The Story of our Church

Holy Protection of the Mother of God Orthodox Christian Church is part of an extended Orthodox Christian community in Houston, Texas. This extended community encompasses thousands of faithful of various ethnic backgrounds. Orthodox Christianity is rooted in the faith of the Apostles of Christ. It was ten years ago when a group of enthusiastic people from Houston decided to start a new Orthodox Christian Mission in the southwest part of the city. The goal was to serve the Orthodox Christian faithful in that area and develop an Orthodox Christian outreach. (read more)

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The Holy Protection of the Mother of God

The Holy Protection of the Mother of God is one of the most beloved feast days on the Orthodox calendar among the Slavic peoples, commemorated on October 1. The feast is celebrated additionally on October 28 in the Greek tradition. It is also known as the feast of the Virgin Mary’s Cerement.

In most Slavic languages the word “cerement” has a dual meaning of “veil” and “protection”. The Russian word Pokrov (Покров), like the Greek Skepi (Σκέπη), has a complex meaning. First of all, it refers to a cloak or shroud, but it also means protection or intercession. For this reason, the name of the feast is variously translated as the Veil of Our Lady, the Protecting Veil of the Theotokos, the Protection of the Theotokos, or the Intercession of the Theotokos. (read more)