SCHEDULE OF SERVICES:
*Friday, September 13 – 6:30 PM – Vespers (Litiya + Cross Procession): “Elevation of the Cross” // Confessions: 6 PM – 6:20 PM
* Saturday, September 14 – 9:30 AM – Liturgy: “Elevation of the Cross” Holyday // Confessions: 9 AM – 9:15 AM
* Saturday, September 14 – 4:30 PM – Vespers // Confessions: 4 PM – 4:20 PM
* Sunday, September 15 – 10 AM – Liturgy: “Elevation of the Cross Afterfeast”
* Saturday, September 21 - 4:30 PM - Vespers // Confessions: 4 PM - 4:20 PM
* Sunday, September 22 - 10 AM - Liturgy
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SUNDAY LITURGY LAITY FUNCTIONS
* SEPTEMBER 15 THIRD HOUR: M. Soroka
* SEPTEMBER 15 EPISTLE: T. Evansky
* SEPTEMBER 15 COLLECTION: T. Zelesnik / N. Domitrovic
* SEPTEMBER 22 THIRD HOUR: M. Vogel
* SEPTEMBER 22 EPISTLE: R. Markvan
* SEPTEMBER 22 COLLECTION: P. Evans / R. Markvan
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* This Saturday, the spiritually moving Holyday of the “Elevation (Exaltation) of the Cross,” is a STRICT FAST DAY - - no meats or dairy products are consumed as we remind ourselves of the sacrifice of the Son of God on the Precious Cross for the sake of our salvation. Please remember to properly VENERATE THE PRECIOUS CROSS that will rest on the tetrapod table during the Holyday festal period. This means to approach the tetrapod, make three poklons (i.e., bow your head to the floor) while making the sign of the Cross on yourself reverently, and then venerate the Cross. As is true throughout the year concerning the veneration of the blessing cross held by the priest as well as icons, please remove “heavy” lipstick before venerating the Precious Cross. Parents with small children are reminded to please “coach” your children about this - and all other Orthodox liturgical practices - throughout the year!
* We thank the family of the departed servants of God +Elsie / +Frank Novak for once again donating the FLOWER ARRANGEMENT that adorns the Precious Cross being venerated on the tetrapod table during this Holyday period. +MEMORY ETERNAL+
* A SHARED COFFEE HOUR will take place downstairs in the church hall immediately following this Sunday’s 10 AM Liturgy - - please bring a snack to share if possible. The SCRIP CARD PROGRAM will also be available downstairs for you to purchase and/or order additional cards - - please support this on-going parish fund-raising project!
* ORTHODOX BIBLE STUDY is tentatively scheduled downstairs in the church hall next Thursday - September 19 (6:30 PM) - assuming we have a sufficient number of attendees. Please let me know no later than next Tuesday evening, September 17, if you plan be part of this learning experience so I can confirm this class is occurring. Guests (Orthodox and non-Orthodox) are welcome - - it’s a great way to introduce inquirers to our Apostolic teachings!
* The annual AMBRIDGE FESTIVAL OF CHURCHES is taking place on September 28 - Noon-6PM. Our parish will once again be participating with a booth. Sign-up lists have been placed on the vestibule candle desk for those able to help with the festival - booth workers/ home-made baked goods providers. We need YOUR help if possible! Please contact project chair Tammy Needham or see her after a service if you have questions about this project. Monetary donations would also be a blessing! If contributing, please make the check payable to the parish with the memo line reading “Festival of Churches.” You can give that specially marked envelope to a parish officer in the vestibule or mail it to the parish office. Cash donations are also warmly invited but you are discouraged from mailing that cash through the mail.
* Both current and new LADIES ALTAR SOCIETY MEMBERS are invited to attend the next meeting of the L.A.S. downstairs in the church hall immediately following the September 22 Liturgy.
* The first SUNDAY DIALOGUE of the fall season with the adults and teens of the parish is scheduled in the church nave - September 22 (9 AM). Please let me know soon if you have a question concerning our Orthodox Faith, religion, etc. that we can “tackle” as part of our discussions. You are encouraged to regularly attend these monthly educational classes - - be an informed Orthodox Christian who can “defend” your Faith in this pluralistic society!
* We have a firm date established to begin our 2024-2025 CHURCH SCHOOL - TEEN GROUP CLASSES - - classes will begin with a Molieben prayer service on October 13 - 9 AM in the church nave. It is vital that all of our parish children (pre-school through high school) regularly attend these Orthodox instructional sessions. Parents will receive a group email from Matushka Debbie with the complete academic year schedule. (Parents - - we’re counting on YOU to make this happen!) Parents with question can contact Mat. Debbie.
