Holy Cross Orthodox Church
950 Maple Drive + Hermitage, Pennsylvania
Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America

Parish Priest

Very Reverend Father George J. Treff

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Father George was born in 1953 in Columbus, Ohio.  He attended the University of Akron, Ohio and Marywood College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and pursued theological studies at Christ the Saviour Seminary in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (1974-1977) and St. Tikhon Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania (1977-1979).  While in Seminary, he was a member of the St. Tikhon Seminary Choral Octet and the Orthodox Inter-Seminary Movement (OISM), and was blessed as Reader in 1978 by Archbishop Kiprian (Borisevich) in the church of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

After graduating from St. Tikhon Seminary in 1979, that same year he was ordained by Archbishop Valerian (Trifa) into the Holy Diaconate at The Nativity of the Ever Virgin Mary Hierarchal Chapel at Vatra Romaneasca in Grass Lake, Michigan, and then the Holy Priesthood at St. George the Great Martyr Romanian Orthodox Church in Canton, Ohio.  Fr. George received the Synodal Award to rank of Archpriest by the Holy Synod of Bishops of The Orthodox Church in America in 2007, and then Protopresbyter in 2022.

From 1979-1982, he served as Assistant Priest of St. George Cathedral in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, while also serving parish communities in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia.  In 1982, he was permanently assigned as Parish Priest of St. George Cathedral in Regina where he served until 1987 when he was transferred to The Descent of the Holy Spirit Church in Merrillville, Indiana.  In 1995, he undertook the assignment as Parish Priest of St. George the Great Martyr Church in Canton, Ohio, serving that community until 2016 when he was asked and accepted to serve the parish of Holy Cross in Hermitage, Pennsylvania.

Fr. George enjoys art, music, computers, many outdoor activities, and is an avid woodworker handcrafting icon stands, tables and other church items.  He has held leadership positions in the Regina, Northwest Indiana, Canton, and Shenango Valley Clergy Associations, as well as founding clergy and director of the Orthodox Christian Mission Centre of Canada at Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan.  In the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, he has served multiple times as a member of both the Episcopate Council and the Spiritual Consistory.  A strong supporter of the youth, he volunteered for many years as staff member, instructor and chaplain for both Camp Vatra at Vatra Romaneasca and Camp Saint Nicholas at Fort Qu'Appelle, as well as Spiritual Advisor to the American Romanian Orthodox Youth (AROY).  Fr. George has also served as Spiritual Advisor to the Association of Romanian Orthodox Ladies Auxiliaries in North America (ARFORA) and the Orthodox Brotherhood of Canada.  He speaks English and some Romanian, serving in both languages.

In 1978, he married Paula Ann Calin of Chicago, Illinois.  Preoteasa Paula has been active in the Vatra Camps and served on the AROY National Board.  Other activities include being a broker floor employee on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, working with the Merrillville school system, parish secretary of St. George in Canton, and working with Visiting Angels HHA.  She also dedicated herself to the church school programs as director in the parishes of Regina, Merrillville, Canton, and Hermitage.  They have four adult children: Alexandra Marie (Michael), Nicholas George Daniel (Kristie), Catherine Anita (Eric), Christopher John; and seven grandchildren.

Fr. George retired in December 2022 after more than 40 years of active service to the Church.