Jun
09
2014
Jun
03
2014
The Feast of Pentecost
by Fr. Julian Katrij, OSBM Exceprt from A Byzantine Rite Liturgical Year We have seen the true light, we have received the Heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith, we worship the undivided Trinity, for It has saved us. (Stichera of Solemn Vespers of the Feast of the Pentecost) The glorious feast of the Resurrection concludes with a feast also most glorious and great – and that is, the feast of the Pentecost. After the Nativity and Resurrection of our Lord this feast belongs to the greatest feasts in the Ecclesiastical Year. The Descent of the Holy Spirit is, as…
Jun
03
2014
Edmonton Eparchial Sobor
Edmonton Eparchial Sobor May 23-24, 2014 Vision 2020 “The Vibrant Parish: The Place to Encounter the Living Christ” From time to time, the Church gathers together the clergy, religious, monastics and laity to study and reflect upon pastoral concerns which affect the life and well-being of the Church. In the context of an eparchy, such gatherings are called an Eparchial Sobor or Assembly. Since the Jubilee Year 2000, the Eparchy of Edmonton has now convoked 5 such Sobors: 2001 – “Jesus Christ: Fountain of Rebirth” 2003 – “The Ukrainian Catholic Church in Alberta: 100 Years Later” 2008 – “Evangelization and…
May
19
2014
Patriarch Sviatoslav Visits St. Demetrius Parish, Toronto
Visit of His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk to Saint Demetrius The Great Martyr Parish in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on May 2, 2014.
May
13
2014
Mission Days 2014
Appeal of His Beatitude Sviatoslav to the Faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on the Occasion of the Missionary Days Dearly Beloved in Christ ! Today I address all of you faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, led by your priests and bishops, and invite each one of you to embark together with me on an extraordinary pilgrimage that will last for ten days—from the Ascension to the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost. We are calling this pilgrimage the Missionary Days in which we turn the attention of our entire Church towards our common vocation as "missionaries,"…
May
08
2014
Patriarch Sviatoslav Visits St. Elias Parish (Brampton)
His Beatitude Sviatoslav visited the parish community of St. Elias in Brampton, Ontario on Sunday, May 4. The words of their pastor, the Mitrophoric Archpriest Roman Galadza, reminds us all of who the Church is!
May
02
2014
Easter Message of His Beatitude Sviatoslav
Most Reverend Archbishops and Bishops, Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers, Venerable Brothers and Sisters, Dearly Beloved in Christ of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church Christ is Risen! Yesterday I was buried with You O Christ, Today I rise with You as you arise. Yesterday I was crucified with You; Glorify me, O Saviour, in Your Kingdom. (Paschal Matins, Resurrection Canon, Ode 3) Beloved in Christ, In the midst of this year’s challenges and uncertainty, Pascha, “the day which the Lord has made” (Ps 117:24),is for us a day of inexpressible joy and hope.On the brightest feast of Christ’s Resurrection, our Holy Church…
Apr
08
2014
Paschal Pastoral Letter from Ukrainian Catholic Bishops of Canada
Pastoral Letter of the Ukrainian Catholic Bishops of Canada On the Occasion of the Resurrection of our Lord 2014 To the Very Reverend Clergy, Monastics and Religious Sisters, Seminarians and Lay Faithful of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada: Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! “But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel…” [Lk. 24:21] Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ! The words quoted at the beginning of this letter were spoken by two of Christ’s disciples as they fled Jerusalem. Dismayed upon witnessing the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus, they did not recognize…
Dec
13
2013
Christmas Pastoral Letter of Vladyka Ken, Bishop of New Westminster
Office of the Bishop New Westminster Eparchy Christmas Pastoral Letter of 2013 Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Dear Sisters and Brothers, Thanks to the wonders of electronic communication, reaching people around the world and sharing news, trends and events is possible at the touch of a keyboard or the tap on a smartphone screen. In the last several weeks we have seen first-hand how Ukrainians are struggling for freedoms, the devastation in the Philippines, the on-going plight of the citizens of Syria and of those seeking refuge from the battles that rage on in countries throughout the world. We have…
Nov
25
2013
The Phillipian Fast – The Preparatory Season for the Nativity of our Lord
by Rev. Msgr. Russell A. Duker from Christ-bearers - Meditations for the Pre-Christmas Fast, Christmas, and Theophany The oldest Christian feast is the Resurrection of our Lord or Easter. This Holy Day includes a whole cycle of feasts such as the Ascension and Pentecost. It is the great feast of our redemption and sanctification. Later Holy Days followed slowly until the fourth century. After the Church won official recognition and full freedom of worship and evangelization, our present calendar of festal celebration began to develop. This development was motivated by the Church’s desire to honor both events in the life of…