Welcome to St. Michael's Orthodox Church!
Founded: 1907
Diocese: Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania
Deanery: Frackville Deanery
Saint Michael's Orthodox Church in Mount Carmel, PA strives to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything He has commanded” so that all people may be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth. We do this by witnessing to the fullness of the Gospel of the Kingdom to the peoples of the Coal Region in PA (and by God's grace, beyond the region), and in the power of the Holy Spirit, by revealing Christ’s way of sanctification and eternal salvation to all. We invite anyone interested in authentic Christian worship to come and see, and join us in this labor.
Subscribe to our new YouTube channel!
In the hopes live-streaming our services, we have started a parish YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SaintMichaelOCA. In order for us to be able to live-stream via YouTube, we need to have at least 50 subscribers. So, please subscribe, and share the link for others to subscribe!
Lenten Mission service at St. Michael's
Our parish will host a Lenten Mission service on Sunday, March 31st, at 4:00 PM as part of a series of Lenten services being held throughout the Coal Region OCA area. These beautiful services provide an opportunity for different parishes to pray together and enjoy fellowship following the service. See the list below for information about all Lenten Mission services being held this year within the Frackville Deanery.
2024 Lenten Mission services:
- Sunday, March 31, 2024
- 4:00 PM - St. Michael's, Mt. Carmel (St. Gregory Palamas)
- Sunday, April 7, 2024
- 4:00 PM - St. Mary's, St. Clair (Ven. of the Holy Cross)
- Sunday, April 14, 2024
- 4:00 PM - St. Mary's Church, Coaldale (St. John of the Ladder)
- Sunday, April 21, 2024
- 5:00 PM - Holy Apostles Church, Mechanicsburg (St. Mary of Egypt)
- Holy Wednesday, May 1, 2024
- 6:00 PM - Holy Ascension, Frackville (Holy Unction)
St. Tikhon's Summer Camp 2024!
Registration for Saint Tikhon's Summer Camp is still open, and while there are still some spaces available for campers, the available spots are filliing up fast!
Attendance at the camp, which runs from June 30 thru July 6 this year, is free to all campers from parishes within the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania. Applications are due by early May for both attendees and those interested in working at the camp, but campers should apply as soon as possible as only 125 openings are available.
Register to attend at https://accounts.doepa.org/summercamp, and choose one of the options that includes "Applying for Diocesan Waiver". More information is available in our previous post below and on the DOEPA website at: https://doepa.org.
Please see Fr. Aleksey or any parish council member if you have questions about attending the camp.
Update on Youth Ministry and Appeal for Assistance
Registration for Saint Tikhon's Summer Camp is now officially open, and organizers are also seeking adult volunteers!
Saint Tikhon’s Summer Camp is a one-week, sleep-away, camp program for Orthodox Christian children between the ages of 7 and 17. The camp begins on June 30, 2024 and runs thru July 6. Applications are due by early May for both attendees and those interested in working at the camp, but campers should apply as soon as possible as only 125 openings are available.
Please read Archbishop Mark's letter and the camp flyers below to learn more about how you can help! Click on the images to view larger versions of each.
Children's sermon series
We have a new sermon series for children!
This 7-part series of sermons, titled In the Beginning, will take place every other Sunday, starting January 7th, following Divine Liturgy.
Christmas caroling
On December 16, 2023, some of our parishioners sang Christmas carols at the Mt. Carmel Community Center’s Olde Fashioned Christmas event. The community members were very appreciative of the festive music.
Blessing of houses
The Great Feast of Theophany, or Baptism, of our Lord Jesus Christ is January 6. Each year this is the time of renewal, as water is blessed and brought to our homes. We dedicate, and re-dedicate, ourselves, our homes, and our family to Jesus Christ with this blessing every year.
To facilitate the scheduling of house blessings, please fill out the form in the back of the weekly church bulletin, or email three dates and times when you are available to Fr. Aleksey at priest.aleksey@gmail.com. Note that he will be unavailable for house blessings on January 12th, 15th, 25th and 26th, and on February 9th.
Calendars and Envelopes
The 2024 church clendars and donation envelopes are now available and may be picked up in the church vestibule.
Annual basket raffle
Our annual basket raffle will be Valentine-themed this year! The basket raffle form is available here and is due by February 4th. The raffle will be held on February 11th, during coffee hour. Please help supporting the church by contributing towards the prizes. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated!
The Flaming Sword
We have a new e-bulletin called The Flaming Sword ! Each week, you'll receive words of wisdom, reading and listening recommendations, and occasional announcements and important updates. This e-bulletin is not meant to replace our regular, printed bulletin but rather to provide supplemental information. Sign up here to recieve The Flaming Sword.
Annual Christmas Flower Pledges
Once again, we are having the Poinsettia Flower Pledge for the Nativity. If you would like to pledge a $25 donation in memory of a loved one or for the health and well-being of a loved one, please complete this form and submit it by December 10th along with your donation. Pledge forms are also available within the bulletin. Pledges will be published in late December.
Clergy Appreciation month
October is Clergy Appreciation month. Please read the letter from His Eminence, Archbishop Mark.
Annual Coat Drive
Once again, we are partnering with Central Susquehanna Opportunities to help them keep our community warm for winter. Please consider donating a coat or offering a cash donation to help with this worthy cause!
Opportunities and Outreach
While these challenging times, due to the Coronavirus, are disrupting our lives and causing a lot of stress, please keep a couple of things in mind:
- Call each other – stay connected to our parish family – do wellness checks
- Reach out to our elderly population to see if you can get groceries or prescriptions for them. If you do, make sure to wash your hands, use gloves and disinfectant wipes and keep your distance (6’) when dropping off any items.
- Send cards to each other and share uplifting messages
- Keep your faith
- Pray with great intensity for the well-being of both family and friends
Let's follow our orthodox mission of helping each other!