St. Matthew The Apostle
Orthodox Mission
Baton Rouge, Louisiana · Diocese of the South, OCA
Welcome to Our Parish
St. Matthew The Apostle is an Orthodox Christian mission in the heart of Baton Rouge, Louisiana — a warm and welcoming community rooted in the ancient faith, growing in love, and bearing witness to Christ in our city.
We are a parish of the Orthodox Church in America, Diocese of the South. Whether you are a lifelong Orthodox Christian or simply curious about the ancient faith, you are welcome here.
Regular Services
Sunday
- Hours9:40 AM
- Divine Liturgy10:00 AM
- Coffee HourAfter Liturgy
Wednesday
- Vespers7:00 PM
Saturday
- Great Vespers5:00 PM
The Church · The Faith · The Tradition
Ancient Christianity, unbroken.
The Church
The Church is the body of Christ, the living organism of divine-human communion, wherein the heavenly and earthly are united. She is more than an assembly of believers, but she is the place where God dwells among men and men are raised into the life of God. In her the mystery of the incarnation continues, for she is the extension of Christ's presence in the world, vivified and filled with the Holy Spirit. The Church is both visible and invisible: visible in her Liturgy, Mysteries, and Apostolic Ministry; invisible in the grace that sanctifies, heals, and transfigures all who enter into her life.
The Faith
The Faith is the revelation of God received and lived within the Church, the truth not only confessed with the lips but known in the depths of one's heart. The Faith is neither abstract nor merely a system of beliefs and practices, but the living knowledge of God given through direct participation in the life of Christ. The Faith is whole and undivided, a unity of doctrine, life, prayer, understanding, liturgy, and confession. The Faith is the light by which the Church sees and the life by which she lives, handed down as a living inheritance, ever the same but ever new, drawing the human person into communion with the Holy Trinity.
The Tradition
The Tradition is the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church, the continuous and unbroken transmission of divine life from generation to generation. It is more than preserving the past, but instead is the same truth, grace, and life revealed in Christ and poured out on the Apostles. It is in and through the Tradition that the Scriptures are proclaimed, the mysteries are celebrated, and the Saints bear witness to the fullness of life in God. The Tradition is the living memory of the Church, her consciousness and breath, through which the faithful are nourished and brought into the life of Christ.