Tag: great lent

Birthright Donation Project

The parish will once again collect donations for Birthright before and during Great Lent. Birthright is an international organization that provides counseling and material help to mothers and their children both during and after pregnancy. The Birthright office we will be donating to is in Frackville, Pennsylvania, so donations will directly help our neighbors.

Birthright charity flyerDownload

As Orthodox Christians, we are obliged to defend the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Shamefully, over 800,000 babies are legally murdered in the womb each year in the United States. We must pray and work to end this crime against God and man, and one of the best means at our disposal is to provide encouragement and care for young mothers facing an unexpected pregnancy. Please give generously.

Palm Sunday & Holy Week Schedule

Several changes have been made to the upcoming schedule of services. Please see the PDF below for a full listing.

Please note that we are moving several services to Holy Ascension in Frackville to assist their choir and to share in the joy of Pascha with our Orthodox brothers from across Schuylkill County. These changes are temporary and a regular schedule of services at St. Mary’s will resume after Pascha. Another update will be made shortly regular the resumption of regular Sunday Obednitsas with a deacon.

CHURCH SERVICES REVISEDDownload

Birthright Lenten Charity Project

One of the pillars of Great Lent is almsgiving, and all the ways you give of yourself, your time, your money, and your energy to help others are welcome. However, if you are able, we ask that you contribute to the project that our parish has chosen for special attention. Birthright is a nonprofit group with a branch in nearby Frackville, PA that helps mothers and their babies throughout pregnancy and afterward. Please see the list below, or download it in PDF form. Donations may be brought to the church hall, where they will be delivered after Lent.

The following items are needed:

  1. Diapers –Newborn, Size 1 and 2
  2. Onesies / undershirt – Size 3 – 6 months and 6 – 9 months
  3. Sleepers – Size 3 – 6 months and 6 – 9 months
  4. Baby wash cloths and towels
  5. Baby bath
  6. Baby lotion
  7. Receiving blankets
  8. Bottles / nipples
  9. Used clothes (in fair condition) – up to Size 2.
    No Baby powder or Baby oil!

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Father Vjekoslav Jovicic, administrator of the Frackville Deanery, kindly offered Presanctified Liturgy to the faithful parishioners of Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church in Saint Clair on March 10, 2023. An inspiring homily for this Great Lenten season was given by Father Vjekoslav at the end of the Liturgy. Everyone was invited to a light Lenten meal after services.

Archbishop Mark visits St. Mary’s

Archbishop Mark made a Hierarchal visit to Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church in Saint Clair on Sunday, March 12, 2023. Divine Liturgy was celebrated on the second Sunday of Great Lent commemorating Saint Gregory Palamas. Almost the entire faithful of Saint Mary’s attended the service and listened to an inspiring homily by Archbishop Mark. Immediately after Liturgy, a Lenten meal was provided to the faithful.

Eis Poli Eti Despota!

Lenten Prayer Plan

As we prepare for Great Lent, it is important to think about more than just food. Fasting is an important part of our life as Orthodox Christians, but the other two pillars of Prayer and Almsgiving must not be neglected. To help with the latter, our brothers in the American Carpatho-Russian Diocese have assembled a schedule for reading the entirety of the Psalter throughout Great Lent. The Psalms have been an important part of the Church since the very beginning and constitute much of the Divine Services and the Liturgy. This is a great opportunity to grow better acquainted with the Psalms and to start your own tradition of regularly reading the Scriptures.

Lenten-Weekday-Psalms-2023Download