SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

I greet all of you with the words of the Archangel: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). And I invite you to sing with the Angelic Choir: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14).

JOHNSTOWN, PA - The Chancery been advised that +ARMEDA HOLUBZ, the mother of Pani Deborah Zak, fell asleep in the Lord on Wednesday night, November 28.

JOHNSTOWN, PA -The Chancery has been advised of the death of + ELIZABETH PREPELKA, the mother of Very Rev. Fr. Robert Prepelka on Thursday, November 15, 2007. Funeral arrangements are as follows: Sunday night November 18, 2007; 7:30 PM Funeral Service at the Sabolskis-Wasik-Glenn Funeral Home, 3510 Main Street, Munhall, PA (412) 462-2288. Funeral Liturgy on Monday November 19, 2007 at 9:30 AM in St.Nicholas Church, Homestead, PA.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - The Chancery is pleased to announce that with the Blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas, a St. John Chrysostom Celebration commemorating the 1600th anniversary of the Saints Repose will take place in the New England Deanery. WHERE: St John The Baptist Church, 1240 Broadbridge Avenue, Stratford, CT WHEN: Saturday December 1, 2007 TIME: 3:00 pm. The Akathist to St. John Chrysostom will be celebrated by Deanery Clergy

MERCER, PA - The National Youth Encounter Weekend is November 9-11, 2007 at Camp Nazareth. The Encounter is sponsored by the National JR. ACRY, and it is open to youth ages 8-18. Fr. Miles Zdinak will also be leading the Encounter. The weekend's activities will include time for prayer, spiritual learning, recreation, arts and crafts and more. The cost is $50 per person. You can catch up with some old friends and have fun while living the Faith.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - The Chancery is pleased to announace a St. John Chrysostome Celebration commemorating the 1600th anniversary of the Saints Repose. WHERE: St Nicholas Church, Homestead, PA WHEN: Sunday December 9, 2007 TIME: 9 AM Hierarchical Divine Liturgy Celebrated by Metropolitan Nicholas

JOHNSTOWN, PA - The Chancery has been advised of the death of + FRANK PREPELKA, the father of Very Rev. Fr. Robert Prepelka. Funeral arrangements are as follows: The Funeral Service will be sung at the Savolskis, Wasik, Glenn Funeral Home (3501 Main Street, Munhall, PA 412-462-2288) on Sunday, September 23 at 7:30 PM. Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in St. Nicholas Church of Homestead at 10 AM on Monday, September 24. Participating Clergy are to wear white vestments.

http://www.acrod.org/assets/docs/Events PDFS/OCFCollegeStudentsSunday.pdf

JOHNSTOWN, PA - His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas has issued a letter calling upon all diocesan clergy and the faithful to support efforts by the Greek Archdiocese of America to provide relief to the victims of the recent fires in Greece. A special collection in each diocesan parish has been requested for Sunday September 23, 2007.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - The 63rd Annual Convention of the National Senior and Junior ACRY (American Carpatho Russian Youth) took place on Labor Day Weekend, Fri August 31 - Monday September 3, 2007 at the Radisson Hotel in Monroeville, PA . This year's convention was hosted by the St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church of East Pittsburgh, ACRY Chapter #44. Those in attendance enjoyed the gracious hospitality and Christian kindness of the East Pittsburgh Chapter, who spent long hours preparing for the weekend's festivities.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - The Chancery has been advised of the death of + IRENE BOKACH, the mother of Pani Beverly Leasure. Funeral arrangements are as follows: Viewing is at the Ketusky Funeral Home on Brooks Boulevard in Manville, NJ. Hours are Monday September 3, 3007 from 2-4 PM and 6-9 PM. The Parastas will be sung on Monday evening at 7:30 PM. White vestments. The funeral service is in Holy Ghost Church in Manville on Tuesday at 9:30 AM. Participating Clergy are to wear white vestments.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas has announced today, that the Wonderworking Icon of St. Anna, the Mother of the Theotokos, will be present for veneration during the The Second Annual All-Diocese Youth Pilgrimage that is being held on August 17-19, 2007 (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon) at Camp Nazareth in Mercer, Pennsylvania.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas has asked that all Diocesan clergy and faithful remember in prayer the Very Rev. Protopresbyter Kenneth Bachofsky, the Dean of the Youngstown Deanery who is recovering from Open Heart By-Pass Surgery at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas has announced today, that plans are underway for the Golden Anniversary Celebration of the Diocesan Altarboy's Retreat which will take place from August 17-19, 2007 at Camp Nazareth. The Very Rev. Protopresbyter James Dutko has been appointed the coordinator of the Golden Anniversary Celebration.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - The Second Annual All-Diocese Youth Pilgrimage will be held on August 17-19, 2007 (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon) at Camp Nazareth in Mercer, Pennsylvania. The Youth Pilgrimage will start a day before the Diocesan Summer Pilgrimage held in honor of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, Jesus Christ and in celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the First Diocesan Altarboy Retreat. It will conclude Sunday afternoon.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas has announced our diocese has been invited to participate in an International Youth Conference which will take place From July 11-16, 2007 in Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey). Hosted by His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the conference will include young men and women from all of the Holy Metropolitanates of the Ecumenical Throne from all around the world, from sister Orthodox Churches, from various Monastic Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods, form other Christian Churches and Confessions, from Orthodox Theological faculties, Academies, Institutes and Seminaries, from International Ecclesiasical Organizations, from International Youth Associations and Cultural Institutions, as well as from the local Christian Churches. The theme of the conference will be "Members of the Church - Citizens of the World."

In the act of CREATION, we see the Triune God at work; all things are made new out of nothing. In the act of REDEMPTION, again we see the Triune God at work, recreating and renewing what had been corrupted by man's fall.

His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas has announced today, that plans are underway for the Annual Altarboy's Retreat which will take place from June 24-27, 2007 at Christ the Saviour Seminary and Cathedral. The Very Rev. David Cochran has been appointed director of this year's retreat.

BOSTON, MA - In a confidential letter to Recep Tayyip Erdogan dated August 28, 2003 (Protocol Number 801), just a few months after Mr. Erdogan was elected prime minister of Turkey, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople importunes the Turkish Government to change its policies and political stance towards the Patriarchate. In his letter, the Patriarch noted that, "in the year 1927, 100 thousand Greeks lived in Constantinople. Today, that number has been shrunk to 2,000 and even less," and refers to the "extermination" of the Greek Orthodox population in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul).