Who We Are
About Our Parish
Our History
St. Matthew the Apostle Mission was established in Baton Rouge in 2006 under the care of the Diocese of the South of the Orthodox Church in America. The mission began as a small but faithful gathering of Orthodox Christians seeking to establish a permanent Orthodox presence in Louisiana's capital city.
In its early years, the mission was guided by several clergy who helped lay the foundation for its liturgical and communal life. After a period of transition, Fr. Silouan Cohen was assigned to continue shepherding the mission.
Since his arrival, the parish has continued to grow, and attention has turned toward the renovation of the newly acquired property, with the goal of establishing a more permanent and fitting home for the community. By God's grace, St. Matthew the Apostle Mission looks forward to increased liturgical services, expanded catechetical offerings, and the continued reception of catechumens.
The mission's hope and prayer is to become a stable, rooted parish — firmly planted in the heart of Louisiana's capital — bearing witness to the life of Christ and faithfully forming disciples for generations to come.
Holy Apostle & Evangelist Matthew
The Life of St. Matthew
The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew — also called Levi — was a tax collector in Capernaum, a man despised as a sinner and collaborator with Rome. Yet when Christ said to him, "Follow Me," he immediately left everything and followed Him. In his own home, he welcomed Christ and gathered others like himself — publicans and sinners — showing that the Lord came not for the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance.
Matthew repented deeply, made restitution for his sins, gave to the poor, and became a faithful disciple. He witnessed Christ's ministry, His Cross, Resurrection, and Ascension, and after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he preached the Gospel boldly. He also wrote the Gospel that bears his name, proclaiming that Jesus is the promised Messiah and revealing the life of the Kingdom of God in the Church.
The Apostle Matthew carried the Gospel far beyond his homeland, preaching to many nations and ultimately giving his life as a martyr. His life reveals the power of Christ to call, transform, and send even the most unlikely people into apostolic service.
For us at St. Matthew the Apostle Mission in Baton Rouge, his life is both a model and a calling. Like him, we are called to leave behind our old lives, to welcome Christ into our homes, and to invite others — especially those far from God — into the life of repentance, communion, and discipleship. And like him, we are sent out to proclaim Christ in our own city, trusting that He continues to transform sinners into disciples and disciples into apostles.
Orthodoxy
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.