St. Michael's church photo

Welcome to St. Michael's Orthodox Church!

Founded: 1907

Diocese:  Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania

Deanery:  Frackville Deanery

Parish Highlights:

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 2023 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 2nd.

Lenten Appeal

As we continue our Lenten journey, we are reminded that this journey should not be limited to fasting. Each parishioner should consider putting aside each day the money saved from fasting or from giving up something of enjoyment, and use either the small boxes in the vestibule or the gold, collection plate on the center Icon table to donate savings in support of our Annual Lenten Appeal.

This year’s donations will again be provided to Father John Nightingale. Father John served the parish as a visiting priest for two Pascha seasons and filled in the many times we needed help when we did not have a rector. Several years ago he had a fall that left him paralyzed, requiring additional care for him to remain in his home with Matushka Kyra. Donations will close on Palm Sunday.

Lenten Mission service at St. Michael's

Our parish will host a Mission service on Sunday, March 19th, at 4:00 PM. See the flyer for more information. Registration for the camp is now open.

These beautiful services provide an opportunity for different parishes to pray together and enjoy fellowship following the service. A full list of the services taking place in our area is available here.

Rectory Preparation

If you are interested in doing some spring cleaning at the rectory, please see Sandy Tosca.

Volunteers needed for St. Tikhon’s Summer Camp

Please visit the Saint Tikhon’s Summer Camp contact page or see the flyers posted in the church hall for more information. Registration for the camp is now open.

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 July 2nd and runs thru July 8th. Applications are due by early May for both attendees and those interested in working at the camp.

House Blessings

If you would like to have your home blessed, please contact Father Vjekoslav at the phone number listed at the top of the first page of the bulletin. If you are unable to reach him, please notify Sandy Tosca.

Annual Parish Meeting

Our 2023 annual parish meeting is scheduled for January 22nd, following Divine Liturgy. We distributed handouts to parishioners on Sunday, January 15th, and we ask that attendees to bring them to the meeting on January 22nd. If you plan to attend the meeting but did not recieve a handout, please let Sandy Tosca know.

Church envelopes available

Please pick up your church envelopes in the vestibule. Names are on the boxes.

Christmas caroling

On December 10th, we sang Christmas Carols in front of the Mt. Carmel Public Library. Those who passed by appreciated the Christmas Cheer.

A group of eleven carolers standing in front of a glass storefront, holding sheets of music. A white sign with black letters appears above the glass double-doors and reads 'Mt. Carmel Public Library'. The group consists of a variety of genders and ages, and they're standing on a pink, marble circle with a large 'G' in the center. The library is housed in the former Grossman Department Store, hence the 'G'. Haha, this is bonus information for people with screen readers! :)

Christmas card making

The week of December 4th, we were busy writing out Christmas cards, and the children of the parish made cards for our home-bound parishioners.

Two girls standing in the church hall, smiling and holding Christmas cards that they created. They appear in the left half of the frame, and there is a long table to their right, running from the right lower corner to the back center of the frame. There are cards and art materials on the table. Five people are seated at a long table, writing out Christmas cards. The table has a white table cloth and runs from the foreground to the background, with three people seated on the left side and two on the right.

Religious cards for sale

Nativity Cards are available for sale in the vestibule at $2 per card.

Christmas flower pledges

Once again, we are having the Poinsettia Flower Pledge for the Nativity. If you would like to offer 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 with your donation, by December 11, 2022. Forms are also available in the church vestibule and may be given to Sandy Tosca or mailed to the church.

Coat Drive

Photo of a CSO representative accepting a white, child-sized, jumper-style coat from Sandy Tosca, president of St. Michael's. The two woman are standing in front of a CSO sign, and each is holding one arm of the coat.

This fall, our parish once again supported the Central Susquehanna Opportunities (CSO) Coat Drive.

We collected $350 in cash donations, along with ten coats, and delivered everything to CSO on Monday, November 21st. The cash contributions will allow for the purchase of about nineteen addtional coats!

The CSO team was very appreciative of the donation, especially before Black Friday, since they could then buy the coats during the holiday sales.

Nativity Activities

This year, we're planning a number of activities to share the joy of the holiday as a parish and with our community. If you are interested in participating, please reveiw this list and let Sandy Tosca know your availability by November 27th.

Sunday School

We plan to have Sunday School each Sunday for 20-30 minutes, following Divine Liturgy. We'll provide an opportunity for the children to get something to eat at coffee hour and then retreat to the church. On November 20th, we're going to start with a short discussion of the “O Heavenly King" prayer.

St. Michael’s Day – Veteran’s Day celebration

November 8th is St. Michael’s Day. During the celebration of our patron saint, we will be honoring veterans, both living and deceased. We updated our Veterans banner and will be providing brunch following Divine Liturgy. We're extending invitations to other parishes in our Diocese and encourage you to reach out to friends and family and ask them to join us for this event. Also, please invite anyone who would enjoy fellowship and a warm meal. There are flyers in the vestibule.

If you are interested in donating toward the meal or making something, there is a a sign-up sheet in the vestibule. We will begin setting up the hall and preparing food on November 7th at 1 PM until about 6 PM.

Help needed

When we have some fair weather, we need help completing some outside painting including: the railing in front of the rectory office door, the back wall of the rectory, and the white wooden fence along the property.

If you have time and are interested, please see Joe Tosca. We have all the supplies needed.

Annual coat drive

Our parish is once again supportng the Central Susquehanna Opportunities (CSO) Coat Drive. You can either donate a new coat or provide a donation in the gold dish on the center table. The coat drive will run thru November 13th, and they have a need for adult coats this year.

CSO is also looking for volunteers to help hand out coats and food in October, November, and December. Coats are distributed on Friday mornings, Tuesday mornings, and Thursday afternoons at their location in Shamokin. If you are available to help, please contact Stacie Snyder at 570-205- 7868.

Clergy Appreciation month

October is Clergy Appreciation month, and the parish council requests that you consider expressing your appreciation to Father Vjekoslav for everything he has done for St. Michael’s in his time here. We've been glad to have him with us, and we wish him well in his next assignment!

Prayer Request

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon is asking for the prayers of the clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America on behalf of His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman who is drawing to the close of his earthly life. Metropolitan Herman is currently in his home on the grounds of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery.

Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry

Please help support the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry, and give what you can. Place donations in the gold dish on the center table. The drive will continue until August 7th.

Administrator appointment

Archbishop Mark has appointed Father Vjekoslav to serve as Administrator of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Church in St. Clair, in addition to serving our parish. The appointment is effective as of July 1, 2022.

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:

Let's follow our orthodox mission of helping each other!