Our Parish
Saint Michael and Gabriel is a Romanian Orthodox parish at 590 S Vella Rd in Palm Springs, California, celebrating the Divine Liturgy every Sunday from 10:00 to 11:50 a.m. in Romanian and English.
Welcome to Our Parish
Saint Michael and Gabriel Romanian Orthodox Church warmly welcomes all who seek worship, fellowship, and a spiritual home. Whether you are Orthodox by birth, exploring the faith, or simply curious, our doors are open to you.
We serve the Romanian Orthodox faithful across the Coachella Valley and Inland Empire — Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, Indio, La Quinta, Desert Hot Springs, Hemet, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Banning, Beaumont, and surrounding communities.
For many of our faithful, this parish is more than a place of worship — it is a cultural home, where the Romanian language, traditions, and way of life are kept alive far from home.
Our Clergy
Orthodox faithful are always welcome to contact Father directly for spiritual guidance, sacramental needs, or parish inquiries.
Our History
[Content coming soon — to be provided by the parish]
Romanian Orthodox Tradition
The Romanian Orthodox Church is one of the self-governing (autocephalous) Churches of the Orthodox family. Christianity in the lands of present-day Romania is traditionally traced to the preaching of St. Andrew the Apostle, honored as the protector of Romania. The Church’s autocephaly was recognized in 1885, and it became a Patriarchate in 1925.
Romanian Orthodox worship follows the Byzantine rite. Fixed feasts such as the Nativity of Christ are kept according to the Revised Julian calendar, while Pascha (Easter) is calculated by the traditional Orthodox Paschalion.
Beloved Romanian traditions include colinde (carols) at the Nativity; red eggs and the greeting “Hristos a înviat!” (“Christ is risen!”) at Pascha; the pomelnic of names for prayer; coliva offered in memory of the departed at the parastas; and the feasts of beloved saints such as St. Parascheva (October 14), St. Demetrius the New (October 27) and St. Andrew (November 30).
For our parish, the Synaxis of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel on November 8 is the patronal feast (hram).