Upcoming Events
Movie Presentation
Following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, August 22nd, we will have in our Church hall a presentation of the movie “Saints Preserved”. This movie will present to us the miracle of the incorrupt saints. Travelling in different parts of the world you will see that inexplicable incorruption has occurred and does occur and that this phenomena seems to be limited to a very few people who have led exceptionally good lives-saints. Please come!
St. George’s Parish Picnic
Our St. George’s Parish Picnic will take place on Sunday, September 19th following the Divine Liturgy. The picnic will be held on the parish grounds in front of the parish house. This will also be the official beginning of our new school year for our St. George’s Church School. As we did in the past years, the Church will provide the hamburgers and hot dogs. We ask that you provide side dishes and desserts. Sign-up sheets are provided for this purpose in the Church vestibule. Mark your calendars for this happy event! Thanks!
Recent Events
Click on the title of the event you wish to view. Click on the thumbnail photos to see larger images. View last year's events.
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On the first Sunday of this New Year, January 3, 2010, our parish family witnessed the blessing and commissioning of Joseph London to serve as an Acolyte-Altar Server during the Divine Services at St. George’s. Prior to the start of the Divine Liturgy, Joseph received the sticharion (liturgical vestment) and a lighted candle which he is to carry during the Divine Services. Congratulations to Joseph and his family and we ask Our Lord to bless them for many happy and blessed years.
During the festive season celebrating the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Theophany Our Lord we gathered at St. George’s on Sunday, January 10th, 2010, for our annual Prosphora Dinner. This joyful event gives as an opportunity to come together, to share a delicious meal, to sing our beautiful Christmas Carols-Kolyadki and to enjoy a wonderful Christmas play performed every year by the children of our St. George’s Church School. This year the children presented the play “The Legend of the Star” and they truly did a great job! Below are some pictures from this event and how our Church was decorated to celebrate the Birth of Our Savior. Enjoy!
Third Sunday of the Great Fast-Veneration of the Holy and Life-giving Cross
As part of our Lenten Journey on Sunday, March 7, we
gathered to honor and venerate the Holy and Life-giving
Cross of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the beginning
of the Divine Liturgy, the Cross adorned with flowers was
brought out in procession and placed on the Tetrapod in the
center of the Church. Together we sang that beautiful hymn:
To Your Cross O Master we bow in veneration and we glorify
Your Holy Resurrection! At the end of the Divine Liturgy the
faithful came forward to venerate the Cross which is for us
the joy of the world, the strength of the faithful, the
staff of the just, and the hope of sinners. Below are some
pictures from this celebration:
Pittsburgh Lenten Mission 2010
To enhance our Lenten journey and to renew our souls and bodies in preparation for the Great Feast of the Resurrection-Pascha our local parishes organize every year a Pittsburgh Lenten Mission. This year it was a blessing to welcome into our community of faithful Fr. Reginald Russo, OFM-Capuchin. Father Reginald is well known as a retreat master and has given many Parochial Lenten Missions in our area. On the evenings of March 17-18 the faithful gathered at St. George’s to hear the Lenten lessons of Fr. Reginald and to participate in the Divine Services. On Wednesday evening, March 17th, we celebrated the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete and on Thursday evening March 18th the Mystery of Anointing-Holy Unction was celebrated. Sincere thanks to all who came and participated in these days of sanctification and spiritual growth.
On Sunday, March 21st, a group of our children and parents
had the opportunity to see the theater production of
“Annie”. This heartwarming story was presented at Assumption
Parish in nearby Bellevue. The children very much enjoyed
the story about the little orphan Annie that teaches us
about hope and love but also presents to us greed and
poverty.
Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Pascha 2010
This year on a sunny Palm Sunday you can hear in all our Churches that beautiful hymn: “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.” As part of our Divine Services all the faithful receive the palm and willow branches as the sign of their own glorification of Jesus as Savior and King singing aloud “Hosanna in the highest!” Holy Week, officially called in our Holy Church “Passion Week”, is for us an opportunity to “go up with the Lord to Jerusalem” as we sing on Great and Holy Monday.
