JOHNSTOWN -- The Diocesan Chancery is pleased to announce that His Grace, Bishop Gregory will preside over the Sunday of Orthodox Vespers on Sunday, March 24th at our Diocesan St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, located on 145 Broad Street in Perth Amboy, NJ. The service will begin at 4 PM.  Bishop Gregory will also deliver the homily. This will be a wonderful opportunity for the clergy and laity of the Central New Jersey region to hear His Grace preach the Word and to meet him informally in the Fellowship Hour that will follow Vespers.

On this day when the Church's victory over the iconoclasts is celebrated, it will also be a spiritual privilege to be in the presence of a Myrrh-streaming Icon of the Theotokos that has been emitting this fragrant "myron" for well over a year at the St. George Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church in Taylor, Pennsylvania. Father Mark Leasure will bring the icon and have it available for veneration that afternoon.

Clergy are to bring gold vestments and should be at the church no later than 3:45 PM, as  there will be a procession escorting Bishop Gregory into the church from the rectory. Those who are participating are kindly asked to contact Protopresbyter Michael Rosco, the host pastor, of their intentions to participate by Sunday, March 17th.

Choir members of the local and diocesan parishes are invited to be part of a Combined Choir singing the responses to Vespers, to be directed by Mr. George Hanas, the choir director of St. John's Church.  Those who wish to participate are asked to attend the following choir rehearsals: Sunday, March 3rd and Sunday, March 10th at 1 PM at St. John's Church in Perth Amboy, NJ