St. John Chrysostom Russian Orthodox Church - House Springs (St. Louis Area), Missouri

We are a parish in the Diocese of Chicago and Detroit of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. The parish was founded in 1983 by Fr. Constantine Pazalos (tonsured Hieromonk Kallistos in 1986) and moved to our present location in 1985. In the past fifteen years we have become a spiritual home for the growing number of Russians in the St. Louis area. Our membership encompasses a harmonious mix of both Americans and Russians, both those who have recently discovered Orthodoxy as well as those born into the Faith. We welcome all who desire to experience and to live the Truth of the Holy Orthodox Faith, which is above all earthly boundaries and nationalities.

Our priest, Fr. Christopher Stade, was ordained to the priesthood in 1990 at St. John's and became the rector of our parish in 1992, following the repose of Fr. Kallistos. He and his family converted to Orthodoxy in 1985 while living in Greece and moved to St. John's the following year. Fr. Christopher meets with parishioners, inquirers, and visitors on a one-to-one basis for instruction in the Orthodox faith, and to discuss and answer questions. Please feel free to contact him at any time. We are also served by Fr. Dcn. Matthew Williams, who was ordained to the diaconate in 2001 while studying at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY, and moved to our parish in 2004. Fr. Dcn. Matthew was born in Tennessee into the Orthodox family of Fr. Gregory Williams, himself a convert to Orthodoxy.

The divine services are the central focus of our parish life. To serve the needs of all our members, our services are conducted in both English and Church Slavonic. In addition to the regular Saturday evening vigil service (Vespers and Matins) and Sunday morning Liturgy, we have many other services on weekdays, as scheduled.

Church singing was instituted by the Holy Fathers as an earthly imitation of the spiritual glorification of God by the angels.  Our small church choir strives, with humility, to convey this lofty goal.  It is especially important to us that chanting in the English language imitates the practice of the best Russian choral traditions.  Our director of music, Carol Surgant, is a graduate of the Summer School of Liturgical Music at Holy Trinity Seminary.  For many years she has been providing our parish and other choirs with arrangements of Russian chant in English.  Many of these arrangements are available on this site.  Our choir conductor, Catherine Shawki, is also a graduate of the Summer School of Liturgical Music.  We encourage anyone interested in joining the choir and attending rehearsals to speak with Catherine following services.

We are located in Jefferson County about 10 miles southwest of metro St. Louis, less than a 45 minute drive from almost any point in the St.  Louis area. The church is situated on 20 acres of land on a wooded hillside with a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and valley.  In addition to the church and hall, there are three other buildings on the property, in which are located a church office, Chrysostom Press, and seven apartments rented by parishioners.  On one of the beautiful meadows, next to the woods, is a small parish cemetery. At the bottom of the hillside is a spring and a pond. We have a large open field next to the church which we use for our annual Russian festival, picnics and other outdoor events.

St. John's Bookstore has a large selection English and Russian books, as well as church music CDs, crosses, icons, and other Orthodox items. The bookstore is located in the church office building, with an additional large display in the hall near the entrance of the church. The bookstore is open after all daytime services and on weekdays. To visit on weekdays, please call ahead (636-677-4333) to make sure someone is there when you arrive.

We encourage all friends of the parish and those interested in visiting our church to attend our services and meet the clergy and parishioners.  A good way to begin is stay after Liturgy for lunch in the church hall.  We look forward to meeting you.