Diocesan Office

His Grace's Schedule

Clergy Assignments

Upcoming Ordinations and Elevations

Deacon Paul Olson to the Holy Priesthood on Sunday, December 7, 2008, at St. Nicholas Cathedral, Los Angeles, California.

Deacon Justin Havens to the Holy Priesthood on Sunday, December 14, 2008, at Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Salt Lake City, Utah.

(Updated through September 27-28)

By drawing lots, the name “Holy Cross” Antiochian Orthodox Mission was established in September 1989 by eighteen families under the guidance of Archpriest Father Nicholas Neyman.

The intent of the new Orthodox mission, which coincided with an informal visit by Fr. Peter Gillquist, was to establish a church where English would be the primary language and where Orthodox Christians of all ethnic backgrounds would be welcome and feel comfortable.  Other objectives were to spread the Orthodox faith to disaffected protestant Christians and the un-churched within the high-desert community of the Antelope Valley and provide Sunday school classes to further teach our youth. 

Holy Cross celebrated its first liturgy in a classroom generously provided by a private liberal arts college operating in Lancaster, California.    In 1991, Holy Cross trailed the college to a new facility in the neighboring city of Palmdale.  The early mission became known as the “rolling Church”--the portable altar was mounted on metal casters.  Every Sunday, Bill Konovalov assembled and disassembled the church as to not interfere with classes throughout the week.

In 1993, Holy Cross rented a genuine (Episcopal) Church in Palmdale and conducted liturgy on Sunday evenings for approximately two years until they moved to their current location on 6^th Street east in Palmdale.  The property was owned by long-time parishioner, Anna Kennepohl (Semerenko) and her husband Kenneth.  The couple allowed the mission to serve liturgy in a tiny room within the business building that was originally built as a motel in the 1950’s.

Like molecules filling a vacuum, Holy Cross began to expand from one small room to another until it eventually ran out of room.  It was at this time that the Kennepohls decided to grant the property over to the Antiochian Archdiocese in 1999.  At last, after ten years of Bedouin-like movement across the southern California desert, Archpriest Nicholas was able to remove the casters beneath his “portable” altar and hang his hat in a permanent location.

Throughout the years walls were removed one by one as needed and as able; each time creating more space to worship for our expanding church family.  In 2006 Holy Cross, under Fr. Michael Tassos and Parish Council President Bill Bentz, again undertook the challenge of removing walls and creating a unified place of worship.  The parish council allocated $25,000.00 to renovate and add a new altar and iconostasis to the main sanctuary.  In addition to this renovation, Holy Cross created a full sized kitchen and a fellowship hall from the myriad of rooms that previously made up the building.  All of this was made possible through hours of labor and building donations by devoted church members.

The summer of 2007 again brought a change as Fr. Tom O’Dea became our pastor.  His efforts to embrace the youth by creating an attitude of “ownership” of their Orthodox education, of life in the church and responsibility to participate culminated with the All-Night Vigil on Holy Friday during Great Lent.  May Fr. Tom’s labors be blessed as he continues to serve our Parish.

October 10-12, 2008

November 14-16, 2008

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