Welcome to the website of the Orthodox Parish Saint Thomas the Apostle in Munich!
ORTHOXY AND ITS HISTORY IN GERMANY
The number of Greek, Russian, Romanian, Serbian, Georgian, Syrian,
and other church communities from traditionally Orthodox countries is steadily growing in Germany. But German-speaking communities are also emerging: The Apostle Thomas Parish is already the second Orthodox parish in Munich to hold its services in German, following the long- established parish of the Holy Apostle Andreas in the Greek Salvator Church. Why do people seeking to join Christ choose the Orthodox Church over the Roman Catholic or Protestant confessions prevalent in Germany? This question touches on origins and the unity of the Church.
The Orthodox Church is the one and only Church that spread across
almost all of Europe during the first Christian millennium. The Catholic Church in Germany was part of the Patriarchate of Rome, which only left the bosom of Orthodoxy with the Church schism of 1054 AD. Until then, the Western Church was one of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches that together constitute the Orthodox Church. The belief in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church”; as we confess in the Nicene- Constantinopolitan Creed (381), is the belief in the Orthodox Church. Therefore, regaining this unity is of great importance for our salvation. The spiritual legacy that still shapes our country today originates from Orthodoxy. Hundreds of martyrs shed their blood for the faith in Germany until the eighth century. Men and women gave their lives for the proclamation of the Gospel. All of them are venerated as Saints by the Orthodox Church today. Their intercession for us before God and our turning to them in prayer open the way to fulfilling the prophecy of the renowned Elder Paisios of Mount Athos (+1994, canonized 2015), who repeatedly told pilgrims: “Germany will become an Orthodox land”;
THE PARISH OF THE HOLY APOSTLE THOMAS IN MUNICH
The Apostle Thomas Church is a Christian Orthodox parish founded in Munich in February 2017 with the blessing of Metropolitan Mark (Arndt). The parish belongs to the German Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), its mission being to make the treasure of the Orthodox faith accessible also to those who do not master a language of the traditionally Orthodox cultural sphere. Therefore, in the parish of the Holy Apostle Thomas, all services, sermons, and catecheses are held in German. This includes the evening and morning services anchored in the Byzantine rite (combined with the First Hour and referred to as “Vigil”, in which Holy Scripture, the lives of the Saints, and the theology of the Church Fathers are interwoven into a unique synthesis. In this way, we enable German-speaking believers and those who wish to become believers to become acquainted with the spiritual fullness of the Orthodox Church. For “God’s word is not chained”; (2 Tim 2:9). This is the experience of the Apostles. You are warmly invited to attend our services: On every first, third and fifth (when it occurs) Sunday of the month, we celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Chapel of St. Silouan at Paul-Heyse-Str. 19 Rgb. (Rear-building, basement), and on the second and fourth Sunday of the month in the Russian Orthodox Archangel Michael Church in Munich- Ludwigsfeld. The start time is always 9:00 AM. On the eve of the Liturgy (Saturday evenings), the two-hour Vigil precedes it, always in the Chapel of St. Silouan. Please refer to the current service schedule on this page for the exact starting times. The church addresses and directions can be found under the “Contact”; section.