‘This Is the Project of a Lifetime’

Courtesy of Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral

DEERFIELD BEACH, FL — A grand project is underway in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia’s (ROCOR) Eastern American Diocese for a parish that was founded just five years ago.

The Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral and Spiritual, Cultural and Music Center is under the auspices of the St. Luke the Blessed Surgeon Church in Pompano Beach, Florida, with the location for the future cathedral in Deerfield Beach.

According to Tatiana Geringer, Director of Development for the project and a parishioner at St. Luke’s, the parish began with just 12 parishioners. 

“Now for big feast days, Nativity and Pascha, we have 300 people coming,” she said. “A normal Sunday is 100 people going to confession, with 70 of them being children. The growth of Orthodoxy has really been miraculous – I think that’s the proper word for it.”

His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas, First Hierarch of ROCOR and the official rector of the parish (Archpriest Alexandre Antchoutine is assistant rector), saw the growth that was taking place and shared his vision to build a new Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Florida to fill a great need.

As St. Luke’s church building was too small and the lease was up, Met. Nicholas spoke with the parish warden, Alex Lukianov, about the potential for a cathedral. Just a couple years later, that vision is starting to become a reality.

“This is the project of a lifetime,” Geringer said. “It is so wonderful and rare to see a Russian Orthodox cathedral being built in the United States, and the support has really been spectacular.”

The work to this point

Geringer’s not-so-simple job as Director of Development can be described in simple terms – bring awareness of the project to as many people as possible and pray for their support.

At the beginning of 2023, the development of a campaign and plan of action began. Professional fundraisers were hired, as those involved needed to be taught how to properly raise funds, and most importantly, to see it as a noble calling centered on Christ.

The search for a property that would accommodate a cathedral and cultural center also began, and in the first portion of the campaign $400,000 was raised.

“We didn’t even have property yet,” Geringer said. “We just had a vision, and we just put forth the need for this great cathedral.”

The ideal property was found in Deerfield Beach in 2024 – an Anglican church and parish hall on an acre-and-a-half of property in what Geringer described as a beautiful neighborhood with a children’s park right across the street.

What this meant, though, was that there suddenly needed to be $1.5 million raised in order to be able to put down a 50% deposit.

Taking a “you name it, we’ll do it,” approach, meetings with donors took place, emails and texts were sent, and events were held.

The $1.5 million was supposed to be in hand on Holy Friday of 2024, and with an 11th hour miracle, this was accomplished. The contract for the property was signed on Bright Monday.

“It was incredible. Hundreds of families came forth donating everything from $10 to $250,000 – the whole gamut,” Geringer said.

By the end of 2024, another $500,000 was raised for demolition and prep for the church and hall alterations. Now in 2025, the Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral team has submitted all documentation to the city’s Development Review Committee.

“If God wills it, we will receive all of our permits very shortly and really start construction,” Geringer said. “God willing, we’ll be ready to open the doors and greet everybody in early 2026.”

Even before the contract was signed for the property, a beautiful series of events took place.

While planning for a visit from Met. Nicholas with the miraculous Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God, the Resurrection Cathedral team found the property just weeks before His Eminence would arrive.

When he did, Met. Nicholas and a group of parishioners went with the Kursk Root Icon to the new property, where His Eminence prayed and blessed the site with the icon, marking it as sacred.

Photo courtesy of Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral

“We felt we had a divine hand guiding us in our journey,” Geringer said. “... The day was like Pascha. So glorious and joyful – it was like this overwhelming sense of God’s divine blessing and His guidance upon our endeavor. It could not have been more perfect.”

The project

There are currently three phases planned for the cathedral and center project. According to the project’s website, they are:

Phase 1: Foundation and Community Spaces 

The first operational phase involves laying the foundational structures and creating core community spaces requiring an investment of $1.3 million. This includes:

• Church Buildout: Transforming the existing structure into a sacred space that meets both aesthetic and liturgical needs.
• Parish Hall Renovation and Enhanced Cultural Center: Modernizing the parish hall to serve as a multifunctional space for community gatherings, educational programs, and cultural events. Developing additional spaces such as a music library, mom’s quiet room and children’s areas.
• Kitchen Installation: Equipping the kitchen with modern facilities to support community functions and festive gatherings.

