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St. Athanasius Orthodox Church • Nicholasville/Lexington Kentucky

St. Athanasius Orthodox Church • Nicholasville/Lexington Kentucky

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July: Beyond Pentecost

With the glorious seasons of Pascha, Pentecost (Holy Trinity,) and the Apostles’ Fast behind us, we now enter July, which is one of the quietest months of the year, liturgically. Yet it is in these “normal days” of the post-Pentecost period that the real measure of our spiritual life unfolds. To that end, our parish family invites you to visit St. Athanasius this summer. We have parishioners from across 10 Kentucky counties, including Lexington-Fayette and beyond! You can learn more about making an in-person visit to St. Athanasius here. You can also take a peek inside our church by checking our our parish YouTube channel. Check out our “hard copy” July 2025 calendar below and remember that our google calendar is here (and you can import it into your own calendars if you wish.) As is typical in traditional Orthodox Christianity, there are many services each week beyond our Sunday Liturgy–even during this relatively quiet month.

For those in (or close to) Madison County or south of Richmond to consider a visit our St. Nina Mission (213 Pauline Drive #5, Berea, KY,) which helps extend the reach of the Orthodox Faith along the I-75 corridor & Wilderness Trail. We are drawing people from Somerset, London, Corbin, and beyond. We are now serving weekly Tuesday & Saturday night services at 630pm plus a monthly Sunday Liturgy. Again, see our mission website for details.

Below is a collection of photos from our annual May Parish Picnic, our annual Vacation Church School, from June in general, & from Pentecost 2025, 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 and/or our St. Nina Mission! 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 or our associate priest Fr. Giorgi at fr.giorgi@bluegrassorthodox.org.

Bulletin July 6th

July 5, 2025 News

Bulletin June 29th

July 5, 2025 News

July: Beyond Pentecost

June 27, 2025 Featured

With the glorious seasons of Pascha, Pentecost (Holy Trinity,) and the Apostles’ Fast behind us, we now enter July, which is one of the quietest months of the year, liturgically. Yet it is in these “normal days” of the post-Pentecost period that the real measure of our spiritual life unfolds. …

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
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St. Athanasius Orthodox Church
10 hours ago
St. Athanasius Orthodox Church

On this Friday, we remember the 20th-century saint, Elder Sophrony of Essex. We chant his Akathist (linked below) at 11am:

docs.google.com/document/d/14zleuTTleYv1-CsJgBH_ymVtyt-Uvl2GtURKUhPfrKU/edit?usp=drivesdk
... See MoreSee Less

On this Friday, we remember the 20th-century saint, Elder Sophrony of Essex. We chant his Akathist (linked below) at 11am: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14zleuTTleYv1-CsJgBH_ymVtyt-Uvl2GtURKUhPfrKU/edit?usp=drivesdk
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St. Athanasius Orthodox Church
24 hours ago
St. Athanasius Orthodox Church

July 11 is the Feast of St. Olga of Rus -- and she remains revered both by the Orthodox Church generally and by her Slavic Orthodox descendants in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. St. Olga has been called (alternately) "Equal-to-the-Apostles,” “Viking-Russian Princess," “Missionary to Ukraine,” and “Scourge of the Drevlians,” all of which describe some aspect of her life. To say that St. Olga of Kiev lived a colorful life would be quite the understatement.

Born as a Viking noble in the great northern city of Pskov around the year 900, she became ruler of one of the most powerful countries of its time, Kievan Rus (which in her day covered territory now part of the countries Ukraine and Russia--from which all the Eastern Slavs trace their heritage.)

As the consort of Prince Igor she may have faded into obscurity if not for the revolt of the Drevlian tribe a few years after the birth of their first child. Igor was brutally murdered by the Drevlians, leaving his infant son as heir and Olga to become the new ruler until her son came of age. She was the first female ruler of Rus.

Enraged by her husband’s death, the pagan Olga avenged him in an extremely harsh manner, slaughtering Drevlian ambassadors and nobility, burning their capital of Iskorosten to the ground and leveling other towns. Having decimated the Drevlians, Olga took all their land to further expand the principality of Kiev and sent a bloody message to the other vassals of her realm that she was not to be toyed with.

Of course, if St. Olga's story ended here, we would not know her as "St. Olga." And she certainly would not bear the august title “Equal-to-the-Apostles!” So what, exactly, happened so that her main legacy today is her sanctity? The "change" begins around ten years after the bloody events that inaugurated her rule.

On a visit to Constantinople, she was incredibly inspired by the Christians she met there and soon after received Holy Baptism. This was groundbreaking for many reasons, but not least was because Christianity had traditionally encountered much hostility among the people of Rus. By converting to Christianity, St. Olga was embracing a completely different code of ethics, as well as a cultural heritage markedly different from that of her own pagan people.

In embracing the Orthodox Christian Faith, St. Olga did not stop at her own personal conversion, but rather she used all her influence and power as part of the royal house of Rus to begin missionary efforts in what is now Ukraine and Russia. She invited Orthodox clergy to come to her lands from Byzantium and set up hospitals and welfare for the poor. She used her public announcements to teach people about the Christian faith. During her time as regent, and even after her pagan son had ascended to the throne, St Olga’s efforts to heal the violence in her realm and spread Christianity were unmatched. By the time of her death, Kievan Rus had progressed along the path of becoming a more Christian place, with more churches, more Baptisms, and more care for the poor than had ever existed there before.

