JOHNSTOWN, PA - Plans are underway for the Annual Altar Boy Retreat which will take place from Sunday evening, June 30th (Registration is from 6pm till 8 p.m.) until Wednesday, July 3rd, 2019.

The Retreat will once again take place at Christ the Savior Seminary, Cathedral and  Education Center in Johnstown and at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Windber, PA.  This year's outing will be to Coal Tubing for a tube ride down the Stoney Creek River. This is the time and place for our faithful Altar Servers to join other Altar Boys from all over our Diocese. Read more...

Today I greet you with great love and joy in the Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ following His glorious Resurrection.  On Great and Holy Pascha, we behold the triumph of Christ, as He rose from death to life, from darkness of the tomb into the Light.  With the Resurrection of Christ, all Creation is filled with a new Light of life and joy.  On this Feast of Feasts, this Holy Day of Holy Days, we all proclaim the only truth that matters, the Truth that Christ is Risen!

We gather together as family and friends, in joy  and in love, celebrating the presence of the Risen Lord in our midst, and singing with one voice the triumphant hymn Read more...

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

As we begin Holy and Great Lent on March 11th 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.

Great Lent is a period of increased activity for the active Orthodox Christian. Our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving must increase. Attendance at Church services (of which there are many) and spiritual reading must increase. We must increase our self-examination, reflection and confession. Great Lent is also a period of decreased activity for the active Orthodox Christian. We should show restraint in our normal “outside of Lent” lifestyle. We should reduce our watching of television, listening to the radio, surfing the internet, going to concerts and movies. Great Lent is not just about what we eat, but more importantly how we live.

In our prayer life the Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is read each week day during Great Lent. Read more...

Dear Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I greet you with joy and love in the Name of our Incarnate Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Let us give thanks to Almighty God, by whose grace we have been given the opportunity to celebrate the Birth of His Son.

If we look around, we find hatred, mistrust, suffering, and the absence of peace and love in our homes, neighborhoods, cities, country, and in fact the whole world. This reality in life makes us cry out for God’s help, assistance, and intervention.

My beloved ones, despite all the suffering, sorrow and injustice in our world, today joy and hope comes to us once more. That’s why at this blessed time of the year we look forward to the arrival of the new born King.

Therefore let us celebrate the miracle of His Birth. Let kindness come with every gift. Let compassion, forgiveness and love come with every greeting. Let our hearts be filled with prayer, charity, and reconciliation for one another. Read more...