Dear Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On this glorious Feast of the Nativity of Christ we celebrate a truly a wondrous event in which God, in His infinite and marvelous grace, became man bringing us enduring hope, newness of life, and eternal salvation. The Son of God, the Lord of Glory and King of kings who upholds the universe by His word of power, became man so that we human beings might be redeemed, renewed, united with Him, and become fellow citizens with the Saints and members of God’s kingdom.

The magnitude and depth of the event of the Nativity of Christ are impossible to grasp, but the message is clear and true. It is a message of grace, hope, and salvation to all humanity and to all the created order.

Dear Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On this glorious Feast of the Nativity of Christ we celebrate a truly a wondrous event in which God, in His infinite and marvelous grace, became man bringing us enduring hope, newness of life, and eternal salvation. The Son of God, the Lord of Glory and King of kings who upholds the universe by His word of power, became man so that we human beings might be redeemed, renewed, united with Him, and become fellow citizens with the Saints and members of God’s kingdom.

The magnitude and depth of the event of the Nativity of Christ are impossible to grasp, but the message is clear and true. It is a message of grace, hope, and salvation to all humanity and to all the created order.

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

It is hard to believe that this month marks the fourth anniversary of my Consecration and Enthronement as your Bishop. During my visits to the parishes you have heard me preaching on the state of affairs, locally and globally. Conflicts, wars and senseless violence continue to inflict pain and suffering and spill blood everywhere. I am deeply saddened that peace continues to elude us. This lack of peace is the direct result of increased selfishness and hatred throughout the world. Whatever we as inhabitants of this planet are doing it is not working, somehow it is not enough. Obviously we as humans can not achieve peace on our own. We need the help of the Lord.

BROOKLINE, MA [Orthodox Christian Fellowship] - The following encyclical about College Student Sunday 2016, to be observed in all Orthodox parishes in North America on Sunday October 2, 2016, has been issued by His Grace, Bishop Gregory of Nyssa, the Episcopal Liaison to the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America:

We greet you with joy as we announce the date for College Student Sunday, benefiting Orthodox Christian Fellowship. To support the incredible efforts of our students, College Student Sunday will be the first Sunday of October, running in conjunction with OCF’s Orthodox Awareness Month. This year, the date falls on OCTOBER 2.

Orthodox Christian Fellowship continues to provide students with opportunities to encounter Christ and grow in their Orthodox faith through their growing network of on campus OCF chapters led by talented students, clergy, and lay advisors as well as through programs such as regional retreats, College Conference, Real Break, and the Summer Leadership Institute.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - Plans are underway for the Annual Altar Boy Retreat which will take place from Sunday evening, June 26th (Registration is from 6pm till 8 p.m.) until Wednesday, June 29th. The Retreat will once again take place at Christ the Savior Seminary, Cathedral and Education Center in Johnstown. This year's outing will be to Teen Quest Ranch in Somerset, PA where they will enjoy a wide variety of outdoor activities. This is the time and place for our faithful Altar Servers to join other Altar Boys from all over our Diocese.

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 some Paschal thoughts from St. Gregory the Theologian.

It is the Day of the Resurrection! Let us then keep the Festival with splendor, and let us embrace one another. Let us say Brethen, even to those who hate us, Let us forgive all offenses for the Resurrection’s sake; let us give one another pardon.

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.

I greet you with great joy and love in the Name of our Incarnate Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I give thanks to Almighty God by whose grace we have been given the opportunity to celebrate the Birth of His Son. Looking around, we still see hatred, mistrust, violence, suffering, and the absence of peace in our world. This reality of life in this world makes us cry out for God’s help, assistance and intervention. The holy gift of God’s Son at Christmas reveals to us His love and care for all humanity. As human beings, we are awed by the miracle of God becoming man: the divine glory revealed in a child born in poor circumstances, the omnipotent Creator a little baby in His Mother’s arms.

