St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Boston (Massachusetts)

St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Boston, Massachusetts, is the spiritual home, cultural sanctuary, and premier parish community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople) in the New England region. Nestled on a scenic hillside in Boston’s historic Jamaica Plain neighborhood at 24 Orchardhill Road, this vibrant parish has anchored the religious, civic, and educational life of Ukrainian Americans in Greater Boston for over eight decades.

New England Diaspora Foundations (1940s–Present)

Following World War II, waves of Ukrainian political refugees, intellectuals, and displaced persons escaping Soviet oppression arrived in Boston, Cambridge, and surrounding New England communities. Dedicated to preserving their Orthodox faith, ancestral rites, and Ukrainian cultural traditions, these families formally established St. Andrew Parish under the heavenly patronage of the First-Called Apostle, who according to ancient tradition planted the first Cross upon the hills of Kyiv.

The parish acquired a tranquil hilltop property at 24 Orchardhill Road in Jamaica Plain, constructing a dedicated house of worship that was later enhanced with an extensive parish social center, religious education classrooms, and grounds for outdoor cultural gatherings. Today, St. Andrew serves as the regional anchor for Ukrainian Orthodox Christians across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island.

Sacred Architecture and Byzantine Iconography

The church interior at 24 Orchardhill Road is acclaimed as one of the most magnificent examples of Byzantine liturgical art in New England:

• Gilded Masterpiece Iconostas: The sanctuary is dominated by an intricate, hand-carved iconostas finished in lustrous gold leaf. The central Royal Doors feature openwork vine-and-cluster motifs with miniature icons of the Four Evangelists and the Annunciation.
• Ukrainian Inscription of Adoration: Soaring above the chancel is a gilded ornamental frieze inscribed with the traditional Ukrainian liturgical invocation: «ПРИЙДІТЬ ПОКЛОНІМСЯ… ХРИСТУ ЦАРЮ І БОГУ НАШОМУ» (Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ, our King and God).
• Canonical Byzantine Frescoes: The side walls and nave arches are entirely adorned with monumental frescoes depicting Christ the Pantocrator, the Holy Ascension, Saint Andrew erecting the Cross in Kyiv, and the Mother of God with the Child Christ.
• Austrian Crystal Chandelier: Suspended from the center of the wooden barrel-vaulted ceiling is a multi-tiered crystal chandelier illuminating the warm oak pews and polished hardwood parquet.
• Festal Green Sunday Traditions: In strict keeping with Ukrainian ancestral tradition, the entire nave floor is strewn with fragrant green grasses, mint, and fresh wildflowers during the Holy Trinity (Pentecost) services, symbolizing the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Pastoral Guidance of Father Roman Tarnavsky

For several decades, St. Andrew Parish has been pastored by Mitred Protopresbyter Father Roman Tarnavsky, an eminent spiritual leader within the Eastern Eparchy of the UOC of the USA. Under his fatherly leadership, the parish has fostered an extraordinarily dynamic community life, maintaining active liturgical services in both Ukrainian and English, an acclaimed parish choir, and adult catechetical and Bible study fellowships.

The parish’s St. Olha’s Sisterhood conducts year-round humanitarian and cultural projects, including the famous annual “Le Chic Boutique & Delicious Eats” artisan food fair and regional Easter basket blessings that gather hundreds of families from across New England.

Exemplary Wartime Humanitarian Mission to Ukraine

St. Andrew Parish has set a national standard for direct, transparent humanitarian partnership with Ukraine. The parish and its St. Olha’s Sisterhood have established an ongoing direct sponsorship program with the Chaplaincy Service of the 118th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (118-та окрема бригада ТрО ЗСУ) in Cherkasy.

Through this direct lifeline, Boston parishioners have funded:

• Rehabilitation winter ski camps in the Carpathian Mountains (Bukovel) for children of fallen and captured Ukrainian soldiers.
• Procurement of tactical vehicles, medical trauma gear, and battlefield generators for frontline hospital brigades.
• Specialized holiday gift distributions and St. Nicholas Residences providing packages to over 5,000 children across Cherkasy oblast.
• Direct pastoral care and visitation programs for severely wounded defenders in Ukrainian military hospitals.

Chronological Milestones of St. Andrew Parish

Parish Information & Contacts