We caught mass here while on holiday. Thanks God they have English mass at 1800 on Sunday. They…read morealso have masses at 1900 on Saturday and Sunday morning on 1115 and 1300. Before the English mass they have confession. It just occurred to me that I should have gone to confession because there is .01% chance I'd ever see that priest again. Even though the whole mass was in English we still fell asleep. Not because it was boring but we were still jet lagged. The community was very welcoming! We missed the potluck social dinner by one week. Darn! Before or after mass, round the corner to go to the stroopwafel museum!!! The museum is lame but they have the most delicious freshly made stroopwafels!!!! We picked up a bogo coupon from a nearby liquor store. It was awesome. Oh yeah the church is awesome too (refer to picture). It's crazy how the church is just sandwiched in between houses on the block...but you can't miss it when you walk by! Unless you're high tailing it to the stroopwafels...

The English Reformed Church is a Rijksmonument located in the center of Amsterdam near the Rokin…read moretrain station off the busy walking shopping street after you pass Zara. It is located inside the peaceful and quiet Het Begijnhof which is private property and is open from 9:30-18:00 (February-October) and 9:30-17:00 (November-January.) The homes in this area date from the 17th and 18th centuries. The black home is said to be one of the oldest homes in Amsterdam. The Begijens where single Catholic women who performed good deeds but did not to live in a convent and take vows. This was a Roman Catholic enclave in the predominantly Protestant Amsterdam for more than 200 years. There are still women (Begijnen or Beguines) living here. Major restoration was done in this area in 1987. Located across from the Beginhof Kapel (chapel), (the official hidden church because Roman Catholics were not allowed to openly practice their religion from 1578-1795), is the English Reformed Church. This is a Presbyterian congregation with ties to the Church of Scotland and the Protestant Church of the Netherlands. Worship is at 10:30 on Sundays. There is no scheduled opening hours for visitors. The original church was built in 1419 and was a place of worship for the Begijnen community but burned down in a fire in 1421. The current chapel was built towards the end of the 15th century and has been used for English-language worship since 1607. There is a plague on the exterior wall for the Pilgrim Fathers who first settled in Amsterdam before living in Leiden and prior to taking the journey to North America on The Mayflower. I also wanted to see in the back of the chancel the only stained glass window in the church which was gifted in 1920 by Mr. Edward Bok of the United States on the 300th anniversary of the departure of the Pilgrim Fathers from Leiden to the New World. This window signifies the presence of the Pilgrim Fathers who had previously lived in Amsterdam. I believe I will have to attend a service to see the window. www.erc.amsterdam

This place surprised my because I didn't actually expect there to be an English speaking church in…read moreAmsterdam that dated back to the 17th Century, but it turned out that this one did. The thing is that most of the English churches that exist on the continent I was under the impression were plants either from England or the United States and simply served expats, and also were established sometime in the late twentieth century. However, it turned out that this was not the case as this church has been operational, as an English speaking church, for centuries. There is actually quite a lot of history to this place, and they are more than happy to share it with you. In fact the Catholic church that this building used to house ended up moving across the road, and it is in existence to this day. I also found that the congregation were also really friendly, and the church is also open for tourist to wander around inside, though not when there is a service in progress (though they are more than happen for you to join in).

I found this church by accident. My friend Sage and I were walking down the street of Kalverstraat,…read morewhich is a famous shopping street in the center of Amsterdam. When you go inside, you will be astonished by the grandeur of the church. It's very serene, peaceful and beautiful in construction. There's even a holy water reservoir located near one of the altars. I promised my Mom that I would buy her a rosary in Amsterdam and imagine my surprise when I saw that they were also selling holy water from Lourdes of France. For 1.50 Euro, you can get a big bottle of holy water. The church was sorta difficult to find, and we only found it by accident because Sage pointed it out. The church is very discreet and tucked in between the stores. I discovered that it was considered a safe church back in 1700 in the period when Roman Catholics were required to be inconspicuous It was built around in a garden of a bird trader, and that is why the church is called De Papegaai ( Parrot in Dutch).

