Our Life in Christ

With the blessing of Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium and Exarch of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, Father Andriy Todosiychuk founded an Orthodox Christian community in the city of Alkmaar (Netherlands) in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Adelbert of Egmond.

On June 24, 2023, the first Orthodox Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Alkmaar, marking the beginning of a new spiritual life for Orthodox believers in the region.

Who blessed the beginning of our journey

Our mission

The faithful of our parish come from many different national and linguistic backgrounds. We strive to be a multicultural and welcoming community rooted in unity. Our parish warmly receives all people, regardless of their origin, culture, or social standing.

Above all, we are Christians. And in Christ, there are no nationalities or borders. We believe the Church is one spiritual family, where every person can find comfort, love, and the path to salvation.

Our services are conducted in Church Slavonic, Ukrainian, Romanian, Dutch, and English, depending on the day and the needs of the community. This allows people from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds to participate fully in the liturgical life of the Church.

You are warmly welcome to our Orthodox Christian community!

May the mercy of God, and the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Adalbert, be with you always.

Our story

Following an ancient Athonite tradition, the parish was dedicated to the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. This dedication holds deep significance, as Father Andriy began his priestly ministry in the monastery of the same name in Kyiv, Ukraine. Our spiritual connection with the Desyatynny Monastery continues to grow stronger we feel a living sense of brotherhood, mutual prayer, and gratitude for the guidance and support of the monastic community.

By the blessing of Bishop Kliment, abbot of the Monastery of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos (Desyatynny Monastery), our parish was entrusted with a great sacred treasure: the wonderworking icon of the Desyatynna-Vladimir Mother of God. Through prayers before this icon, many miracles, healings, and spiritual consolations have taken place for those who approach the Theotokos with faith and hope.

Our community seeks to carry on the spiritual tradition of the monastery. Services are celebrated according to the Julian calendar. Every Friday, we offer an Akathist service before the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, with prayers for health, deliverance in times of trouble, healing from illness, and strengthening in the faith.

Because our parish is dedicated to both the Nativity of the Theotokos and Saint Adelbert of Egmond a saint also venerated in the Eastern Church. We serve not only in Alkmaar, but also at the monastery of Saint Adelbert in the town of Egmond-Binnen, where his holy relics rest. With the blessing of the monastery’s Catholic abbot, Father Matthijs, our Orthodox community was generously given use of the church, where Divine Liturgies are regularly celebrated. This is an important part of our mission: to be a living bridge between Eastern and Western Christian traditions, in a spirit of brotherly respect and love.

The Life of our Parish