Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sophia

We have been members of Saint Sophia for 16 years. The cathedral is beautiful, but more importantly, Father John Bakas has treated us like family since we first walked in. He baptised our children and has been with us in more than one medical emergency. We are forever grateful to him.

Be aware if you are planning on getting married at St Sophia. Father Bakas (who works here) disrupted a friend’s wedding to inappropriately yell at the couple and the bridal party and cut the ceremony short. He literally used the phrase «may God have mercy on your souls» which is when the organist thankfully began playing the exit music. Him and the staff also told the groom’s parents that they would not sign the marriage certificate — sad that they resorted to threats like this on what should have been a happy day for the couple. St Sophia is also flagging negative reviews so beware — their rating is not inclusive of several attendees of the wedding.
Unfortunately my original review was removed, but the conduct of the church’s staff during our friends’ wedding was an abomination. As beautiful as the setting is, the services are not worth it.

This is a beautiful Church. The priest is very good, humble, and Christ centered. I really enjoy his sermons. All the people I have met a very friendly.

I concur with the previous postings about Father John. He treated me so terribly several years ago. He called me «a very horrible and rude girl» and slammed the phone down. I won’t get into the details but these accusations he made about me were not true or backed up by any factual information. When I tried to tell him he had misinformation he ranted at me more, I can’t remember the details but it was said with such vitriol that it has stuck with me to this day. Needless to say I never went back to the church, and I have honestly been afraid of this religion ever since. I can see why he treated the wedding party like this. He seems to be suffering from some sort of bi-​polar disorder that has been enabled by the elders and archbishop. Shame on them for not trying to get him help or a proper diagnosis. Greek culture tends to shove mental illness under the carpet so this does not surprise me. I’m not saying this to be funny, I’m serious. He is not well mentally and should have never been hired to represent the community without proper care. Any other job this behavior would not be tolerated and he would be removed from his position immediately. He has never been reprimanded or rebuffed as everyone seems to be afraid of him, and with good reason. Someone needs to investigate his behavior and consider removing him from the parish, he speaks very abusively. He needs help and I will pray for him, because something is not right and I honestly feel bad that no one has approached him about getting help.

Shame on Father John Bakos. This sad excuse for a priest embarrassed himself at a wedding I attended.
Find a new church if you’re planning a wedding.

I went to see St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles, CA on 4÷26÷2016. It was my 1^st time there. I got to view the interior as well as the exterior. St. Sophia’s is impressive both in size and beauty.

Father John Bakas is a complete disgrace to the Greek Orthodox Church, to the parish of the beautiful Cathedral of Saint Sophia, and to the other wonderful clergy that I have had to interact with in all my years of being a Greek-​American. I attending this past weekend a destination wedding for my friend from where individuals, traveled from around the United States, Greece, and Iran.
As stated in the other reviews the priest had an epic meltdown of unprecedented proportions that I have never witnessed. During the ceremonial walk, the groomsman slapped the groom on the back. This had been a custom of the groom’s island for hundreds of years. Few groomsmen even thought this was standard wedding practice of all Greek Orthodox weddings and happened at every wedding. The symbolism of this is to give the groom strength and to welcome the groom to the family. Even though is not a practice amongst many Greek Orthodox Weddings, it occurs in various parts of Greece. It has been documented on various weddings that can be seen on you-​tube (see-​below).
After the first few slaps on the back, the priest halted the service and he took it upon himself in a diva-​like fashion to scold and chastise the groomsman for about 1 minute straight. He kept saying that he has never seen this in his 40 years of being a priest, it was unchristian like, and how dare we do this in the church. He also threatened to everyone that he would stop the ceremony and would not marry the couple. However, he ultimately rushed and finished the ceremony. Moreover, when the ceremony was over and everyone was expected to hear a few good words of marriage and encouragement to the couple. He again scolded the groomsman and the only thing he told the couple was «I hope that these groomsmen are not those you keep around in life, because they will not be there for you and you will be along.» After the ceremony when other elder members of the community tried to explain the tradition to the priest, he would not accept any of it and stated he has never seen this in 40 years. Lastly, to top it all off, the priest blackmailed the groom’s mother to stop talking to him or he would not sign the wedding certificate.
For a religion and culture that is based so heavily on customs and traditions, Father John Bakas was not accepting of our customs. He furthermore, did not exhibit any qualities of a Christian or of a priest. I’m disgusted how he represented our religion to all the non-​Greek Orthodox in attendance. He took it upon himself to single handily tarnish the wedding day for the beautiful couple and loving families that all traveled to Los Angeles for the wedding. The videos of his tantrums should be presented to the Bishop and Archbishop who are responsible for his appointment so they can see for themselves how he represented the Greek Orthodox Church and other clergy; and appropriate repercussions should occur.
Teleiws Aparadektos!!!
Below are videos of fair representations of the custom that have previously occurred in the other parts of Greece and America. There’s also documentation of the «back slap» on Internet websites explaining classic greek wedding traditions.