I've been here twice - once passing and just happened to see and then a second time to attend a…read more10:30 morning service. Surprising, but I'm putting attending a service at this church on my list of top things to do in Amsterdam. Why? First, because the church has wonderful woodwork throughout the church, especially at the front (I think formally called the aspe and beam maybe). The woodwork on the center altarpiece is really just amazing, and then there is also a staircase leading up to a podium at the front that is also really nice (not used during the service I attended) (there is a wooden staircase at a famous church in Santa Fe that was supposedly built without nails - a miracle. I think that the staircase here has nails, but it's still wonderful). If you go for the service you also hopefully get to hear the pipe organ and choir. Although the service I went to was in Latin, the readings and the homily were in Dutch, so this is a good place to hear the local language. Why four stars instead of five? Well, it's because the front stained-glass windows are very very dirty. So dirty in fact that there are places in the glass where the light is unable to filter in. The lower stained-glass panes are dirtier than the upper panes and at first I thought this was odd - shouldn't the soot from the candle smoke and incense rise and so the upper panes be the dirtiest? Upon reflection, I guess not - the soot only travels so high and so doesn't reach the upper panes (the impure substances stay close to earth and only the pure travels heavenward). The woodwork I'm sure is also covered in soot, but more difficult to tell from afar. When I went to the service I was, I think the youngest person at the mass, and I'm not that young. Mostly older local people attended. The church was only about 5% full. I guess this explains why they can't afford to clean the stained-glass windows. If you do go to the church (and especially to a service) here are some recommendations and tips: 1. In the winter dress warmly. It can get a little cold. 2. If you don't understand Latin or Dutch, spend the time during the service reflecting, listening to the music, and checking out the woodwork. 3. Towards the end of the service there will be a time when you'll shake hands with other people - extending peace. If you don't understand the language no problem, shake hands and just say 'Peace be with you'. It doesn't matter that you don't speak the local language. Everyone will just be happy you participate. 4. If you have not completed your First Communion then you shouldn't go up to receive the body and blood of Christ during Communion. During this time just stay in your seat. (Interestingly, when I went they only offered the host (body of Christ) and not any wine (blood of Christ). Maybe this is a new hygiene thing? I have not been to mass in a long time so don't know if this is a general change.) 5. It's free to attend the service, but if possible you should make a donation. Have a few coins handy to put in the basket that is passed around. If you are really generous give them enough Euro to pay to have the stained-glass windows cleaned. 6. Check out where they keep the wafers and wine - pretty cool. 7. Dress up a little. Men don't wear hats in the church. 8. Check out frames around the Stations of the Cross paintings. 9. If you plan on staying through the entire mass, sit towards the front for a better view. If you are not sure you will stay for the entire mass (you should) then sit towards the back. There will likely be lots of empty seats so no need to get there early. 10. Since you're right in the middle of a big famous shopping area, come prepared to shop after the mass!

Beautiful oud kerk in the heart of Joordan, Amsterdam. The Noordemarkt surrounds this building on…read moreSaturdays and Mondays at the time of this writing. This is also a huge community center. I've only been inside of here once, to receive a flu shot on a "flu shot" day my practitioner set up for everyone in their practice. I rolled through here at a sneller pace! Signage is very confusing, difficult to know which door to enter (even in Dutch), but it is a beautiful structure and I imagine how glorious it will be when things return to semi-normal again.

If you find yourself in the Jordaan on a Saturday afternoon, I highly, highly recommend two things…read more Of course you have to go to the Noordermarkt, an ecological outdoor market where they only sell top quality products. They are not cheap, but trust me, nowhere will you get better stuff nor more knowledgeable staff. Being allowed tp sell here is considered a huge honor for salespeople. If you like classical music, or if you want a rest, go to the Noorderkerk, a little gem of a church next to the market. Check out their website www.noorderkerk.nl\concerten for a schedule and tickets. Thiese events are largely run by volunteers and you can enjoy the beautiful, white serene atmosphere of what almost seems to be a small village church. The benches are a bit uncomfortable, hey, those Protestants don't believe in comfort, right? But after the hustle and bustle of the very touristy Jordaan, this is the best place to nurture your body and soul!

Beautiful Catholic Church with High Mass in Dutch. But, they also offer Sunday Mass in English,…read morewhich is great for visitors! Highly recommend this church if you are visiting Amsterdam and a Catholic (or, simply looking for Jesus).