Kailua, Hawaii, June 15, 2026
Photo: Holy Theotokos of Iveron Russian Orthodox Church
The wave of Orthodox conversions across the United States has also reached to the Hawaiian Islands, where a Russian Orthodox parish has baptized more than 100 people in the past year and currently has dozens of catechumens.
“This past week was a time of great joy for our parish family as 15 new souls were received into Christ's Holy Church in varying degrees,” Fr. Nectarios Yangson of the Holy Theotokos of Iveron Russian Orthodox Church (ROCOR) in Kailua on the island of Oʻahu reported on June 5.
According to Fr. Nectarios, the guardian of the wonderworking Hawaiian Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, that number includes four who were received into the Church through Holy Baptism and another 11 who were enrolled as catechumens.
Photo: Holy Theotokos of Iveron Russian Orthodox Church
“We are now blessed with more than 60 catechumens and inquirers who are actively learning the Orthodox Faith and seeking to follow Christ and His Church,” Fr. Nectarios writes, adding that another dozen people are being prepared for Baptism in the coming weeks.
In fact, more than 100 people have been baptized at the parish in the past year.
“Every soul who comes to Christ is a miracle. In a world searching for truth, meaning, and hope, it is a powerful reminder that the Holy Spirit continues to draw men, women, and children into the Ark of Salvation. These new faithful come from many different backgrounds and walks of life, yet all have been called by the same Lord, embraced by the same Truth, and united in the same Orthodox Christian Faith,” Fr. Nectarios writes.
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