Announcements | Holy Trinity Orthodox Church

Holy Trinity Announces Fall Study Groups

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Holy Trinity in Adult Study Group, Announcements, Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Orthodoxy 101/2.0, Women's Ministry

Beginning in Fall 2015, adults in Centre County will have additional opportunities to learn more about the Orthodox Christian Faith. To better serve you, Holy Trinity has scheduled a variety of study groups for you to choose from.

For a full calendar of Holy Trinity services and events, click here.

Inquirer’s Class
This bimonthy class led by Fr. John Reeves is intended for anyone who wishes to learn more about the Orthodox Faith. It begins Sunday, September 20 and meets in the Parish Hall (119 S. Sparks St., lower level) on the first and third Sundays thereafter for six sessions. For more information, please email info@holytrinity-oca.org. Topics covered include the history of salvation, the doctrine of the early Church, Christian worship in the First Century, and spirituality (“What must I do to be saved?”).

Adult Study Group
The Adult Study Group is also led by Fr. John and meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. throughout Fall 2015. The 14-week series begins September 8 and concludes December 8 (there will be no class on Election Day, November 3). The study is open to all adults. For more information, email info@holytrinity-oca.org.

Women’s Book Study
The Women’s Book Study kicks off on Thursday, September 10, at the rectory (562 Lanceshire Ln., in Park Forest) at 10 a.m. The group will study the life of Mother Maria Skobtsova and read Pearl of Great Price by Sergei Hackel. The books can be purchased in the bookstore for $12. Matushka Linda Reeves will lead a discussion on Chapters 1 and 2 at the first meeting. For more information, email women@holytrnity-oca.org.

Orthodox Christian Fellowship Dinner and Discussion
Penn State students are invited to attend the weekly Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) meeting on campus, which features a complimentary dinner and student-led spiritual reflection moderated by its spiritual advisor or chaplain. These informal meals and time for fellowship are open to all Penn State students, faculty, and staff, especially those interested in learning more about the ancient Christian Faith as practiced and believed by the apostles. To learn more, contact us at orthodox@psu.edu. To RSVP for dinner, visit our Facebook event page.

Synod Accepts Holy Trinity’s Resolution;
Delegates Pass Reform Measures

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Holy Trinity in Announcements, Parish Council

by Fr. John Reeves

Deacon Alexander and I represented Holy Trinity at the 18th All-American Council in Atlanta, July 19-24. Several actions of note were taken, each affecting the life of the parishes in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).

The first was the revision of the Normal Statute, which is the chief constitutional document governing our national church. Although amended since its adoption in 1971, the Statute had not undergone a thorough revision in the intervening years.

Besides edits for clarity and style, primary changes included the addition of several articles that better reflect the life of an autocephelous Church—monastism and stavropegial institutions such as seminaries, for example—and the replacement of religious language (in to make the Church understandable to civil governments and courts).

Several changes will have to be made in our parish bylaws to bring Holy Trinity into conformity with this revision.

Additionally, deacons have now been granted representation at future Councils. Prior, they had to be elected as members of the laity in order to participate. The vote was 97% in favor for the revised Statute.

Second was the adoption of proportional giving as the means for supporting the central administration, effectively abolishing the per capita assessment. Vote was by a similar margin in favor.

Finally, Dr. Jennifer McClure spoke before the delegates to introduce our parish’s resolution to the Holy Synod on spiritual abuse and give reasons as to the need of its passage. It was accepted by the Synod without a vote.

A full report on the AAC will be presented at the Parish Council meeting on August 20. More information can also be found on the OCA’s website.

AAC Resolution Voting

On the motion to adopt the revised OCA Statue: Passed—473 in favor; 15 against.
On the motion to fund the work of the Synodal Chancery for the next triennium using a varying proportion of each territorial diocese’s income: Passed—451 in favor; 14 against; 17 abstentions.
On the motion to express solidarity and support for Christians suffering in the Middle East: Passed unanimously by acclamation.

“What God Has Joined Together…”
Orthodox Affirmations of Marriage

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Holy Trinity in Announcements, Orthodox Spirituality

On Friday, June 26, news came that the Supreme Court had narrowly ruled in favor of so called “same-sex marriage.” I say “so called” because no court can redefine what God has instituted, namely that marriage is a sacrament, a mystery, a lifelong union of husband and wife representing the mystical union between Christ and His Church. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man put asunder (Matt. 19:6; Mark 10:9).

