Holy Cross Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2026-02-08
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Holy Cross Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • 724-346-9937
  • Street Address:

  • 950 Maple Dr

  • Hermitage, PA 16148-2333


Contact Information








Services Schedule

Wednesdays: Daily Vespers 6 pm; Bible Study after

Saturdays: Great Vespers 4 pm; Confessions heard after

Sundays: Matins 9 am, Divine Liturgy 10 am

 


Past Bulletins


Sunday February 15th - Prodigal Son

     



Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Second Tone

When Thou didst descend unto death, O Life Immortal, then didst Thou slay Hades with the lightning of Thy Divinity. And when Thou didst also raise the dead out of the nethermost depths, all the powers in the Heavens cried out: O Life-giver, Christ our God, glory be to Thee.

Apolytikion for Afterfeast of the Presentation in the First Tone

Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, O Virgin Theotokos, for from thee hath risen the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, enlightening those in darkness. Rejoice, thou also, O righteous Elder, as thou receivest in thine arms the Redeemer of our souls, Who also granteth unto us the Resurrection.

Seasonal Kontakion in the First Tone

Your birth sanctified a Virgin's womb and properly blessed the hands of Symeon. Having now come and saved us O Christ our God, give peace to Your commonwealth in troubled times and strengthen those in authority, whom You love, as only the loving One.


Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Second Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Mark 16:1-8

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back - it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, He is not here; see the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, as He told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.


Epistle Reading

Sunday of the Prodigal Son
The Reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 6:12-20

Brethren, "all things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food" -- and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two shall become one flesh." But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body and in your spirit which belong to God.


Gospel Reading

Sunday of the Prodigal Son
The Reading is from Luke 15:11-32

The Lord said this parable: "There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his belly with the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to make merry. Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.' But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, 'Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!' And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"




Wisdom of the Fathers

Thank God every day with your whole heart for having given to you life according to His image and likeness - an intelligently free and immortal life...Thank Him also for again daily bestowing life upon you, who have fallen an innumerable multitude of times, by your own free will, through sins, from life unto death, and that He does so as soon as you only say from your whole heart: 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee!' (Luke 15:18).
St. John of Kronstadt
My Life in Christ: Part 1; Holy Trinity Monastery pgs. 104-105, 19th century

But if he had despaired of his life, and, ... had remained in the foreign land, he would not have obtained what he did obtain, but would have been consumed with hunger, and so have undergone the most pitiable death: ...
St. John Chrysostom
AN EXHORTATION TO THEODORE AFTER HIS FALL, 4th Century



Saints and Feasts

February 08

Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Through the parable of today's Gospel, our Saviour has set forth three things for us: the condition of the sinner, the rule of repentance, and the greatness of God's compassion. The divine Fathers have put this reading the week after the parable of the Publican and Pharisee so that, seeing in the person of the Prodigal Son our own wretched condition -- inasmuch as we are sunken in sin, far from God and His Mysteries -- we might at last come to our senses and make haste to return to Him by repentance during these holy days of the Fast.

Furthermore, those who have wrought many great iniquities, and have persisted in them for a long time, oftentimes fall into despair, thinking that there can no longer be any forgiveness for them; and so being without hope, they fall every day into the same and even worse iniquities. Therefore, the divine Fathers, that they might root out the passion of despair from the hearts of such people, and rouse them to the deeds of virtue, have set the present parable at the forecourts of the Fast, to show them the surpassing goodness of God's compassion, and to teach them that there is no sin -- no matter how great it may be -- that can overcome at any time His love for man.




Announcements

ROEA Clergy Conference - Pastoral Emergencies

Father Spyridon will be out of town for the annual ROEA Clergy Conference in Phoenix, Monday, Feb 8th, through Friday, Feb 13th. Feel free to reach out to Father Spyridon with normal business and pastoral questions and concerns. For any and all emergencies, please contact Fr. David Mastroberte at 724-813-3172. 


Reception of Converts

We thank God for the people He continues to draw towards Himself and for entrusting our parish community with the reception of new people into His Holy Church. 

We will be receiving a multitude of catechumens into the Holy Orthodox Church on Feb. 22nd. 

We will begin the Holy Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation at 9am. 


Baptism & Chrismation Prep

Next Sunday, following the Divine Liturgy, our Orthodoxy 101 class will be focused on the rites of Baptism and Chrismation. We will have a dry run of the service to prepare everyone. All catechumens being recived into the Church, please be here if at all possible. The sponsors are not required to be at the dry run, but will likely find it very helpful to attend. If you are being recived by Chrismation and have not yet done so, please schedule your life confession with Fr. Spyridon. 


Choir Rehersals

We will have weekly choir rehearsals every Thursday at 6 pm. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come to the rehearsals 


Bible Study and St. Emmeliea

Bible Study and St. Emmeliea are back!

Bible Study every Wednesday at 6 pm. We are starting the book of Jonah. 

St. Emmeliea 7 pm on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Please see Psa. Sarah, for additional information. 

No St. Emmeliea is this Tuesday, Feb. 10th! 

No Bible Study on February 11th.


Clean Week Schedule - Feb. 23-28

Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday 6pm

Great Compline with Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

Wednesday 6pm

Presactified Liturgy of St. Gregory Pope of Rome

Friday 10am 

Presactified Liturgy of St. Gregory Pope of Rome

Saturday 10am 

Commemoration of St. Theodore Tyro & the Miracle of Coliva

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrystom with general Parastas to follow.

Please bring lists of the departed to be prayed for. 

 




Parish Calendar

  • Calendar

    February 8 to February 22, 2026

    Sunday, February 8

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy

    11:30AM Parish Synod

    Thursday, February 12

    6:00PM Choir Rehearsal

    Saturday, February 14

    9:00AM Monastery Divine Liturgy

    4:00PM Great Vespers

    Sunday, February 15

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy

    12:00PM Orthodoxy 101

    Wednesday, February 18

    6:00PM Bible Study

    Thursday, February 19

    6:00PM Choir Rehearsal

    Saturday, February 21

    4:00PM Great Vespers

    Sunday, February 22

    9:00AM Reception of Converts

    10:00AM Divine Liturgy



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