* The Ambridge FOCA members wish to THANK all those parishioners and guests who attended our annual breakfast brunch last Sunday. A profit of $400 was realized - of which 25% will be forwarded towards helping defray the costs associated with our parish’s participation in the upcoming Ambridge Festival of Churches on September 28. (We also thank all the workers for their efforts at the event, especially project chair Bill Nelko.)
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The “Elevation of the Cross” - come and honor Christ and His Precious Cross!
Hymn from Friday’s 6:30 PM Holyday Vespers
As the Cross is lifted on high,
it urges all of creation
to praise the undefiled Passion of Christ, Who was lifted up on it.
For by the Cross, He killed the one who killed us,
and brought us back to life when we were dead.
He adorned us in beauty,
and in His compassion made us worthy to live in heaven.
Therefore, we rejoice and exalt His Name,//
and magnify His infinite condescension.
Kontakion of the Holyday - Tone 4
As Thou wast voluntarily raised upon the Cross for our sake,
grant mercy to those who are called by Thy Name, O Christ God;
make all Orthodox Christians glad by Thy power,
granting them victories over their adversaries//
by bestowing on them the invincible trophy, Thy weapon of peace!
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Fr. Bill
Laity Liturgy Functions
DATE THIRD HOUR EPISTLE___ COLLECTION______
SEPTEMBER 1 A. Lauer D. Ilchuk I. Yakich/ P. Wiglesworth
SEPTEMBER 8 M.D. Stahoviak Mat. D. Evansky B. Nelko / S. Yakich
SEPTEMBER 15 M. Soroka T. Evansky T. Zelesnik / N. Domitrovic
SEPTEMBER 22 M. Vogel R. Markvan P. Evans / R. Markvan
SEPTEMBER 29 D. Neill C. Roehn A. Lauer / R. Grano
^ Please notify Fr. Bill in advance if you are unable to perform your liturgical function so that a substitute can be found in an orderly manner. Please mark your calendar since we do not send individual reminders.
^ Please contact Fr. Bill if you have any questions about these ministries. New participants are encouraged as well!
Pastoral Reminders from Fr. Bill
~ All Wednesdays and Fridays this month are days on which we abstain from eating meat.
~ Saturday, September 14 is a day of strict fasting in commemoration of the Holyday of “The Elevation (Exaltation) of the Cross.” (Vespers - Procession with the Precious Cross: September 13 (6:30 PM) // Liturgy: September 14 (9:30 AM).)
~ The General Confession service on September 1 (9 AM) is only for those parish members who participated in Private Confession since the beginning of Great Lent 2024 - others wishing to receive Holy Communion should come to Private Confession first. Any communicant unable to attend General Confession should come to Private Confession before approaching the chalice (unless you have already come to Private Confession during the past 30 days or so).
~ Except for individuals required to eat and/or drink minimal amounts for medical conditions, Communion recipients are expected to conduct a proper Eucharistic fast (i.e., no eating or drinking) prior to Holy Communion. Children who have not come to the First Holy Confession are, of course, exempt from this guideline. Medical conditions that require a modification of the Eucharist fast should be discussed privately with Fr. Bill.
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^ We will begin our SUNDAY FALL SCHEDULE on September 8 when the Divine Liturgy will move back to a 10 AM start. All other start times for services throughout the week remain unchanged. Parents with children in the Church School or Teen Group should note that the start of the fall classes will be delayed until October while we continue to work on details. However, the first Sunday Dialogue for the teens and adults of the parish will take place during this month - September 22 - 9 AM - in the church nave. Plan on coming!
^ Please forward your preferred email address to Fr. Bill if you are not receiving the parish E-BULLETINS but would like to receive them. Please note that email addresses are not shared. A limited number of copies of each week’s e-bulletin are put in the vestibule wall pamphlet rack for those individuals wanting a paper copy - which is also the case for the monthly newsletter.
PARISH ON-LINE GIVING
No envelope, no checks, no cash? No problem! ON-LINE giving is always available! Go to our website under “Online Giving” (https://www.holyghostoca.org/onlinegiving) and make your donation today. You even have the option to donate to the General Fund or Memorial Fund and we will add Special Projects as opportunities arise. There is even an option to set a recurring donation so you can set it and forget it! Please note there is a small credit card processing fee to donate online. Please contact Nicole Domitrovic or Fr. Bill if you have any questions about this on-line method of stewardship.