I commend to your reading the statement on marriage and sexuality that was issued by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in 2013. (The assembly is made up of all the active Orthodox bishops in this country, of every jurisdiction.) Below you can also find specific declarations made by our diocesan hierarch, Archbishop Melchisedek, and those made by the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of America.

— Fr. John Reeves

Statements on Marriage and Human Sexuality

Assembly of Bishops (2013)
Abp. Melchisedek (2015)
OCA Holy Synod of Bishops
Additional Links

2013 Assembly Statement on Marriage and Sexuality

Article I

We, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, representing millions of Orthodox Christians in the United States of America, Canada and Central America, express our deep concern over recent actions on the part of our respective governments and certain societal trends concerning the status of marriage in our countries, in particular the legalization of same-sex unions.

Article II

The Orthodox Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality, firmly grounded in Holy Scripture, two millennia of Church Tradition, and Canon Law, holds that the sacrament of marriage consists in the union of a man and a woman, and that authentic marriage reflects the sacred unity that exists between Christ and His Bride, the Church.

Article III

Persons with homosexual orientation are to be cared for with the same mercy and love that is bestowed on all of humanity by our Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, the Church is a spiritual hospital, where we all are called to find the healing of our fallen humanity through Jesus Christ, who assumed human nature in order to restore it. All of us struggle with various passions, and it is only within the Church that we find the means of overcoming these passions with the assistance of God’s grace. Acting upon any sexual attraction outside of sacramental marriage, whether the attraction is heterosexual or homosexual, alien-ates us from God.

Article IV

We exhort the clergy and faithful of the Orthodox Church to bear witness to the timeless teachings of Christ by striving for purity and holiness in their own lives, by instructing their families and communities in the precepts of the Holy Gospel, and by placing their trust in our Lord, who “has overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Article V

Finally, we encourage our faithful to approach their parish priest or spiritual father with any questions or concerns about this statement and its practical repercussions in their daily lives.

To the Clergy and Faithful of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania:

It is by now common knowledge that the Supreme Court of the United States rendered a decision on Friday, June 26. which declared that marriage between members of the same sex is a constitutional right. This ruling effectively overturned laws in several states which declared such unions to be illegal, and ruled that such unions can be legally performed in all states.

While this ruling marks a significant change in the way that homosexuality is regarded according to the civil statutes, it in no way affects the teaching and practice of the Orthodox Christian Church either in this country or anywhere else in the world. In the interests of clarity, it should be understood that Orthodox Parish Churches are not “Wedding Chapels.” Our Churches do not function as places where the sacrament of Holy Matrimony is offered to the public at large on a non-sectarian basis for a fee. Nobody can be married in an Orthodox Church who is not a member in good standing. The qualifications to be a “Member in good standing” have not changed. A member in good standing must be someone who has been properly received into the Church, a faithful believer in the teachings of the Church, a regular participant in the sacraments of Confession and Communion, and gives regular financial and material support to the parish. Persons who do not meet these criteria do not have a blessing to be married in the Church, and no clergy have a blessing to ignore or in any way set aside these criteria.

The Church, following the direct teaching of Jesus Christ, allows for no other form of marriage:

which made them at the beginning made them male and female. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain. but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Matthew 19:4-6).

Thus anyone who contracts or who has, in the past, contracted such a relationship and does not repent of that relationship, in addition to those who live together in a conjugal relationship without being married, are not to be communed.

I encourage our clergy and faithful to refresh their knowledge of Church teaching on these matters by reading the Synodal Affirmation on the Mystery of Marriage (see next tab) and and the Statement of the Assembly of Bishops of the United States (see first tab).

Any further questions may be addressed through my office.

Sincerely in Christ,

+ MELCHISEDEK
Archbishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania

Encyclical Letter of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America on Marriage

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We find it imperative to address you on an issue of crucial importance for the Christian life. An increasingly secularized world tends more and more to neglect the traditional biblical understanding of marriage and family. Misunderstanding freedom and proclaiming the progress of a humanity supposedly too mature, sophisticated and scientific to follow Christ’s Gospel, many have abandoned its moral demands. The consequences are plain for all to see: the family is disintegrating, legalized abortion is killing millions of unborn children, corrupt sexual behavior is rampant. The moral foundations of society are collapsing.

