St. Matthew Orthodox Christian Church
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
Torrance, CA

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Welcome!

Welcome to St. Matthew Orthodox Christian Church in Torrance, California.

We are an Eastern Orthodox Christian Church of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

We are a warm and diverse community of serious Christians who seek to worship God faithfully and witness the Gospel through love for our neighbor. 

ALL ARE WELCOME!

If you are joining us for the first time we ask of you to:

1) Dress modestly,

2) Come without expectation and allow yourself to just be present in the worship, and

3) If you are able to, join us for a meal after the service (On Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings).

 

If you are visiting from another Orthodox Church it is helpful to let us know ahead of time, especially to let us know if you plan to approach the Chalice for Holy Communion

 

You can see our schedule of services and activities here: https://saint-matthew.net/schedule

Joining the Orthodox Christian Church

1) The first step in joining the Orthodox Christian Church is to attend services.

Services are offered daily and are open to all. The Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion) is reserved for Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves to receive Holy Communion.

2) When visiting, be sure to introduce yourself to our Priest, Father John.

When meeting Father John you can arrange with him a time to meet and talk one-on-one to share about your journey and ask any questions you may have about the Church and the process of becoming an Orthodox Christian.

3) Get involved!

You are encouraged to try to attend services as much as you are able to. It was the regular life of the first Christians to gather daily. Along with services, try to make it to the various opportunities to learn about the faith, Wednesday night Family Nights (6:30pm), Friday morning Bible Studies (7am), and Saturday after Catechism Classes (3:30pm).

The Holy Apostle & Evangelist Matthew
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St. Matthew was the son of Alpheus. From the Hebrew his name means the Gift of Jehovah. He was also known as Levi the Publican, a tax collector for the government of Rome in the Judean town of Capernaum.

St. Matthew wrote the first book of the New Testament, the Gospel According to Saint Matthew. Here he wrote of the coming of Our Lord, the birth of Jesus Christ, the years of His preaching, the story of the Sermon on the Mount and the Passion and Resurrection. It is known that St. Matthew wrote the Gospel in the last quarter of the first century.

St. Irenaeus and St. Clement of Alexandria tell us that after Our Lords Ascension, St. Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea for fifteen years. Tradition says he also preached in Persia and Ethiopia and stories of his martyrdom exist.

Troparion for St. Matthew
O Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, intercede with our merciful God to grant our soul forgiveness of sins.

You did hear the divine voice and received the light of faith, abandoning the office of publican. You proclaimed the Good News of the ineffable Kenosis of Christ, O Apostle Matthew and now you intercede that they who praise you be granted forgiveness of offenses and great mercy.

Commemorated on November 16

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Today's Commemorations
2nd Monday after Pascha, Theodore the Trichinas, Zacchaeus the Apostle of Caesaria, Gregory & Anastasios, Patriarchs of Antioch, Athanasios, Founder of the Monastery of Meteora
Today's Scripture Readings
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 3:19-26
In those days, Peter said to the people, "Repent and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old. Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren as he raised me up. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.' And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came afterwards, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God gave to your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your posterity shall all the families of the earth be blessed.' God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you in turning every one of you from your wickedness."
JOHN 2:1-11
At that time, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the wedding, with his disciples. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Today's Thought

Liturgy is spirit and life running through the veins of the body of the Church, and nurturing all its members. It revives the Church, the community and the individuals with the grace that is bestowed upon it. – His Beatitude Patriarch John X