Divine Services
Saturday, January 10 - 4:30 PM - Vespers / Confessions: 4 PM - 4:20 PM
Sunday, January 11 - 10 AM - Liturgy: “Afterfeast of Theophany”
Saturday, January 17 - 3 PM - Holy Baptism: Ernie Kisner
Saturday, January 17 - 4:30 PM - Vespers / Confessions: 4 PM - 4:20 PM
Sunday, January 18 - 10 AM - Liturgy
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Sunday Liturgy Laity Functions
JANUARY 11 THIRD HOUR: A. Lauer
JANUARY 11 EPISTLE: Mat. D. Evansky
JANUARY 11 COLLECTION: R. Grano / A. Lauer
JANUARY 18 THIRD HOUR: M.D. Stahoviak
JANUARY 18 EPISTLE: T. Evansky
JANUARY 18 COLLECTION: O. Mycyk / B. Nelko
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* CLICK HERE for an ARTICLE by Metropolitan SABA of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese with a wonderful explanation about the proper view of SUFFERING as Orthodox Christians.
* No COFFEE HOUR following this Sunday’s Liturgy. There WILL be a SHARED COFFEE HOUR following the January 18 Liturgy - - please bring a snack to share that day if possible. SCRIP CARDS will also be available on January 18 to purchase/order.
* The next CHURCH SCHOOL/TEEN GROUP CLASSES are scheduled for 9 AM this Sunday.
* SUNDAY DIALOGUE for the adults is also scheduled for this Sunday in the church nave with Fr. Bill at 9 AM - - all are encouraged to attend!
+ Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory, Now and Forever! +
* The parish gratefully acknowledges the additional MEMORIAL FUND DONATIONS received this past week in honor of the newly departed servant of God +Suzanne Mycyk.
+MEMORY ETERNAL!+
* ORTHODOX BIBLE STUDY is tentatively scheduled downstairs in the church hall for Wednesday, January 14 (6:30 PM). Please inform Fr. Bill by Monday evening, January 12, if you plan to attend.
* February 1 is the deadline for ANNUAL MEETING REPORTS to be forwarded electronically to Fr. Bill so the Annual Meeting report packets can be prepared in advance of the February 15 Annual Meeting.
* NOMINATIONS for (4) parish council positions and (3) auditing committee members to be elected at the February 15 Annual Parish Meeting are now being accepted. Please forward these nominees to Ron Markvan, Nominating Committee Chair, Nicole Domitrovic, or Fr. Bill by January 31 so these names can be vetted for eligibility in advance of the public presentation of names. (Nominees must be in good sacramental standing currently in this parish to be considered for any of the positions.)
* Reports for the PARISH COUNCIL MEETING scheduled for January 26 (6:30 PM) downstairs in the church hall should be forwarded to Fr. Bill electronically no later than January 21 so they can be collected and distributed in advance to the council for review prior to the meeting.
* The PARISH LONG-RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE will meet in the Educational Center with Fr. Bill on Wednesday, January 21 (6:30 PM).
* The ANNUAL MEETING of the Ladies Altar Society is planned to take place downstairs in the church hall immediately following the January 25 Liturgy. Both current and prospective members are needed - - please come!
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A THOUGHT TO CONSIDER
St. John the Forerunner set out to men the whole path of true repentance:
"Repent ye!" And he immediately continued:
"Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance" (Matt. 3:2,8).
- St. Nicholai of Zhicha
Laity Liturgy Functions
DATE THIRD HOUR EPISTLE__ COLLECTION______
JANUARY 4 N. Domitrovic (Deacon) N. Wiglesworth / I. Yakich
JANUARY 11 A. Lauer Mat. D. Evansky R. Grano / A. Lauer
JANUARY 18 M.D. Stahoviak T. Evansky R .Markvan / P. McKeown
JANUARY 25 M. Soroka N. Domitrovic O. Mycyk / B. Nelko
^ 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!
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Pastoral Reminders from Fr. Bill
~ Friday, January 2 is a FAST-FREE DAY as we continue to celebrate the Nativity of our Savior Jesus Christ. (All other Wednesdays and Fridays in this month are days of fasting as usual for Orthodox Christians.)
~ Monday, January 5, is a STRICT-FAST DAY since that day is the Eve of the important Holyday of “The Theophany (Baptism) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
~ The next GENERAL CONFESSION service will be held on February 1 (9:30 AM). We will not have a January General Confession. Parish members who came to Private Confession during Advent 2025 may continue to receive Eucharist in the meantime. Private Confession continues to be available in January; please reference the January calendar for times.
~ EUCHARIST PARTICIPATION GENERAL GUIDELINE for the parish: individuals who do not receive Holy Eucharist for more than two consecutive Sunday Liturgies should return for a Private Confession before approaching to receive Holy Communion. Please contact Fr. Bill about this since there is always the possibility of an extenuating circumstance.
~ Except for individuals required to eat or drink small amounts for medical conditions (i.e., with medications, etc.) out of necessity, Communion recipients are expected to conduct a Eucharistic fast prior to Holy Communion. This means refraining from eating or drinking from midnight until receiving Holy Eucharist. Individuals who find it necessary to eat or drink “larger” amounts on Liturgy days should refrain from receiving Communion that day. The Eucharistic fast for evening Vesperal Liturgies begins following a (light) lunch, continuing until the time of the Liturgy. Children who have not come to First Holy Confession are, of course, exempt from this guideline. Individuals with medical conditions that require a modification of the Eucharist fast should discuss it privately with Fr. Bill.
