WELCOME TO SAINT MARY ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Welcome to Saint Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church in Cockeysville, MD. We are a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. We hope you find this website helpful to learn more about our community, services, and events.
Light a candle and say a prayer in St. Mary's Virtual Narthex.
Join us for live streamed services on St. Mary's Youtube Channel.
Liturgy
Held on Sundays at 9:45 am in our church, The Divine Liturgy is considered the most significant ancient Christian service, not so much for its phrasing and words as for its meaning. In fact, the Divine Liturgy was in practice right after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Disciples of Christ on the 50th day after His Resurrection, as the sacred writer of the Acts of the Apostles records (Acts 2:46 ff). The Divine Liturgy in its swaddlings at the beginning of the Christian era consisted of free hymns and prayers for the officiating of a certain framework of faith. It was officiated long before the beginning of the writings of the New Testament. The Divine Liturgy as such was the center of the inspiration of the first Christians in their communion with God and with one another.
Paraklesis
Held on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm in our Saint George Chapel, the Paraklesis service of supplication is specifically for the living. This service is most often addressed to the Theotokos, but may be used to seek the intercessions of any saint. The distinguishing feature of a paraklesis is the inclusion of a supplicatory canon to the saint whose intercessions are being sought. A paraklesis can be served as a stand-alone service or, in a slightly abbreviated form, in conjunction with Vespers. It is appropriate to be served at any time of need.