On Feb. 6, the Rev. Lewis Rabayda returned to his home parish, St John the Baptist in Lansford, to celebrate his first Divine Liturgy there.

Rabayda was ordained Jan. 30 by Bishop Kurt Burnette at Epiphany of our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church in Annandale, Virginia. He is the newest priest in the Eparchy (Diocese) of Passaic, New Jersey.The Lansford parish family gathered to attend this sacred and jubilant celebration. Many friends joined them from areas including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and from his other "home" parish in Annandale.Rabayda is the son of Daniel and Patricia (Pat) Rabayda of Summit Hill, brother of Daniel Rabayda of New York.He was born in 1983 and attended Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, then moved to Fairfax, Virginia, for a job.There he joined the Epiphany of our Lord Parish in Annandale, Virginia. While working in Fairfax, had applied and was accepted as a seminarian for the Eparchy (Diocese) of Passaic. He studied at SS. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh. He graduated with his Master in Divinity in 2014.After the liturgy, everyone in church waited to individually receive Rabayda's blessing.The Rabaydas were joined by many well-wishers for a dinner reception in Summit Hill.