Old Rite Russian Orthodox
An Old Rite parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). We are located in Erie, PA.
Don't forget to start spreading the word to family and friends about this year's event-- May 24, 25, 26. It was wonderful to see so many visitors from out of town last year!! Please encourage those you know to mark their calendars and make the trip back to Erie again to take part in this full weekend of fun!
Read MoreAlthough the overflow homeless shelter project is done, the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Christ goes on. Please continue to donate toiletries, socks, t-shirts, and financial support for the homeless of our community. Be assured that all items - and donations - will go directly to care for these people.
Read Moreby Archbishop Averky (Taushev)
On the first Sunday of the Great Fast our Church celebrates the triumph of Orthodoxy, the victory of true Christian teachings over all perversions and distortions thereof- heresies and false teachings. On the second Sunday of the Great Fast it is as though this triumph of Orthodoxy is repeated and deepened in connection with the celebration of the memory of one of the greatest pillars of Orthodoxy, the hierarch Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, who by his grace-bearing eloquence and the example of his highly ascetic private life put to shame the teachers of falsehood who dared reject the every essence of Orthodoxy, the podvig of prayer and fasting, which enlightens the human mind with the light of grace and makes it a communicant of the divine glory.
Abridged from St. John Chrysostom homilies "On Fasting"
Fasting is a medicine. But medicine, as beneficial as it is, becomes useless because of the inexperience of the user. He has to know the appropriate time that the medicine should be taken and the right amount of medicine and the condition of the body which is to take it, the weather conditions and the season of the year and the appropriate diet of the sick and many other things. If any of these things are overlooked, the medicine will do more harm than good. So, if one who is going to heal the body needs so much accuracy, when we care for the soul and are concerned about healing it from bad thoughts, it is necessary to examine and observe everything with every possible detail.
Read MoreWe have just completed our two-week commitment to open our community center as an overflow shelter for some of the homeless people in Erie. It was an experience none of us who participated in will ever forget. Although we provided a warm, safe and clean place for these people to sleep every night for two weeks, as well as providing them with a hot meal in the evening and breakfast in the morning, all of us who volunteered at the shelter will agree that we were the ones that were blessed by this experience.
Read MoreWe have agreed to take a turn hosting the overflow shelter program that is being run by Community Shelter Services with the help of area churches. The first floor of our Community Center will be the site for this shelter from February 6 to February 20.
The overflow shelter program provides a warm place to eat, sleep and shower for our homeless brothers and sisters during the cold winter months. The program has already run successfully since November at various local churches including Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant and St. John’s Lutheran Church. I have spoken with volunteers from all of these locations and been told that it is a truly humbling and rewarding experience.
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