East Conemaugh church gathers to bless river

Jun. 27—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Members of a Johnstown-area church participated in a blessing ceremony of the Little Conemaugh River on Sunday.

St. John The Baptist Orthodox Church in East Conemaugh Borough has held a blessing service of the river for the past 40 years.

Archpriest George Johnson, pastor at St. John The Baptist Orthodox Church, performed the blessing to "sanctify" the river. During the service, Johnson threw a cross into the river three times, which was then pulled from the river.

John Kubinsky, a lifelong parishioner of the church, said that church members are participating in a ceremony similar to one that was held by their ancestors.

The ceremony is held to commemorate the birth of the church's patron saint, John the Baptist.

"The river is key to life and key to this community," he said, "so we asked the Lord's blessing that he lets the river help the community and also protect us from any harm or danger from flooding, and so forth."

East Taylor Township resident James Angello, 83, said he attends the service each year even though he is not a member of the church. Angello said he grew up in Franklin and received blessings from the river as a child.

"When I was a little boy, we used to get our wood from the Little Conemaugh River because they used to throw the railroad ties over there, and me and my father used to go down, pick them up and store them for winter," he said.