Parishes - St. Nicholas Cathedral - Orthodox Church in America

From I-69
Exit #112 south which is Coldwater Rd to Coliseum Blvd (this is also State Rd 930 E). Turn left at the light. Continue to Crescent Ave which is approx. 1 mile past the Allen County Memorial Coliseum. Turn right (south) on Crescent Ave. The church is located at the second drive on the right.

Schedule of Services

5:30 PM Vespers.
Saturday Evening

9:45 AM Hours, 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy
Sunday Morning

6:30 PM Service with potluck supper following.
Eves of Great Feasts

6:30 PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, followed by potluck supper.
Wednesday Evenings in Great Lent

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

Confessions are heard just before or immediately after Saturday Vespers, or special arrangements can be made with Fr Andrew.
Confessions

Adult and children’s education classes are held on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM from September through May.
Education Schedule

Parish Background

At the end of World War II, the Macedonian Patriot Organization began a concerted effort to establish an Eastern Orthodox Church. Services were first held in the new temple on Warsaw St, and for the next six years Divine Liturgy was served on alternating Sundays by Archimandrite Kyrill (Yonchev). The first Board of Trustees consisted of Vasil K Litchin, Nichola Gouloff, Mike Kozma, Argire Lebamoff, Dimitry Lebamoff, Argire Kiproff, Vasil Eshcoff, Thomas Lazoff, and Lazar Laycoff. According to these men, the purpose of St Nicholas parish was to “preserve and propagate the Orthodox Christian Faith in its purity and fullness in accordance with the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, as it is transmitted to us by the Holy Apostles and the Fathers of the Church.” During those first several years, the services were done in Slavonic, but have since been done in English.

In 1956, the parish trustees secured the services of an immigrant priest, a young man from Bulgaria, Fr George Nedelkoff. Fr Nedelkoff would serve the next 37 years at St Nicholas. As the first full time Rector, the task fell to Fr Nedelkoff to seek out the sizeable Macedonian population in Fort Wayne, to encourage them to return to the Orthodox fold, and to remind them of the faith of their fathers. Under the pastorate of Fr Nedelkoff, a Sunday School for children and adults, a Women’s Guild, and a number of other activities were begun which are still active and viable.

In about 1980, the parish felt itself outgrowing the building on Warsaw St and began making plans and raising funds for a new temple to be located at 3535 Crescent Ave. This project included a large Fellowship Hall. The cornerstone of the building was laid on September 12, 1983, and the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Grace Bishop Kyrill on November 1, 1983.

In December of 1992, at the annual St Nicholas Day banquet, Fr Nedelkoff announced that he was going to retire. The next six months would prove to be a time of great testing for the parish, as we saw a different priest virtually every Sunday. Fr Nedelkoff was truly missed during this period, a time whose difficulty was aggrivated by the realization that Orthodox priests were in short supply.

In June 1993, Fr Brooks (Thomas) Ledford was assigned as parish priest. During Fr Brooks’ pastorate a number of new ministries were launched including a Charity & Benevolence Ministry, Outreach Ministry, a parish lending library, and a parish bookstore / gift shop. In August 2000, Fr Ledford left for a different assignment, and His Eminence, Archbishop Kyrill assigned Fr David Meinzen to be the new Rector.

St Nicholas parish, with gratitude to God in Christ, to the Fathers of the Holy Orthodox Church, and to the Macedonian fathers listed above, looks forward to carrying the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into the twenty-first century.