St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church

Blessing of the Waters, 2012

St Nicholas will bless the waters of Juneau twice this year.

Saturday, January 14, 2012 at Cope Park, 9: AM
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at Sandy Beach, 8 AM (gathering at Donna's restaurant after the blessing for coffee)

We encourage you to join us for both events.

At Cope Park - 01/14/12

On 14 January 2012, St Nicholas Orthodox Church continued our blessing of the waters at Cope Park in Juneau. The Orthodox Church worldwide blesses all the waters, reminding us that when Christ became incarnate to save us from sin, He also came to save all of his creation, which had been damaged by the Fall. We bless the waters to remind us that they are sacred and must be protected and returned to God.

It was a cold day, clear and sunny, with temperatures around 10°F (-12°C) when Matushka, the children and I strolled from the car down to the streams banks with three frozen crosses, made from Holy Water. A single raven perched on top of a phone pole and watched the service.

We will be blessing the Gastineau Channel at 8 AM on January 21, 2012 at Sandy Beach. Come visit us and join us in thanking God for His creation as we sanctify the waters.

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Winter Hours

Sunday

9:40am - Third and Sixth hours

10:00am - Divine Liturgy & Fellowship Hour

Saturday

6:00pm - Vespers

Eve of Feast

6:30pm - Vespers

Feast

8:00am - Divine Liturgy - Or as announced. Contact Fr. Simeon with questions.

In the Calendar and Service Schedule section we have added a place for everyone to download the Sunday Bulletins.

This should be a handy tool for those who miss services and do not receive a printed copy at Church.

St. Nicholas receives the Sam McClain Watercolor collection

Unpacking the Collection - 03/07/11

The Sam McClain Watercolors, painted in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s as a way to preserve Alaska’s threatened Orthodox Treasures, were donated to the Diocese of Alaska by Bruce Kendall.

St. Nicholas has been chosen to house and preserve this fantastic collection and on March 7, 2011, Scott Carlee from the Juneau Arts and Culture Center came to St. Nicholas as we unpacked some of this historic collection.

We hope to be able to hold a public exhibit of the entire collection in the near future. We also hope to digitally scan the collection and display it on our website.

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The bell-tower (on the ground behind the church) Dec 2010

The Church, without a bell-tower, dec 2010

The Dome, Dec 2010

Preservation efforts with ROSSIA begin

We need your help. Our historic building is showing the signs of its 117 years of continuous use. The foundations are insufficient, the bell-tower has been removed since 2007 to prevent its collapse, and historic artifacts, such as the 117 year old Epitaphion/Plashchanitsa are dangerously unprotected.

In conjunction with R.O.S.S.I.A. (Russian Orthodox Sacred Sites in Alaska), we are embarking on a major historic preservation project to repair these problems, and preserve the church for the next generation of Juneau worshippers and the thousands of people from all over the world that visit our church via cruise ship each summer.

Tax deductable donations, marked “preservation”, can be sent to:

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church

P.O. Box 20130

Juneau, Alaska 99802-0130

Check out the new Online Museum section of the website

Tlingit Liturgical art

Interior of the Church

Various Liturgical Items

Online museum created.

Beginning in July 2010 we will be taking an inventory of our historic artifacts. Since we do not have enough space to properly display many of these fragile pictures, vestments, Icons, and otherwise, we are endeavoring to photograph these items for display here and in our parish hall.

View the museum here, or by clicking on "online museum" in the main menu.

We hope you enjoy the items and will consider a donation to help us continue to preserve our historic building.

Fr Simeon

Since 1894 God has been glorified here.

The St. Nicholas 100th Anniversary Icon (Limited Edition)

The Commemorative Mug

The 1894 Club

In 1894 a varied yet single-minded group of people joined together to build a church. Native Alaskans, Serbian miners, towns people, Orthodox and Non-orthodox took up the call for the building of a Russian Orthodox Church in the young but energetic town of Juneau, Alaska. The result was St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church. Over time many other buildings of the Russian period collapsed, or were replaced, leaving St. Nicholas as the oldest contiually functioning Orthodox church building in Alaska.

Now, with almost 120 years of use, that same building is in need of such another group of generous and dedicated people. We need your help!

To that end, I invite you to join the 1894 Club. By donating to the cause of our restoration you become a member of the 1894 Club. Here are your member benefits:

Doners of any amount up to $50 will receive an embosed Certificate of Membership suitable for framing

Doners who give $50 will receive the certificate and an enamle lapel pin of the church.

Doners who give $100 will receive the certificate, the pin and a commemorative mug displayed above. (Additional mugs may be ordered seperately.)

Doners who give $300 will receive the certificate, the pin, the mug, and a 100th anniversary icon, an unique icon written especially for St. Nicholas Church.

All donations, of any amount, will be acknowledged by listing on this website, unless you request otherwise, and will be added to our perpetual intercession list. Those on the intercession list will be remembered by name at the weekly akathist to St. Herman.

If you have any questions please feel free to call at (907) 586-1023 or (907) 957-1539. You may also use the email feature on our website.

Commemorative Mug - $5.00 plus $5.00 s/h. Order by email/phone/letter.

Help us restore this Alaskan treasure! See the history section of this website for more information on St. Nicholas Church.

This is a limited edition item. Only 5000 were made.

The design was inspired by a similar mug to commemorate the first restoration project.

St Nicholas, May 1945 (from the Alaska State Museum)

Late September, 2010 (Douglas Island in the background)

Welcome to the website of St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Juneau, Alaska. This website functions with the blessing of His Grace, the Rt. Rev. BENJAMIN, Bishop of San Francisco and the West, locum tenens of the diocese of Alaska.

For over 116 years, St Nicholas Church has been serving the Orthodox Christian faithful in Juneau and the surrounding areas. While the majority of members are Native Alaskans, among the members are people of various ethnicities, nationalities, and backgrounds, both "cradle" Orthodox (those born to Orthodox parents), and those from other Christian confessions that have found fulfillment the Holy Orthodox Faith.

We invite you to browse this site and share our joy, vision, and hope, all rooted in a firm faith in our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ.

Fr. Simeon