Previous Year's Events: 2010 | 2009
2011 Year's Events
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Douglas and Shannon McElrath who were joined in Holy Matrimony |
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On Saturday, January 8th, we welcomed into our parish family Katie Alexandra Vivirito, the daughter of Dan & Kristine Vivirito who received the Holy Mysteries of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Chrismation and Holy Eucharist). As a parish family we ask Almighty God to bless Katie Alexandra and her entire family for many happy and blessed years: Многая Літа!
On the Sunday after Theophany, January 9, 2011, the children of St. George’s Church School presented to the faithful a wonderful Nativity Play. All the children did a great job recreating the scenes of Our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem. The faithful joined in singing our beautiful Christmas carols glorifying the birth of Christ. Following that the annual Christmas-Theophany Dinner took place in our Church hall. Below are pictures from this happy event and the outside of our Church during this festive season. You can watch the play on our video's page or Launch in external player.
On Sunday, January 23rd, the Sanctity of Life Sunday was
solemnly observed at our Holy Church. We welcomed the clergy
and faithful who gathered for the celebration of the
Moleben-Prayer Service for the Sacredness of Life. The
homilist for this event was Fr. John R. Rushofsky, parish
priest of St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church. Together we
raised our voices to proclaim the sanctity of human life, to
decry the tragedy of abortion, and to pray for its victims.
Below are some pictures from this prayerful event:
St. Valentine’s Spaghetti
Dinner
On a “Spring like” Sunday, February 13th, our annual St. Valentine’s Spaghetti Dinner took place in our Church hall. Italian music with Valentine’s decorations welcomed all who came to enjoy and support this parish event. Sincere thanks to all who came – Grazie Tanto! Below are some pictures from this event.
Following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday,
March 6th, we gathered in our Church Hall for our
Pre-Lenten Party “Mardi Gras-Zapusty”. Before we embarked on
our Lenten journey we enjoyed good food, music and games for
all age groups. Below are pictures from this fun event:
On Sunday, March 27th, the Third Sunday of the Great Fast,
we welcomed to St. George’s Dorn Checkley of
WholeHearted.org. Following the Divine Liturgy, Mr. Checkley
presented to us a very interesting talk on the dangers of
internet, devastating effects of pornography on individuals
and our society. Below are some pictures from this event:
On Wednesday evening, April 6th, we celebrated the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. Following this Penitential Service Mr. Frank Bey, parishioner of Ascension Roman Catholic Church in Ingram gave a presentation entitled “Discovering Good Friday”.
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Discovering Good Friday - Frank
Bey
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The Parish Lenten Mission continued on Thursday evening, April 7th, with the celebration of the Anointing of the Sick – Holy Unction. We welcomed the Very Rev. Archpriest John G. Petro, Rector of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary who spoke to us on “Holy Anointing – God’s healing Embraced”.
Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Pascha 2011
Sunday, April 17th, brought us together to celebrate the
Triumphal Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem. As part of our
Palm Sunday celebration we received our Palm and Willow
branches singing: “Hosanna-Save Now! Blessed is He who comes
in the Name of the Lord!”
The evening of Great and Holy Friday is very solemn as we
listened and sang the hymns during Great Vespers that depict
Christ’s Saving Passion. Even though it was a rainy day in
Pittsburgh, at the time for the Procession with the Holy
Shroud we were blessed with good enough weather to have this
solemn procession around the Church. Following the
Procession the Plashchanytsia-Holy Shroud was venerated by
all the faithful in the tomb.
Services during Holy Week have led up to this moment- Great
and Holy Pascha. Indeed, it has been a long and laborious
journey leading up to this. The fast is now complete. Bells
begin to ring. The joyous hymn of Christ’s Resurrection is
triumphantly chanted: “Christ is Risen!”
Below are pictures from our parish celebration of Palm
Sunday, Holy Week and Pascha:
Sunday, May 1st was celebrated with many
events in our parish family. Prior to the beginning of the
Divine Liturgy we witnessed the blessing and commissioning
of Nikolai Alexander Kunsak to serve as an Acolyte-Altar
Server during the Divine Services at St. George’s. At the
beginning, Nikolai received the sticharion (liturgical
vestment) and a lighted candle which he is to carry during
the Divine Services. Congratulations to Nikolai and his
family and we ask Our Lord to bless them for many happy and
blessed years.
Following the Divine Liturgy and Distribution of the Artos
the children of our Church School gathered in front of the
Church for their Easter Egg Hunt. Even though the weather
was not fully cooperating, the children had much fun looking
for the eggs on the parish grounds. Following the “hunt” we
gathered in our Church hall for our annual Svyachene-Easter
Dinner.
