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St. John Chrysostom Antiochian Orthodox Church - Home

Service Schedule

Saturdays
  • 6:00 pm - Great Vespers​
Sundays
  • 8:50 am - Orthros
  • 10:00 am - Divine Liturgy
Feast Day Liturgies
  • 6:00 pm - Preceding Evening
Confession

Upcoming Events

Weekly Church Bulletin
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News & Events

Teen SOYO helps "Off The Streets"
Saturday, July 13, 2024

On Saturday, July 13, members of our Teen SOYO volunteered, once again, with Off the Streets Lancaster. Off the Streets is a Lancaster-based organization which helps individuals and families move from homelessness and transitional housing into permanent housing and a secure living situation. Our teens regularly volunteer with this organization, helping them fulfill their mission. 

Ms. Mary and Dn. Jason along with Mary F., Michael F., Nadia G., and Bella G. spent the day moving furniture for a young family with two children. They helped load the trucks, deliver the items to the family’s new apartment, and unload the beds, couches, bureaus, and other household items. They also stayed on to help set up the furnishings, making beds, setting up furniture, and hanging things like shower curtains. 
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It is always a blessing to help Off the Streets with their amazing work and worthy cause. Learn more about Off the Streets and consider donating at their website (http://lancaster.offthestreetsnow.com/) or volunteer with the teens next time!

St. John at Parish Life Conference
Thursday June 27 - Saturday June 29, 2024

The annual Parish Life Conference was held at The Antiochian Village this past weekend, and many of St. John’s parishioners were honored to attend and even compete in the various competitions. 

The blessed long weekend started on Thursday, June 27 with a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Raphael which is located on the beautiful Antiochian Village property. On Thursday evening, our teens (and teens from all across the Archdiocese) took part in an Ask Abouna session which was followed by a teen service project on Friday. 

On Friday morning, our very own Michael F. participated in the Junior Division Oratorical Contest, and Friday night we cheered on our three Bible Bowl teams (preteen, teen, and adult) as they competed and tested their Biblical knowledge regarding the conference’s inspiration: St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. A huge congratulations to St. John’s adult team (Paul, Will, and Dan) for winning the Adult Bible Bowl Division!
Father Peter and Deacon Jason served vespers together for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul on Friday night, and Father Peter, Deacon Jason, and Subdeacon Michael participated in celebrating the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Saturday with His Grace Bishop THOMAS.
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As always, it was wonderful to gather with so many of the faithful for a weekend of worship, fellowship, and meetings discussing the faith and future of the Church. God willing we will return next year for another wonderful Parish Life Conference!

St. John's Block Party
Saturday, June 8, 2024

On Saturday, June 8, we opened our doors to the community for our second annual block party! We were very excited to welcome our neighbors for a day of celebrating the start of summer, enjoying good food, and participating in outdoor activities.
St. John's parishioners and neighbors enjoyed Stoney’s Burgers and Fries and Sarah’s Creamery food trucks, a juggling workshop conducted by St. John’s parishioner Ben, face painting, spin art, live animals, and a huge bounce house! 
Father Peter led two church tours for our visitors who learned about church architecture, history, and icons. Throughout the day there was also a Planet Run where the planet names were written out and proportionally spaced to see who could run the solar system fastest—one of our young parishioners won by beating Dn. Jason by a photo finish! And the afternoon was finished off with our annual cookie contest which was won by our very own Danielle for her delicious chocolate chip cookie!
​We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny day, the company of our parishioners and some of our neighbors, and this fantastic fellowship opportunity! A huge thank you to Daniel and Julie P. for their efforts in putting this fun day together, and we look forward to next year!

