News and Articles Archive
Patronal Weekend
St. John’s welcomed His Grace Bishop Thomas on the occasion of our annual patronal feast day celebration. Sayidna Thomas began the weekend festivities by attending a dinner with the parish council members and their spouses on Friday evening.
On Saturday morning, His Grace blessed the icons in the dome which were written this past Spring. He was accompanied by the Reverend Fr. Peter Pier, pastor of St. John Chrysostom, and Dn. Jerome Atherholt. Following the blessing, the children learned about the Prophets in the dome from Kh. Pam. Great Vespers was then concelebrated by Fr. Peter, Fr. Joseph Butts and Fr. Theodoros Daoud of St. Mary’s in Hunt Valley, MD, with Bishop Thomas presiding. Following Great Vespers, a gala banquet was held at the Golden Stories Restaurant in Columbia, PA.
On Sunday, Orthros and a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy were celebrated which included the elevation of the Reverend Fr. Joseph Butts to the rank of Arch Priest. Fr. Joseph is leaving Holy Ascension in West Chester, PA to join the United States Navy as a Chaplin. Fr. Daniel Meyer of Holy Ascension was also in attendance. After Divine Liturgy, the women of the parish provided a lovely reception for Bishop Thomas and our visitors. On behalf of the entire Parish, we thank His Grace for celebrating the Feast day of St. John Chrysostom with us and we look forward to seeing him again in the coming year.
On Saturday morning, His Grace blessed the icons in the dome which were written this past Spring. He was accompanied by the Reverend Fr. Peter Pier, pastor of St. John Chrysostom, and Dn. Jerome Atherholt. Following the blessing, the children learned about the Prophets in the dome from Kh. Pam. Great Vespers was then concelebrated by Fr. Peter, Fr. Joseph Butts and Fr. Theodoros Daoud of St. Mary’s in Hunt Valley, MD, with Bishop Thomas presiding. Following Great Vespers, a gala banquet was held at the Golden Stories Restaurant in Columbia, PA.
On Sunday, Orthros and a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy were celebrated which included the elevation of the Reverend Fr. Joseph Butts to the rank of Arch Priest. Fr. Joseph is leaving Holy Ascension in West Chester, PA to join the United States Navy as a Chaplin. Fr. Daniel Meyer of Holy Ascension was also in attendance. After Divine Liturgy, the women of the parish provided a lovely reception for Bishop Thomas and our visitors. On behalf of the entire Parish, we thank His Grace for celebrating the Feast day of St. John Chrysostom with us and we look forward to seeing him again in the coming year.
Dome Icons are Complete
For those who have not been back to St. John Chrysostom since the scaffolding was taken down, the icons around Christ the Pantocrator are complete. Many thanks to our friends Elias and Elaine Katsaros for their hard and beautiful work.
St. Tikhon's Mission Choir Visit
On Sunday, February 5th, St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary Mission Choir performed at St. John Chrysostom Antiochian Orthodox Church.
The choir sang the Divine Liturgy in the morning and then gave a concert in the afternoon.
The choir sang the Divine Liturgy in the morning and then gave a concert in the afternoon.
St. John Chrysostom Celebrates 20 Years in 2012
St. John Chrysostom welcomed His Grace +Bishop THOMAS on the occasion of our annual patronal feast and 20th Anniversary Celebration. Sayidna Thomas began the weekend festivities by attending a dinner with the parish council members and their spouses on Friday evening.
On Saturday morning, His Grace had breakfast with the Antiochian Women (AOW). This was the first time that Sayidna has met with the parish AOW exclusively. Following Great Vespers, on Saturday Evening, a gala banquet was held at the Golden Stories Restaurant in Columbia, PA. In addition to His Grace, the Reverend Father Peter Pier and the Reverend Father Gregory Matthews-Green were in attendance.
The Banquet featured a congratulations from His Grace, comments from some of the founders of the church and a slide show looking back over the past 20 years.
On Sunday, Orthros and a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy were celebrated. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the children of the parish sang for the Bishop and presented him with a
bouquet of flowers. Afterwards, the women of the parish provided a lovely
reception for Bishop Thomas and our visitors.
On behalf of the entire Parish, we thank His Grace for celebrating the Feast day of St. John Chrysostom with us and we look forward to seeing him again in the coming
year.