I greet you with great joy and love in the Name of our Incarnate Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I give thanks to Almighty God by whose grace we have been given the opportunity to celebrate the Birth of His Son. Looking around, we still see hatred, mistrust, violence, suffering, and the absence of peace in our world. This reality of life in this world makes us cry out for God’s help, assistance and intervention. The holy gift of God’s Son at Christmas reveals to us His love and care for all humanity. As human beings, we are awed by the miracle of God becoming man: the divine glory revealed in a child born in poor circumstances, the omnipotent Creator a little baby in His Mother’s arms.

My beloved Faithful Clergy and Laity of our God-Protected Diocese: It is hard to believe that this month marks the third anniversary of my Consecration and Enthronement as your Bishop. I have enjoyed travelling throughout the Diocese and visiting your parishes and getting to know you. I have been encouraged that while the majority of our Diocesan parishes are small in size, the clergy and faithful who labor in the Vineyard of the Lord are doing much to further the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. As you have heard me preach, I am deeply concerned about the state of affairs in the world. There is strife and conflict in every corner of the globe, including our own country, our local communities and even our families.

JOHNSTOWN, PA - Plans are underway for the Annual Altar Boy Retreat which will take place from Sunday evening, June 28th (Registration is from 6pm till 8 p.m.) until Wednesday, July 1st. The Retreat will once again take place at Christ the Savior Seminary, Cathedral and Education Center in Johnstown and SS. Peter & Paul Church facilities in Windber. This year's outing will be to Outdoor Odyssey, a leadership academy located in Windber, PA.

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.

His Grace, Bishop Gregory has issued the following Archpastoral Message regarding the upcoming Family Camp: Our Diocese is pleased to offer our third 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. Encourage them to come, and, if you are able, come yourselves with your families. Last year we had 10 Families and a total of 36 participants. We had a wonderful time together and look forward to being together again this year.

My beloved Faithful Clergy and Laity of our God-Protected Diocese: As we begin Great Lent this year on February 23rd, 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 Pascha spiritually uplifted to receive the Resurrected Christ. This journey is a time for self-examination and self-denial. We must take control of our lives and bodies with fasting in order to gain a greater awareness of our dependence on and relationship with God. In addition, this journey gives greater time for doing those things that Christ mentioned in Matthew 25: 31-46. He instructed us to feed the hungry,

I greet you with joy and love in the Name of our Incarnate Lord and Savior 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 neighborhood, city, country, and in fact the whole world.

Dear Diocesan Parents and Children, This summer, our Diocese is pleased to offer a new event specifically for our young women. The First Annual Young Women’s Retreat will provide an opportunity for the young women of our Diocese to spend time in each other’s company, have fun, pray together, and learn about how God calls each woman to serve His church with her talents and abilities. This Retreat will take place concurrently with the Diocesan Altar Boy’s Retreat. In many ways, these separate experiences are meant to parallel each other, with each focusing on the experience, vocations, and unique gifts bestowed upon the young men and women of our Church.

Dear Diocesan Parents and Children, This summer, our Diocese is pleased to offer a new event specifically for our young women. The First Annual Young Women’s Retreat will provide an opportunity for the young women of our Diocese to spend time in each other’s company, have fun, pray together, and learn about how God calls each woman to serve His church with her talents and abilities. This Retreat will take place concurrently with the Diocesan Altar Boy’s Retreat. In many ways, these separate experiences are meant to parallel each other, with each focusing on the experience, vocations, and unique gifts bestowed upon the young men and women of our Church.

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. I wish to share with you the inspiring, uplifting and brilliant homily of our Father among the Saints, Athanasius the Great. Brethren, how fine a thing it is to move from festival to festival, from prayer to prayer, from holy day to holy day. The time is now at hand when we enter on a new beginning: the proclamation of the blessed Passover, in which the Lord was sacrificed. We feed as on the food of life, we constantly refresh our souls with His precious blood, as from a fountain.

My beloved Faithful Clergy and Laity of our God-protected Diocese: As we begin Great Lent on March 3rd, I wanted to share with you a few thoughts so that we may journey through the season and approach Pascha with the proper frame of mind.

I greet you with joy and love in the Name of our Incarnate Lord and Savior 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 neighborhood, city, country, and in fact the whole world. This reality in life makes us cry out for God’s help, assistance, and intervention.