On Sunday, July 30, St. Basil the Great Church in Belle Vernon, PA celebrated the 40th anniversary of its founding. With the blessing of Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, His Eminence, Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) arrived to celebrate Divine Liturgy.

St. Basil the Great parish was officially begun by Archpriest Stephan Romanchak in July 1983, with the blessing of our then-Bishop Hilarion of Manhattan (later Metropolitan and First Hierarch) of blessed memory.

Concelebrating with Metropolitan Jonah that Sunday were:

• Archpriest John Sorochka (dean of Pennsylvania)
• Archpriest Stephan P. Romanchak (cleric of St. Andrew Stratelates Cathedral in St. Petersburg, FL)
• Archpriest Dimitri Ermakov (rector of Holy Dormition Church in McKeesport, PA)
• Abbot German (Ciuba; cleric of Nativity of Christ Church in Youngstown, OH)
• Archpriest Andrei Alexiev (rector of St. John the Baptist OCA Church in Blairsville, PA)
• Priest Joseph Romanchak (parish rector)
• Protodeacon Andrei Garine
• Deacon Nathaniel Sorochka (cleric of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Mayfield, PA)
• Deacon Dimitri Krenitsky (cleric of St. John the Baptist Cathedral), and
• Deacon Stephan S. Romanchak (cleric of St. Andrew Stratelates Cathedral)

During the Hours, Elijah Romanchak was awarded the right to wear the orarion for his devotion to the Church and service in the holy altar.

At the Little Entrance, Fr. Joseph was awarded the right to wear the nabedrennik.

The Liturgy was sung beautifully by a combined choir consisting of parish choir members and visiting singers from St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Mayfield and Holy Dormition Church in McKeesport.

Metropolitan Jonah delivered a sermon underscoring the Christian values which must be taken out into the world, especially Christian love. He spoke of our obligation to build the Church and continue to work in the Lord’s Vineyard, attracting more laborers to the harvest.

After Liturgy, a banquet was held, during which a short history of the parish was given by parish warden David Beard. During this speech, he thanked Fr. Stephan P. Romanchak for his hard work and dedication 40 years ago and standing up for traditional Orthodoxy in Southwestern Pennsylvania. He noted that, without this dedication to tradition, St. Basil’s would not be here today.

Metropolitan Jonah was presented with an icon of St. Basil the Great and a lampada. It was asked that he hang the icon and lampada in his monastery church and to keep the parish and its faithful in his prayers.

Fr. John Sorochka presented two beautiful crosses to the parish to be used for the glory of God.