^ Our Ambridge FOCA senior chapter invites everyone to the annual PARISH BREAKFAST FUND RAISER taking place downstairs in the church hall immediately following the September 8 Liturgy. Be sure to join us for this much anticipated annual parish event! Please contact project chair Bill Nelko if you have questions about this breakfast.
^ BIBLE STUDY GROUP is scheduled for Thursday, September 19 - 6:30 PM - downstairs in the church hall (assuming we have enough attendees). Please let Fr. Bill know no later than September 17th if you plan to attend. Guests are welcome, too!
^ Fr. Bill continues his summer PASTORAL VISITS for parish members on his shut-in list who cannot receive Holy Confession and Eucharist in church. Please feel free to contact him to schedule a visit.
^ Our parish once again will have a booth at the AMBRIDGE FESTIVAL OF CHURCHES taking place on Saturday, September 28 - Noon to 6 PM. See this link for information. Also, lists will be placed on the vestibule candle desk for parish members to volunteer at the Festival booth, help in the Youth Center kitchen, or provide homemade baked goods. Get involved if you can! Please contact project chair Tammy Needham if you have questions about this effort.
^ The Ladies Altar Society will have a MEETING downstairs in the church hall immediately following the September 22 Liturgy. Both current and new L.A.S. members are encouraged to attend.
^ Please note that Fr. Bill and Matushka Debbie will be AWAY FROM THE PARISH for a vacation beginning on Monday, September 23, and ending on Friday evening, September 27. As is the case at any time, please call Fr. Bill’s cell number in the event of an emergency requiring an immediate pastoral response; Fr. Bill will have an area Orthodox priest or deacon respond in his stead.
^ The parish has once again been blessed by receiving another SUBSTANTIAL BEQUEST - this time from the estate of our late, faithful custodian +Sam Laba. As per his request, this money will be exclusively used to offset maintenance costs on the church building. +MEMORY ETERNAL!+
< Please consider leaving such a legacy gift to your parish while doing your estate planning!) >
Today, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Holy Ghost Orthodox Church in Ambridge, we should pause in our festivities and reflect thoughtfully on its beginnings.
Shortly after the turn of the century, many Europeans sought to escape the religious and cultural persecutions of the Austro-Hungarian rulers by sailing to America.
Approximately 14 families, including those of John Bowan Sr., Wasil Blishak, Constantine Dzubinsky, Samuel Evans Sr., Daniel Holovach, A. Kohan, Nicholas Kraynak, Theodore Kushnir, Wasil Kuhta, Wasil Towcimak, Michael Turko, and John Zawoysky, settled in the North Side and South Side of Pittsburgh, where they attended St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Michael's Orthodox Churches.
However, these pioneers soon moved on to Ambridge where employment opportunities were greater. The American Bridge Company, which erected its first plant in Ambridge in 1902, offered such security.
Although settled in Ambridge, they continued to attend church in Pittsburgh. Each Sunday morning they walked the railroad tracks, more accessible than the unpaved roads, to Leetsdale, where they boarded a train to Pittsburgh. This continued until the group established a makeshift altar in May's Hall, Third and Merchant Streets, Ambridge. There, under the guidance of the Rev. J. Sechinsky, they continued their religious devotions. A little later, services were conducted in the residence of Samuel Evans, Sr., and still later in a little shelter on a vacant lot near Third and Merchant Streets. The reverends J. Sechinsky, P. Kohanik and Nicholas Koshevich were among the early pastors.
In October of 1907, guided by Fr. Nicholas Koshevich, this determined group purchased two lots at Second and Maplewood Avenue for $1,650. With their hands, they laid the foundation of their long-awaited church. It took them two months and cost approximately $6,000 -- lots, construction and materials included. The American Bridge Co donated steel for the foundation. This contribution so overwhelmed the group that they gathered on the grounds of the American Bridge plant with their icons and glorified the donors with prayers and singing.
On November 27, 1907, the first Divine Liturgy was served in the newly built church basement. Named trustees of the fledgling church were Wasil Blishak, John Bowan Sr. Samuel Evans Sr. and Daniel Holovach. Others who contributed their services were families of Timko Romanov, Paul Romanov, Dimitri Skomsky, Theodore Lapihuska, Timko Guch, Harry Kohanik, Stephen Felk, John Evans Sr., A. Zbigley, Nicholas Kuhta, Theodore Fecik, Wasil Liseyko, Joseph Hafiez, Anton Shpak, Nicholas Kulavchik, N. Polovischak, E. Polovischak, Timko Blishko, Harry Shepella, Michael Roman, John Towcimak, Wasil Zawoysky Sr., Wasil Guch, Michael Psinka and Wasil Hritzik.
