Nashville, May 18, 2026
Photo: kurir.rs
American soccer hall of famer Desmond Armstrong recently embraced Orthodox Christianity, receiving the Sacrament of Baptism along with his wife and youngest daughter.
Armstrong, who made history as the first African American to play for the U.S. national team at a FIFA World Cup in Italy in 1990 and earned 81 caps for the national team between 1987 and 1994, was baptized in March at the Church of St. Petka in Nashville of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of New Gračanica and Midwestern America, reports the Serbian Times.
“They have not yet taken a patron saint’s day (slava), but they are slowly growing in the faith and getting to know the beauty of the Orthodox tradition,” said parish rector Fr. Bojan Banović.
Armstrong’s other notable achievements include representing the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and becoming the first American to sign with the famed Brazilian club Santos FC. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
The former defender now finds peace in what he describes as the scent of incense and Orthodox chanting at the Nashville church. Fr. Bojan noted that many Americans are drawn to Orthodoxy’s depth and authenticity. “They often say that they have the feeling as if they are in Heaven. They are attracted by the depth of prayer, inner peace, and the sense of unbroken continuity with the early Church,” he explained.
The Armstrong family is part of a growing interest in Orthodoxy in the Nashville area. Currently, fifteen Americans are undergoing catechesis and spiritual preparation for Baptism at the Church of St. Petka. Four Americans were baptized at the parish during the past year.
According to Fr. Bojan, the conversion process is substantial and deliberate. “From the moment they express a desire to become Orthodox Christians, a period of serious spiritual preparation begins, which usually lasts at least a year,” he said.
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