Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral here was the site of the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Orthodox Church in America’s Archdiocese of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania November 11-12, 2016.
The celebration opened with Great Vespers on Friday evening. On Saturday, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, presided at the celebration of the centennial Divine Liturgy. Concelebrating were His Eminence, Archbishop Melchisedek of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania; His Eminence, Archbishop Michael of New York and New Jersey; His Grace, Bishop Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America; His Grace, Bishop David of Sitka and Alaska; Priest Joshua Makaul, who represented His Grace, Bishop Thomas of the Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of Charleston, Oakland and the Mid-Atlantic; Priest John Touloumes of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, McCandless Township, PA; Archpriest John Jillions, OCA Chancellor; Archpriest Michael Senyo, cathedral Dean; and numerous priests and deacons. Also in attendance were His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius, Former Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada and a former Bishop of Pittsburgh, and His Eminence, Metropolitan Savas of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh. Among the invited guests present were Metropolitan William Skurla of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, Bishop James Hobby of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, Bishop Kurt Kusserow of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Rev. Liddy Barlow, Executive Minister of the Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania.
A festive banquet followed at Holy Trinity Center, McCandless Township, PA.
Chairing the Centennial Committee was Deacon Alexander Cadman, who was assisted by Archpriest William Evansky, Chancellor; Father Michael Senyo; Deacon Seraphim Truckley; Dr. John Schultz, Rebecca Danchenko and Danielle Ilchuk.
Established in 1916 in part as a missionary outreach to the substantial number of immigrants from central Europe who had been attracted to the region with the promise of work in Pennsylvania’s mines, mills, railroads and farms, the archdiocese had as its first hierarch His Grace, Bishop Stephen [Dzubay]. It was in Pittsburgh that the Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs—known today as the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America—was born in 1927. Since that time, the archdiocese has grown exponentially and today ministers to faithful of many different backgrounds in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and southeastern Ohio. Archbishop Melchisedek has served as the archdiocese’s ruling bishop since his installation in June 2009.
