Our Parish
St. Nektarios Orthodox Church is a Patristic Calendar Orthodox parish in the heart of Europe β holding the ancient Faith uncompromised, and welcoming all who seek it.
The Ancient Faith. Held Without Compromise.
We are a community of Orthodox Christians gathered in Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg under the omophorion of the Holy Synod of the Patristic Calendar Greek Orthodox Church. We are not an ethnic parish β we are a confessional one. Our identity is defined not by nationality, but by the Faith once delivered to the saints.
The Unbroken Faith
We hold the Orthodox Faith as it was handed down by the Apostles and the Holy Fathers β unaltered in doctrine, worship, and discipline. We have not added to it, nor taken from it. What the Seven Ecumenical Councils defined, we confess. What the Holy Fathers guarded, we guard.
The Patristic Calendar
We observe the Patristic Calendar (Old Calendar), as the Church always has. In 1924, the Ecumenical Patriarchate imposed a calendar innovation in step with the Western world. We, together with millions of faithful worldwide, refused β not out of stubbornness, but out of fidelity to the Tradition the Fathers handed down.
A Community for All
Our parish was founded to serve the international community of Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg β NATO families, EU staff, expats, and local converts alike. Our doors are open to anyone seeking the ancient Faith. Whether you grew up Orthodox or are encountering it for the first time, you are welcome here.
This Is What We Believe
The Orthodox Church is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church β the Body of Christ, continuous and unbroken from the Apostles. She does not claim to be a church among many. She is the Church. Those who departed from the Apostolic Faith are outside her in varying degrees, and reunion comes only through repentance and return β not compromise.
We confess this without apology and without hostility. We speak the truth in love β because we believe our Roman Catholic and Protestant brothers and sisters deserve honest answers, not a vague "we're all basically the same." They are not the same. And that difference matters eternally.
We refuse ecumenism β the project of seeking visible Christian unity by treating doctrinal differences as secondary. We refuse the 1924 calendar innovation. We stand where the Church has always stood.
"The union of the churches is not achieved through compromise of the truth, nor through the silencing of doctrinal differences. Union is possible only in the Truth β the Faith once and for all delivered to the saints."
β St. Nektarios of Pentapolis, On the Unity of the Church (β 1920)
St. Nektarios of Pentapolis (β 1920)
St. Nektarios is our patron not by sentiment, but by theological necessity. He died in 1920 β four years before the calendar innovation that tore the Church apart. He is a saint of the undivided, pre-innovation Orthodox Church, untainted by the new-calendar hierarchy. He was a bishop unjustly expelled from his see, left in poverty, and vindicated only after his death. He suffered what the Patristic Calendar faithful suffer: exclusion by those who hold the buildings, and faithfulness to the Truth that outlasts all of them.
"Do not be troubled. Whatever God wills happens. Have patience. Love one another."
β St. Nektarios of Pentapolis
How We Came to Be
Serving the Growing Faithful of Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg
A True Greek Orthodox parish existed in Brussels, yet the growing number of faithful in Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg β arriving via NATO postings, EU employment, and sincere desire for Genuine Orthodoxy β called for a dedicated English-speaking parish to serve the international community more fully. The need was clear and urgent.
Formally Approved by the Holy Synod in Athens
The Holy Synod of the Patristic Calendar Greek Orthodox Church, seated in Athens, formally approved the establishment of the parish. The parish is placed under the Diocese of Richmond (UK) and the omophorion of the Bishop of Richmond, within the Holy Synod's Eparchy of Western Europe. St. Nektarios of Pentapolis was chosen as patron.
Divine Liturgy Begins
The first Divine Liturgies are celebrated in Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg on the Patristic Calendar. The doors are open to all who seek the ancient Faith.
A Growing Community
The parish serves the faithful of Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg β offering Divine Liturgy, catechism, pastoral care, and theological formation in the heart of Europe.
Why Come to St. Nektarios?
Questions we are often asked by newcomers and inquirers.
"Come and see."
β John 1:46
No matter where you are coming from β Roman Catholic, Protestant, secular, or already Orthodox β there is a seat at this table. Come to a Liturgy. Ask your questions. You are welcome here.