Teen SOYO Meets with Metropolitan SABA
Saturday June 1, 2024

On Saturday, June 1, our teens took the journey to Englewood, NJ for a special opportunity to meet, visit and speak with Metropolitan Saba. 
Joined by teens from nearby churches in the Dioceses of the East, our Teen SOYO was able to talk about some of the work they do at St. John’s and hear about what their fellow teens do in other parishes. Metropolitan Saba then shared stories of his journey from his teenage years in Syria to being elected Metropolitan of North America. After their time with the Metropolitan, the teens had a chance to ask questions, tour the archdiocese offices and chapel, and enjoy refreshments. 
It was a joy and blessing for the teens to have this opportunity and time with our Father in Christ, Metropolitan Saba and we look forward to, God willing, meeting with him again.

JOY Club St. John of the Ladder
Sunday April 14, 2024

On Sunday April 14th the Teen SOYO hosted a St. John of the Ladder event for the JOY Club! Guiding the younger kids in various activities and discussions, the Teen SOYO used four quotes from St. John of Sinai as inspiration. The quotes each covered a piece of St. John of the Ladder wisdom, including standing your ground courageously, discernment, peacefulness in the storms of life, and prayerful silence. 

Each of the four quotes was accompanied by a related activity led by the teens. For the first activity, the JOY played a variation of “Red Light Green Light” where they would fall down on “red light” and get back up on “green light”, teaching them to keep getting up after they sin and continue towards Christ. In the second activity, the kids were presented with a bowl filled with Skittles and 5 M&Ms. They were told to find the 5 M&Ms, looking for the good among a sea of distracting things.

The third activity took the kids outside where they sat underneath a parachute silently while the teens shook the parachute overhead, teaching them to be still and pray with the raging storm. And, finally, the fourth activity taught the kids about silence in prayer as they silently found their partner with the matching card to their own.
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Encouraging both cooperation and fellowship between the teens and younger children, the afternoon was filled with laughter, learning, and spiritual enrichment. Thank you so much to everyone who participated and to the teens for dedicating their time, knowledge, and talents!

Retreat & Open House
March 23-24, 2024

On Saturday, March 23, St. John’s was honored to welcome Dr. Michael Legaspi as speaker for our Spring Retreat! Entitled “By the Waters of Babylon: Returning to God from Our Lenten Exile”, the retreat day began with 3rd Hour prayers, after which attendees gathered for some coffee before the rest of the day began. Dr. Legaspi presented three sessions as well as a Q&A, all surrounding and diving into the Old Testament theme of exile and how it relates to our current Lenten journey.

The day concluded with the Q&A session, followed by Vespers.

Dr. Michael, a professor of Old Testament at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, along with his wife, were then able to join us again on Sunday for our open house event! 

During the open house, the St. John’s choir sang the lenten and Paschal hymns for guests and parishioners. Afterward, Dr. Michael spoke again, this time enlightening us with the topic “The Loving God of the Old Testament”. The open house continued with a church tour and a Q&A with Father Peter.
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​Thank you to all who attended our retreat and open house weekend, as well as everyone who helped with food and made Dr. Michael, his wife, and guests feel welcome in our wonderful community!

Sunday of Orthodoxy
Sunday, March 24, 2024

On the first Sunday of Lent, the orthodox faithful commemorate the restoration of icons in the church.  The clergy leads the faithful in a procession around the church.   For more information about the Sunday of Orthodoxy please click here.

Forgiveness Vespers
Sunday, March 17, 2024

Following Divine Liturgy and Coffee Hour on Sunday on March 17, the faithful of St. John's celebrated Forgiveness Vespers.  At the end of the service all the faithful approach the priest and one another asking for mutual forgiveness.   Over 100 people were in attendance!  Learn more about this beautiful Vespers Service here.

St. Johns Teens Attend Spring Retreat
​Friday, March 15-Sunday, March 17, 2024

This past weekend our St. John’s teens journeyed to the Antiochian Village to participate in an AV Spring Retreat! Joined by Teen SOYO advisors Miss Mary and Deacon Jason, and fellow teens from the Dioceses of New York, Washington, D.C. and Oakland, Charleston, and the Mid-Atlantic, our teens enjoyed a weekend of fellowship, challenge courses, services, and more!

