Antiochian Village
The Antiochian Village is a center for Orthodox activities in Bolivar, Pennsylvania, situated upon 380 acres of land in the beautiful Laurel Highlands. Founded in 1978, it is under the jurisdiction of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and consists of both a conference center and a camp.
Click here to see upcoming events at Antiochian Village.
Antiochian Village Camp
The Antiochian Village Camp exists to provide its campers with a living experience of the Orthodox faith in an uncluttered, natural environment. Since its dedication in 1979, Antiochian Village Camp has grown into a vibrant center of activity with programs that span every season of the year.
Summer Camp consists of four two-week sessions held from June to August. Approximately one thousand campers between the ages of nine and seventeen, as well as sixty staff, attend the camp in summer. Summer campers attend daily services in the St. Ignatius Church (which houses the relics of St. Raphael of Brooklyn), take Christian education classes, participate in a challenge course, enjoy afternoon sports and activities, and take an overnight camping trip. Winter Camp is for older campers (twelve to seventeen years old) who enroll in one of two four-day sessions scheduled during long weekend school breaks. Though shorter, Winter Camp is structured similarly to Summer Camp, with outdoor activities involving winter sports such as snow tubing. Other programs at Antiochian Village camp include: Family Camp, a weekend for families to relax, pray, and learn together; Villedge Adventures, a challenging week-long adventure trip for older campers; and Sacred Arts Camp, a program which allows high school students to learn iconography and Byzantine Chant. To learn more about programs and schedules, inquire about employment, or to contact Antiochian Village Camp staff, please visit the Antiochian Village Camp web site.
Antiochian Village Heritage and Learning Center
The Antiochian Village Heritage and Learning Center is a conference facility. With 10,000 guests passing through each year, the center serves a variety of needs—all aimed at education, spiritual growth, and fellowship. Among its many functions, it is a gathering place for clergy and lay groups, and also host to various organized events open to the public. Its ample accommodations, menus, and amenities are also equipped for private events such as weddings, showers, reunions, banquets, and parties. The Ss. Peter and Paul Chapel, outdoor shrines to patron saints, and an outdoor meditation trail, mark the grounds as a place set apart from ordinary life and devoted to prayer. Visitors may also take advantage of the Antiochian Village Heritage Museum and Heritage Library, both rich educational resources devoted to the preservation of the history of the Eastern Christian Church, with special emphasis on its roots in and around Antioch (Syria). For more information, a current schedule of events, or to contact the Antiochian Village Heritage and Learning Center staff, please visit the Center's web site.
Register for Winter Camp at Antiochian Village
The days are becoming chilly at the Village and the nights are downright cold. That can only mean one thing - Winter Camp must be around the corner. We have two sessions of Winter Camp planned for young people in grades 7 through 12 on the observances of Martin Luther King Jr. weekend (Jan. 15-18) and Presidents weekend (Feb. 12-15). There are two ways to register: online or mail-in paper forms. If you register online, you will need to download and mail the Medical and Snow-tubing forms. We are also accepting Winter Camp Staff applications. Our tentative theme for both sessions of Winter Camp is "The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make." Don't wait another day, register today! Check back soon for more details and visit our Winter Camp page for additional information.
A First: The Convent of Saint Thekla Celebrates the Feast of Saint Thekla
After Sunday Liturgy, His Grace Bishop JOSEPH with Father Anthony Yazge, Mother Alexandra, Mother Miriamne and Father George AlbertsOn September 24, 2009, His Grace Bishop THOMAS, led the Convent and many clergy, present at the Village for a clergy retreat, in celebration of Festal Vespers the evening prior, and Orthos and Divine Liturgy on the Feast at the Saint Peter and Paul Chapel. His Grace was also able to be with us for the beginning of Pilgrimage. We thank him for presiding at the Liturgy and for being with us. Many years, Master!
During the September 25-27 weekend, the Convent celebrated the Saint Thekla Pilgrimage. His Grace, Bishop JOSEPH, arrived on Friday for the Pilgrimage celebration which included daily Vespers, Orthros, and Divine Liturgy. We thank all of the clergy and chanters who served. After the Liturgy on Saturday morning, all processed to the Shrine of Saint Thekla where His Grace led us in a Supplication Service to Saint Thekla. Later in the day, His Grace presided at an Unction Service. Over the course of the Pilgrimage, His Grace presented three spiritually uplifting homilies on our theme, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” and led an “Ask Sayedna” panel.
Orthodox Christian Laity Annual Meeting at Antiochian Village
Listen to an interview with OCL director George Matsoukas on Ancient Faith Radio.
Amidst an unprecedented focus of attention and activity on Orthodox Unity, Orthodox Christian Laity invites all Orthodox and interested observers to attend its 22nd Annual conference to be held at the Antiochian Village in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, October 29-31, 2009.
“At no time in recent history has there been such attention focused on the quest for Orthodox unity both in America and world-wide,” declared Peter Petkas, OCL president.
“These developments provide OCL, a long-time advocate of Orthodox unity, and all concerned Orthodox with a historical opportunity to help chart the way toward this vital goal. Our annual meeting is a timely vehicle for both dialogue and action leading to Orthodox unity.”
Petkas explained that the program includes seven panels comprised of devout and informed Orthodox who will discuss a range of topics connected to the realization of Orthodox unity in America. He said these discussions will include (a) the process for achieving Orthodox unity in North America and other non-traditional Orthodox areas that was adopted at the recent Pan-Orthodox meeting held in Chambesy, Switzerland and (b) the impact that the exclusion of representation by the Church in North America in that meeting, and in future pre-conciliar meetings, will have on the relevance of those decisions to the Orthodox faithful in North America. His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah, newly installed primate of the Orthodox Church in America, will deliver the keynote address. His Eminence Archbishop Nathaniel and His Grace Bishop Thomas will also participate in the meeting.
Registration Begins for OCF College Conference 2009 on September 20th
Fishers, IN – September 16, 2009
Registration for 2009 College Conference opens Sunday, September 20th and runs through December 1st. “Building Community” (II Corinthians 13:14) is the chosen theme for this year’s conference. Identical conferences will run simultaneously from December 27-31 in two locations: the Antiochian Village in Bolivar, Pennsylvania and the Diakonia Center in Salem, South Carolina.
OCF is honored this year to announce that His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah will be the keynote speaker at the Antiochian Village. Additionally, The Very Reverend Father Jon Braun will be delivering the keynote addresses at the Diakonia Center.
Registration is $325 for students and $375 for alumni. Included in the registration fee are transformative keynote addresses and inspiring workshops, social events, a dinner/dance, memories and friendships that will last a lifetime as well as lodging and meals.
Space is limited so register early. Some scholarships are available. Please visit www.ocf.net or call 1-800-919-1623 for more information.
For additional information contact:
Kelli Phillips
Program Director,
Orthodox Christian Fellowship
kelli@ocf.net
www.ocf.net
Audio Available of Antiochian Village's Presentation at Archdiocese Convention
Click here to listen to the presentation from Antiochian Village Director Mr. Paul Finley and Chair Mr. Robert Laham at the general assembly of the 2009 Archdiocese Convention.
More audio from the 2009 Convention is available from Ancient Faith Radio.
Antiochian Village News Archive