On Saturday morning, His Grace had breakfast with the Antiochian Women (AOW). This was the first time that Sayidna has met with the parish AOW exclusively. Following Great Vespers, on Saturday Evening, a gala banquet was held at the Golden Stories Restaurant in Columbia, PA. In addition to His Grace, the Reverend Father Peter Pier and the Reverend Father Gregory Matthews-Green were in attendance.
The Banquet featured a congratulations from His Grace, comments from some of the founders of the church and a slide show looking back over the past 20 years.
On Sunday, Orthros and a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy were celebrated. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the children of the parish sang for the Bishop and presented him with a
bouquet of flowers. Afterwards, the women of the parish provided a lovely
reception for Bishop Thomas and our visitors.
On behalf of the entire Parish, we thank His Grace for celebrating the Feast day of St. John Chrysostom with us and we look forward to seeing him again in the coming
year.
Open House Features Seminary Men's Choir
On Sunday, January 16, the St. Vladimir's Seminary Men's Choir visited St. John's and sang at the morning Divine Liturgy. In the afternoon, more than a hundred people attended a special concert as part of an Open House at the parish.
The choir, directed by Hierodeacon Philip Majkrzak, presented a variety of Orthodox Christian liturgical music from both the Byzantine and Russian musical traditions. The music, performed in the English language, featured some arrangements by American Orthodox composers.
St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary is a graduate theological school in Yonkers, NY.
The choir, directed by Hierodeacon Philip Majkrzak, presented a variety of Orthodox Christian liturgical music from both the Byzantine and Russian musical traditions. The music, performed in the English language, featured some arrangements by American Orthodox composers.
St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary is a graduate theological school in Yonkers, NY.
October is Youth Month
In the Antiochian Archdiocese, October is Youth Month, a time to introduce teens to the many opportunities to minister in the Church. This month, the teens of St. John's are ushering, collecting the offering, chanting the Epistle, and reading the post-Communion prayers during Divine Liturgy. "While we want teens always to be active in the services of the Church, October has been set aside in particular to recognize our teens and to give them more opportunities to serve," states the Archdiocese website, www.antiochian.org.
Teen SOYO (Society of Orthodox Youth Organizations) leader Lisa Pandelidis says about the teens at St. John's, "I have noticed that the more you expect from and the more responsibility you give teens, the more interested and more motivated they become." She recommends regular meetings, in a convenient location at the right time, as an important key to the health of a Teen SOYO group. "My biggest concern when taking over as SOYO advisor was connecting with the teens since my own kids are slightly older. I now realize if you just show them you are in it for the long haul and give them time, each teen will connect with you in their own way."
Quotes from some of our teens:
Teen SOYO (Society of Orthodox Youth Organizations) leader Lisa Pandelidis says about the teens at St. John's, "I have noticed that the more you expect from and the more responsibility you give teens, the more interested and more motivated they become." She recommends regular meetings, in a convenient location at the right time, as an important key to the health of a Teen SOYO group. "My biggest concern when taking over as SOYO advisor was connecting with the teens since my own kids are slightly older. I now realize if you just show them you are in it for the long haul and give them time, each teen will connect with you in their own way."
Quotes from some of our teens:
- "What I appreciate most about our church family is their openness to other people and how we’re like a family. I think it’s really sweet how our church family makes sure to bring bread to newcomers during communion so that they can share with us too. I feel really close to my church family, and I really love that!" - Katia, grade 9
- "The best thing about church is the fellowship and community of the congregation of our church. I like coming to Divine Liturgy because I feel that I learn something new every time and that my faith is renewed every time. When I think about church, I think of the choir and the songs that we sing. Every one tells a story, and I feel like they make the church service that much more personal because they're kind of like little Gospel readings or sermons all to themselves if you listen to them. My favorite service is the Easter service because everything seems so full of light and happiness. Although it's midnight and everyone is hungry and tired from fasting for so long, everyone seems so happy, and you just get swept along in the general feeling. Everything, from the candles lit to the hymns sung, carries so much personal sentiment, and just about everyone in the whole church is singing along. What I appreciate most about our church family is how open they are. It doesn't matter if you've been attending for ten years or just visiting, they'll make sure to make you feel welcome and are just waiting to strike up a conversation at coffee hour." - Christina, grade 10
- "The best thing about church is serving in the altar" - Joe, grade 8
- "I like coming to Divine Liturgy because it gives me a chance to pray and worship without all of the worldly distractions. When I think about church, I think of how much God loves all of us and how we all come together to partake of the body and blood of Christ, which is the best thing about church." - Irene, grade 9
- "The best thing about church is praising God and letting Him know that we love HIm. He is the creator of all of us and we should praise Him." - Natalie, grade 6
Children Learn About Living in an Orthodox World at Annual Vacation School
Vacation Church School was held the second week of August this year at St. John's. We used the program called "Living in an Orthodox World." Each evening, approximately 15 children showed up to enjoy a puppet show, lesson about our Holy Church, craft, songs, and outdoor game time.
