andles hang in front of large icons of at St. Luke’s the Evangelist Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012 in Columbia, Mo. Worshipers can bring candles to set in front of the images, and many kiss them before returning to the pews.
Credit Ryan Schuessler\ColumbiaFAVS.com / KBIA
Worshipers make the sign of the cross as Father Michael Monos passes by at St. Luke’s the Evangelist Greek Orthodox Church in Columbia. The Orthodox Church is the second largest Christian community in the world.
Credit Ryan Schuessler\ColumbiaFAVS.com / KBIA
t. Luke’s the Evangelist Greek Orthodox Church starts to fill before worship. Even though the church is based in the Greek tradition, worshipers from other traditions – such as Russian, Romanian, Egyptian and East
Columbia’s Orthodox Christian community is growing – at least, that’s what churchgoers say it feels like.
*Clarification: The audio version of this story contains misleading information about the church's connection to the Great Schism of 1054. The church was among five patriarchates dating from the third century, and the schism was a time of separation -- the Roman Church split from the other four -- not a time of origin.