Following Vespers on Friday evening there was an ice breaker activity where the teens made blankets for the resiliency project, and then celebrated Little Compline at 11:30pm.

Saturday started with Orthros and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with His Grace Bishop THOMAS, and then continued with a discussion with Reverend Father Joshua Burnett from Holy Cross who talked about why good and bad things happen, how God Loves Us, and how He is always with us.
 
The teens then did the challenge course at the Antiochian Village summer camp, learning about teamwork and other great life lessons! We concluded Saturday by celebrating Vespers which was followed by a teen serenade night and, again, the teens were able to celebrate Little Compline at the AV Camp Chapel at 11:30pm.

The weekend finished with Sunday morning Orthros and Divine Liturgy with V. Reverend Father Edward Hughs, and then everyone parted ways until the next retreat or AV camp this summer!

JOY Club Lent Preparation Event
Saturday, March 10, 2024

Following Divine Liturgy and Sunday School on March 10, the JOY Club gathered for a lesson and activities related to prayer. Part of their preparation for Lent, the students reviewed the Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim, considering the nature of prayer and learning that, at its simplest, prayer is communicating with God. 

Students then got the chance to create their own prayer bracelets and beeswax candles! Candles are an example of an offering (giving wax and wicks in exchange for light and warmth) and remind us that we desire the light and not darkness. In prayer, we ask God to illuminate our hearts while candles help illuminate our physical environment. 

The children learned to use their prayer bracelets, to practice the Jesus Prayer which helps us learn how to cry out to God for mercy. While we face many potential distractions when we pray, the Jesus Prayer helps us to bring the mind into the heart before God, so that we can be fully attentive to Him.  

A huge thank you to members of the Teen SOYO who helped the JOY Club make their prayer ropes and with candle dipping. It was a blessing for the younger children (and the JOY supervisors) to come together to grow in our faith alongside the teens.

Teen SOYO Great Lent Clean Up
Saturday, February 24, 2024

To help the St. John’s community prepare for the Great Lent season, the Teen SOYO jumped in and gave of their time and talents to clean the church! On Saturday, February 24, the teens took part in Clean Week which is often observed as a time to prepare both ourselves and our holy places for the Great Fast, Holy Week, and Pascha.

From the icons and icon stands to the Bishop’s throne, church furniture, windows, and floors the teens vacuumed, mopped, and wiped everything down while enjoying some fellowship.

Once the church was cleaned, the teens then attended Vespers after which they gathered for a movie night viewing of Rudy complete with pizza and popcorn. 

All in all, it was a wonderful evening!​

Teen SOYO Blanket Making
Saturday, February 3, 2024

​St. John’s Teen SOYO gathered on Saturday, Feb 3 to use their crafting skills to make blankets for those in need. K. Pam volunteered her time to show the teens how to prepare the blankets by cutting pieces of warm fleece to twin-size measurements. The edges are then cut and knotted giving them a wonderful finish!

Together the group made several blankets that will be donated to benefit Lebanon Rescue Mission. One of our teens has a grandfather who volunteers his time at the mission giving the teens a perfect project that allows them to reach out and help!

Joy Club
Sunday, January 28, 2024

​The JOY Club hosted a winter fun day, with friendly competition with games like bingo, Apples to Applies, "Bluebird" and others.  It was a wonderful afternoon together.

St. John Hosts Mini Oratorical Workshop
Saturday, January 20, 2024

​On Saturday, January 20th, St. John Chrysostom hosted the first ever mini-oratorical workshop! In preparation for the annual Parish Life Conference Oratorical Festival, our teens gathered for a workshop to learn more about the craft of writing a speech and best practices for delivering a winning oratorical.

