To the members of Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church of Lyndora, Fr. Paisius writes:
"Greetings to all the faithful of Sts. Peter and Paul
Ukrainian Orthodox Church. My name is Father Paisius McGrath and I
would like to offer a few thoughts about myself as a way of introducing
myself to all of you. As you know, I've been assigned to serve as your
pastor beginning December 1st of this year, and so I offer these
reflections as an brief introduction until such time as more of that can be done in person.
I was born on
October 27, 1966 in Charlottesville, Virginia to William and
Lucinda McGrath and come from a large family with 4 brothers, 3 sisters,
and 28 nephews and nieces. I was born and raised in the Mennonite
tradition which has its roots in the Anabaptist religious tradition
begun during the Reformation in the 16th century. My father, who
converted to the Mennonite faith before he met and married my mother,
has been a minister in the Mennonite Church for over 50 years, and now
is retired and living in Ireland. My mother, may her memory be eternal,
passed from this
life after a lengthy bout from cancer in 1989.
My growing up years were spent in many different
places as my parents were Mennonite missionaries in Costa Rica in
Central America for five years and then our family returned to the US
and after 6 months living in Florida while caring for my paternal
grandmother in her final illness, we moved to near Canton, Ohio where I
would spend most of the next 18 years. I attended Mennonite schools in
Ohio and then Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
After college, I spend the next 6 years teaching
social studies and history at various Mennonite and Baptist high schools
in Ohio and Virginia. In 1990, I decided to make a career change and
started to work at the University of Virginia where I would work in
several capacities both before and after studying at St. Sophia's
Ukrainian Orthodox Seminary in NJ, from which I graduated in 2004.
In the late 1980's, I began a spiritual journey that led me from the Mennonite Church to the Holy Eastern Orthodox Church. This began as a search for a deeper understanding of the faith of the Mennonite tradition, but God led me to begin studying the Church Fathers and this led to learning about the Orthodox Faith. It was in experiencing the worship of the Orthodox faith and especially in the close awareness of the presence of God in the Divine Liturgy that ultimately led me to make this faith my own. I was baptized into Holy Orthodoxy at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 24, 1999; and transferred to St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Mission in the same city in November of 2001. Through a serious of different events, I answered the call of God to prepare for service in the Church and began my seminary studies in the fall of 2002 and finished in June 2004.
Soon after
arriving at St. Nicholas and just prior to my beginning seminary studies, I was ordained to the subdiaconate and served in that capacity back at St. Nicholas when I finished seminary. On Lazarus Saturday, 2005; I was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Archbishop Antony and continued to serve at St. Nicholas in that capacity until December 2005 when I was assigned to work at the Eastern Orthodox Foundation and to serve as deacon with Father George Hnatko at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Dixonville, Pa. and Holy Ascension Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Nanty Glo, Pa. Finally, by the grace of God and at the hands of Metropolitan Constantine, I was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on Saturday, October 28, 2006 at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Carnegie, Pa.
If one was to ask what my favoite activities are, the anwer would be several including reading, writing, working with people. I've published different
books on various of the Church Fathers, which resulted from my own studies that were a part of my spiritual path to Holy Orthodoxy. I've also written numerous articles for our Ukrainian Orthodox Word and would probably say that writing is one one of my favorite things to do.
But at the same time I also have always enjoyed being around and working with people. In most of my adult life I've been involved in occupations that have drawn on this desire to work with and help others and that would be one of the things that is characteristic of me. I also come from a family tradition of church service and so serving within the local church community is very important. This was learned growing up from my father, who set the example for that as a Mennonite minister: this caught on with my brothers as well, my oldest brother is also a Mennonite minister, while my youngest brother is an Anglican priest.
I hope that this
brief biography helps to introduce me to each of you and I look forward to when more of this can be done in person. I'm deeply honored to have been chosen to serve as your pastor and look forward to living, working and serving with you, all the faithful of Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church. May God bless you all.
