Parish Administration
His Eminence, Most Rev. Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa, Diocesan Hierarch
Phone: (814) 539-9143
Email Metropolitan Gregory
His Eminence, Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa, is the spirtual leader of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, which maintains offices at 312 Garfield Street, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 15906.
His Eminence, Metropolitan Gregory was consecrated as Bishop and enthroned as the Ruling Hierarch of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA on November 27, 2012. On August 29, 2018, Metropolitan Gregory was elevated to the rank of Titular Metropolitan of Nyssa by the Holy and Sacred Synod of tyhe Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
His Eminence celebrates his Name's Day (St. Gregory Palamas) on November 14/27.
Under His Eminence's care is our Diocesan Christ the Saviour Seminary, also in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, which trains future priests and deacons of our Diocese. In addition, the Diocese maintains Camp Nazareth Youth and Retreat Center in Mercer, Pennsylvania.
Metropolitan Gregory also serves as Episcopal Liaison to the Orthodox Christian Fellowship and Chairman of Committee for Agencies and Endorsed Organizations of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America.
Rev. Fr. George Ellis, Presiding Priest
Phone: (412) 228-9105
Glory Be to Jesus Christ! Slava Isu Christu!
Hello, and welcome!
My name is Fr. George, and it is a true blessing and joy to now be serving as the priest of St. Mary’s Church in Painted Post. Although I am new to serving here, I am certainly no stranger to the Corning and Southern Tier area.
I was born and raised in the Binghamton area, and St. Michael’s Orthodox Church in Binghamton has always been my home parish. Growing up, I visited St. Mary’s in Corning many times with my family. I have fond memories of coming to the church when it was located up on the mountain on Sunset Drive. Over the years, I continued to visit St. Mary’s, particularly for Lenten services, and I was blessed to be present for the consecration of the church at its current location.
It is therefore especially meaningful for me to return to this area and now have the opportunity to serve this parish and the surrounding community.
My journey to the priesthood has taken me through several wonderful chapters. I graduated from Union-Endicott High School in 2004 and earned my bachelor’s degree in communications from SUNY Oneonta in 2010. I went on to graduate from Christ the Saviour Seminary in 2015.
It was also during my time serving on staff at Camp Nazareth that I met my wife, Pani Sarah. We were married in September 2016, and I was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in February 2017.
Since then, Pani Sarah and I have been blessed to serve three wonderful parishes. Our first assignment was at St. Mary’s Church in Morgantown, West Virginia, where we served for approximately four years. In 2021, we were assigned to St. Mary’s Church in Cheektowaga, New York, where we served for about five years.
Now, God has brought us to St. Mary’s Church here in Painted Post, and we are deeply grateful. We feel very much at home in the Painted Post and Corning area and are thankful for the warm welcome we have already received. It is a beautiful place to live, and we are blessed to have such a beautiful church and, most importantly, a wonderful parish family.
As we begin this new chapter together, Pani Sarah and I look forward to getting to know each of you, sharing in the life of the parish, and growing together in our love for Christ and His Church. We pray that God will bless our parish, strengthen our community, and allow us to serve here for many years to come.
If you are Orthodox, we invite you to come and worship with us. If you are new to Orthodoxy or simply curious about the Orthodox Christian faith, we warmly invite you as well. Come, meet us, experience the beauty of Orthodox worship, and discover the richness of the faith that has been handed down to us through the centuries.
We would be blessed to welcome you to St. Mary’s.
Christ is in our midst!