On August 21, 1911, the parish was incorporated as the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Ghost. The congregation adopted as its patron, the Descent of the Holy Ghost (Spirit) upon the Apostles.
The first recorded christening was that of Nicholas Kuhta on October 27, 1907. The first marriage solemnized in the church was that of Theodore Hopta and Anna Hnath on February 8, 1908.
The parish grew steadily, and soon plans were being formulated for completion of the church. In 1912 a building committee was established. The church was completed in December 1914 at a cost of $14,000. The Rev. Andrew Ivanishin officiated at the first Divine Liturgy in the new edifice. The cornerstone, donated by Samuel Evans Sr., and the newly built church were consecrated by the Most Rev. Archbishop Alexander, assisted by Fr. Ivanishin and visiting clergy. The dream had become a reality. Just one year later, a parish home next to the new church was purchased for $5,100.
Now thoughts turned to the church interior. In 1927, led by the Rev. Damian Krehel, the church commissioned Michael Kupetz, a parishioner, to paint the murals for $2,200.
Two years later the present three bells were purchased. Metropolitan Platon blessed them.
The Great Depression ruled out further improvements until November 27, 1941, when, under the leadership of the Rev. Emilian Skuby, a new iconostas and newly renovated church interior were blessed by the Rt. Rev. Benjamin, Bishop of Pittsburgh and West Virginia. The new iconostas was designed and erected by the famous architect-artist Gennady Gordeyev.
That same year saw the outbreak of World War II, and 1950 brought with it the Korean conflict. Twelve young men of the parish were killed in those wars: Michael Chaykowsky, Edward Chumak, Peter Dudenich, Paul Durniak, John Kucer, Michael Kucer, Frank Pastrick, Steve Pastrick, Nicholas Sapovchak, Michael Sudik, George Torhan and Dimitri Wrobleski.
On November 21, 1954, a crystal chandelier was installed and dedicated to the memory of twelve young men from the parish that gave their lives to the service of their country in World War II and the Korean conflict.
In July 1974 a new parish home was purchased on Pilgrim Drive, Leet Township. The old parish home next to the church was converted into an educational center. There the church school organization, which was initiated by the Senior R Club (FROC) during the presidency of Mildred Erdelyn Mitcheil in 1947, continues to meet.
In February 1975 a fire started in the front of the church, severely damaging one corner of the interior. Fr. Vladimir Soroka and Church Council President Irene Bell led the ensuing restoration.
In 1975 The Holy Ghost Orthodox Youth Center began as a gift. The merged Russian Community Society and Russian Society of St. Michael donated the empty building at 405 Maplewood Avenue that formerly housed the Russian Community Society. A building committee was appointed, led by co-chairmen Frank Markvan and Ted Hritsko. The former building was mostly razed and a new structure erected under the guidance of architect George Ruscitto and builder Jerry Steinmetz Construction Corporation. In 1977, two years after the ownership was transferred to the congregation, the transformed building was opened as a center for both parochial events and public events. Today the Center is a hub our Annual Slavic Festival and other church related activities.
In the early 1990's, the parishioners of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Aliquippa were welcomed as members of the Holy Ghost congregation when their parish was closed.
In November 1996 the congregation undertook one of the most ambitious renovation projects since the founding of the church in 1907. Cupolas of reinforced gold fiberglass replaced the four deteriorating copper cupolas. This project was the centerpiece of a series of renovation projects that included the complete repainting of the interior of the church, enhanced internal and external lighting, and re-pointing the brick exterior of the church. All of these major projects were completed prior to the congregation's celebration of its 90th anniversary in 1997.
The congregation has just completed a 10-year capital improvements plan in time for the parish's 100th anniversary. These projects included all new iconography in the altar, including a new Platitera icon in the apse over the sanctuary, the total refurbishment of the chandelier, renovated restrooms in the church basement, new wall-to-wall carpeting, and new iconography on the proscenium arch above the iconostas.
From the original 14 families the parish has grown to over 200 adults and 30 children.
From those hard working immigrant families who formed the nucleus, to the present pastor, V. Rev. William Evansky, church council, church organizations and congregation, we are deeply indebted. To those now deceased -- May God grant them eternal rest. To those still in our midst--thank you for a job well done! God bless you and guide you in your continued efforts.