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St. Athanasius Orthodox Church • Nicholasville/Lexington Kentucky

St. Athanasius Orthodox Church • Nicholasville/Lexington Kentucky

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June, Pentecost, Vacation Church School

In these recent days, the Orthodox Church throughout the world has pivoted from the Paschal season towards the holy days that follow Pentecost — which is observed this year on June 8. In the month of June, we also host the annual Pan-Orthodox Vacation Church School Program (June 9-13.) You can register for VCS here and you indicate your interest in volunteering here. Any children from pre-K (potty-trained) through those entering 6th grade are welcome to register — not just those in our parishes!

Of course, we also invite you to visit our parish. You can learn more about making an actual visit to St. Athanasius here. You can also take a peek inside our church by checking our parish YouTube channel. Check out our updated google calendar here (and you can import it into your own calendar if you wish) and our pdf calendar for June here:

We also welcome those who are in (or close to) Madison County to consider a visit our St. Nina Mission in Berea, which helps extend the reach of the Orthodox Faith along the I-75 corridor and Wilderness Trail. We are drawing people from Somerset, London, Corbin, and beyond — and are celebrating at least 9 services in our Berea chapel each month! )

Below is a collection of photos from May 2025, which includes a recent pilgrimage our young ladies took to Holy Transfiguration Women’s Monastery in Pennsylvania where one of our (former) parishioners was just tonsured a nun. You will also see lots of other photos of parish life throughout the month, showing the full range of liturgical, educational, missional, and social life in our parish. We hope these photos and the depth of our Faith inspire you to visit St. Athanasius Orthodox Church or our St. Nina Mission during this season! If you have questions about our calendar or any aspect of our Faith or parish life, please reach out to our rector and senior pastor Fr. Justin at fr.justin@bluegrassorthodox.org.

Bulletin June 22nd

June 19, 2025 News

Bulletin June 15th

June 13, 2025 News

Bulletin June 8

June 6, 2025 News

June, Pentecost, Vacation Church School

May 31, 2025 Featured

In these recent days, the Orthodox Church throughout the world has pivoted from the Paschal season towards the holy days that follow Pentecost — which is observed this year on June 8. In the month of June, we also host the annual Pan-Orthodox Vacation Church School Program (June 9-13.) You can …

Bulletin June 1st

May 29, 2025 News

Bulletin May 25th

May 22, 2025 News

Bulletin May 18th

May 15, 2025 News

Bulletin May 11th

May 8, 2025 News

Bulletin May 4th

May 8, 2025 News

Pascha Continues: Christ is Risen!

April 30, 2025 Featured

On Sunday, April 20, Orthodox Christians everywhere celebrated the Feast of Feasts — the PASCHA of the Lord. (You can see our Paschal photos below.) The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ continues through May 29 (40 days) when the Church keeps the Feast of the Lord’s Ascension and …

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St. Athanasius Orthodox Church
16 hours ago
St. Athanasius Orthodox Church

Ongoing Christian Education is a major part of the culture at both St. Athanasius and our daughter mission St. Nina. This week, over 20 people participated in both classes we hosted in both locations. What Faith-related topics might be helpful to you as we plan for the summer and fall? ... See MoreSee Less

Ongoing Christian Education is a major part of the culture at both St. Athanasius and our daughter mission St. Nina. This week, over 20 people participated in both classes we hosted in both locations. What Faith-related topics might be helpful to you as we plan for the summer and fall?Image attachmentImage attachment+2Image attachment
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St. Athanasius Orthodox Church
1 day ago
St. Athanasius Orthodox Church

+Story of the Tikhvin Mother of God Icon+

The Church marks the Feast of the Appearance of the Tikhvin Mother of God Icon on June 26. This icon not only is reputed to have been painted by the Holy Apostle Luke, but the icon has been a beloved treasure of Orthodox believers in the northern Russian town of Tikhvin. For over half a century, during the years of godless communism, the icon was safeguarded at our Holy Trinity OCA Cathedral in Chicago, before being returned with great fanfare to the Tikhvin Monastery in 2003.

According to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose.

In 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. According to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,” the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire.

Shortly after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires.

In the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. In 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall.

In 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery.

When the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. Afterwards, the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. Later, the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared.

Over the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill.

No fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,” adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza.

Most miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.” Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine.

During the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. While Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Bishop John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home.

The icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful.

The icon follows the “Hodegetria” (Hodēgḗtria) model and is similar in style to the ancient Ivḗron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodēgḗtria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy.

-- Archpriest John Matusiak

(www.oca.org/saints/lives/2019/06/26/101821-appearance-of-the-tikhvin-icon-of-the-mother-of-god)
... See MoreSee Less

+Story of the Tikhvin Mother of God Icon+

The Church marks the Feast of the Appearance of the Tikhvin Mother of God Icon on June 26. This icon not only is reputed to have been painted by the Holy Apostle Luke, but the icon has been a beloved treasure of Orthodox believers in the northern Russian town of Tikhvin. For over half a century, during the years of godless communism, the icon was safeguarded at our Holy Trinity OCA Cathedral in Chicago, before being returned with great fanfare to the Tikhvin Monastery in 2003. 

According to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose.

In 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. According to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,” the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire.

Shortly after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires.

In the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. In 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall.

In 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery.

When the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. Afterwards, the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. Later, the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared.

Over the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill.

No fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,” adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza.

Most miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.” Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine.

During the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. While Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Bishop John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home.

The icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful.

The icon follows the “Hodegetria” (Hodēgḗtria) model and is similar in style to the ancient Ivḗron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodēgḗtria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy.

-- Archpriest John Matusiak

(https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2019/06/26/101821-appearance-of-the-tikhvin-icon-of-the-mother-of-god)Image attachmentImage attachment+7Image attachment
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St. Athanasius Orthodox Church
2 days ago
St. Athanasius Orthodox Church

This Wednesday night we serve Vespers at 630pm. Immediately after, at 720pm, Prof. David Bradshaw will be offering a special class looking at Orthodoxy's long-term influence on marriage, particularly how monasticism and our veneration of the Theotokos impacted how people (inside and outside the Faith) see the institution of marriage. Join us! ... See MoreSee Less

This Wednesday night we serve Vespers at 630pm. Immediately after, at 720pm, Prof. David Bradshaw will be offering a special class looking at Orthodoxys long-term influence on marriage, particularly how monasticism and our veneration of the Theotokos impacted how people (inside and outside the Faith) see the institution of marriage. Join us!
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Saint Athanasius Orthodox Church
100 Lime Lane
Nicholasville, KY 40356
Directions to the church

Priest Justin Patterson
Church: (859) 881-8144
Cell: (859) 361-2823
E-mail Fr. Justin

We are a parish of the Diocese of the South of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), under the archpastoral care of his grace, the right reverend ALEXANDER, Bishop of Dallas and the South. We are the first OCA parish in Kentucky. We are located in the heart of the bluegrass region just outside Lexington.

Click HERE if you’re looking for St. Nina.

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