We, the bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, therefore proclaim anew to you, the flock entrusted to our care, the great and holy vision of marriage that is gloriously preserved and manifested in the doctrine, liturgy and canonical tradition of the Church. We do not make this proclamation in the name of an outdated conservatism or because we consider our present society intrinsically more corrupt than the past generations. We speak because we are concerned for the welfare and salvation both of you, the members of our flock, and of all men. We speak of “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes … concerning the word of life” (John 1:1). We speak because we know the Truth of the Gospel of Christ to be the eternal Truth, the one needful thing, the good portion (Luke 10:42) for all men, in all times and places.

Many Orthodox, non-Orthodox, and even non-Christians admire our beautiful Marriage Service. Our task is to show them the vision that this Service reveals, a vision of marriage as an icon of the Trinitarian life of God Himself, and to indicate the responsibility and commitment that this vision of marriage implies.

We therefore appeal to all of you who are responsible for the life of our parishes and for the future of our youth to make a common effort to provide appropriate guidance and help to all in matrimonial matters, both through your own personal examples of pure and upright lives and undefiled marriages and also through words of exhortation and explanation, “knowing how you ought to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6), and through programs of education.

From the Old Testament Scriptures we learn that God created man “in His own image,” “male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27), and, since that beginning, “a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24), Man and woman are mutually complementary, and this complementarity, expressed in their union and common activity, reflects the very image and likeness of God. This spiritual basis of marriage clearly transcends, without suppressing, the fleshly union of the bodies. Fleshly relations when separated from spiritual ones are depraved; they must be woven into the pure and total love between a man and a woman united in marriage.

In the New Testament Scripture, from the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, we learn that marriage is a unique and unbreakable union of husband and wife joined by God Himself: “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). The Marriage Service likewise makes it clear that the bridegroom and the bride are united not by themselves, but by God: “For by Thee is the husband joined unto the wife” (Marriage Service). For this reason the Orthodox Marriage Service is devoid of any oaths or marriage vows on the part of the couple. Their desire and freely given consent are certainly necessary for the marriage, for sacraments are not acts of magic that eliminate the need for human cooperation. Yet no vow or oath can possibly join a man and a woman together in the gracious and absolute way called for in Christian marriage. The true Christian marriage is effected by God Himself. In such a union, described by St. Paul as “a great mystery” (Ephesians 5:32), human love and desire for companionship become a love pervaded and sanctified by divine grace: water is transformed into the good wine, as it was at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. In a Christian marriage husband and wife manifest in their own lives the union between God and His beloved people; between Christ, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His Bride (Ephesians 5:32). God accompanies husband and wife, bringing them into a unity which will be revealed as perfect and eternal in His Kingdom, and filling their lives with the Holy Spirit so that selfishness and division may be overcome. He sanctifies and purifies their total relationship. According to the prayers of the Marriage Service, God communicates to those being joined in unity and love, faith and oneness of mind, holiness, purity and chastity, joy and glory, and the possibility for eternal life. He unites them in body and spirit, heart and mind.

Obviously, Christian marriage will never find its ultimate fulfillment and happiness in this world. Like all things in Christ, marriage too must pass through the cross, through temptation, suffering, trial and finally death, before coming to its ultimate consummation in the Resurrection and the Kingdom of God which will come in power at the end of the ages. All this Christian couples experience as they strive to realize in their own lives the great gift given to them by God in marriage: “Thou hast set upon their heads crowns of precious stones; they asked life of Thee, and Thou gavest it them” (Psalm 21, the Prokeimenon of the Marriage Service). For those who fight the good fight as good and faithful servants, the crowns become their eternal reward as witnesses to Christ and the wedding garments are transformed into robes of salvation and eternal glory.

Marriage is the most perfect realization of love between a man and a woman: two become one. Love unites in such a way that two lives become one life in perfect harmony. This love, sanctified by God, is the great source of the happiness which is sought in marriage, and in it lies a power that transforms both those who love and those who are loved. Because of this transforming power of love, all the difficulties and defects in family life can be overcome. True love never ceases, whether in this world or in the age to come. Faithfulness and confidence must reign in marriage, for there can be no deception in love. When husband and wife are united by love, they share a common life and help each other in everything they do, for their love for each other expresses itself in mutual help and support.

Such love implies a relationship in marriage which is total in character. Husband and wife must live not for purely individual gratification, but for each other, for such is the meaning of true love. Marriage must be offered to God continually and consciously, and it must always be rooted in the life and teachings of the Church. Husband and wife can achieve their final glorification in the age to come only by self-sacrifice for the sake of one another in this life unto the glory of God. Christian marriage is a specific application of one of Christ’s fundamental teachings: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 10:39).

