Abandoned Pennsylvania church to become an Orthodox Monastery
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We're not talking about people from the southern state of Georgia being in
Pennsylvania (although chances are that there are some). What we are talking
about is a place for Orthodox Christians from the country of Georgia to call
their home. While the country of Georgia has over 80% of its population being
Orthodox, things in the US are a little different.
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A former Roman Catholic parish that fell into disuse after it was closed due to
finances in 2007, is now being made into an Orthodox monastery. While it is not
an actual parish church, the Orthodox faithful will still be able to attend
services there. The monastery will also serve as a religious center and will
cater to the needs of Orthodox Christians in the area of Hanover Township.
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This will undeniably make Georgians living in the area happy that there will be
a place for them to visit where they can reminisce about their days in the
Caucasus while building their new lives in America. There are an estimated 50
Georgian families in the area. According to the Georgian Patriarchate's website,
the name of the church building itself will be St. David the Builder.
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Having been evangelized by St. Andrew the Apostle in the early first century,
the country of Georgia has been Orthodox for nearly 2000 years and is headed by
Patriarch Ilia II. Recently, the Patriarch has been lauded for his effortsto
stop the decline in birth rate throughout the country. At the end of 2007, His
Holiness announced that he would personally baptize any child born to a family
that already had two children. The stipulation was that they had to be born
after he made the announcement. It was a tremendous success with the birth rate
increasing by nearly 20% in 2008.
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The entire property that Holy Rosary Catholic Church was on was sold for $65,000
and was neogitated by the St. George Foundation. May God grant the future monks
and priests of the monastery many years!�
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