- 1520 GREEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123
- 415-567-WEST(9378)
- webmaster@dowoca.org
On Saturday, November 1, Priest Andrew Smith, Program Director for the Thriving Parishes Project, and Project Manager Brittany Yeager met with the Church Health Team of St. Innocent Church in Pleasanton, CA. The team worked from noon until Great Vespers, being trained in how to administer an evaluative parish health survey and how to address the findings.
Parish Priest Seraphim Chang served Great Vespers and Sunday Divine Liturgy, assisted by Deacon Patrick Gregory Austin. It should be noted that there was a significant attendance at the evening service and that young families were prevalent at both services.
After Liturgy, Fr. Andrew gave a presentation on the Thriving Parishes Project to the whole community. It was a joy get to know the burgeoning community in Pleasanton better, and a special treat to be reconnected with people Fr. Andrew knew from growing up at St. Nicholas Church in San Anselmo, CA and from serving as rector of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church in Menlo Park, CA.
Founded in 1991, St. Innocent Mission was pastored for many years by Igumen Leonty (Arrowsmith) of blessed memory. It was elevated to parish status under the care of Archpriest John Karcher (now rector of St. Nicholas Church in Portland, OR). Priest Seraphim Chang and Matushka Ruth have been working hard within the community since their arrival in the summer of 2024 after graduating from St. Tikhon Seminary. The parish has already benefited from the Thriving Parishes Project, as both of its parish deacons, Deacon Gregory Hanson and Fr. Deacon Patrick Gregory are recent graduates of the Diaconal Vocations Program. Deacon Gregory is also a member of the Priestly Formation Cohort.
May God bless this community through the prayers of its patron, St. Innocent of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts!
Photo Gallery:
The Diocese of the West is the geographical district of the Orthodox Church in America consisting of the Western United States. The diocese has active parishes in Montana, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii. San Francisco is home to the diocese’s cathedral, Holy Trinity, as well as the Chancery offices. The diocese is led by His Grace Vasily, Bishop of San Francisco and the West.
