Brent Kostyniuk

by Brent Kostyniuk “Cure the sick, O physician of our souls and bodies.” So we pray at each Divine Liturgy. This petition reminds us not only of our need for healing but helps us to recall the many miracles of healing which Jesus performed during his public ministry. During those three years, our Lord showed His compassion for the sick, the suffering, the destitute, and even the dead. In performing these miracles, Jesus revealed both his divinity and his humanity. In like manner, when we show love towards others, we reflect the compassion which ultimately comes from God. In His…

by Brent Kostyniuk Each time we participate in the Divine Liturgy, we pray the Nicene Creed, the profession of our Faith, our faith in the Triune God, our faith in the Church and our faith in the next world. Among the articles we profess are the marks or signs of the Church—one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. By apostolic, we mean there is a direct succession from the Apostles to the clergy who serve. Of those clerics, we are most familiar with the major orders: deacon, priest, and bishop. Along with these, however, are the lesser known minor orders. According to…

by Brent Kostyniuk During 1932 and 1933, an estimated seven to ten million people starved to death in Soviet controlled Ukraine because of a man-made famine, the Holodomor—death by starvation—even though the country was producing bumper crops of grain. Recently, 340 elementary children at St. Theresa of Calcutta Catholic School in Edmonton gathered for a Memorial Divine Liturgy to honour victims of the Holodomor. The Liturgy was celebrated by Edmonton Eparchial Bishop David Motiuk along with Edmonton Catholic Schools Chaplain, Fr. Julian Bilyj. Bishop David's Words In speaking to the children, Bishop David explained this little known atrocity. “Imagine living…