Great Lent is a time of spiritual challenge and renewal — an opportunity to deepen our faith and commitment to Christ. Through prayer, fasting, and reflection, we prepare our hearts for the joy of Pascha.

For a list of services see our full Lenten schedule below.

Come and See!

Great Canon of Repentance and the Life of St. Mary of Egypt

Wednesday, April 2, 6:30pm

On the fifth Wednesdat of the Great Fast, we sing, according to the ancient tradition, the order of the Great Canon of Repentance.

This reverential and compunctionate canon is "great" not only because of the large number of troparia (verses), but because of the mystical thoughts, insights and pious references it contains. Andrew, bishop of Crete, composed the Great Canon of Repentance in the seventh century. He artistically included the entire history of the Old and New Testaments into one sacred song in order to urge all souls to perform good deeds and to shun evil ones, thus returning to God through repentance. (The Synaxarion)

Liturgical Text: Little Compline with the Great Canon of Repentance and the Life of St. Mary of Egypt

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent St. Mary of Egypt

The feast day of Saint Mary of Egypt is April 1, the day of her repose, however the Orthodox Church also commemorates the Saint on the Fifth Sunday of Lent. As a Sunday of Great Lent, the commemoration is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, which is preceded by a Matins (morning prayer) service.

Saint Mary of Egypt is also commemorated on the Thursday before the Fifth Sunday of Lent, when her life is read during the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete. A canon in her honor is read at the end of each Ode. In parish churches the service and the canon is most often conducted on Wednesday evening.

“Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs, bestowing Life!”

“Come ye, take light from the Light, that is never overtaken by night. Come, glorify the Christ, risen from the dead.”

If you have questions about our church and what we believe, feel free to reach out to Father Joshua, our parish priest!

The Orthodox Church is the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are a Christ-centered church. In fact, we share an unbroken history with the Faith of the first Christians, and we can trace our history back to the Apostles themselves.

This parish is part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. We are pan-Orthodox. This means our membership includes many who were born into the Faith, as well as many converts. In our parish, all services are fully in English.

Anyone and everyone is more than welcome to join us for services! If you have questions about our church and what we believe, feel free to reach out to Father Joshua, our parish priest!

Upcoming Events

See all events…

Usual Service Times

Matins - Sun 8:15am
Divine Liturgy - Sun 9:30am
Vespers/Akathist - Wed 6:30pm
Great Vespers - Sat 5:00pm

This week (full calendar)

Live Streaming

While there is no substitute for gathering together in the mystery of the Divine Liturgy and partaking in Holy Communion, and participating in the other divine services of the Church, if you are unable to attend in person, you are invited to join us via live stream.

Located in Linthicum, MD, Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church is a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. We began as a mission parish in early 1993 with six families who converted to Holy Orthodoxy. Today, our community numbers over 200 members, about half of whom are converts from several Protestant denominations.

Learn more about our parish…