The greatest miracle of this divinely sanctified love of marriage is the procreation of good, fair and holy children. In the image of God who brings forth life in love, the Christian marriage, a unity in love established by God, brings forth holy and good life (1 Cor. 7:14).

The perfect marriage can only be one, single and unique. The prototype of marriage, the unity between Christ and His Church, excludes multiple marriages: Christ has only one Church; the Church has no other Christ. Even death cannot break the bond of perfect love. Therefore, the Church does not advocate second or third marriages, even for widows or widowers; rather, they are tolerated as condescension to human frailty and weakness, while fourth marriages are totally forbidden.

The crowning which takes place in the Marriage Service reveals the bridegroom and the bride to be a new community in Christ. The husband is the head of this community, as God is the head of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3) and as Christ “is the head of the Church” (Ephesians 5:23). His headship is not a power over his wife and family, but a divinely-given responsibility, to be discharged after the image of Christ, the perfect man. “. . . a man approved of God among you” (Acts 2:22). His headship is a service of love and sacrifice. He is to nourish and cherish his wife and family “as Christ does the Church” (Ephesians 5:29). The wife is the helpmate of her husband, his beloved companion for life, his source of joy and wellbeing. In Eve, the mother of life, the fullness of life was revealed, for without her Adam was alone and had no companion fit for him (Genesis 2:18). As the bearer of life in the conception of children, the wife has an immediate concern for life and its quality. It is she who gives content to the life of her husband and family: purity, kindness, peace, gentleness and the concern for others. Her true adornment is “the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:4).

To live up to its high calling, the Christian family must be firmly established in the Faith. Husband and wife must strive to learn more about the Faith and to accept its teachings as the law of their life. It must become for them the authority, against which all else that they read, hear or see is tested and evaluated. It is especially important that the Christian family participate in the life of the Church; by praying at home, by coming to the church services, by participating in the sacraments, by observing the Church’s fasts and feasts and by keeping her traditions. It is also important that the Christian family participate in the general life of their parish and have as friends those distinguished by a firm personal faith and purity of life.

Each Christian must seek the advice and guidance of the pastors of the Church. Especially before entering into marriage, Orthodox men and women must contact their pastor, so that he might explain the true nature of marriage in the Church and help them better to understand all the demands of a truly spiritual and moral family life. Each family likewise must continue to live under the guidance and with the help of the Church and her pastors.

With the help of God all the difficulties and misfortunes which are inevitable in life will be overcome, because what is impossible for man is possible for God. With faith in God, the husband will be truly capable of leading the family in the way of salvation toward the Kingdom of God, loving his wife and his children more than himself. With the help of God, the wife will be capable of being a source of purity, holiness and love for the entire family. And the children born for God in such a family from the beginning will be brought up as Christians. Such a family will be a beautiful model and source of faith, goodness and kindness for all those around it.

The Christian ideal of marriage and family, manhood and womanhood, is incomparably more exalted, balanced and fulfilling than those broken, one-sided or totally erroneous ideologies of today’s world which reduce the meaning of human life to the satisfaction of sexual appetites, material security, or to other such limited functions and desires. In Christ man is revealed as son and friend of God. He is able to become a member of Christ in soul and body. In the Christian marriage, he is able to achieve an eternal, unique and total union in love.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: be true men and women. Be faithful to the Christian ideal of marriage and family. Let our Christian families be united in mutual love and concern. Husbands and wives: love each other; love your children. Children: respect your parents. “Submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21). “Mortify immorality, impurity, evil desire … on account of these the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5-6).

+ IRENEY
Archbishop of New York
Metropolitan of All America and Canada

+ SYLVESTER
Archbishop of Montreal and Canada
Temporary Administrator of the Church

+ JOHN
Archbishop of Chicago and Minneapolis

+ JOHN
Archbishop of San Francisco and Western United States

+ NIKON
Archbishop of Brooklyn

+ KIPRIAN
Archbishop of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania
Secretary of the Holy Synod

+ VALERIAN
Archbishop of Detroit and Michigan

+ THEODOSIUS
Bishop of Pittsburgh and West Virginia

+ DMITRI
Bishop of Hartford and New England

+ GREGORY
Bishop of Sitka and Alaska

+ JOASAPH
Bishop of Edmonton

+ HERMAN
Bishop of Wilkes-Barre

Additional Resources

Chapel of the Holy Spirit to Break Ground this Month

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Holy Trinity in Announcements, Chapel of the Holy Spirit, Uncategorized

Clergy and Chapel faithful gather in 2014 to plant a cross on the lot. Construction of the building will begin in June.

