about us
ABOUT US
Saint John’s Orthodox Church is a community of Orthodox Christians located in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. Both lifelong Orthodox Christians and persons who have chosen to join the Orthodox Church make up the congregation. Our members live throughout Mercer County and other neighboring areas of Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The Orthodox Church is a direct continuation of the original Church founded by Christ and the Apostles. Today, the Orthodox Church is an international communion of churches, with communities across the globe. Our parish, founded in 1938, is linked to worldwide Orthodoxy by being part of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese (link to acrod.org) of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
As Orthodox Christians, we believe that we are called to take seriously our role as members of the “Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27). We strive to involve our faith in Jesus Christ in every part of our life through the Church’s sacraments, liturgical worship, personal prayer, stewardship of our time and resources, and more. As a parish, we support charitable efforts and missionary endeavors, both locally and around the world. We build relationships with one another through fellowship, social activities, and educational opportunities.
To learn more about the Orthodox Faith, visit the Orthodox Reading Room (link to https://www.acrod.org/readingroom/) on our Diocesan website.
Our worship on Sundays and other days gives us a taste of the Kingdom of God. We invite you to join us on Sundays at 9:00 AM and for our other services and events. Please check our most recent bulletin and calendar for a full schedule.
Reverend Father David Mastroberte
Father David Mastroberte is the presiding priest of Saint John’s. Both he and his wife, Pani Vikkie, grew up in the Poconos, at the far eastern end of Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania. (They met at church—yes, that still happens.) As God’s Providence would have it, they now live in and serve this great community on the opposite side of the state—as far west as you can get on Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania. They were married in 2008 and have three children.
After graduating from Keuka College in 2006, Fr. David worked for a large Orthodox parish in Columbia, South Carolina for two years. In 2009, Fr. David and Pani Vikkie moved to Johnstown, PA so he could pursue priestly formation at Christ the Saviour Seminary. He was ordained to the Diaconate in 2010 by the late Metropolitan Nicholas (Smisko) and served as a deacon at Christ the Saviour Cathedral until his priestly ordination. Fr. David was ordained to the Priesthood in August 2011 by Archbishop Antony (Scharba) and began his assignment at Saint John’s in September 2011.
Fr. David is always open to meeting and talking with our members, guests, and inquirers.
Reverend Deacon John Anderson
Deacon John Anderson was ordained to the Diaconate by the late Metropolitan Nicholas (Smisko) on Bright Friday 2009. He assists at our services and in various ministry roles in the parish.