At the Parish Life Conference teens compete in junior and senior divisions, speaking on the Conference’s main theme and chosen Bible verse. The idea for the mini-oratorical workshop was developed to give teens an informal and low-pressure forum to learn how to build an oratorical and practice without the stress of doing it on their own. 

For the workshop, we were joined by Cynthia Long, a professor of public speaking from Holy Family University, as well as Ambrose Bushelli, the 2022 Parish Life Conference and National Oratorical Winner, and Father Joel Gilliam from St. George in Upper Darby, PA. The sessions included discussions surrounding how to research and formulate a good speech, pointers on delivery, and exercises on projection, poise, and pace. 

Each attendee was given time to write their own mini oratorical speech and present it in front of judges who gave real-time feedback and encouragement! Participants in the workshop included some of our very own St. John Chrysostom teens, as well as two teens from St. Philip’s in Souderton. We were honored to welcome everyone for an afternoon of learning, and we pray for all 2024 Oratorical participants - God willing we may have some future oratorical winners!

Our New Metropolitan SABA (Esper)

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On February 22/23, 2023, the Holy Synod of Antioch, presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X, prayerfully elected Metropolitan SABA (Esper) as the new Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of North America.  May God grant His Eminence many years of fruitful service in the vineyard of North America!
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Read a Statement from Patriarch JOHN X
Read the Decision of the Holy Synod
Read Metropolitan SABA's Biography

St. John Chrysostom Antiochian Orthodox Church
1993 - 2023

On Sunday, January 8, 2023, His Grace Bp. THOMAS (Joseph), proistamenos the Very Rev. Father Peter Pier, along with the clergy and faithful gathered to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the parish of St. John Chrysostom, as well as the 30th anniversary of Fr. Peter's ordination to the priesthood.  Following a hierarchical divine liturgy, celebrated by His Grace Bp. THOMAS, approximately 190 clergy and faithful gathered in the parish hall to give thanks to God for all that he has accomplished over the past thirty years.  The hall was full of great joy and thanksgiving as Mr. James Clymer, Parish Council President, emceed the event.  Fr. Peter and Kh. Pam both shared memories of the early days of the parish with both humor and tenderness.  Sayidna THOMAS commended all those who have lovingly labored to build the parish to what it is today, through the prayers and inspiration of His Grace Bp. ANTOUN of blessed memory, and called all present to view the spiritual success of the first thirty years as a foundation for all that is to come through the grace of the Holy Spirit.  

Special thanks goes to Leslie Atherholt, who organized the  celebration and catering by Mission BBQ of York, along with the many volunteers who helped with set up, serving, and clean up. ​Joining us for the celebration was the Rev. Economos Andrew Tsikitas, Presbytera Katherine Tsikitas, Rev. Deacon Tom & Jan Shelley of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation of York, Pennsylvania. 
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Click here to read more and to see photos

Daily Readings

Location & Directions

2397 N. Sherman St. / York, Pennsylvania / 17406
Mark your calendars! 
​VCS is coming to you this summer Sunday, August 4 following Divine Liturgy and continues Monday - Thursday evenings from 6-8:30pm.   Click Here for More Information
2024 VCS Registration Form
Ancient Faith Radio began a new ministry last year called Ancient Faith Kids. They are having a fun content. See below for more information. If you've never checked out their content, see it here- (314) Ancient Faith Kids - YouTube
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Rules for the 2024 Ancient Faith Kids Drawing and Singing Contest:
For drawings: Drawings should be from either the “Drawing Furry Friends” series or from “Discovering God Through Nature and Art.” Drawings should be based on one of the episodes that is available now for viewing.
For songs: Send videos (with sound!) or audio files of your children singing one of the many songs from the “Rocko’s Music Factory” video series. Please limit the length of the video/audio files to two minutes.

Send all submissions to [email protected]

St. John Chrysostom Antiochian Orthodox Church

2397 N. Sherman St., York, Pennsylvania 17406
[email protected] / 717-515-2156