Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ,

Last week our parish celebrated three Divine Liturgies - and it would appear as though this weekly sign-up for Wednesday and Sunday Liturgies is good working model. 

The registration form now has all of the liturgies for the month.

So please click the link below to reserve your place for any Wednesday or Sunday liturgies in July.

 
CLICK to Register for July Liturgies

​The newly illumined Joachim! May God grant him and his Godparents Florence and Ted many blessed years!

With our blessing of our Bishop and the recent changes in Ontario's health directives we are now able to begin a phased re-opening and resumption of in-person service.  Please find some information about this planned re-opening.

Frequency of Services
The directives allow us to have a maximum of 30% of capacity in the church.   As a result of these capacity restrictions, we will not all be able to gather on the same day. In these first weeks, therefore, households will be invited to attend services on an equitable rotating basis.  As such we will be increasing our number of liturgies in order to accommodate all who would like to attend (based on your responses to our survey).    You will be contacted to come to church on a rotating basis in regular groups at specific times.  Please do not attend if you have not been invited to a particular service.   If you have not been contacted,  need a different time, or you would like to visit our parish please reach out Father or the Parish council.  

Schedule
Due to the ever changing requirements and developments we may have to cancel parish events or services to accommodate the evolving schedule of services. Please bear with us and check our schedule and newsletter regularly. 

Social Distancing
In order to minimize risks and to ensure we are allowed to continue to meet, a number of protocols have been developed for attending services.  This includes spacing, masks, singing, communion, fellowship etc..  Please see the email sent to parish members or ask us and we can send to you.  An usher will be available at each service to direct people. 

As per usual, if you have been scheduled to come to the church but are feeling unwell or experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home.  

If you are unable or uncomfortable with coming to the service, this is an honorable reason of an absence.  We would invite you to contact Father who will be happy to work with you on any needs you may have. 

We are excited and hope to see you soon!

Please find a humble offering of our Parish Choir.  Christ is Risen (Serbian melody in Slavonic)

JOHNSTOWN, PA [Diocesan Chancery] - With the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Gregory,  a booklet entitled “Holy Week From Home” has been created by Frs. William Bennett and Jonathan Bannon as an aid for all of our people who will be celebrating the services at home this year instead of in their churches.  This family friendly booklet even has icons at the back that can be cut out and used during the week.  

All Diocesan families young and old are encouraged to download and print up a copy of this excellent resource for use in their homes.

In obedience to our Bishop , the health authorities and to the weakest among us we must suspend public services for the time being.  But this doesnt mean that we have ceased to be the church of Christ in the world.  

We have prepared a page that includes information on how to we plan to stay connected during our closure along with resources for living in the desert of our homes.  Information about streaming services will be included there as well.  

Do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have a need, want us to pray for you, or just need to talk.  

Urgent Update From Metropolitan Gregory
Regarding The Coronavirus or Covid-19 Pandemic
 
March 18, 2020
Protocol No. 8/2020

God is with us!

Dear Reverend Clergy and Faithful Laity of the Diocese,

I am writing you with a very heavy heart as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to affect all of us here in the United States and around the world.  Earlier today the Chief Secretariat the Holy and Sacred Synod following a meeting of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Hierarchs in Constantinople issued a statement concerning the pandemic.  The announcement follows below:

          As this Coronavirus crisis continues to spread and intensify on a global scale, the Ecumenical Patriarchate is monitoring the situation with an urgent sense of responsibility towards the faithful and all people without exception, and, following the Communique of 11 March 2020, upon deliberation of its Hierarchs in the City announces the following:

