In the beginning, God created the world, the universe, and all that is therein. From the dust of the earth, He formed the body of the first man Adam and breathed life into him. From Adam's side, He extracted a rib and formed with it the body of his helpmate Eve. Together Adam and Eve lived in peace. harmony, purity, and sinlessness But then Satan caused them to sin, and the first couple fell from grace and were cast out of Paradise due to their pride and disobedience. Mankind became brutish and beast like. Disease, corruption, and death entered into the world. But even from that very moment, God had already made His promise of salvation to His children.

We greet you in peace as we begin the season of Great and Holy Lent, the forty-day journey toward the feast of the glorious Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Along this journey, we are presented with the magnificent task of drawing closer to God, of being filled with His inexhaustible love, and of spiritually renewing ourselves through prayer, through fasing and through acts of charity. As we worship and minister together, may we rejoice in the treasure which is our Orthodox Christian faith. May we progress also in the knowledge that Christ invites us to share this faith with others, so that they too become members of the household of God (Ephesians 2: 19b).

PERTH AMBOY, NJ - Early this morning the Very Rev. Protopresbyter Stephen Sedor fell-asleep-in-the-Lord. Father Stephen, Pastor Emeritus of St. John The Baptist Church, Perth Amboy, NJ, Past Diocesan Consistory Member, former editor of The Church Messenger, and pioneer in the Orthodox Religious Education Initiatives in our Diocese and on the Pan Orthodox Level, will lie in state in St. John's Church, Perth Amboy, N.J. on Tuesday Afternoon, (December 2) from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The Office of Burial for a Priest will take place Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - The following information regarding the 2003 Know Your Faith Educational Conference has been released by the Diocesan Religious Education Commission: Crown Them With Glory & Honor: Orthodox Perspectives on Christian Marriage: Challenges In Modern Life

JOHNSTOWN, PA - His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas, was invited to participate in the Saturday August 23rd Program by Father Christopher Metropulos, Pastor of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the founder and editor of the radio program.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - At 2:00 pm (EST) today, the Very Rev. Protopresbyter John Yurcisin, peacefully fell-asleep-in-the-Lord after suffering a stroke earlier in the day. Father John, Pastor Emeritus of Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Past Chancellor and Vicar General of the Diocese, will lie in state in Christ The Saviour Cathedral on Sunday afternoon (June 22) from 12 Noon until 9:00 pm . The Office of Burial for a Priest will take place Sunday at 4:00 pm. Divine Liturgy will be served at 10:00 am Monday, June 23 with interment to follow.

After the creation of the world and the fall of mankir1d from grace, the lord God Almighty began His work with mankind anew. In the Garden of Eden, the progenitors of the race of man, Adam and Eve, walked and talked with God their Father as intimates, as loving and obedient children of a loving Father. Even more, they were friends of God. All of that changed because of their disobedience, however. And from that moment God already set in motion His plan to re-instate human beings to ttlat very same privilege and dignity. But this would take timeJ of course, and God dea:t with His People in increasing degrees by which they would be brought back to their original state.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - In the Tradition of our ancestors in the Carpatho-Rusyn homelands, His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas extends an invitation to the youth of our Diocese and all Christ-loving souls to take part in a Pilgrimage to Camp Nazareth for the Consecration of Saints Cyril and Methodios Church. A Pilgrim's Camp is being established at Camp Nazareth on Friday night August 15 for all who desire to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event. An evening campfire and a candlelight Compline Service at the camp site, will be the highlights of Friday evening's campout. The pilgrims will join Metropolitan Nicholas in the procession from his camp residence to Sts. Cyril & Methodios Church.

As we come yet again to the Resurrection of the Lord, to this holiest of seasons, Queen of Feasts, the Feast of Feasts, and the Great Day, the question of the Myrrh-bearing Women challenges all of us: Who will roll the stone away for us from the entrance of the tomb?

NEW YORK, NY - We, the hierarchs of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas are compelled by our spiritual obligation as peacemakers, to express the anguish in our hearts that, once again, due to the presence of sin and evil in the world, nations and people of faith have been unable to avoid a dreadful confrontation. As heads of Orthodox Christian communities in North America we are compelled to call our pious clergy and faithful to pray for peace and for respect of the sanctity of all human persons.

JOHNSTOWN, PA. A segment of the weekly Orthodox Christian radio program Come Receive the Light was recorded at the Diocesan Chancery yesterday. His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas, was invited to participate in the Paschal Program by Father Christopher Metropulos, Pastor of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the founder and editor of the radio program. His Eminence will be joined on the program by His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Metropolitan Herman of the Orthodox Church in America.

As Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, we address you in the love of Jesus Christ on the occasion of the Feast of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, a day when we specifically celebrate the restoration of the use of icons in our worship. The significance of this day, however, does not rest solely on icons, but also in the celebration of the fullness of our Orthodox Christian faith and its triumph over forces that have sought to diminish its power and integrity. On this day, in every Orthodox Church throughout our country and our world, the affirmation of this faith as recorded by the Seventh Ecumenical Council is proclaimed triumphantly and With one voice: This is the faith of the Apostles! This is the faith of the Fathers! This is thefaith of the Orthodox! This is the faith which has established the universe!

Even before the Lenten Triodion begins, we already hear echoes in the message of the Theophany season of this major theme of the Great Fast; during this Feast, we hear the words of St. John the Forerunner as recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew 3:2: "...Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." In the very next chapter, our Lord Himself reiterates the exact words of John. It is only then that He begins His public ministry.

This January 22nd marks the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion. That means that by this January, over 40 million babies have been killed, legally in this nation. And you should know that this number is probably wrong, as it likely errs very much on the low side.

I greet you in the joyful expectation of the Civil New Year. I look forward to serving the Lord and His Church in the year 2003, and, I pray that we will share in the confident hope, the steadfast faithfulness and the comforting zeal of Christ and His glorious grace.