History of Our Parish

In September 1991, sixty families requested the formation of a parish to serve the needs of Orthodox Christians in the Route 95 and 495 area, outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Since that time, this community has moved from a small 50-seat chapel in Norwood, Massachusetts to renting warehouse space in Sharon, Massachusetts to it's current location in Mansfield, Massachusetts. There are now 206 steward families that are part of the St. Gregory family, and it is our hope that this Mansfield site will become spiritual home to many others.

"We have been given an incredible gift from God: 8 acres of land and a 20,000 square foot building housing our spiritual, cultural, catechetical Orthodoxy. This gift pervades us with praise and thanksgiving." Rev. Michael R. Bird, Parish Priest

Who Are We?

St. Gregory the Theologian is a "singing church" - that is, the responses and hymns are sung by the congregation, not a formal choir. Thus, our parishioners experience the ancient practice of Orthodox worship by which the clergy and laity together participate in the services. We encourage all attendees to open the Divine Liturgy Hymnal which can be found in the pews, and to sing in worship & in praise for the glory of God. Our organist provides musical guidance in order that all may follow along prayerfully.

The Greek Orthodox Church of St. Gregory the Theologian is a parish of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, within the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Boston, under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Greek Orthodox Church is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Historically and theologically, we trace our 'church' roots back to the Source of Life, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to his Apostles, the earliest fathers and mothers of the Church. Holy Scriptures and Sacred Traditions are the source of Church doctrine. The Holy Spirit is the guiding light and interpreter of these Sacred Scriptures and Traditions. The strength of the Orthodox Church is shown by its survival through many periods of persecution and its subsequent growth through the centuries. It is a faith of divine beauty in which the worshipers find tranquillity in the prayers, solace in the ritual, and inspiration in the music.

The Apostle Paul established the Christian Church in Greece during his early missionary journeys and the Church there has never ceased to exist. It is know today as the Greek Orthodox Church.

The word 'Orthodox' means "correct or true belief". It is the common and official name used by the Greek Christians and Eastern Christian Church. The Orthodox Church maintains her belief that she alone has kept the true Christian faith, complete and unaltered.

The word 'Greek' does not imply that the Greek Orthodox Church belongs exclusively to those of Greek decent. Rather, it expresses that the religion was nourished in the Greek civilization and the Greek Language was used to preach about Christ and proclaim his message to all the known world.

Today, there are over six million Orthodox Christians in the United States, served by more than 1,600 Orthodox parishes, five theological seminaries and over a dozen monasteries. Church services at Saint Gregory's, are celebrated both in English and in Greek for the benefit of those versed in either language.

What Does This Mean?

It means a couple of very important things. First, it means that this community, existing here and now, is a vessel, a holder, of almost two thousand years of life, tradition, and teaching which have as their Source the Lord Himself. In other words, our worship services are intended to have one simple purposes; to make more real, tangible and clear our life-giving relationship with God the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Relationship With God

When it's all said and done, this is the reason why our community exists. On a deeper, theological level, it is why each of us exists. "It was You who created my inmost being, who fashioned me in my mother's womb. I praise You for all these mysteries, for the wonder of myself and all your works. You know me through and through." Psalm 139: 13-14

How Can This Be?

The Orthodox Church has always taught that our relationship with God is meant to be a personal one. We all seek and discover ways that are unique to us, personally. At the same time, our experience of the Church is intended to point us towards some particular ways, namely our Eucharistic worship, or Communion, and our Church's unique architecture.

The Eucharist

There is no question that, from the beginning of Christianity, the life of the Church has revolved around the Holy Eucharist, the gathering of God's people to celebrate and remember the Lord's Supper. The Greek word for church itself means 'gathering' or 'assembly'. Orthodox Christians think of this assembly in very special ways. First, it is an opportunity to bring our gifts, who we are and what we do, into the community. The bread and wine which are used in the Eucharistic celebration are just that, our best efforts at sharing ourselves with God and with the community. In the ancient church, the excess bread and wine was taken each week by the deacons and distributed to those throughout the larger community who were in need. Today we try to distribute our time, talents, and treasure, our bread and wine, in ways which benefit as many as possible.

The Eucharist, however, is not primarily about offering, though our offering is absolutely necessary. It is about receiving. When Orthodox Christians approach the sanctified gifts, the Body and Blood of Christ, we do so with faith, hope, awe, love, and openness. we approach the cup as a community because this is a sacrament of the community. We approach with the promise that God will transform our live, our efforts, our brokenness and incompleteness. We approach in order to receive wholeness, healing of soul and body, healing of relationships, and restoration on both a personal and community level. We approach to receive the Good News that God is with us, among us, and inside of us, as persons and as a community.

Church Architecture

The physical layout of an Orthodox Church is meant to convey something very important to anyone who enters. The Church building itself is intended to serve as a physical, created place that joins together all of Creation.

The journey begins when we enter the front doors of the church building, moving into a rectangular space called the narthex. Upon entering the narthex, we make our initial offering to God by lighting a candle. In doing so, we remember the light and warmth of the Holy Spirit within us, we remember loved ones both living and dead, and we prepare ourselves to move more deeply into the mystery of God the Trinity.

The next stage in the journey is our move into the nave, the large central area of the church containing pews. It is here that most of the community worships, chants hymns, greeting one another, and lifting up prayers of love and gratitude to God. The nave is full of icons, sacred pictures of the important people (Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary, Saints) and events in the historical life of the Church. Icons serve to remind us of the goodness of God's Creation and to also connect us to our "roots" as a worshipping community.

The deepest, most sacred place in the Church is the sanctuary, where the altar table is housed and where the priest stands for much of the service. The holiness of the sanctuary comes from its role as the place where the Eucharist is consecrated, where the community's imperfect gifts of bread and wine become the perfect gifts of Jesus' Body and Blood.

Who is Saint Gregory The Theologian?

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