This year as part of our Easter Dinner we had a “Wedding
Shower” for Subdeacon Andriy and Sarah. It was a great joy
to see so many of our parishioners take part in purchasing
different gift items for them. Subdeacon Andriy thanked the
entire congregation for their kindness and generosity and
asked everyone to pray for him and Sarah.
On Saturday, May 14th, we welcomed into our parish family Stella Patricia Fontana, the daughter of Don & Erin Fontana who received the Holy Mysteries of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Chrismation and Holy Eucharist). As a parish family we ask Almighty God to bless Stella Patricia and her entire family for many happy and blessed years: Многая Літа! Христос Воскрес!
On that Saturday afternoon, May 14th, Subdeacon Andriy, who is attached to our parish family, was joined in Holy Matrimony to Sarah Capozzi at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ambridge, PA. As a parish family we offer our prayers and best wishes to Subdeacon Andriy and Sarah. May Our Lord bless them for many happy and blessed years!
Sunday of the Paralytic-First Reconciliation
The Fourth Sunday of Pascha was celebrated with great joy in our parish family as we witnessed the First Reconciliation-Confession of four wonderful children: Fulton John Fontana, Vivienne Rose Gaus, Catherine Elise Marie London and Brett Matthew Vivirito. Following proper preparation throughout the academic year these children answered the calling of Almighty God: “you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Mat 5:48). The celebration continued following the Divine Liturgy in our Church hall with a festal reception prepared by the parents and relatives of our children.
On Sunday, June 5th, as we commemorated the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea, the conclusion of the school year took place in our parish family. At the end of the Divine Liturgy a special prayer was offered with the Blessing of all the children. Following the Divine Liturgy we gathered in our Church hall for the St. George’s Talent Show. A pot luck dinner was offered by the parents and relatives of our children to support this year’s summer camp and day trip of the parish children. The Talent Show was a great success as we enjoyed performances in music, singing, gymnastics, comedy, demonstration of American sign language, story-telling, cupcake decorating, needle work and art. Below are pictures from this happy event:
After the completion of a busy school year, the older children of St. George’s joined children from different parts of the United States and Canada for a wonderful Church School Camp at All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church Camp which is located on the Allegheny River near Emlenton, PA. The day would begin and end with prayer services. Throughout the day children would have sporting and swimming activities, crafts, singing classes, games and hayrides. In the evening they would gather for a bon fire and traditional sing-along. We are happy that our parish children had a wonderful time at All Saints Camp and we hope to continue our participation in this summer program.
On Wednesday, June 29th, the younger children of St. George’s embarked on a journey to Idlewild Park and Soak Zone which has been ranked as one of America’s Most Beautiful Theme Parks. Following prayer the children and parents enjoyed the many rides, attractions and were able to cool down at the Soak Zone with its beautiful wave pool, thrilling waterslides and water play area.
This year the Sunday of All Saints of Rus’-Ukraine, June 10th, was celebrated in a special way in our parish family. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy we had the blessing of a new Church Banner that has been donated by the Petruska Family. This Church Banner honoring the Most Holy Theotokos was created by Church artisans in the city of Ternopil, Ukraine. Following this we offered prayers and bid farewell to the London family who are returning back to Houston, Texas. They will be truly missed by all of us here at St. George’s.
Christian fellowship continued in our Church hall with a slide-show presentation given by Fr. Val on his trip to Eastern Europe. The faithful had an opportunity to see and learn more about the life of our Church and faithful in Ukraine, Lemko Region in Poland and the Carpathian region in Slovakia.
On Sunday, July 17th, in
anticipation of the Feast of the Holy Prophet Elijah, the
Blessing of Vehicles took place in our parish family.
Following the Prayer for the Blessing of Vehicles the cars,
trucks, bicycles and scooters were blessed with Holy Water
as a way of invoking God’s blessing and protection. Below
are pictures from this prayerful event.
On Sunday, July 24th,
following the Divine Liturgy, we all enjoyed a medical
presentation given by our parishioner Dr. M. Sabina Daroski.
In her very informative presentation titled “Do I suffer
from Anxiety?” Dr. Daroski gave us a closer understanding on
how anxiety manifests itself in a number of ways, how it can
be a response to fear and how to overcome anxiety in our
lives. At the end of the presentation Fr. Valerian presented
to Dr. Daroski an Icon of the “Handmaidens of the Lord” for
her dedication to the life of our Holy Church.
