St Andrew Russian Greek Catholic Church

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I’ve only attended one liturgy here, but it was beautiful & the people were very welcoming.

Edit: This parish is rich with Christian history. From the moment you step in and smell the frankincense and myrrh, and see the beautiful icons, you feel transported back to the great Byzantine age. A very unique experience from such a small parish in a large city like Los Angeles. I have visited other orthodox churches since first leaving this review and have not yet found one quite as special. I would love to go back again some time, Lord willing.

I visited at the start of the Great Lent. The
Directions are right On! It is comfortable
to me after recovering from a head-on
Collision in 2005. St. Andrew is the
Patron Saint for either maidens or virgins.
They are a Catholic Church & Orthodox
Christianity is practiced. They have a choir,
Cantors

And everyone participates. I think of my
attendance a way to practice Purity & hope
to minister soon as Laity. Their congregation is welcoming to me as I
Learn their language (dialect). It is
English rhetoric to me, a "linguist."
Fr. Alexei Smith is knowledgeable about
Sacred Scripture, Church History &
specializes in Interreligious and Ecumenical
Affairs with the L.A. Archdiocese.
I like them.

This is one of the most obscure parishes you will find in the world, since its Russian Byzantine. Their spiritual ancestry is in part the Russian Old believers. The Divine Liturgy is done is English now, great singing, preaching and Mass. The parish priest is very knowledgeable. They also host a Melkite mission in their church as well. A must see.

I've been a Catholic all my life and this is my favorite church, period. It is a Catholic church in full communion with Rome but they follow the Eastern Rite. This church serves as a church for two Eastern Catholic communities: the Russian-Greek Catholics (10am mass) and the Melkite-Greek Catholics (845am mass).

The masses use the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, where almost everything is sung (except homily of course). The Russian-Greek service is in English, while the Melkite-Greek is mostly English, with some songs in Greek and Arabic. Yes, Catholics may take communion under the same circumstances and with same requirements as for a Roman Catholic church. (You might notice little kids taking communion -- that's because in the Eastern Catholic church, they give all 3 sacraments of initiation at the same time - Baptism, Confirmation/Chrismation, Eucharist).

I was raised as a Roman Catholic, not Eastern Catholic, but I find the mass here particularly edifying. I especially like the a capella singing in the Russian-Greek service. To be fair, it is not for everyone. Some of my Catholic friends/family loved it, while some found it too different.

Besides the beauty of the mass, I also love Fr. Alexei Smith's homilies. Like I said I've been a Catholic all my life, attending mass regularly, but somehow Fr. Alexei is able to make thought-provoking homilies every week, with perspectives that I've never heard before, full of wisdom.

I also love the church itself, with its beautiful hand-painted iconostasis (a screen separating the sanctuary (which represents heaven) and the congregation (which represents earth). Everything is rich with symbolism.

If you are a Christian, especially if you are a Catholic, and want to see a church and mass that truly feels sacred, I highly recommend going there at least once.