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.
Letter from ArchBishop Mark about St. Tikhon's Summer Camp
ArchBishop Mark recently shared a letter with parishes, following up on this year's summer camp that was held at St. Tikhon's from June 30th through July 6th.
A copy of the letter is available here.
Help wanted!
There many items that need to be taken care of in our parish, especially during the summer months when we do a thorough cleaning of the church hall in preparation for the fall pierogie project, and we could use your help!
Items include: cleaning the restrooms, wiping the walls and window sills in the hall, cleaning the kitchen cabinets, polishing the stainless steel, wiping the radiators. If enough people volunteered to do something small to help, the tasks would not be so large. If you would like to help, there is a list in the kitchen of which tools and/or products to use and where supplies are located.
Men’s Group Formation
At the last Diocesan Assembly, His Eminence, Archbishop Mark, suggested that a men's group be formed within our Diocese to provide for the new and old converts, as well as, the cradle Orthodox Christian men, an opportunity for fellowship and spiritual nourishment. We believe this group will be a valuable addition to our diocesan community. The name of the group is Saint Alexis Toth Brotherhood of the DoEPA. Currently, we are in early stages of planning the first event for the men's group. Please see Fr Aleksey if you are interested in participating.
Attention graduates!
Please let a member of the parish council know if you or any children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren will be graduating this spring so we can acknowledge the achievement in the bulletin. Please include the school name, degree, future plans, parents’ names, and if possible, a photo.
St. Tikhon’s Memorial Day Pilgrimage
St. Tikhon’s Monastery will hold its annual Memorial Day Pilgrimage, taking place from Friday, May 24th through Monday, May 27, 2024. Pilgrimage events include Hierarchical Divine Liturgies, a healing service to the Mother of God, the Blessing of the new Arts Center Building and a concert on Sunday evening celebrating the Arts Center’s grand opening.
The full pilgrimage schedule and further details are available on the OCA website.
Cemetery clean-up
Please help with cemetery clean-up for spring. We can also use help with some maintenance around Father Andrew and Matushka Anna’s grave site.
Easter Flower Pledges
We will again be having our annual Pascha flower pledge program. Pledging flowers is a nice way to remember those dear to you at this special time. If you would like to participate, please submit the 2024 Easter Flower Pledge form along with your donation. You can also get copies of the form from any member of the Parish Council.
Pledge forms are due by April 28th, and the pledges will be published on May 5th.
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.
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!