On Sunday afternoon, August 14th,
Vigil of the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos,
faithful from the Pittsburgh area departed on a pilgrimage
to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in North
Jackson, Ohio. Since the year 1965, thousands of faithful
gather at this Shrine to offer their prayers in honor of our
Lady. The weather conditions on Sunday afternoon were not
favorable, but as we continued in the bus singing our
beautiful hymns in honor of the Theotokos, we arrived at the
Shrine happy to see sunshine! Our pilgrims visited and
prayed at the Shrine Church, Tower Chapel, Martyrs Trail and
afterwards participated in the evening Divine Services.
Coming home the faithful expressed their sincere desire to
continue in these pilgrimages that bring joy and spiritual
comfort on our journey of faith.
Enthronement of His Grace
Bishop Nicholas
On Monday, August 22nd and
Tuesday, August 23rd, our parish priest
participated in the Enthronement of His Grace Bishop
Nicholas (Samra). Vladyka-Sayedna Nicholas is the new
Eparchial Bishop of Newton and all the United States for the
Melkite Greek-Catholics. Well known as an active speaker and
author, Bishop Nicholas has written extensively on the
subject of ecumenism, Christian leadership and stewardship.
Our parish family has been blessed on different occasions to
have with us Bishop Nicholas and we wish him many happy and
blessed years as the new Eparch for the Melkite
Greek-Catholics. Многая Літа! Εις Πολλά έτη Δέσποτα!
Opening of the School Year-Parish Picnic and 9/11
Sunday, September 11th, was a
very special day in our parish family. As we celebrated the
Sunday before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we also
commemorated the tragic events of the 9/11 attacks that took
place ten years ago. Prayerful petitions were offered for
the blessed repose of those who lost their lives on that day
and to grant consolation to their bereaved families. The
children took part in the homily in which we focused on the
discovery of the Cross in the ruins of the World Trade
Center.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy the Blessing of the children took place which marks the official beginning of the new school year. Following that we continued on the parish grounds with our annual parish picnic. We give thanks to Our Lord for the beautiful weather and fellowship we all enjoyed as we continue our journey of faith.
St. George’s Parish Flea Market 2011
This year our annual Flea Market took place on Saturday, September 24th. The entire week prior to this event was very busy setting up the flea market, preparing the food for sale and baking the bake goods. On Saturday morning people were lining up early morning just to be amongst the first to “hunt for treasures” and indeed we saw many happy faces enjoying the “bargains”. This event was a great success and we have accomplished this together with our hard work and dedication.
On Saturday, October 22nd and Sunday, October 23rd, we welcomed many guests and visitors to our Ukrainian Food Festival. This very successful event was accomplished with much dedication and hard work of our parishioners. For the first time the buffet line was introduced for our delicious ethnic food and it was a great hit. Everyone enjoyed the food, baked goods, shopping at the religious store and learning more from our Easter egg-pysanky and iconography display. It was a wonderful weekend of fellowship in our community.
November Classes at St. George’s
November Classes at St. George’s The month of November began with a series of evening classes entitled “The Eastern Catholic Churches in Pittsburgh”. Every Tuesday evening the faithful would gather in our Church hall to hear presentations given by the parish priests of these particular Churches which are present in our city of Pittsburgh. The first presentation was given by our parish priest who introduced us to all the Eastern Catholic Churches worldwide. The following presentation, given by Subdeacon Andriy Kelt, was on the largest of the Eastern Catholic Churches which is the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Next we welcomed Fr. Frank Firko of Holy Ghost Church in McKees Rocks who presented to us the Byzantine Catholic Church. From St. Mary’s Church in McKeesport we welcomed Fr. Paul Voida who spoke about the Romanian Catholic Church. The final presentation was given by Fr. Rodolph Wakim, parish priest at Our Lady of Lebanon Church, who presented to us the Maronite Catholic Church. These lectures during the month of November were well attended by the faithful. If you wish to listen to them please visit our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/saintgeorgepittsburg
On Sunday, November 20th, the Holiday Vendor Fair took place in our Church Hall. This event, which supports the many activities of our Church School, gathered many vendors this year. The parishioners and guests had a great opportunity to do their holiday shopping and enjoy the homemade baked goods that were available.
On Sunday, November 27th, we welcomed
into our parish family Lucy Nicole Barr, the daughter of
David and Lori Barr who received the Holy Mysteries of
Christian Initiation (Baptism, Chrismation and Holy
Eucharist). As a parish family we ask Almighty God to
bless Lucy Nicole and her entire family for many happy and
blessed years: Многая Літа!
“Those who love Nicholas the Saintly”
On Sunday, December 11th at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy St. Nicholas arrived to visit the children of our parish family. Following the beautiful hymn “O khto, khto Nikolaya lyubit-Those who love Nicholas the Saintly”, the children accompanied good old St. Nick into our Church hall where the celebration continued with Christian fellowship and refreshments for all
