Planning Ahead
Guidelines for Orthodox Christian Burial
A Christian Ending is a hands-on, step by step manual for the preparation of a body for burial without the assistance of a licensed funeral director.
A Christian Ending is a hands-on, step by step manual for the preparation of a body for burial without the assistance of a licensed funeral director.
A Christian Ending is a hands-on, step by step manual for the preparation of a body for burial without the assistance of a licensed funeral director.

The business of the Christian is nothing else than to be ever preparing for death. – St. Irenæus

Please read St Michaels Guidelines for Orthodox Christian Burial.  

Visiting Funeral Directors:  Please have the family member contact Fr Michael directly at 570-457-3703 to arrange funeral details.

Burial Fees: St Michaels Orthodox Church Member Fee - $1000 (may increase if the grave digger hits rock)

 Non-Members/Non-Voting Members Fee - $2525 (may increase if the grave digger hits rock)

(Effective Sept 18, 2023 the rates from the grave digger went up hence the increase in our fees.)

Another Helpful Guide is A Christian Ending.

The book quickly but carefully instructs the reader on how to deal with the local coroner, hospitals, nursing homes and how to organize a group to perform funerals.  The step by step instructions for washing, anointing, dressing and transporting a dead body are clear and concise, leaving little for the reader to discover on their own.  Several groups have used these instructions alone to successfully prepare bodies for burial and conduct and in-house funeral. 

Mark and Elizabeth Barna live in Charleston, South Carolina where Mark serves as an ordained Deacon in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) at Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, Mt. Pleasant, SC.  They have cared for both of their sets of ailing parents in their home.  They have used the techniques described in the book many times for friends, family, and strangers, accepting no payment for their services.  In 2011 they were asked to prepare the beloved Archbishop DMITRI of the Diocese of the South (OCA) for burial in Dallas, TX.

You may visit Deacon Mark Barna's website, read his blog, or listen to his podcast to learn more about this important resource.

A Gift for My Loved Ones - This package contains everything necessary to know should one become disabled or incapacitated and unable to make decisions on one’s own.  It includes a Health Care Power of Attorney and Advance Directive for Health Care—Living Will

Another Gift for my Loved Ones - This package contains everything necessary to know to arrange a funeral and burial—an Advance Directive for Funeral Care.

Sibley Cemetery
Upcoming Calendar
  • Sat
    9Nov

    5:00PM Great Vespers
  • Sun
    10Nov

    9:10 The Hours
    9:30 Divine Liturgy.
  • Wed
    13Nov

    11:00AM-1:00pm Silent Pray

What is the Orthodox Church?

“The Orthodox Christian Church is evangelical, but not Protestant.
It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman.
It is not denominational, it is pre-denominational.
It has believed, taught, preserved, defended, and died for the
Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago.”
– Our Life in Christ

The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

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St. Michael Orthodox Church is part of the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania, which is presided over by The Most Reverend Mark (Maymon), Archbishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania. Our mission is bringing the joy of Christ's resurrection to those who have never heard the Good News, and to strengthen and encourage the faithful who reside within Old Forge and the local area. 

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The Holy Scripture is a collection of books written over multiple centuries by those inspired by God to do so. It is the primary witness to the Orthodox Christian faith, within Holy Tradition and often described as its highest point. It was written by the prophets and apostles in human language, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and collected, edited, and canonized by the Church.

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Holiness or sainthood is a gift (charisma) given by God to man, through the Holy Spirit. Man's effort to become a participant in the life of divine holiness is indispensable, but sanctification itself is the work of the Holy Trinity, especially through the sanctifying power of Jesus Christ, who was incarnate, suffered crucifixion, and rose from the dead, in order to lead us to the life of holiness, through the communion with the Holy Spirit.

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