For Great and Holy Thursday, together with the parish priests and faithful of St. John UCC in the Southside and St. John UCC in McKees Rocks we celebrated at St. George’s the Liturgical celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
On the evening of Good Friday we gathered together to participate in the solemn commemoration of the burial of Christ Our Savior. The solemn procession with the Holy Shroud-Plashchanytsia brings tears to our eyes as we place the Plashanytsia in the tomb for veneration by the faithful.
The celebration of Pascha-Resurrection of Christ began with the joyful procession that recalls the original baptismal procession from the darkness and death of this world to the night and the life of the Kingdom of God. Together we sang that joyous hymn that “Christ is Risen!-Христос Воскрес!” Below are some pictures capturing these events in the life of our parish family:
Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women
On Sunday, April 18th, we gathered as a parish family to
celebrate the Third Sunday of Pascha. The theme of this
Sunday gives us the opportunity to admire and follow the
“courage of faith” and “fidelity in service” of the
Myrrh-bearing Women, righteous Joseph of Arimathea and
Nicodemus.
Following the Divine Liturgy the children of our Church
School had their Easter Egg Hunt. Even though the weather
was not fully cooperating, the children had much fun looking
for those much sought after eggs on the parish grounds.
Following the “hunt” we gathered in our Church hall for our
annual Svyachene-Easter Dinner. Joining us this year for our
Easter Dinner where some of the Deacon Candidates who are
part of our Eparchial Diaconate Program. Parishioners had an
opportunity to learn more about the candidates and about our
Eparchial program that prepares candidates for this
important ministry in our Holy Church.
100th Birthday of Mr. Anthony Fedyna
On the Fifth Sunday of Pascha, May 2nd, 2010, we celebrated the memory of the Samaritan Woman known as St. Photina-Svitlana. Having met the Lord Jesus Christ, this Samaritan Woman has become a light shining in the world, a light that enlightens those who meet her. For many of us meeting our dear parishioner Mr. Anthony Fedyna is always “enlightening” with his gentle smile and kind words. Our parish family honored this dedicated parishioner as he is celebrating his 100th Birthday. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy Mr. Anthony Fedyna was presented with a Hramota from His Grace Bishop John (Bura), Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat. Following that an Icon of our Lady, the Most Holy Theotokos, was presented on behalf of all the parishioners. The celebration continued in our Church hall with the singing of “Happy Birthday” and a delicious birthday cake for all. We ask Our Lord to bless Mr. Anthony Fedyna for many happy and blessed years! Многая Літа!
Sunday of the Man Born Blind-Mother’s Day
On Sunday, May 9th, the Sixth Sunday of Pascha was
celebrated in our parish family. This Sunday commemorates
the miracle of Christ healing the man who was blind since
birth near the pool of Siloam. (Jn 9:1-38) It was a joyful
celebration as we witnessed the blessing and commissioning
of Fulton John Fontana to serve as an Acolyte-Altar Server
during the Divine Services at St. George’s. Prior to the
start of the Divine Liturgy, Fulton received the sticharion
(liturgical vestment) and a lighted candle which he is to
carry during the Divine Services. As we celebrated Mother’s
Day Fulton was put hard to work at the end of the Divine
Liturgy distributing flowers to all the mothers,
grandmothers, godmothers and faithful women of our parish
family. Congratulations to Fulton and his family and we ask
Our Lord to bless them for many happy and blessed years.
Sunday of the Holy Fathers Nicea I- First Reconciliation
Following the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, we
celebrated at St. George’s on Sunday, May 16th, the First
Reconciliation of seven wonderful children: Mara Elizabeth
Darney, Griffin James Mikovitz, Faith Lynn Kelly, Joseph
Bernard London, Maria Bernadette London, Riley Joseph Gaus
and Alexei Nikolas Heshler. Prior to this important day in
their lives these children have undergone special
instructions and preparations to take on that responsibility
for their actions and their relationship with Christ through
the Mystery of Confession. Following the Divine Liturgy we
all enjoyed a festal reception prepared by the parents and
relatives of our children.
