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.
St. Michael’s Day and Veterans Day
We have a busy November coming up. We are having our usual St. Michael’s Day and Veterans Day celebration to honor our patron saint and those who served our country.
Archbishop Mark will be joining us this year for services from Friday through Sunday as noted on the flyers below. Your attendance at these services is important!
We also need your help in cleaning the hall for the celebration, preparing food, serving, and cleaning up. On November 5th and 6th, we will be cleaning the hall and kitchen; on November 7th, we will be setting up tables and preparing some of the food. Note: A sign-up sheet for items needed is located in the church vestibule. A couple of dishes for the meal on November 9th may also be needed.
Please get the word out for the Veteran’s Day celebration! Brunch will be served at noon, following Divine Liturgy. We'll have bacon, ham, sausage, pancakes, eggs, desserts, and other delicious foods. Invite a friend to participate in the fellowship!
Those who have served in our armed forces will be honored at the event.
Church Musician Sunday
Sunday, October 5th, was marked this year as Church Musician Sunday. This day highlights the essential role of liturgical music in Orthodox Christian worship and the important role of church musicians and readers in the life of the Church. May God grant many years to our singers and readers: Sandy, Joe, Vera, Olga, Julia, Stephanie, Richard, Andrei, and Ioann!
Clergy Appreciation month
October is Clergy Appreciation month! Please read the letter from His Eminence, Archbishop Mark on this topic to learn more.
Coat drive
This year, we are collecting new or gently used coats that have been cleaned for the Mt. Carmel Community Center coat distribution. Please leave coat donations in the vestibule by October 31st.
As in prior years, we will also put out a gold dish to collect monetary donations for the Central Susquehanna Opportunities (CSO) coat project. Please help if you can!
Thank you!
Thanks to all who donated toward the school supply project. We delivered $200 of supplies to Mt. Carmel Elementary School and provided an additional check for $400. They were very appreciative.
New online giving option
At a recent Parish Council meeting, the council recommended and approved a motion to have online giving as an available option for donations. Father Aleksey has graciously developed an online option for our website in order to allow both parishioners and non-parishioners to give/donate/make an offering.
The process is simple and straightforward and is outlined here.
Blessing of new altar robes
On June 22, following Divine Liturgy, Fr. Aleksey blessed our new altar server robes and the priest's new vestments.
School Supply Collection
On Sunday, August 10th, and on the following Sunday, August 17th, we will be accepting donations of school supplies on behalf of the Mt. Carmel Elementary School. Alternatively, you can place a monetary donation on the gold dish on the center table in the church. Lists of the school's current needs are located in the vestibule and in the church hall.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel!
We have started a parish YouTube channel this year in order to live-stream our services for those unable to attend in person: https://www.youtube.com/@SaintMichaelOCA
In order to continue offering the live-streams, YouTube requires that we have at least 50 subscribers. So, please subscribe, and share the link for others to subscribe!
Opportunities and Outreach
While these challenging times 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.
- 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!
