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It’s Thursday morning and the choir is singing. Incense is burning and the chandeliers are aglow.

Welcome to Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church on East Main Street in Wilkes-Barre’s Miners Mills section, where about 30 people have gathered to commemorate a holy day — a day they reflect on the death of St. John the Baptist.

Years ago, parishioner Donna Stankiewicz said, some people used to observe a custom on Aug. 29 of avoiding round foods, not using a knife and not eating from a flat plate. Those activities were considered too painful a reminder of the biblical story about St. John’s execution, which says his head was cut off and placed on a platter.

While that dietary custom seems to have faded away, parishioners said, they cherish many traditions of greater importance as Holy Trinity prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary Sept. 13-15.

“I have the luxury to be flexible,” Paula Holoviak, of Sugarloaf, said after the morning service, explaining she arranged her class schedule at Kutztown University, where she teaches political science, to give her the freedom to attend Divine Liturgies during the week.

Singing with a small choir of Holy Trinity parishioners — their ranks swollen by members of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral who had joined them for the holy day — Holoviak led the singing in the absence of the regular choir leader, who did have to work Thursday morning.

“Receive the Body of Christ; taste the fountain of immortality,” Holoviak and the other singers intoned as the congregation lined up to receive communion — one at a time, on a spoon, with two individuals holding a cloth to catch any crumb that might fall, and with the priest holding out the chalice for each communicant to kiss it before he or she stepped away.

“That’s the centerpiece of our service,” said the Rev. Innocent Neal, who has been church pastor since October. “The body and blood of Christ, the living God. It deserves the greatest respect and honor.”

Long-time church members said they appreciate the connection to the divine that they find at Holy Trinity.

“(The service) puts you at ease. It’s very comforting,” said Pearl Tutko.

“It uplifts you when you have God in your heart,” said 84-year-old Marie Dutko, who came to the service with her husband, Vladimir, who turns 91 next month.

“When you come here, it’s like going to a doctor,” said William Gurka, 89. “You come here and you feel better.”

While the church offers guidelines, the Rev. Neal said, “We don’t want it to be about religiosity and obligations but a way of life that has deep meaning and deep effects. When the Lord says to be humble and to serve others and to love the world around us, that will have an imprint on your life and on those around you.”

The instructions are meant to benefit people rather than help God in some way, he added. “God’s OK. He doesn’t need our help.”

The Sept. 13-15 celebration will commemorate 50 years since Holy Trinity Orthodox Church was built in the late 1960s.

Gurka remembers early church members had been attending Holy Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre, but felt they needed more room.

“We have more than 10 acres here,” Gurka said, explaining the hilly location on East Main Street had plenty of room for the church and a parking lot.

That lot will no doubt fill this weekend as the anniversary celebration gets under way, starting at 6 p.m. Sept. 13 with Great Vespers and supplication hymns and prayers, known as Litya, for the Fore Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross.

On Sept. 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross, there will be a Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m. and Great Vespers at 6 p.m., followed by a fellowship reception.

On Sept. 15 a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will take place at 9 a.m. with His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon presiding, followed by a fellowship reception at 10:45 a.m. at the church, 401 East Main St., Wilkes-Bare. A grand anniversary banquet is planned for noon at the Holiday Inn Wilkes-Barre – East Mountain, 600 Wildflower Drive, Wilkes-Barre.

For more information, contact the Rev. Innocent Neal, 570-825-6540, or Deborah Mills, 570-822-5975.

The Rev. Innocent Neal preaches at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Wilkes-Barre, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary on the weekend of Sept. 13-15.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_holy1.jpg.optimal.jpgThe Rev. Innocent Neal preaches at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Wilkes-Barre, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary on the weekend of Sept. 13-15. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

Vladimir Dutko, soon to turn 91, kisses a relic at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church on Thursday, a holy day commemorating the death of St. John the Baptist. Friends said Dutko is the oldest man among Holy Trinity’s parishioners.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_holy2.jpg.optimal.jpgVladimir Dutko, soon to turn 91, kisses a relic at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church on Thursday, a holy day commemorating the death of St. John the Baptist. Friends said Dutko is the oldest man among Holy Trinity’s parishioners. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

Long-time church members William Gurka and Marie Dutko chat in the church foyer.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_holy3.jpg.optimal.jpgLong-time church members William Gurka and Marie Dutko chat in the church foyer. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

The pastor’s wife, Matushka Melanie Neal holds her 2-year-old son, Sebastian, at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church. The couple also have two older sons, Ephraim, 8, and Andrew, 4.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_holy5.jpg.optimal.jpgThe pastor’s wife, Matushka Melanie Neal holds her 2-year-old son, Sebastian, at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church. The couple also have two older sons, Ephraim, 8, and Andrew, 4. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

After the Thursday morning Divine Liturgy, long-time church member Marie Dutko was one of many in the congregation who came forward to kiss a cross held by church pastor the Rev. Innocent Neal.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_holy4.jpg.optimal.jpgAfter the Thursday morning Divine Liturgy, long-time church member Marie Dutko was one of many in the congregation who came forward to kiss a cross held by church pastor the Rev. Innocent Neal. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader
Celebration weekend will be Sept. 13-15

By Mary Therese Biebel

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Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT