JOHNSTOWN, PA ---The Very Rev. Protopresbyter Robert Buczak has announced today that scheduled Divine Services for Holy Week at Christ the Saviour Cathedral will be live streamed. Holy Friday Vespers, Resurrection Matins and the Paschal Divine Liturgy will be archived for on-demand viewing.

June 9-11,2017

Our Diocese is pleased to announce its fifth annual Family Camp at Camp Nazareth this year in conjunction with Family Day. The event is exactly what it sounds like. Families “camping” together in the Camp cabins and participating in a weekend of services, games, discussions, activities and challenges that are all designed to help families deepen their relationship with God and with one another.

This year’s theme – “Your Family’s Sacred Story”. Jesus and His family fled to Egypt. Noah and his family entered the ark. Abraham and his family left their home. Lot and his family fled Sodom. Stories of faith and God’s mercy are part of every family’s Sacred Story.

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- Diocesan Parishes are cordially invited to submit via email up to 3 photos of this year's Holy week and Paschal services for inclusion in a special photo gallery, "Pascha throughout the Diocese".

It is asked that parishes avoid sending low resolution cell phone camera quality photos as they may also be included in The Church Messenger

Please email photos to media@acrod.org Please put in the body of the e-mail the name of the parish, and a brief captions describing the photos. Please do not send captions as attached document files.

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- Fr. William George, the Pastor of our Diocesan Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Rockaway, NJ. was recently featured on the March 2017 Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) Podcast, OCF All Stars - Spiritual Advisors.

Fr. William joined OCF Media Student Leader Dan Bein in a conversation about some of the unique challenges Father William encounters, as a spiritual advisor for the OCF chapter of County College of Morris--giving room for others to work, leading discussions, and maintaining the peace.

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- The schedule of His Grace, Bishop Gregory of Nyssa for April 2017 has been released by the Diocesan Chancery.

MERCER, PA -- [Camp Nazareth] On Sunday, March 19, at Camp Nazareth, following the Divine Liturgy which was the conclusion of the Young Adult Retreat at the Camp, a special presentation was made to Bishop Gregory by Kassi Tofani, a member of our diocesan parish of St. John’s in Hermitage. Kassi attended the Liturgy together with her parents, Gino and MaryAnn Tofani. She presented His Grace with a sketch she drew of the Camp Church which will be framed and placed in the Business Wing of the Camp. The sketch is tremendously detailed and tremendously beautiful!

MERCER, PA -- [Camp Nazareth] From Friday, March 17 – Sunday, March 19 nearly 30 young adults ages 18-35, from 6 different Orthodox jurisdictions, gathered at Camp Nazareth for a Retreat. The Retreat was co-sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh and the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese. The theme of the event was “Navigating Life Using Your Spiritual Compass”. Keynote addresses were delivered by Fr. Ed Pehanich and Mr. Nick Lionas. The keynote addresses also included time for break-out groups (smaller discussion groups) and activities that reinforced the topics main ideas. In addition to learning more about their Faith, the young adults celebrated services together, enjoyed some late night fire-side fellowship each night, spent some time hiking the Camp’s trails, had some fun doing ice-breakers as well as playing some games, and were able to relax and decompress from their daily routines. It was a first-time event for both the Metropolis and Diocese, but will become a semi-Annual event with Retreats being held in the Fall and Spring of each year for our Church’s young adults. Next Retreat is scheduled for October 20-22, 2017!!

BROOKLINE, MA — Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is officially accepting resumes from interested candidates for the position of Executive Director.

OCF is an agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States and serves as the official campus ministry for the twelve (12) Orthodox Christian jurisdictions that the Assembly represents. Its mission is to transform the lives of college students in the United States and Canada by guiding them along the path to Jesus Christ through His Church, cultivating a campus community of worship, witness, service, fellowship, and education.

Headquartered on the campus of Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, and with a network of more than 400 chapters that stretches across the United States and Canada, OCF is seeking a motivated individual who can champion Orthodox campus ministry and oversee the operations of OCF’s regional and national programs.

JOHNSTOWN, PA [Diocesan Chancery] -- Eight Diocesan college students, accompanied by Diocesan Priests, Jonathan Bannon and William Bennett, will be taking part in an OCF Real Break Trip to Thessaloniki, Greece, from March 10-18, 2017 in order to personally experience the living witness and service of the Christian communities of Northern Greece. The host institution will be the historic Great Church of the Theotokos, that is, the Church of the Acheiropoietos, which was built in the center of Byzantine Thessaloniki in the fifth century.

During Real Break Thessaloniki, the students will visit many of the region’s sacred sites and venerate the numerous relics and icons that have adorned them for centuries. This includes the churches and relics of St. Demetrios, Sts. Cyril and Methodios, St. Gregory Palamas, St. Theodora and St. David, as well as the churches of Rotunda, Haghia Sophia, St. Nicholas Orphanos and the Holy Apostles.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - The Diocesan Chancery is saddened to announce that Helen Spanovich, long-time former choir director of Christ the Saviour Cathedral and Instructor of Music at Christ The Saviour Seminary reposed in the Lord on Monday, March 6, 2017.

Helen’s musical career began when as an eleven year old she was a member of the Spanovich family orchestra. After she studied under private tutors, her choir directing career began with an all-girls choir in the 1940’s. Over a span of 75 years, in addition to the Cathedral Choir and Seminary Chorus, she taught a-capella choirs in the Greater Johnstown area representing four jurisdictions: St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church Choir (Westmont); St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church Choir (Greensburg); St. George Serbian Orthodox Church Choir (Cambria City); St. Petka Serbian Orthodox Church Choir (Woodvale); St. John Orthodox Male Choir (Conemaugh). At one time she taught seven different choirs each week, sometimes directing two rehearsals in one evening!

