here.



• Fr. George - 703-801-9911 (cell phone), gkokhno@gmail.com
• Fr. Valery - 202-441-0026 (cell phone), shemchukv@gmail.com

Thank You

Thank you to our dedicated parishioner Nikolai Gudim, who has for decades been humbly beautifying our Cathedral, for the refreshing of our church furniture.

Sign Up for Holy Friday Vigil

Again this year, we will be holding a vigil over the Tomb of Christ from Holy Friday afternoon to Holy Saturday morning. During vigil, we read the psalter in the church at the tomb. This practice is rooted in church history - after our Lord died on the Cross, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus, bound it in linen cloths with spices and buried it in a new tomb. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sat opposite the tomb watching as their Lord was buried. The Church over the centuries has joined with these two women in keeping watch over Jesus’ tomb. The Holy Friday Vigil at Christ’s tomb is our opportunity to help keep watch over our Lord’s body as He descends into Hell to loosen the bonds of death. What better way to understand the death and resurrection of Jesus than to participate in the Vigil by His tomb?

If you would like to participate, please sign up below.

Join Us for Paschal Breakfast!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We invite you to a traditional Paschal Breakfast, served at about 3:00 AM on Sunday, April 20, following the Paschal Divine Liturgy.

We Need Your Help!

We're grateful for your willingness to assist with dish preparation, serving, and cleanup. Specifically, we need about five parishioners (preferably men) to help with kitchen cleanup during and after breakfast.

Traditional Slavic Menu

We'll be serving traditional Slavic dishes. Your help with preparation or ingredient donations is appreciated. If you'd like to bring a dish not on the attached menu, please contact Irina first to ensure variety and quantity. Please do not bring food without consulting Irina first to avoid unnecessary leftovers. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!

Get Involved!

To participate, please get in touch with Irina Burwell by email or call her at 301-452-6381.

Contribute Financially

If you can't bring food, consider contributing to the Paschal Breakfast costs via our parish website using Paypal or Venmo. Please note "Paschal Breakfast" in the note line.

Thank you to those who have already offered their help!



Looking forward to celebrating Pascha together!

A Paschal Celebration



Dear Parishioners,

You're invited to a Paschal celebration at Irina Burwell's home!



Join us for an afternoon of fellowship, food, and celebration!

Please bring yourself, and if you'd like to share a dish, kindly RSVP to Irina in advance to let her know what you plan to bring. Please call/text at 301-452-6381 or email at iburwell@comcast.net.

Please do not bring a dish without prior confirmation from Irina so we can ensure a variety of dishes for everyone to enjoy.

Date: Sunday, April 20, 2025 

Time: 4:00-9:00 p.m.

Location: 7008 Rainswood Court, Bethesda, MD 20817

Would You Like to Participate in a Study?

Dear St. Nicholas congregation,

I have been coming to services at the cathedral for a couple of months now as part of a research study on worship, memory and hope.

At this point, I would like to invite you to take part in that study through interviews. This is an opportunity for you to reflect on your engagement with worship and share with me what it means for you to participate in rituals that remember events and people from the past. 

Interviews can take place online or in-person and are audio recorded; recordings are deleted after they have been transcribed; and all transcriptions will be de-identified (that is, names of all persons will be changed and any information that would identify you taken out).

Please get in touch with me if you would like to learn more about this study or would like to participate.

Many thanks!

Lena Maria Lorenz

Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Georgetown-Howard Center for Medical Humanities and Health Justice

Lena.Lorenz@georgetown.edu

Please Consider Helping

After suffering a series of medical setbacks, our own James Stowell has been forced into medical retirement, leaving him and his wife Victoria as a single-income household. Victoria has had to carry the fullness of their financial burden.

Please consider visiting the below GoFundMe page to help the Stowells, who have given so much to St. Nicholas through their work at the candle counter and the gift corner, among other activities, by relieving some of the financial strain off of Victoria. It would be such a tremendous blessing to them, and they thank you so much for your consideration.

Special Screening of a Good Friday Short Film

 In the Garden: An Anton Chekhov Story

When: Sunday, April 13, 7PM

Where: The Church of the Resurrection, 501 E St SE, 3rd floor loft, Washington, DC

Join us for a special screening of a newly completed short film inspired by Anton Chekhov’s favorite story, The Student, which takes place on Good Friday. In Chekhov's story, pessimism plagues a young clerical student; but seeds of hope are planted as he visits two widows near Easter. This is a unique opportunity to watch the film, meet some of those involved in its creation, and engage in discussion afterward.

The film’s director, Jonathan English, a member of The Church of the Resurrection and first-time director, welcomes feedback on his first short film. Whether you’re interested in film, storytelling, or reflecting on the themes of Good Friday, we encourage you to register for this event. Refreshments will be provided.

Order Spit-Roasted Easter Meat

Saint Luke is preparing spit-roasted meat for Easter. We would like to extend the opportunity of ordering for Easter to our Orthodox brethren in the area. Please note the deadline for ordering is this Sunday, April 13th. See more information on the flier below.

Free Webinar Series

When: Sundays at 8PM from now through the Feast of Pentecost

Where: On Zoom

OLTV and the new Orientale Lumen Institute are pleased to announce a FREE webinar series every Sunday evening from now through Pentecost. The series will consist of pre-recorded homilies by Metropolitan +Kallistos, of blessed memory, and an open-floor discussion via virtual Zoom meeting. The series is open to all: laity and clergy, Catholics and Orthodox. After listening to each homily, we will have a round-table discussion to include anyone who wants to ask a question, make a comment or offer a short reflection. We ask everyone to be respectful to all participants and limit their time to 1 minute.

To sign up, send an email, and you will receive an invitation with the link to use to connect. Please sign up as soon as possible as space is limited to 100 persons.

Camp Good Shepherd Virginia

When: July 6 - 12

Where: Camp Piankatank, Hartfield, VA (about 30 minutes north of Yorktown, VA). It is a rented location. 

Ages: 10-18 (completed 5th grade through high school). Think Middle and High School. 

Camping? The children stay in "fully loaded" cabins with Air Conditioning. This is not outdoor camping. 

Registration: $650 per camper. This includes all of their food and lodging for the week. Do not allow concerns of finances to be the reason for a child to not attend camp. 

Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Dulles, VA, is excited to invite all to join them for Camp Good Shepherd Virginia, an Orthodox summer camp serving the Virginia and DC Metro area. CGS has been operating since 2015. It is an overnight summer camp for Orthodox Christians. 

They are also now accepting staff applications. They mostly take young adults, who have to be at least one year out of college. There is a training process for all staff. Please Contact Fr. Thomas Manuel if interested. 

Appalachia Service Project

When: June 22 - 28

With Holy Apostles Church in Dulles, VA and St. George Church in Bethesda, MD. This is an opportunity for adults and teens to participate in a service project in Appalachia. ASP is a Christian organization which repairs homes in the poorest areas of the Appalachia regions of VA, WV, TN, NC and KY.

Teams of nine people will be set up, each including two adults and seven teens (the teens must have completed 8th grade.) Once you register you will be assigned a team. The cost is $375 per person which goes to ASP; each church must raise additional funds to cover transportation, meals, and housing costs. Contact Athena Kaiser to sign up for the Appalachia service project.