With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Savas, the Metropolis of Pittsburgh welcomed close to 300 young adults from across the country and Canada to their third YAL Conference, this year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 13-15, 2023. The theme for the conference was Reignite: Renewing our Faith, Refreshing our Souls which focused on building upon the basics of our incredibly rich Orthodox Faith, empowering the participants to understand and share God’s Word with grace. They were blessed to welcome 6 dynamic workshop speakers who shared various aspects of the faith pertinent to the lives of young adults: His Eminence Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa spoke on understanding the Relationship between Faith & Science, Fr. George Athanasiou on the Struggle of Suffering, Thespina Christulides on Orthodoxy and the Arts, Pres. Melani DiStefano on a Priesthood of All Believers, Natalie Kapeluck-Nixon on the Relevancy of the Church in the Secular World and Fr. George Parsenios on Scripture in the Life of Young Adults. They were also blessed to hear Archon Dr. Jimmy Schooley, the youngest Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and native of the Metropolis of Pittsburgh, share information on the Order of St. Andrew along with their new program, the Pilgrimage of Discovery.
Highlights of the weekend included a welcome reception overlooking the city at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the Met Gala themed Glendi at the Wydham Downtown featuring ONEIRO and PJ Puff and celebrating the Divine Liturgy together as one body in Christ.
One of the most moving aspects of the weekend, however, was partnering with Global Links to create 500 hygiene kits and hear about their mission. "Global Links is a Pittsburgh-based non-profit dedicated to improving health in communities with need. Since 1989 they have been sharing surplus rescued from the US healthcare system. They collaborate with government officials, healthcare professionals, community organizations and community leaders to develop projects that support public health goals both internationally and domestically by improving access to quality healthcare and needed materials."
The Executive Committee, which consisted of 17 young adults and the Metropolis of Pittsburgh's Y2AM Director, would like to thank all those who helped make this weekend a success, especially their incredibly generous and supportive donors and volunteers.
Photo: Don Orkoskey of WDO Photography