• 1) The Ecumenical Patriarchate emphatically reiterates its appeal to everyone to limit their outings and travels to what is necessary, remaining in their homes for their own safety and the protection of the general public.
• 2) It commends the spirit of self-sacrifice demonstrated by those working in the field of healthcare and expresses its gratitude for their extraordinary and exhaustive efforts to assist those in need, as well as for the danger they knowingly risk by coming in contact with those infected by Covid-19.
• 3) It underlines the need for everyone to follow the decisions and instructions of the responsible health authorities for the sake of the common good.
• 4) In light of the decisions already taken by some of the eparchies of the Ecumenical Throne, today we universally declare our ecclesiastical resolution and mandate to cease all divine services, events, and rites, with the exception of private prayer in church that will remain open, until the end of March. This restriction will be later reassessed, in accordance with the development of the pandemic caused by the virus.
• 5) All Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monasteries will continue to hold regular divine services for their monastic communities, but outside pilgrims and visitors will not be permitted entry.
• 6) In the same framework, the Patriarchal Offices at the Phanar will remain closed until further notice, while the Ecumenical Patriarch and clergy of the Patriarchal Court will perform the prescribed divine services and pray for the whole world and for its speedy relief from this trial.

From the Chief Secretariat of the Holy and Sacred Synod

Phanar, 18 March 2020

All parishes of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese are to follow the instructions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.  All divine services, events, and rites are to cease for the time being, except that the Churches are to remain open at normal times in order for parishioners to enter and offer their private prayers and maybe light a candle or vigil lamp.  If the Priest and/or Parish leadership sees that the number of people is above the local limit, whatever it might be, the people should enter in smaller numbers.  If there are any questions please email me or call at the Chancery.  Hopefully this situation with our prayers and God’s help will improve quickly.

         “But the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.  He will be with you.  He will not leave you nor forsake you: do not be afraid, nor terrified.”  (Deut. 31:8)
Working in His Vineyard with much love,                                 

+METROPOLITAN GREGORY OF NYSSA 

From Father Paul Tadros, St. Silouan Parish Priest

As we await updated directives from the Diocese, ministry volunteers, parish council, and myself have agreed to stop all meals and hospitality hours effective immediately.

Specifically, until further notice:

• There will no longer be an agape meal served after liturgy on Sundays
• Community Suppers on Monday nights are cancelled
• House of Hospitality on Thursdays are cancelled
• Soup will no longer be served after Pre-Sanctified Liturgy

In addition, our parish will only be open during services.  However, in accordance with provincial directives, no service will exceed the maximum number of 50 persons.

This will be controlled through an electronic registration process and a count at the door.  Please keep an eye on your emails for an invitation to register. 

If you have not already done so, please sign up to our email bulletins on our  CONTACT US page .

Please note that e-registration for liturgy attendance will have to be strictly limited and priority will be given to clergy, servers and choir. 

In the coming days, parish council will work with myself, and all updated directives from the Diocese to manage how best to be in church while practicing social distancing.  Stay tuned.  

March 12, 2020
Protocol No. 7/2020
God is with us!
Dear Reverend Clergy and Faithful Laity of the Diocese,

I am writing to you today with a sense of urgency, as we confront the new Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic that is potentially affecting not only our physical and spiritual health but also our way of life in the United States of America.  If you have turned on the television, listened to the radio, or followed the announcements on your phones for the last three weeks or so, you would think that the world is coming to an end.  Local public and private schools are shutting down for several weeks.  Professional sports leagues are suspending their schedules.  
Colleges and universities are closing down their on campus activities and doing everything on-line for the remainder of the spring semester.  Even the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball March Madness Tournaments have been cancelled.  What will we do for the next three weeks without our madness?  How about going to Church and observing Great Lent in a more meaningful way.

Several Priests and lay people have contacted the Chancery and/or me personally asking for some guidance/directives on what to do as we deal with this current health issue.  Some have even offered their own suggestions.  Various Christian Churches, Roman Catholic and Protestants, have made pronouncements concerning the Coronavirus.  Some of the Orthodox jurisdictions here in the United States and others around the world have made pronouncements encouraging their faithful.

