Vienna celebrates growth: Orthodox community gains new members!

Vienna celebrates growth: Orthodox community gains new members!

On November 11, 2025, the Orthodox community in Vienna recorded positive developments. The German-speaking community, founded in 2017 by Metropolitan Arsenios Kardamakis within the Metropolis of Austria, is growing steadily and recently celebrated new members and consecrations. According to vaticannews, more and more people are attending the Orthodox Church as adults. The community includes believers with a Greek background and members of other Orthodox nations.

Last Sunday, a solemn service was held in the Trinity Cathedral on the occasion of the patronage in honor of St. John Chrysostom, an eminent Doctor of the Church and former Patriarch of Constantinople. Cedomir Mijic was ordained a deacon, while another deacon, Sava Kucenko, was ordained in September. In the future, Kucenko will be involved in the pastoral care of the German-speaking community.

Dramatic call for unity

But not only the community itself is not without challenges: In this context, the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference has called for solutions to the current crisis of trust. The growing number of members could also be seen as a step to strengthen the community and address the current issues affecting the church.

People are obviously looking for ethical and spiritual guidance. The commitment to valuing traditions and culture plays an important role here. The church can take on a pioneering role here.

Doctors of the Church and their meaning

John Chrysostom is considered not only an important figure in the Orthodox tradition, but also as one of the first doctors of the church, whose teachings continue to have an impact today. The Doctors themselves are important theologians and saints who influenced the theology of the Christian churches and are revered for this by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. While in the West the title is formally granted by the Pope, in the Eastern Church this often occurs through councils or spontaneously.

In the Catholic Church, the list of Doctors of the Church now includes 38 saints, with the conditions for this honor including strict criteria such as orthodox teaching and holy lifestyle. Among the most famous are the church fathers such as Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil of Caesarea. Wikipedia also points out that numerous theologians, including popes, were included in the list in the 16th century, which underlines the important role of theology in church teaching.

The increase in members of the Orthodox community in Vienna shows that the church is an important starting point for many who are looking for support and spiritual guidance. It remains exciting to see how this positive development will impact the community.