The weekend of October 8-9, 2016 was “a glorious one” for Archpriest Bohdan Ostash and the faithful of Saint John the Baptist Church, Alpha, NJ as they celebrated their parish’s 100th anniversary.
His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and His Eminence, Archbishop Michael were present for the celebration of Great Vespers and Litiya and concelebrated the anniversary Divine Liturgy. Concelebrating with the hierarchs and Father Bohdan were Archpriests Sergius Kuharsky, James Mason and Daniel Ressetar. In addition to the presentation of Synodal gramoti to the parish and its Rector, Archbishop Michael presented gramoti to several faithful in recognition of their dedicated service to and ministry at Saint John parish. A festive banquet followed at the Almond Tree Manor Restaurant, Alpha, NJ, during which Metropolitan Tikhon encouraged the faithful of the parish to continue building upon the work of past generations in expanding the mission of Christ and His Holy Church.
The parish’s first Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Father Stephen Sipayda in a private home in Alpha in 1916, while the present church was built and consecrated the following year by the late Bishop Stephen [Dzubay] of Pittsburgh. Today, the parish is made up of faithful representing many diverse backgrounds, including descents of some of the founding members.
