Fr. Kevin has been at the parish since 2010. A native of Maryland, Fr. converted to Orthodoxy in 1994 and was ordained in 1999. From then until joining St. Elias he served St. Anthony’s in Butler, PA. Father teaches adult classes on biblical and theological topics all during the year. Courses have included a deep study on the life of Saint Elias, the Nicene Creed, the Divine Liturgy, and theosis.
During the recent COVID outbreak, Fr. has been making extensive use of video recording. Every day he posts "Readings and Reflections" based on the day's scripture readings, and every Sunday and Thursday night at 7:00 PM.he hosts a YouTube Live session to discuss biblical, liturgical and patristic issues. You can see Fr.'s videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCURfh_oNlnaoru5vksNmHYg/.
Father also enjoys assisting the parish in its numerous projects, like bread-baking, the making of Syrian delicacies, and the International Dinner, held each Sunday before Labor Day. Father also enjoys bicycling, guitar playing, woodworking, and computer programming... when he has the time.
New Castle is a typical Western-Pennsylvania community. It has a rich and diverse heritage with its share of triumphs and challenges. Orthodoxy is very much at home in this area, and since 1913, Saint Elias has been a vibrant part of the life of New Castle and the surrounding area.
St. Elias's people come from many different backgrounds. One hallmark of the community is a desire to gather for Liturgy and our other services.
Another is to serve our neighbors either through our many bake sales, bread-baking and through our festival; another way is through acts of charity through various agencies in the area, like the City Rescue Mission and Arise (the local shelter for victims of domestic abuse).
Yet another distinguishing feature of St. Elias's people is their deep spiritual life, which is seen in the desire to learn about the Bible and the Faith through activities like the classes that Fr. Kevin holds or other classes for kids and adults alike taught by members of the community; we are also very blessed to have an excellent women's monastery - the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration - just a few miles south in Ellwood City.
With the pandemic many of our in-person activities like the festival have been put on hold. But, like many communities of faith in the area, we are doing the best we can with the resources we have available - streaming our services and having online teaching sessions. Check out our calendar for more information.