About Our Parish
Welcome to Saint John The Baptist Orthodox Church. We are proudly celebrating 100 years in 2022!
We are a parish of the Orthodox Christian Faith which was established on the day of Holy Pentecost in the Year 33 AD. Our parish community is a member of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the U.S.A., whose presiding bishop is His Eminence, Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa. The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese is an Autonomous Diocese under the spiritual protection of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople of which His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the Primate.
While the founding members of our parish community emigrated from the Carpatho-Rusyn region of present day Slovakia, Poland, and Western Ukraine, our present ethnic composition is mixed. Although a large percentage of the parish is of Carpatho-Rusyn descent, there are also people of Italian, Polish, German, English, Irish, Ukrainian and other ethnic backgrounds. Our parish community has been in existence for over ninety yearsin the City of Ambridge. Our community has been worshiping in its present location on Glenwood Drive for over 65 years.
Our parish community holds firmly to the traditions and beliefs of our Holy Orthodox Christian Faith as passed down to us from our forefathers. We are a small, but growing, active family-oriented parish with approximately 75 parishioners. Building on the strong foundation of faith instilled in us by our ancestors, we are committed to sharing the Holy Orthodox Christian Faith we love so dearly, with all who seek it. We welcome you to our parish web site and hope you enjoy your on-line visit. We cordially invite you to personally visit our parish when you are in the Ambridge area.
Parish Life
Spiritual Life:
Sunday Divine Liturgy: 9:30 AM
Confessions: 9:00am - 9:20am (before Liturgy) and Upon Request
Weekday Services: As indicated on monthly calendar & Weekly Bulletin
EMERGENCY SICK CALLS can be made anytime. Please notify your Pastor when someone is taken to the hospital; Sacred Scriptures remind us to call the presbyter to anoint the sick.
MARRIAGES are celebrated on Saturdays and Sundays. Consult the Pastor at least 6 months in advance and before wedding reception plans have been made. Marriages cannot be celebrated during Lent or Advent, or on Fridays.
BAPTISMS are scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays. Two God-parents are required; at least one of whom must be an Orthodox Christian by Faith, and the other a practicing Christian. An infant’s first or middle name must be a saint’s name.
CHURCH FUNERALS are provided for parishioners who are current in their spiritual and financial obligations to the Parish. Otherwise, burial is from the funeral home. The Church does not permit cremation.
Religious Education:
Weekly Children's Church School - First and Third Sundays following Divine Liturgy
Monthly Adult Education Seminars - Second Sunday Following Divine Liturgy
Youth Ministry:
Youth Activities
Service Projects
Retreats
Fellowship - Social Activities:
Weekly Fellowship/Coffee Hour Following Sunday Divine Liturgy
Seasonal Social Activities
Family Picnics, Dinners
Parish History (click here)