I was here for a beautiful wedding on March 5^th. Father John Bakas was disgraceful, classless, and ruined the couples wedding (not to mention destroyed their family tradition). He obviously cared more about himself and his ego than the couples wedding day, and made a point to curse their friends and family. Clearly he is not aware of Greek traditions, and didn’t even care to learn more about it. He completely changed the tone and mood of the wedding, and ruined what was to be a beautiful and traditional ceremony. I have never seen anything like this before, and I still cannot believe he did this to such a lovely couple on their wedding day.

Came here for a cousin’s wedding. Father John Bakos was officiating and he was undoubtedly the worst, most rude member of clergy I have ever experienced. He was offended by the groomsmen slapping the back of the groom and chastised them. He proceeded to begin the ceremony again but then after a couple minutes decided to go on a rant instead which included, «I hope that these groomsmen are not those you keep around you later in life, because they will not be there for you.»
Who are you to say such a thing? Way to ruin a couples wedding day. Avoid this place like the plague. What a horrible example you have provided for us Father John Bakos. You’re a terrible person.

The priest that explained the faith to us on their last Greek Festival tour of the sanctuary, was wonderful! He had converted to orthodoxy and gave an explanation that I had always pondered as an answer as well. The things that the Bible tells us not to do, in so many ways it is God protecting us, warning us, «You might not want to do this; there could be some bad repercussions.» I had always thought God telling us not to do something was like us telling our children, «Don’t run into the street; you might get hit by a car.» Thanks for a wonderful tour.

We flew into LAX for our Disneyland vacation over Thanksgiving week. But before we get to that, I HAD to stop at this church and see it for myself. The pictures I had seen online looked incredible. So after picking up the rental car, we drove to lunch and then a quick pit-​stop to check out St. Sophia.
All I can say is this place is STUNNINGLY beautiful, with every single detail being pure perfection. The stained glass, the ornate sculpted woodwork on the sides of the pews, the majestic chandeliers, the icons, the paint work, the whole thing blew my mind! It was unreal. The most beautiful church I have ever been in, and I have visited many in Greece. This place is the best, and so far my favorite. I only wish I lived in LA just so I could attend Sunday mass here. Wow.
No expense was spared in the building of this church, and it shows, the church is a show-​stopper. I will definitely plan our next LA vacation to include a Sunday just so I can attend one mass here.

We went for the wedding of my nephew to a lovely greek girl. The structure was amazing from the street
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First I would like to address Ixtos the idiot who also posted here. Married outside of the church and seldom attends mass? Translation– never attends. And the you wonder why they wont baptize your child? Most Catholic chur\chs would do the same. And it is highly unlikely you would be a new member of the flock– you would just return to the woodwork or stone that you came from. Please don’t insult the intelligence of others on here.
Anyway– this is one of the most beautiful cathedrals that I have ever seen in this country. This rivals the great orthodox churches of Russia. Out party of 200 was dwarfed by the structure/​The acoustics were amazing. The service ran a little long and there was too much standing and sitting for my taster. THe artwork inside the church took our breath away.
The only complaint would be that the wedding planner looked the main door before the pictures were done. The result was the handicaps being further from their vehicles

BEAUTIFUL Cathedral, heavenly services and wonderful people. The priests are beyond amazing, and the staff are the sweet and hardworking people. I simply love everything about this church. Stop in for a quick prayer and a warm hug and make sure to check out their LA Greek Festival, you won’t regret it ;)

This is for the Huffington Center: The space is beautiful & competitively priced. I spoke with Eleni & met with John. He was very accomodating & showed us around the property. It really is a beautiful space & is ideal if you are on a budget.

I called the Church on Feb 11^th, 2014 to inquire information on a Baptism I am planning for my Son.
I spoke with Father Allan, He was rude and very disrespectful.
His first question was if I attend church… I replied «Not Very Often»
He asked me if I have had a Sacramental Wedding… I replied «No, Just a civil one»
keep in mind neither of these questions have ANYTHING to do with my sons baptism.
He claimed the I have removed my self from Church, under the pretense that I don’t go very often, and that I am living a lie and not to consider myself a Greek Orthodox.
He also presumed I have no interest in living what it «means».
Yet still no reference on how to proceed with Baptism.
I was Judged, something only God does. This Priest stripped me from my right to baptize my Child. Gave me no direction whatsoever.
Instead of welcoming a New Member to the Greek Orthodox Religion with arms wide open, and providing me with utmost respectful advice and direction, Father Allan could not had been more repelling and rude.
He comes across as a very pompous and rude human being that has the audacity to call himself a Priest, let alone represent the Greek Orthodox Religion.
I grew up in Greece, I went to Church EVERY Sunday, sometimes Wednesdays too, I was a Choir Boy, I learned how to Chant Psalms in Byzantine School, yet Father Allan claims I have removed myself from the Faith and that I am living a Lie…
One, in the eyes of the Greek Orthodox Religion, only has TWO requirements from the Church to baptize a Child. A birth certificate, and a Greek Orthodox God Parent… and definitely NOT getting a third degree interrogation on irrelevant matters… Let alone being judged in such a pompous manner.
Priests like Father Allan, are the exact same reason why today religion is losing popularity and attendance, and also why Churches have come under scrutiny.
In a Short Exchange of comments on the ever now so popular Social Media website of Facebook on the page of St Sophia Cathedral, Father Allan Proceeded to add words in my mouth, and almost make me a liar. (He lied-​The Man of God lied). My post gained a lot of supportive comments, and the Cathedral decided to remove it… Because the Cathedral «FAIRLY» decides to ONLY KEEP THE POSITIVE comments.
In addition the Cathedral claims NOBODY has denied anyone a baptism… well, after the Poisonous words that came out of Father Allan’s mouth, I don’t understand where the acceptance is? Its an indirect denial.
The solution was very simple… Offer me direction and an apology… neither have occurred.
I have spoken to other Priests, In Greece and In the US, they all find this rather disturbing that such events occurred.
PS: I had been calling the Cathedral to gain information for 3 weeks, nobody was answering, I left messages to Helen’s VM box (numerous)…Never a call back… Until the infamous encounter with Father Allan occurred yesterday.

