Your own Parish – From little streams to a great river
The Joensuu Orthodox Parish together with the Ilomantsi Chapel Parish covers geographically a large part of the region of North Karelia in eastern Finland. Just like little streams merge into a great river, so do the small local communities in our congregation form the second largest congregation in Finland with about 6,700 members. The area of the Joensuu Orthodox Parish includes the cities of Joensuu, Ilomantsi, Kitee and Lieksa and the municipalities of Kontiolahti, Eno, Rääkkylä and Tohmajärvi.
The main church of our parish, The Church of St. Nicholas, is located in the centre of Joensuu. The church is consecrated in 1887. Right across the street you can find the parish house (address: Kirkkokatu 32, Joensuu), which also houses the parish office (tel. +358400397900). Other churches in our parish and their locations you can find here.
Parish work is done together by our clergy, other professional staff and volunteers.
The basis of all the activities in our church is the rich life of worship. St. Nicholas Church in Joensuu is open every Saturday during the All-Night Vigil (beginning at 5 p.m.) and every Sunday during the Divine Liturgy (beginning at 10 a.m.). The church is also open on traditional feast days of the Orthodox Church – All-Night Vigil is held the evening before at 5 p.m. and in the morning the Divine Liturgy at 9/10 a.m.. Divine services are open to all, however according to the tradition of the Orthodox Church, only members of the Orthodox Church who have prepared for The Eucharist can receive the Holy Communion.
In addition to worship, important subjects of our work include diaconal work, youth work, 4teaching and multicultural work. Our parish also cooperates extensively with other officials in the society.
Through the prayers of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, may the Lord have mercy on us!