Perhaps St. Olga is so beloved today not just because she died a dedicated and holy Christian, but also because her story shows the depths and heights of human potential. Every person is capable of both great evil and great love and Olga shows both of these at their most extreme. She also shows marked impact faith ought to have on someone’s life. What is beautiful is that her story shows there is always a road to redemption for everybody as long as we are willing to die to our own pride and make amends for the wrongs we have done. In her life, her strength of will--so vicious in her earlier pagan life--became completely transfigured after her Baptism in her rugged commitment to spread her faith and share the Gospel among her people.

While Kievan Rus remained a pagan kingdom for a generation after her death, it was in part due to her remarkable example and commitment that her grandson, St. Vladimir (Volodymyr) was himself drawn to Christianity and was able to continue the task of bringing the richness of Orthodox Christianity to the peoples he ruled in the lands now known as Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. By the prayers of St. Olga, her grandson St. Vladimir, and all the saints of Rus, Lord Jesus Christ preserve all her spiritual descendants in these lands and bring them lasting peace from above!

Holy St. Olga, equal-to-the-apostles, pray to God for us!
... See MoreSee Less

July 11 is the Feast of St. Olga of Rus -- and she remains revered both by the Orthodox Church generally and by her Slavic Orthodox descendants in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. St. Olga has been called (alternately) Equal-to-the-Apostles,” “Viking-Russian Princess, “Missionary to Ukraine,” and “Scourge of the Drevlians,” all of which describe some aspect of her life. To say that St. Olga of Kiev lived a colorful life would be quite the understatement. 

Born as a Viking noble in the great northern city of Pskov around the year 900, she became ruler of one of the most powerful countries of its time, Kievan Rus (which in her day covered territory now part of the countries Ukraine and Russia--from which all the Eastern Slavs trace their heritage.)

As the consort of Prince Igor she may have faded into obscurity if not for the revolt of the Drevlian tribe a few years after the birth of their first child. Igor was brutally murdered by the Drevlians, leaving his infant son as heir and Olga to become the new ruler until her son came of age. She was the first female ruler of Rus.

Enraged by her husband’s death, the pagan Olga avenged him in an extremely harsh manner, slaughtering Drevlian ambassadors and nobility, burning their capital of Iskorosten to the ground and leveling other towns. Having decimated the Drevlians, Olga took all their land to further expand the principality of Kiev and sent a bloody message to the other vassals of her realm that she was not to be toyed with.

Of course, if St. Olgas story ended here, we would not know her as St. Olga. And she certainly  would not bear the august title “Equal-to-the-Apostles!” So what, exactly, happened so that her main legacy today is her sanctity? The change begins around ten years after the bloody events that inaugurated her rule. 

On a visit to Constantinople, she was incredibly inspired by the Christians she met there and soon after received Holy Baptism.  This was groundbreaking for many reasons, but not least was because Christianity had traditionally encountered much hostility among the people of Rus. By converting to Christianity, St. Olga was embracing a completely different code of ethics, as well as a cultural heritage markedly different from that of her own pagan people.

In embracing the Orthodox Christian Faith, St. Olga did not stop at her own personal conversion, but rather she used all her influence and power as part of the royal house of Rus to begin missionary efforts in what is now Ukraine and Russia. She invited Orthodox clergy to come to her lands from Byzantium and set up hospitals and welfare for the poor. She used her public announcements to teach people about the Christian faith. During her time as regent, and even after her pagan son had ascended to the throne, St Olga’s efforts to heal the violence in her realm and spread Christianity were unmatched. By the time of her death, Kievan Rus had progressed along the path of becoming a more Christian place, with more churches, more Baptisms, and more care for the poor than had ever existed there before. 

Perhaps St. Olga is so beloved today not just because she died a dedicated and holy Christian, but also because her story shows the depths and heights of human potential. Every person is capable of both great evil and great love and Olga shows both of these at their most extreme. She also shows marked impact faith ought to have on someone’s life. What is beautiful is that her story shows there is always a road to redemption for everybody as long as we are willing to die to our own pride and make amends for the wrongs we have done. In her life, her strength of will--so vicious in her earlier pagan life--became completely transfigured after her Baptism in her rugged commitment to spread her faith and share the Gospel among her people. 

While Kievan Rus remained a pagan kingdom for a generation after her death, it was in part due to her remarkable example and commitment that her grandson, St. Vladimir (Volodymyr) was himself drawn to Christianity and was able to continue the task of bringing the richness of Orthodox Christianity to the peoples he ruled in the lands now known as Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. By the prayers of St. Olga, her grandson St. Vladimir, and all the saints of Rus, Lord Jesus Christ preserve all her spiritual descendants in these lands and bring them lasting peace from above!

Holy St. Olga, equal-to-the-apostles, pray to God for us!
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St. Athanasius Orthodox Church
1 day ago
St. Athanasius Orthodox Church

11 years ago today, as our Phase 1 building neared completion. ... See MoreSee Less

11 years ago today, as our Phase 1 building neared completion.
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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.

  • Home
  • Welcome
  • About Us
    • Parish History
    • Leadership
    • Building News
    • Capital Campaign Update 2022
  • Ministries
  • Calendar
  • Directions
  • Pictures
  • Give

© 2025 · St. Athanasius Orthodox Church • Nicholasville/Lexington Kentucky