The church itself is beautiful. However, as a vendor, I was a bit annoyed with the way we were treated by the coordinator Jimmy and the fact that the church booked 2 other weddings back to back prior to the wedding I was hired to work on.
I met the coordinator 2 weeks prior to the wedding to see the venue and get the details. I was told that I can come in and set up at 3pm. I took notes and everything was in contract. When I arrived at 2:43PM, I was told by the parking lot security that there is a wedding going on now and will not be done until past 3. Not only that, but there is also another wedding at 4PM. My client’s wedding was scheduled for 5PM. What?! As a florist vendor, we normally ask for 1 ½ to 2 hours to set up because we have to set the floral arrangements, drape the pews, lay out the runner, etc. We waited by the door when the church bells went off. I felt so rude, trying to rush in as the guests were coming out because we had LESS than an hour to set up. I saw the bride and groom’s guests arriving and we have not even gotten the chance to set up yet.
It was about 4:50pm when Jimmy finally kicked the other party out! We had to set up around the guests of the previous wedding. When we were laying the runner, we were using tape because Jimmy told me 2 weeks prior that we cannot use any pins on the carpet. Jimmy told us that the type of tape we’re using will leave residue. And I quote, he said «do you know what residue is?» WOW. Most tape that will hold the runner down WILL leave some residue. I understand restrictions, but if that is a concern then the church should just ban runners. We were told no pre-​arranged flowers or petals on the runner, which means no designs, etc. ONLY the petals dropped from the flower girl/​s were allowed.

Beautiful cathedral!

In commemoration of my 777^th review, known to some as «God’s number,» I think I’ll finally crank out my review of this palatial place of worship. It’s been sitting in my unfinished cache for months.
My first time visiting this church, I thought it was pretty gaudy with its many crystal chandeliers and its heavy-​handed use of gold leafing. In Greece, they strive to cover every inch of the interior with art and ornate woodwork, even in the small villages that go largely untouched by tourists. I see now that it’s more an exercise of investing in faith.
Honestly, St. Sophia’s just doesn’t look like anything else in this country. St. Sophia’s is so grand.
When it comes to local temples and churches, St. Sophia’s is up there with Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights and Malibu Hindu Temple for its transcendental beauty, managing to make one feel as though they’ve stepped into another time in another land altogether.
I took my parents to the annual Greek Orthodox festival this year, insistent that they experience it at least once and it was difficult to drag them out of the church once they got a load of it. My mom kept yammering on with the priest, absolutely enthralled to talk about what beliefs they have in common (my ilk are Catholic, though I’m batting for the agnostics these days) and everything in between.
The priests were really nice and were very patient with my mom, whom I practically had to shove out the door into the Sirtaki music and put some spanakopita in her hands.

Gorgeous cathedral! After touring many cathedrals in Spain a few years ago, it’s nice to see different type of architecture. We attended the Greek Festival which was in the parking lot of the church. It’s a first time for me to enter a Greek Orthodox church. It was a warm day and wanted some shade and decided to check out the church to learn more about it and stay cool. For a modern church (1950+), it’s similar to that of a Roman Catholic church but a bit more extravagant finishes composed of gold finishes and hand paintings. I’ve worked on Cathedral of Our Lady of Angel’s for preconstruction in years past which had elaborate finishes but no gold! The dome was a hand painting of Jesus probably 60′ diameter. There was a presentation on the history of the cathedral as well as question answering by priest about their beliefs and the their history. Overall, a great experience. Looking forward to come back one day.

I took the tour of Saint Sophia’s during the LA Greek Festival. They gave a wonderful talk and pointed out all the symbols in the Cathedral related to their faith. They also talked about the history of the Cathedral and how it was built. They answered questions from everyone. It is a beautiful Cathedral and if you get a chance to take the tour I recommend it. The entire talk they gave was very informative.