Helen taught liturgical music and voice at Christ the Saviour Seminary from 1960 until her repose, musically mentoring a total of 124 priests!

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- With the blessing of His Grace, Bishop Gregory, the National Junior ACRY, as in previous years, calls upon all to aid in the Mission of our Diocesan Apostolate of Saint John the Compassionate, in the inner city of Toronto, Ontario. The National Junior ACRY hears the call from the words of Saint John and invites everyone to help fulfill command to love in action.

Members of the Junior ACRY had the opportunity to visit the Mission this past summer and witness Christ’s love, which labors through the Mission to minister to the needs of many. Last year’s donation from the National ACRY along with a matching grant from the John C. Kulis Charitable Foundation was hand delivered by Vice-president Nicole Fitzgerald to Fr. Roberto on behalf of all who donated to the Lenten Project. The Project with the aid of the Kulis Foundation raised $11,530.00 for the Mission last year.

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 Orthodox Church throughout the world.

This Holy Season, as His Grace, Bishop Gregory has pointed out in his Lenten Archpastoral Letter " is a truly beautiful period of time filled with moments in which we can focus our hearts and our minds on the grace of God. Through daily prayer, fasting, worship, and giving to others, and by the grace of God our lives will continue to be transformed by Him and our souls will be drawn closer and closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. The primary goal of the Lenten season and all the disciplines of our Orthodox faith is to lead us to Christ."

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

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

As we begin Holy and Great Lent this year on February 27th, I wanted to share with you a few thoughts so that we may journey through the season and arrive safely at the Great Feast of Feasts, Holy Pascha with the proper frame of mind.

Holy and Great Lent is a truly beautiful period of time filled with moments in which we can focus our hearts and our minds on the grace of God. Through daily prayer, fasting, worship, and giving to others, and by the grace of God our lives will continue to be transformed by Him and our souls will be drawn closer and closer to our Lord Jesus Christ.

The primary goal of the Lenten season and all the disciplines of our Orthodox faith is to lead us to Christ.

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- The schedule of His Grace, Bishop Gregory of Nyssa for March 2017 has been released by the Diocesan Chancery.

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- The Diocesan Chancery has been informed that Jack Cochran, the father of Protopresbyter David Cochran, reposed in the Lord on Saturday, February 11, 2017.

Jack was born on June 12, 1940 in Webster Springs, WV, he was the son of the late Cleremont Cochran & Elladean (Schrader) Been. He married Lona (Carnegie) Cochran on June 12, 1964 in Lake Station, IN. He was a member of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in Osceola Mills, PA. He was a U.S. Navy Veteran, a member of the Operating Engineers Local 150, a retired Operating Engineer Image of the U.S. Navy Sealfor Heckett Engineering of East Chicago Indiana and a 1958 graduate of the Hobart High School in Hobart, IN.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - The Diocesan Chancery is pleased to announce the schedule of the annual Diocesan Lenten Retreats, which are sponsored by the ACRY for the upcoming Lenten Season. These retreats are open to everyone and contain special programing for youth and adults of all ages. Bishop Gregory, along with other talented clergy of the Diocese will offer insightful and inspiring presentations designed to encourage and challenge the faithful to stay focused on the spiritual life as they continue their Lenten Journey to Pascha.

Central Region: Saturday March 25, 2017 at St. Nicholas Church, Homestead, PA from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Eastern Region: Saturday April 1, 2017 at St Francis Center For Renewal, Bethlehem, PA from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (EST).

CAMP NAZARETH, [Mercer, PA] -- The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh and the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese are pleased to announce a co-sponsored retreat for College Students and Young Adults ages 18-35 entitled “Navigating Life Using Your Spiritual Compass”. The Retreat will be held at Camp Nazareth Retreat and Conference Center in Mercer, PA from March 17-19, 2017 and will feature keynote addresses by Very Rev. Dr. Edward Pehanich and Mr. Nick Lionas. The weekend event will be filled with learning, fun, fellowship, worship, and time for reflection and rejuvenation! Visit either pittsburgh.goarch.org or acrod.org for more information and to register for the Retreat. Online registration begins on February 1. If you ever struggle with “staying on track”, or if you ever feel like you don’t know where you’re headed in your life, then don’t miss out on this unique retreat! I

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- The schedule of His Grace, Bishop Gregory of Nyssa for February 2017 has been released by the Diocesan Chancery.

BROOKLINE, MA — Following its annual meeting, the Board of Directors of Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) has announced that it will begin its search for an Executive Director. The process for identifying and screening potential candidates is projected to begin in early February 2017, and details regarding the process and its progress will be made available through OCF’s website (www.ocf.net).

OCF is an agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States and serves as the official campus ministry for the twelve (12) Orthodox Christian jurisdictions that the Assembly represents. Its mission is to transform the lives of college students in the United States and Canada by guiding them along the path to Jesus Christ through His Church, cultivating a campus community of worship, witness, service, fellowship, and education.

Led by His Grace Bishop Gregory of Nyssa, the Assembly Episcopal Liaison to OCF, and James P. Gianakis, serving as Chairman, the OCF Board of Directors gathered on the campus of Hellenic College Holy Cross School of Theology to reflect on the past year’s successes, to affirm the ministry’s commitment to Orthodox Christian college students across the country,

JOHNSTOWN, PA -- The schedule of His Grace, Bishop Gregory of Nyssa for January 2017 has been released by the Diocesan Chancery.