Christian Life

The Final Goodbye – at least for a while

The Final Goodbye – at least for a while

by Brent Kostyniuk It has become fashionable to call funerals “Celebrations of Life.” The rationale for this seems to be a desire to enhance the memory of the deceased person and keep it fresh. In a subtle way, however, a Celebration of Life can be an attempt to deny reality. While we all want to remember loved ones who have passed, we also need to accept the fact they have left this earthly life. All of us grieve in our own way. We cry, we despair, we struggle with thoughts of what might have been, we overindulge to ease to…
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Watch Now – A Faith Under Siege

Watch Now – A Faith Under Siege

Just released for online viewing! From their website: Russian occupation authorities formally banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) and Catholic humanitarian groups in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, labeling them “foreign intelligence” entities. All Greek- and Latin-rite Catholic priests have been expelled or fled, leaving “not a single Catholic priest” serving in the occupied territories, according to UGCC leadership. Russian forces have killed nearly 70 clergy and destroyed over 630 places of worship in Ukraine, with occupation authorities central to the repression. Catholic churches and properties have been seized and rededicated for the Russian Orthodox Church, described by UGCC leadership…
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2025 Christmas Pastoral Letter of the UGCC Bishops of Canada

2025 Christmas Pastoral Letter of the UGCC Bishops of Canada

To the Very Reverend Clergy, Monastics and Religious Sisters and Brothers,Seminarians and Laity of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada Christ is Born! Let us Glorify Him! She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,because there was no room for them in the inn. [Lk. 2:7] Dearly Beloved in Christ! A mother hugs her infant child and sets him down to sleep. The child, filled with anxiety and fear, clings to his mother for comfort. This is not his usual bed; but rather it is a makeshift bundle of blankets on the Kyiv subway floor. The…
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Christmas Pastoral Letter of His Beatitude Sviatoslav

Christmas Pastoral Letter of His Beatitude Sviatoslav

Вих. ВА 25/313 ENG Most Reverend Archbishops and Metropolitans,God-loving Bishops, Very Reverend Clergy, Venerable Monastics,Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters,in Ukraine and throughout the world And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babywrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.(Luke 2:12). Christ is born! Glorify Him! Beloved in Christ! Today the whole universe welcomes the Savior born among us: angels sing, shepherds worship, kings travel with a star. The peace of God descends upon a confused and troubled humanity, which receives the light of hope that shines over the whole world from lowly Bethlehem! Christmas…
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Living Byzantine Liturgy in America Today

Living Byzantine Liturgy in America Today

Fr. Dcn. Daniel Galadza | Metropolitan Assembly 2025 In the Church's divine worship, we are called to "Come let us worship and bow before Christ!" The struggle of inculturating the liturgical tradition of the "old country" in the "new world," and the challenges of everydav life in America, make this call seem easier said than done for Ruzantine Rite Churches today. This presentation reflects on the liturgical tradition common to all Byzantine Rite Churches and the practice of contemporary parish life, proposing ways the byzantine Rite can help communities renew their encounter with the Triune God in the Mysteries of…
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The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

We extol you, O Lifegiver Christ, and honour your venerable Cross,by which you saved us from the slavery of the enemy.(Hymn of Praise in the Matins Service of the Feast) “The veneration of the Holy Cross of the Lord,” – says the Servant of God Andrew Sheptytsky in his pastoral letter on the Holy Cross – “is one of the most significant aspects of the worship of the God-Man... Signing ourselves with the sign of the Cross is one of the oldest customs of Christians.” The Holy Cross is an ever-living symbol of God’s everlasting love toward us sinners, a…
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How Our Liturgical Year Developed

How Our Liturgical Year Developed

by Fr. Julian Katrijtranslated by Fr. Demetrius Wysochansky, OSBMIn the Old Testament we read about the mysterious tree of life, which God had planted in the garden of Eden. Although this tree no longer exists, the Lord has planted a new tree of life in the supernatural garden of the Church. This tree flourishes before our eyes, blossoming every year with new freshness and vigor; ever renewing itself, and bringing forth abundant fruit for eternal life, - and that mystical tree is the Liturgical Year.The development and growth of the Ecclesiastical Year can be aptly compared to the growth of…
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Spiritual Significance of the Liturgical Year

Spiritual Significance of the Liturgical Year

by Fr. Julian Katrijtranslated by Fr. Demetrius Wysochansky, OSBMIn the pastoral letter written by our bishops and the Archbishop Major Cardinal Joseph Slipyj at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council (1965), we read: “The Liturgical cycle of our Church is very rich. Our Liturgical Constitutions guide the faithful throughout the whole year and continuously place before their eyes the mysteries of the life, passion, death, and resurrection of our Divine Saviour, the grandeur of the Divine Motherhood and powerful intercession of the most Holy Virgin Mary, the lives of holy men and women, who by their heroic imitation of…
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Our Liturgical Year

Our Liturgical Year

by Fr. Julian Katrijtranslated by Fr. Demetrius Wysochansky, OSBMO Author of all created things Who has establishedthe seasons and the years, bless the crown of the yearwith your goodness, O Lord.Troparion of the Indiction Our Eastern Rite is a priceless heritage and treasure of the Eastern Church and our Ukrainian people. It is noted for its venerable antiquity, its profound content, its mysticism, symbolism, and magnificent liturgical ceremonies. Developed by the greatest and most gifted of the faithful of the Eastern Church of different ages, countries and peoples, it has been sanctified by the prayers, tears, and sacrifices of the…
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A Fastless Fast?

A Fastless Fast?

Cheesefare Sunday is traditionally the last day for eating dairy products until Pascha, as the Great Fast begins tomorrow. This poses a problem in our society where meat and dairy are the substance of every meal. Some people say that they cannot do without meat and so they only fast sporadically. By this they may mean they need protein and are not aware of other sources of protein, such as beans, peas, soy products (tofu), as well as seeds and nuts. But it is perhaps more likely that people miss the taste of meat, fish or dairy products more than…
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