Mass baptisms are taking place in the U.S., and Orthodox communities are growing

Orthodox parishes in various jurisdictions across the United States are reporting a significant increase in the number of believers, mass baptisms, and high popularity of catechism classes. According to OrthoChristian, this is confirmed by a series of recent events in parishes across the country.

In mid-September of this year, several churches held the sacraments of admission into the Orthodox Church. For example, on September 12, at St. Innocent Church in Macon, Georgia, nine people were received into the Orthodox Church through baptism and chrismation. A day later, on September 13, at the Church of Christ the Savior in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, seven more new converts joined the Church through the sacrament of chrismation.

The growing interest in Orthodoxy is evident not only in the reception of the sacraments but also in educational activities. For example, on September 18, at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Irvine, California, the first session of the catechetical course “Orthodox Christianity 101” took place, attended by more than 200 people in person and online.

Large-scale events also took place in other regions: on September 19, 16 people were baptized at the Antiochian Church of All Saints in Raleigh (North Carolina), and on September 20, five more believers received the sacrament at the Serbian Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Lebanon (Pennsylvania), five more believers received the sacrament. In addition, at the Parish of the Epiphany of the Lord in Colorado Springs, 27 people were accepted as catechumens in August and September, which attests to the ongoing active expansion of Orthodox communities in America.