Orthodox Parish of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Amsterdam
About us
Welcome to the site of Saint Nicholas parish! We are an Orthodox Christian community in the Russian liturgical and spiritual tradition for more than 50 years. After many years with the Moscow Patriarchate, in 2022 our parish was received into the Exarchate of the Benelux of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Our diocesan bishop is Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium.
Our church is open to one and all. Feel free to come in, light a candle or just take a look around. Of course, the services are open to everyone as well. On Sundays we have hosts and hostesses to welcome visitors and show them the way.
After the Sunday service we share coffee and tea. This is the opportunity to ask questions, to visit the Information Centre to ask for information about parish activities. You can also register for the weekly bulletin or parish activities.
The church is open when there is a service. The schedule of services you can find here.
Schedule of services
Our services are alternately (mainly) in Dutch and Church Slavonic.
- The first and third Sunday of the month, the service is predominantly in Church Slavonic,
- the second and fourth in Dutch,
- if there is a fifth Sunday in the month, we also use some English
Schedule of Services February 2025
Monday 3 March (18 February)
7:00 Matins and First Hour. 10:00 Typica and Vespers
19:00 Great Compline with the Canon of St Andrew of Crete
Tuesday 4 March (19 February)
7:00 Matins and First Hour. 10:00 Typica and Vespers
19:00 Great Compline with the Canon of St Andrew of Crete
Wednesday 5 March (20 February)
7:00 Matins and First Hour. 10:00 Typica and Vespers
19:00 Great Compline with the Canon of St Andrew of Crete
Thursday 6 March (21 February)
19:00 Great Compline with the Canon of St Andrew of Crete
Friday 7 March (22 February)
18:00 Confession. 19:00 Presanctified Liturgy: Genesis 2:20-3:20, Proverbs 3:19-34
Saturday 8 March (23 February)
17:00 Panichida. 17:30 Vigil: Tone 4. 4th Gospel, Luke 24:1-12
Sunday 9 March (24 February)
1st Sunday of Great Lent, of Orthodoxy
9:30 Hours. 10:00 Divine Liturgy: Hebrews 11:24-26, 11:32-12:2; John 1:43-51
Announcements
30 March Panorthodox Liturgy in Rotterdam
Volunteer Day Friday 4 April 2024
This week Friday, 4 April, is again volunteer day in our church.
We start with the morning prayers in the church at 09.30, the end time is around 14:00- 15:00 hrs. Around noon there is a catered lunch. Among other things, there are cleaning works, and we carry out maintenance and simple repairs.
Contact person is Charley Vos – for questions available on [email protected]
We hope to see you coming Friday 4 April!
Information center & bookshop
In the bookstore of our church you can find various Orthodox goods: icons, crosses, books, oil (consecrated), candlesticks, incense and coal, censers, rosaries, Orthodox calendars, etc. Volunteers working in the Orthodox Information Center can answer simple questions about the Orthodox faith and our church, or direct you to a priest.
From the Rector
Monday 17th March, 2025
My dear Friends,
Today, we turn to one of the most powerful encounters in the Gospel: the healing of the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12. This passage reveals not only Christ’s power to heal but, more importantly, His authority to remove sins.
Sin is a difficult concept; its meaning covers a range of ideas, and it has changed over time. Nevertheless, it always carries a core meaning of ‘a category of behaviour which damages not only our relationship with God, but damages our true nature as well’. Jesus came not only to forgive sin, but – in some sense – to remove the category of sin altogether.
It might be useful to replace the word ‘sin’ in most contexts with a question: ‘What is there in my life which separates me from God?’ In this way one can begin to address not the sin itself, but the relationship which the sin devalues.
Our Gospel story appears to be about physical healing. But as we look deeper, we see that Jesus’ first priority is something greater—the healing of the person’s immortal nature. This passage challenges us to consider what true healing means and what it is we most need from Christ.