A rendering of the walkway from the center to the cathedral. Courtesy of Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral.

Phase 2: Expansion and Enrichment

This phase focuses on expanding the facilities to enhance the Cathedral’s role as a cultural and spiritual hub:

• Clergy Housing: Acquiring residential units for our ruling bishop and clergy as well as visiting bishops and scholars to foster continuous pastoral presence and community life.
• Build Two Chapels: Enhancing our Cathedral with two chapels dedicated to two modern day saints - St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco and St. Luke the Blessed Surgeon of Crimea.
• Altar Addition: Enhancing the architectural prominence of the Cathedral with a large, new altar for hierarchical services which will allow the expansion of the main Cathedral by 2000 sq. ft. and accommodate a rapidly growing parish.
• Iconostasis: Commissioning the construction of an iconostasis with iconography embodying the sacred tradition of the Russian Orthodox faith.
• Bell Tower Addition: Enhancing the architectural beauty of the Cathedral and symbolizing the proclamation of the Gospels with awe inspiring and glorious bells.
• Landscape and Exterior Enhancements: Creating serene and inviting outdoor spaces for reflection and community interaction.

Phase 3: Final Adornments and Legacy Building

The concluding phase of construction will focus on the beautification and legacy of the Cathedral:

• Frescoes: Commissioning bespoke religious artworks that embody the spirit, traditions and heritage of our faith. This will be a multi-year undertaking.

According to Geringer, services will be held in both English and Slavonic, and the cathedral will be constructed in the traditional Russian Orthodox style with many golden cupolas on top.

A renowned iconographer from Russia, Matushka Anna Kalinina, has also been hired. Her work can be seen all over the world, and she recently returned from Hawaii after writing iconography in the church that holds the Hawaiian Myrrhstreaming Iveron icon. Perhaps most notably, some of her iconography adorns the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. 

A music room will also be housed on the cathedral’s grounds, as the Patriarch Tikhon Russian American Music Institute (PaTRAM) is building the standing choir for the cathedral. Geringer also serves as the CEO of the PaTRAM Institute and Lukianov serves as vice chairman.

As for the chapels dedicated to St. Luke the Surgeon and St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, Geringer shared not only the devotion that people have to these two great saints of the Russian Church, but also that her own father served on the altar under St. John, as did Lukianov’s father.

“My father told stories of a miraculous man who walked among them,” Geringer recalls. “Everyone knew he was a saint on earth – everyone could feel that from him. He was extremely humble, but very wise.”

The interim period

The lease for the St. Luke church location was up in June of this year, so the decision was made to close down. As the cathedral isn’t ready to move into, a temporary church has been built in the auditorium of the Padeia Classical Academy, an Orthodox school in Coconut Creek, Florida. The academy also has a small chapel dedicated to St. Luke the Evangelist.

“We thank God every day that we are together, because all of those Orthodox people, when the cathedral is built, will move to the cathedral,” Geringer said.

Current fundraising is being applied to opening the cathedral’s doors, and an event called the “Slavic Soiree,” is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 17. The event will showcase Russian and Ukrainian culture with music, dancing, food, beverages, and various cultural elements, and will take place at the Padeia Classical Academy.

Many Orthodox people, and even non-Orthodox people, have supported the project that Geringer described as an “oasis” that will be there for “many generations ahead of us.”

She sees it as a gathering place for all Orthodox people, with a cultural center that will attract people from all over Florida, showcasing Orthodoxy as well as Russian traditions and the traditions of many Orthodox nations.

“I’m really hopeful and praying that we will see the rise of this cathedral very soon, that it will welcome many generations of Orthodox people, and that it will be an inspiration for people," Geringer said. "The gem of Florida will bring people to Christ – I see it happening already and the church hasn’t even risen yet, and that is so deeply inspiring to me.”

For more information, visit resurrectionrocathedral.org. To give a monetary gift, visit here.

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