JOHNSTOWN, PA - [Diocesan Chancery] -- With profound sadness the Diocesan Chancery announces that +Archon Robert "Dal" Cosgrove, fell asleep in the Lord on Friday April 14, 2023. Prior to his retirement in Florida, he was a faithful parishioner of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Monongahela, PA. In retirement he attended Holy Cross Eastern Orthodox Church in Ormond Beach, FL. Born November 19, 1942, in Hazelwood, he was the son of the late Frederick E. and Mary Virginia (Tompkins) Cosgrove. Following his graduation in 1960 from Charleroi High School, Dal earned his Bachelor's degree and two Masters Degrees in Education and Science from California University of Pennsylvania. He began working as a teacher and a coach in the Elizabeth Forward School District and retired after 37 years as their assistant principal.

On this great and glorious Feast of Pascha – the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our hearts are filled with tremendous joy, our souls are transformed and we bask in the Light of Truth. This year I want to share with you an excerpt from an inspiring, uplifting and brilliant homily of our Father among the Saints, Gregory of Nyssa. The reign of life has begun, the tyranny of death is ended. A new birth has taken place, a new life has come, a new order of existence has appeared, our very nature has been transformed! This birth is not brought about by human generation, by the will of man, or by the desire of the flesh, but by God.

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 

JOHNSTOWN, PA --  [Diocesan Chancery]   The schedule of His Eminence, Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa  for April and May 2023 has been released by the Diocesan Chancery and is as follows:

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

As we begin Holy and Great Lent this year on March 14th, 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.

Johnstown, PA - [Diocesan Chancery]  -  The 2023 Lenten Psalm Reading Guide is now available for download on the Diocesan Website which will enable the faithful to read the entire Book of Psalms during the Lenten Season.  

The Book of Psalms (Psalter) has been called the prayerbook of the Church. In the Eastern Orthodox liturgical tradition, the Psalter is divided into 20 sections called kathisma; each kathisma is divided into three sections called stasis. In monasteries, all 150 Psalms are read each week during most of the year, and twice a week during the Great Fast!

JOHNSTOWN, PA  [Diocesan Chancery] -- His Eminence Metropolitan Gregory is pleased to announce that, this year,  we will resume our Diocesan in-person regional Lenten Retreat Program.  The dates and preliminary details for  the upcoming Lenten Retreats are as follows:

Central Lenten Regional Retreat - Sat March 19, 2022  - St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Homestead, PA.  Adult Retreat Master is Fr. Stephen Loposky. Deadline for Registration is March 12, 2022. 

Eastern Regional Lenten Retreat (co-sponsored by the Ukrainian Orthodox Youth League) - Sat April 2, 2022 - St Francis Center For Renewal, Bethlehem, PA - Adult Retreat Master is Fr. Anthony Perkins.  Theme: Jesus Remember Me When You Come Into Your Kingdom: The Services of Holy Week.  Registration Deadline: March 22, 2022.

Western Region Retreat - Sat April 2, 2022 - Chicago Deanery.  More details to follow.

JOHNSTOWN, PA – [Diocesan Chancery] – His Eminence, Metropolitan Gregory, today has issued the following appeal to all Diocesan Parishes to take up a special collection for the victims of the catastrophic earthquake in Southern Turkey and Northern Syria:  

JOHNSTOWN, PA --  [Diocesan Chancery]   The schedule of His Eminence, Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa  for February and March  2023 has been released by the Diocesan Chancery and is as follows:

JOHNSTOWN, PA – [National ACRY] – The National ACRY is pleased to announce the start of its “Food for All” campaign which will run in conjunction with the annual stewardship campaign (December 2nd through February 21 st ).  The goal of this program is for a concerted effort within our communities across all ACRY chapters, both Jr. and Sr., as well as diocesan churches, who may not have an ACRY chapter, to provide food assistance within our communities in ways  both big and small. In addition, we wish to collect data on our efforts so it can be shared with everyone across the ACRY and the diocese

JOHNSTOWN, PA - [Diocesan Chancery] -- With profound sadness the Diocesan Chancery announces that Archon +Michael Kundrat  fell asleep in the Lord on Saturday December 31, 2022. 

Michael Kundrat, ‘Mike’, almost 95 years of age, reposed in the Lord on December 31, 2022. He was born to Michael and Helena (nee Gajdos) Ivanco-Kundrat in Ambridge, PA on February 5, 1928. Alex was born on October 30, 1936 in Endicott, New York he was the son of the late Alex and Ellen (nee Hill) Breno.

He served in the United States Army and then worked for the United States Naval Audit Service for 30 years.

As we celebrate this joyous Feast of the Nativity in the flesh of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ, I wish to share with you one of my favorite Christmas homilies from the Church Fathers concerning this day. St.  John Chrysostom. spoke on the Incarnation with these words:

I behold a new and wondrous mystery! My ears resound to the shepherd's song, piping no soft melody, but loudly chanting a heavenly hymn!

JOHNSTOWN, PA - [Diocesan Chancery] -- With profound sadness the Diocesan Chancery announces that Pani Dorothy Hutnyan, the wife of the late Protopresbyter George Hutnyan reposed in the Lord on Friday December 23, 2022 at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital surrounded by her family.

Dorothy was born August 8, 1932, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a daughter of the late Charles and Eva Martyak Gost, and came to the Youngstown area in 1955.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - [Diocesan Chancery] -- With profound sadness the Diocesan Chancery announces that + Rev. Fr. John Cmur , age 90,  reposed in the Lord peacefully on Thursday, March 30, 2023 at Community Medical Center in Toms River, NJ. 

Fr. John was born and raised in Dunmore, PA. He married his wife, Mary, in 1954 and moved to Brick, NJ to raise their family. He retired to Whiting in the early ‘90’s.

Fr. John worked for many years as a plant manager for Orgo-Thermit, Inc. metal manufacturing in Manchester Township and was a member of the local Rotary Club