JOHNSTOWN, PA --[Diocesan Chancery] -- With the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Gregory, we wish to inform you that the Eastern, Central and Western Regional Diocesan Retreats have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. In regards to the Eastern Regional Retreat, if any reservations have been made with payment, a full refund will be issued. Read more...

March 12, 2020

Protocol No. 7/2020

God is with us!

Dear Reverend Clergy and Faithful Laity of the Diocese,

I am writing to you today with a sense of urgency, as we confront the new Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic that is potentially affecting not only our physical and spiritual health but also our way of life in the United States of America.  If you have turned on the television, listened to the radio, or followed the announcements on your phones for the last three weeks or so, you would think that the world is coming to an end.  Local public and private schools are shutting down for several weeks.  Professional sports leagues are suspending their schedules.  Colleges and universities are closing down their on campus activities and doing everything on-line for the remainder of the spring semester.  Even the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball March Madness Tournaments have been cancelled.  What will we do for the next three weeks without our madness?  How about going to Church and observing Great Lent in a more meaningful way. Read more...

MERCER, PA [Camp Nazareth] -- The Young Adult Retreat scheduled for this coming weekend, March 13-15, 2020 at Camp Nazareth, has been cancelled due to concerns regarding the Coronavirus.  

However, the Host Committee would still like to offer an “Online Retreat” on Saturday, 3/14, featuring a keynote session by Fr. Sergius Halvorsen, who was scheduled to speak at the Retreat, as well as a Q and A Session with His Eminence Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa, Fr. Sergius and Fr. Stephen Loposky.

Please find below the times and details of the Keynote and Q and A Session.  The same link is good for all day. We will be using “Zoom” – a video conferencing provider. Read more...

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- With the setting of the sun and the celebration of Forgiveness Vespers this evening, the season of The Great Fast has been ushered in throughout our God-Saved Diocese and the entire Orthodox Church.

This Holy Season, as His Eminence, Metropolitan Gregory has reminded us in his Lenten  Archpastoral Letter,  is a time for increased "... self-examination, reflection and confession.... Great Lent is not just about what we eat, but more importantly how we live."

To assist the faithful in making the most of this holy season, additional resources have been added to our Diocesan Website. Read more...

My beloved Faithful Clergy and Laity of our God-Protected Diocese:

As we begin Holy and Great Lent this year on March 2nd, I want to share with you a few thoughts so that we may journey through this reflective period and arrive at the Great Feast of Feasts, Pascha to receive the Resurrected Christ.

We are reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, no reconciliation with God, unless we at the same time reconcile with one another. In this holiest period of the ecclesiastical year, we should honestly examine our relationships with our families, our parish families, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and the Church in general. Read more...