Preafericitul Părinte Patriarh Daniel şi Inalt Prea Sfintia Sa Arhiepiscopul Nicolae

Welcome

OUR CHURCH CAN BE YOUR HOME

Welcome to the Ascension Of The Lord Romanian Orthodox Church - Parish Website.  We thank you for visiting our website and taking the opportunity to learn about the beauty captured in the  Orthodox Faith.  I pray that you have an enlightening experience as you surf through our website, and if you have any questions about our precious faith, please do not hesitate to contact  our church office at (510) 677-4250.

                                                     Rev.Fr. GABRIEL  CURPENE

WHAT IS THE ORTHODOX CHURCH?

The Orthodox Church is a holy institution that has been successfully preaching, teaching and living the message of Jesus Christ Crucified and Resurrected for over 2,000 years. “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus Christ is known as the Word of God), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). In our Orthodox Tradition we recognize and worship the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three persons (hypostasis) that share one essence, they never work separately of one another. Therefore, by saying the Word was God, we as Orthodox are affirming that Jesus Christ (who is the word of God) is indeed God, as is the Holy Spirit.

 Often times Orthodoxy is called the “best hidden or kept secret.” Why is this so? We are known as an Evangelical Church, but not Protestant. The word Evangelical finds its roots in the Greek word Evangelion (Gospel). We as an Orthodox Church are solely centered around the Word of God, and its message of salvation to all. As Orthodox Christians we do not knock on doors and announce our faith, we do not stand and street corners and proclaim the scriptures, rather we invite you to our worship services to come and experience our unchanged, undefiled worship and adoration of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

 The word “Orthodox” means “correct glory” and our expression of that to Christ Himself. As Romanian Orthodox Christians we recognize that Jesus Christ is the head of our Church. He is called the Great High Priest. Our Theology (teachings) tells us that Jesus Christ has two natures, fully Man and fully God. Through our reading of Holy Scripture we notice that Christ is God because he heals people from the dead, He restores sight to the blind and He also walks on water, manifesting His dominance over creation. In addition to Christ’s Divinity, Holy Scripture also reminds us that at the tomb of His friend Lazarus Christ wept and while being crucified on the Cross He bled. By ascending the cross to be crucified Jesus Christ offered Himself as the redemption of humankind and through His Third-Day Resurrection He destroyed the power of death and offered salvation to all who follow Him.

                                                         BY:  Rev.Fr. GABRIEL CURPENE