The children loved an activity that simulated how sin changes us. We began with a glass of pure water. We added "sins" to the glass -- things like sloth, anger, jealousy, greed. These ingredients clumped up, sunk down, and generally made that pure water turn into a horrible mess! It was a wonderful way to visualize what sin can do to us. The children asked wonderful questions and had a great time, too.
I think the best thing about VCS is that it gives our kids a chance to bond with each other and deepen their
sense of community -- the community that helps us all grow in Christ!
By Aly Tapp, Director of Christian Education 2009
The children loved an activity that simulated how sin changes us. We began with a glass of pure water. We added "sins" to the glass -- things like sloth, anger, jealousy, greed. These ingredients clumped up, sunk down, and generally made that pure water turn into a horrible mess! It was a wonderful way to visualize what sin can do to us. The children asked wonderful questions and had a great time, too.
I think the best thing about VCS is that it gives our kids a chance to bond with each other and deepen their
sense of community -- the community that helps us all grow in Christ!
By Aly Tapp, Director of Christian Education 2009
St. John's Bible Bowl Teams Take First and Second Place
At the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese yearly regional Parish Life Conferences, young people and their families take part in creative spiritual activities, beginning with worship, and including art, speeches, and a Bible Bowl, among many other things. There are teen and adult Bible Bowl teams.
Our Parish studies the book(s) of the Bible for a few months beforehand so that we may do our best. We gather in the dining of Fr. Peter and Khouria Pam’s house for our evening sessions, reading the chapters and answering potential questions. There are snacks and beverages and we squeeze a little lighthearted banter into the brainwork. This year's Bible Bowl was based on the epistles of St. James, St. John, and St. Peter.
There was some added suspense in this year's Bible Bowl, held in Allentown, Pa., on July 2. For the first time, both the youth and adult team competitions ended in a tie! So the competitions went into overtime. On the first question of overtime, our St. John Chrysostom adult team won! All three of our adults got the question right, while only two of the three contestants on the team we were tied with got it. But the two teen teams were both perfect on the question. And on the second and third as well! Quadruple overtime! But on the fourth, one of our three girls--none of which was an older teen--chose the wrong word on a fill-in-the-blank and the team came in second.
The truth is, our girls got a better score in regulation than all the adults, and every other team but one, by the slimmest of margins. They studied very hard, and did excellently and we are proud of them. Next year the Bible Bowl will be on the Gospel of St. Matthew, and they’re already reading it. They’ve got experience under their belt and their rarin’ to go!
Contact Khouria Pam if you are interested in participating in the adult or teen team for a future Bible Bowl.
By Reader Ephrem Gall, alternate on this year's adult Bible Bowl team.
Our Parish studies the book(s) of the Bible for a few months beforehand so that we may do our best. We gather in the dining of Fr. Peter and Khouria Pam’s house for our evening sessions, reading the chapters and answering potential questions. There are snacks and beverages and we squeeze a little lighthearted banter into the brainwork. This year's Bible Bowl was based on the epistles of St. James, St. John, and St. Peter.
There was some added suspense in this year's Bible Bowl, held in Allentown, Pa., on July 2. For the first time, both the youth and adult team competitions ended in a tie! So the competitions went into overtime. On the first question of overtime, our St. John Chrysostom adult team won! All three of our adults got the question right, while only two of the three contestants on the team we were tied with got it. But the two teen teams were both perfect on the question. And on the second and third as well! Quadruple overtime! But on the fourth, one of our three girls--none of which was an older teen--chose the wrong word on a fill-in-the-blank and the team came in second.
The truth is, our girls got a better score in regulation than all the adults, and every other team but one, by the slimmest of margins. They studied very hard, and did excellently and we are proud of them. Next year the Bible Bowl will be on the Gospel of St. Matthew, and they’re already reading it. They’ve got experience under their belt and their rarin’ to go!
Contact Khouria Pam if you are interested in participating in the adult or teen team for a future Bible Bowl.
By Reader Ephrem Gall, alternate on this year's adult Bible Bowl team.