Parishes - St. Innocent Cathedral - Orthodox Church in America

From Glenn Highway (going NE towards Eagle River)
Exit at Turpin Abe. Follow Turpin and the Cathedral will be on the left hand side of the road after a few hundred yards.

Schedule of Services

6:00 PM Vigil.
Saturday Evening

8:30 AM Hours, 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy.
Sunday Morning

6:00 PM Akathist
Thursday Evening

6:00 PM Vigil.
Eves of Great Feasts

9:00 AM Divine Liturgy.
Mornings of Great Feasts

6:00 Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
Wednesday Evenings in Great Lent

For a complete list of upcoming services, please visit the Monthly Calendar on the parish website.

Confessions are heard during evening Vespers or Vigil.
Confessions

Parish Background

St Innocent Orthodox Cathedral was consecrated in 1994 asuthe Bicentennial Cathedral of the Orthodox Church in America commemorating the arrival of the first Russian Orthodox Missionaries in Alaska in 1794. As Anchorage is the largest city in the state of Alaska, the hub of economic life and public services, the Cathedral is the focal point for many activities in the life of the Alaskan Diocese and its 91 parishes.

During its relatively brief history of 33 years, St Innocent Cathedral has seen the canonization of St Yakov Netsvetov, hosted numerous visiting hierarchs and delegations, and become one of the most prominent architectural monuments of the city of Anchorage. The parish has a diverse membership, including Russians, Greeks, transplants from the lower 48 states and Native Alaskans of Aleut, Alutiq, Yupik, Athabascan, and Tlinget descent. While English is the primary language of the liturgical services, Slavonic and native languages are also employed in our worship.

Services were held at various locations in the city of Anchorage during the early 1960s by Fr Michael Oskolkoff who was also in charge of several other parishes in the South Central Region of the state. As the city grew it became increasingly clear a priest just for Anchorage was needed. On September 7, 1967, Priest Nicholas Molodyko-Harris and his young family arrived in Anchorage to form a parish in the city. Services were held at first in a facility owned by the local Greek community. Through the efforts of the fledgling community and the generosity of their hierarch, Bishop Theodosius (now Metropolitan), the current property in the Muldoon area of Anchorage was purchased.

The parish soon outgrew the rectory basement and a new place for worship was found in what was intended to be the basement-hall of a future church. Thanks to bake sales, the sacrifices of parishioners, and the generosity of several native corporations, what was originally concieved of as a modest church with two cupolas became today’s architectural landmark—a 17,500 square foot cathedral with 12 cupolas on three acres. The cornerstone was blessed by His Holiness, Patriarch Aleksy II of the Russian Orthodox Church on September 19, 1993 and the church consecrated on October 15, 1994 during the canonization of St Yakov Netsvetov