Here are my thoughts and directives concerning this issue:

1.  Anyone who is not feeling well should refrain from attending Church services until they are feeling better. Stay home.  There is no need to put others at risk. This is to protect both the person who is ill and those who are not. Those at home can view Church services via the Internet on our Diocesan website (www.acrod.org) or say their prayers at the home’s prayer corner.
   
   
2.  Parishes should provide hand sanitizers in the Narthex of the Church for the faithful to use prior to entering the Nave of the Church. Hand washing (warm water and soap) is also critical.
   
   
3. Venerating of icons and the hand cross is usually with a kiss. At this time it might be prudent to reduce or eliminate these activities.  It is very difficult for me to tell a faithful individual who for many years has kissed these religious items to stop.  It is a personal choice.  If you wish to kiss an icon and/or the cross, go ahead.  If you choose not to, just bow.
   
   
4. The Kiss of Peace which is observed in many of our Diocesan parishes should be avoided. Instead, at the appropriate time, parishioners should acknowledge each other with a bow. 
   
   
5. Parishes should celebrate all Church services as usual. There is no need to cancel any of our opportunities to be with our God in His house.  Worshipping Him. Thanking Him. Asking for His assistance in our time of need.
   
   
6. The Eucharist will be distributed as usual. Parishioners are reminded to approach the Chalice with their mouths wide open, in order to receive the Body and the Blood of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ. This gift from God is the medicine of our lives. Either we believe that indeed it is the Body and the Blood of Christ or we don’t.  In the Orthodox understanding it is and so the Eucharist cannot ever be a vector/method/way of illness or death.
   
   
7. Anointing with oil should be with individual cotton-tipped swabs or individual cotton balls.
   
   
8. Various items such as antidoron, flowers, palms, pussy willows, etc. should be distributed as usual. It might be helpful if the Priest quickly sanitizes his hands just prior to the distribution.
   
   
9. Following Church services a thorough cleaning and disinfecting should be performed on all exposed surfaces (for example door knobs, candles stands, liturgical items, etc.).

As we move forward additional directives may be announced if necessary, however as a minimum these are to be followed by all the parishes in our Diocese.  Let us not allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by this current stress in our lives.  Focus on Great Lent as we journey towards Pascha. 
“But the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.  He will be with you.  He will not leave you nor forsake you: do not be afraid, nor be terrified.”  (Deut. 31:8)
Working in His Vineyard with much love,                                 


+METROPOLITAN GREGORY OF NYSSA

After a beautiful forgiveness vespers, we have entered the fast.  Please join us for the first week of lent:

• Great Canon of St Andrew on Monday at 6:30pm,
• Presanctified Liturgy on Wed at 6:30pm
• Akathist on Friday at 16 Kenmark Blvd at 6:30pm. 

 We are fast approaching the season of Lent!    I hope and pray each of you are doing well! 

Prayer requests

For the health and salvation of Stephen, Mena, Ihor and James

Monday , February 24
Faith and Love @ 7pm - Dn Peter will discuss, "The Eucharist Personified".  
Compline @ 8pm

Wednesday, February 26
Faith and Love @ 7pm 
Compline @ 8pm

Thursday, February 27
House of Hospitality 9:30 - 2:00pm - Come my dear brothers and sisters, and enjoy the bounty of our unique community. 
Sixth Hour @ 11:45 

Sunday, March 2 - Forgiveness Sunday
Expulsion of Adam and Eve (Cheesfare Sunday)

Hours - 9:30am
Divine Liturgy, Sunday School (Phos), and Agape meal - 10:00am
Kontakion: Master, Prudence, Guide of Wisdom, Instruction to the foolish and Defender of the poor, strengthen my heart and grant it discernment. Give me words, Word of the Father, for behold, I shall not keep my lips from crying out to You, "O Merciful One, have mercy on me who has fallen."

Forgiveness Vespers - 6:30pm 
Come and mark the beginning of lent by asking forgiveness of all in our parish.  This is a beautiful service that will haunt you.

The rest of the lenten calendar has been posted please do look through and do what you can.