Carnegie first responders’ vehicles receive blessing
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
A group of St. Peter & St. Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church parishioners and community members pray together with the Rev. John Charest, center, and the Rev. Robert Popichak, center right, Aug. 2, before the first responders vehicle blessing in the Carnegie borough police department parking lot.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The Rev. John Charest of St. Peter & St. Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church sprinkles holy water onto a Carnegie borough first responder vehicle Aug. 2 during the Feast Day of Prophet Elijah blessing event.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
A Carnegie borough police officer receives the blessing of holy water from the Rev. Robert Popichak, a Carnegie resident and leader of Holy Ghost Orthodox Church in Slickville, Aug. 2, during the annual first responder vehicle blessing.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Surrounded by parishioners and community members, the Rev. John Charest carries holy water toward the Carnegie fire department bay for a first responders’ vehicle blessing Aug. 2.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The Revs. John Charest, left, and Robert Popichak bless the Glendale Hose Co. No. 1 fire trucks with holy water Aug. 2, as part of the annual first responders vehicle blessing held on the Feast Day of Prophet Elijah.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The Rev. John Charest sprinkles firefighters from Glendale Hose Co. No. 1 in Carnegie with holy water Aug. 2 after blessing the fire department’s vehicles as part of the annual Feast Day of Prophet Elijah event.
The Rev. John Charest, pastor of St. Peter & St. Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Carnegie, together with the Rev. Robert Popichak of Holy Ghost Orthodox Church in Slickville, led a brief service before blessing vehicles of first responders earlier this month. Each year, Charest blesses police cars, fire trucks and other EMS vehicles on the Feast Day of Prophet Elijah to commemorate Elijah’s ascension into heaven on a fiery chariot. This year, members of Sts. Peter and Paul and the community, including state Rep. Anita Kulik, prayed together before blessings began at the Carnegie police station Aug. 2. The crowd then followed to watch a blessing at first the Carnegie and then the Glendale fire departments. For more information on St. Peter & St. Paul church, visit https://www.orthodoxcarnegie.org/.