All are invited to join Fr. John and the faithful of the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in breaking ground at their new temple’s location on N. Kern St. in Beavertown this Sunday, June 28 at 12:30 p.m.

The ceremony follows the 10 a.m. Divine Liturgy at the MACC (67 Elm St., Beaver Springs) and continues with a light lunch reception a block away at Dn. David Smith’s home (350 Old Orchard Dr.), which served for many years as the community’s original meeting location.

Direct a Portion of Your Purchases to Holy Trinity

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Holy Trinity in Announcements, Missions

At no cost to you, Amazon will donate a percentage (0.5%) of every purchase you make to Holy Trinity or another charitable organization of your choice. To get started, click on the link below.

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/25-1892782

Schedule Your Home Blessing Online

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Holy Trinity in Announcements

Every year, the month of January is set aside for home blessings for the entire parish. Several morning, afternoon, and evening shifts on varying days of the week have been reserved by location to allow Father John to bless homes expeditiously.

In addition to using sign-up sheets located in the Narthex, this year you can request a house blessing online. Select a location below (ZIP Codes in parenthesis) to continue.

Eastern Centre County (16801, 16804, 16827, 16828, 16851) including Downtown State College, State College (S. Atherton), Boalsburg, Centre Hall, Houserville, Lemont, and Pine Grove Mills

Penn State Campus (16802)

Western Centre County (16803, 16868, 16870) including State College (N. Atherton), Park Forest, Pine Grove Mills, Port Matilda, and Stormstown

Northern Centre County (16823, 16853) including Bellefonte, Milesburg, and Zion

Snyder County (178xx)

All Other Locations

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Holy Trinity to Provide Full Scholarships for Retreat

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Holy Trinity in Announcements, Sunday School Scoop

As we have done in the past, middle school (grades 5-8) students are invited to participate in the St. Herman Middle School Retreat at the Antiochian Village in Ligonier. The retreat will be conducted December 12-14 (this will be the Jr. OYA activity for December) and we would like have all registrations by this Sunday, November 16.

As a reminder, the Sunday School will cover tuition costs for registrations received by that time along with the transportation to and from the retreat.

There is approximately 20% discount if we register by this Sunday so your cooperation in being timely is appreciated. The registration form can be downloaded here and may be submitted to Dn. Mark Oleynik, Director of Christian Education, either in person or through the “Contact Us” section of this website. (There is no need to complete the payment section of the form.

Download Registration Form

Parishioners Adopt Growth Budget for 2015

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Holy Trinity in Announcements

At the Annual Meeting today, parishioners unanimously voted to adopt a growth budget (10% year over year) for 2015 that funds expanded ministries and outreach operating out of three locations—Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in State College, a new parish and campus ministry center (Trinity House), and a new church building for the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in Beavertown.

For more information on the 2015 Budget and to view the 2014 Rector and Ministry Leader Reports, please download the 2014 Annual Report.

Study Group to Explore St. Paul’s Exhortative Epistle

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Holy Trinity in Adult Study Group, Announcements

Holy Trinity’s Adult Study Group returns this Fall, moving to alternating Thursdays beginning September 18. Fr. John will lead an examination of The Epistle to the Hebrews, High Priest in Heaven by Fr. Lawrence R. Farley.

Meant to feed both the heart and the mind, the study will be both devotional and exegetical, drawing from several patristic sources. Working from a literal translation of the original Greek, the commentary examines St. Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews section by section, explaining its meaning in everyday language.

Intended for those already Orthodox but open to all adults, this bimonthly educational opportunity resumes on September 18 at 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Books will be available to purchase or to borrow.

Introducing Trinity House

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Holy Trinity in Announcements, Trinity House

What’s in a Name?

When the parish authorized the purchase of 123 S. Sparks St., a new name became
necessary—we could not keep calling it the “American Cancer Society building” forever. Providentially at last night’s Council meeting, parish leadership endorsed a new vision for the building next door, and with this new vision, comes a new name.

Entitled Trinity House Parish and Campus Ministry Center—Trinity House for short—this new name provides a snapshot of the multiple uses envisioned on its three levels: Sunday School classes, administrative offices, meeting space, and a new home for Holy Trinity’s growing campus ministry. When completed in 2015, Trinity House will be only the second-known Orthodox campus ministry facility in the US.

Closing is expected around Thanksgiving. February is forecast as a possible opening date, allowing for needed refurbishing, painting, and new floor coverings.

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