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^ Please forward your preferred email address to Fr. Bill if you are not receiving the parish E-BULLETINS and other parish informational updates but would like to receive them. Please note that email addresses are not shared. A limited number of copies of each week’s bulletin are put in the vestibule wall pamphlet rack.
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 make 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
^ Please contact Fr. Bill any time throughout the year when you know of a parish member HOSPITALIZED for more than a single night so he can visit that person’s hospital room and administer the Holy Sacraments (either Holy Unction or Communion) “…for the healing of soul and body.”
^ (Mark your planner!) ORTHODOX BIBLE STUDY is tentatively scheduled to take place downstairs in the church hall on Wednesday, January 14 (6:30 PM). Please inform Fr. Bill if you plan to attend no later than Monday evening, January 12, to make sure there will be sufficient attendance to proceed with the discussion. Come and learn! Guests are warmly welcomed, too!
PLEASE NOTE
While personal information of individuals is never used, images of our parish’s services and group events may be used on social media from time to time. Anyone who has an objection to their image being used should privately contact Fr. Bill or Nicole Domitrovic to opt-out of this usage.
^ A sign-up list for appointments is on the vestibule candle desk for individuals desiring a 2026 THEOPHANY HOUSE BLESSING beginning after the Great Blessing of Water on the January 6th Theophany Holyday. You can also email Fr. Bill or call him to get on the list for this home prayer service during January and early February. Don’t neglect this source of Christ’s Grace offered annually by the Holy Church - - we NEED that Grace in our residences! Please see the notes included in this newsletter concerning the preparation for this short Orthodox prayer practice.
^ NOMINATIONS for (4) parish council positions and (3) auditing committee members to be elected at the February 15th Annual Parish Meeting are now being accepted. Please forward these nominees to Ron Markvan, Nominating Committee Chair, Council President Nicole Domitrovic, or Fr. Bill by the end of January so these names can be vetted for eligibility in advance of the public presentation of names.
^ February 2 is the deadline for ANNUAL MEETING REPORTS to be forwarded electronically to Fr. Bill so the Annual Meeting report packets can be prepared in advance of the February 15th Annual Meeting.
^ All who are on the parish group email list are reminded as we enter the “heart” of the winter season to check your emails for PARISH SCHEDULE CHANGES due to INCLEMENT WEATHER. This is especially important to remember on Saturday concerning Vespers or early Sunday morning concerning parish educational classes or the Liturgy since Fr. Bill will send out a parish group email with that schedule change if needed. You may also call/text his cell, but please note that Fr. Bill may NOT answer that call/text after 7:45 AM on Sundays since he leaves the parish house for church to prepare for the Liturgy.
^ Administrative Secretary Patty McKeown will mail via the USPS CONFIDENTIAL INDIVIDUAL 2025 PARISH CONTRIBUTION REPORTS to each household by February 1. Please contact Patty if you have questions or contact Parish Council President Nicole Domitrovic or Fr. Bill as necessary.
IMPORTANT! Also included in this mailing will be the 2026 PARISH STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE FORM that we TRULY hope everyone will sign and return to keep our parish financially STRONG in 2026 - - and for many years beyond! THANKS for being a generous, devoted Orthodox Christian!
^ The ANNUAL MEETING of the LADIES ALTAR SOCIETY is tentatively scheduled to take place downstairs in the church hall immediately following the January 25th Divine Liturgy. Both current and prospective new members are urged to attend this meeting that will include the election of 2026 L.A.S. officers.
^ The parish LONG-RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE will meet again with Fr. Bill in the Educational Center on Wednesday, January 21 (6:30 PM) in advance of the January 26th Parish Council meeting.
^ We will not celebrate SATURDAY VESPERS here in the parish on JANUARY 3. Fr. Bill will be leaving for State College, PA, on Friday afternoon, January 2, to concelebrate with Archbishop MELCHISEDEK and other diocesan clergy at the ordination of a deacon at a January 3rd Liturgy. Fr. Bill will return to the parish on Saturday evening, January 3rd.
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SALVATION
Did you know the Orthodox Church doesn’t teach “once saved, always saved”? In many Protestant or Evangelical circles, there’s a strong emphasis on a one-time moment of “finding Jesus” or being “saved” as if salvation happens in an instant and is forever sealed. But in the Orthodox Church, salvation is not a single event. It’s a relationship, a journey, and a lifelong process. Yes, we are saved, but we are also being saved, and we hope to be saved. It’s all three. That’s why the Apostle Paul writes, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Not because we’re meant to live in fear, but because salvation is serious. It involves our whole life: our faith, our repentance, our choices, our love, our struggle. The Orthodox Church teaches that salvation is union with Christ, becoming increasingly like Him. That can begin at baptism, or at a moment of awakening, or slowly over time. But the point is: we’re not finished. We cooperate with God’s grace every day. That’s why we fast, pray, go to confession, receive the Eucharist, and strive to love — not to “earn” salvation, but to grow deeper into the life of Christ. So yes, encountering Christ changes everything. But we don’t stop there. We pick up our cross and follow Him, all the way to the end. That’s salvation in the Orthodox understanding: not just a moment, but a life constantly being transformed in love until the end of our earthly journey.
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.