On Pentecost Sunday, May 23rd, the faithful of Western PA
gathered at St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church for the
celebration of the Year of the Priest. This celebration
which was being sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania
Council of the League of Ukrainian Catholics began with the
celebration of the Akathist Hymn to the Holy Trinity
followed by a special program dedicated to this “Year for
Priests”. During the program Testimonials where given by a
daughter of a priest Mrs. Alice Haritan, parents of a priest
Mr. & Mrs. Merle & Helen Morozowich and the son of a deacon
Michael Joseph Levy. Following this the faithful enjoyed the
quiz: “Do you know your priest?” On behalf of the Western PA
Council of the LUC Mr. Nick C. Kotow presented to all the
priests the Icon of Christ the Good Shepherd. At the
conclusion of the program the faithful prayed together the
Prayer of the Servant of God Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky
for a good Ukrainian Priest followed by the singing of
Многая Літа! - Many Years!
“Staying Healthy At All Ages” was the theme of the presentation by our parishioner Dr. M. Sabina Daroski. This presentation took place in our Church hall following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, June 13th. Prior to the talk we enjoyed a spread of delicious “healthy” food. Dr. Daroski presented us with a wonderful slide show and talked to us about some very important factors of staying healthy. Throughout the entire presentation the faithful had the opportunity to join in with many questions to which Dr. Daroski gave valuable answers. We sincerely thank our parishioner for preparing this presentation and look forward to future ones.
On Saturday, July 10th, we welcomed into our parish family Konstantin Balazs, the son of Richard and Lydia Balazs who received the Holy Mysteries of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Chrismation and Holy Eucharist). As a parish family we ask Almighty God to bless Konstantin and his family for many happy and blessed years: Многая Літа!
The Hieromartyr Vasyl Velychkovsky
On Sunday, July 11th, our parish family had the opportunity
to view the movie “Steadfast and Faithful: A Martyr’s
Journey”. This documentary film presented to us the life of
Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, confessor and martyr of the
Ukrainian Catholic Church who was beatified by Pope John
Paul II on June 27, 2001. From this movie we learned about
the childhood, missionary work, horrible persecution and
torture that Bishop-Martyr Vasil endured and about his
passing away in Winnipeg, Canada. At the conclusion the
faithful received an Icon Prayer Card of Blessed Vasyl and
pamphlets describing his life and the shrine which is
located at St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in
Winnipeg, Canada.
St. George’s Kids at Wildwood
Highlands
On Saturday July 17th, Wildwood Highlands in North Park welcomed St. George’s Kids for this year’s children’s outing. With its exciting rides and attractions there was plenty of fun for all the children. A good laugh we had during Water Wars which actually turned out to be a great way to “cool off” in this hot weather. The Go Karts race sealed the fact that we might have future NASCAR racers. It was truly a fun day for all of us as you can see in the pictures below.
On Sunday, July 18th the Blessing of Vehicles (cars, trucks,
bicycles, etc.) took place in our parish family
commemorating the holy and glorious prophet Elijah who was
taken into heaven on a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:1-15).
During this Prayer Service we asked Our Lord to bestow
heavenly blessings, to grant a guardian angel and to enable
those who ride in this car to arrive safely at their
destination. Below are pictures from this event.
On Sunday, August 1st, His Grace Bishop John (Bura), Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat, ordained (cheirothesia) Seminarian Andriy Kelt and Seminarian Evhen Gulenko to the Order of Subdiaconate. Both Subdeacon Andriy and Subdeacon Evhen have completed their formation to the Holy Priesthood at our St. Josaphat Seminary while pursuing their theological studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. Our parish family has been blessed with the ministry of Subdeacon Andriy, before as a seminarian and now as he continues his journey to the Holy Priesthood. May Our Lord bless him for many happy and blessed years!
