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…
Jun
01
2014
Of True and False Apostles
What happens when it's time for a strong leader to step down and be replaced by another? Sometimes there is continuity: the successor has similar gifts and a similar vision to his predecessor. Too often the successor is not up to the task: a poor choice to follow the predecessor’s lead. The Apostle Paul was a driving force in setting the Church at Ephesus firmly on the Rock of Christ. From AD 52 to 54 he lived in the city which became the base for his missionary travels as well during those years. St Paul, however, was not a local…
May
27
2014
“A Divine Treasure Hidden in the Ground”
The principal feasts in our liturgical year commemorate some event in the life of Christ or of the Theotokos. A second category of feasts honors the memory of saints, often on the day of their repose. A third category of feasts recalls significant events in the history of the Church, such as the discovery and exaltation of the holy Cross or the seven Ecumenical Councils of the first millennium. In this last category the Byzantine Churches observe two feasts concerning the head of St John the Forerunner. On February 24 the “First and Second Uncovering” of his head are recalled,…
May
23
2014
Enlighteners of the Ecumene
The Church has used many terms to describe the saints. Some of these are common to all the historic Churches, such as apostles or martyrs. The Eastern Churches also speak of some saints as “Equal to the Apostles,” believers who were responsible for bringing the Gospel to significant groups of people or nations throughout the world. The first of them were St Mary Magdalene, who announced the resurrection to the dispirited followers of Jesus, and St Thecla, the first woman martyr. The Church has called Equal to the Apostles those who have been responsible for bringing the Gospel to previously…
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
Shining with the Light of Both Feasts
On most feasts of our Church year we display an icon which depicts the event commemorated and explains its theological meaning. This is not the case on the Feast of Mid-Pentecost which is observed this week. To be sure, the icon shows Christ preaching in the Temple but that does not give us a hint of the depths of meaning contained in this feast. This feast is observed on the 25th day of our 50 day Paschal season: the actual mid-point of this observance. It serves to turn our minds towards the climax of these fifty days, the outpouring of…
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
09
2014
Fearing but Faithful
Source: “THE NOBLE JOSEPH took down from the tree Your spotless body, wrapped it in pure linen with aromatic spices and laid it for burial in a new tomb.” This troparion, which summarizes the Gospel account of the Lord’s burial, is sung as the holy shroud (epitaphios) is placed in the tomb on Great Friday evening. It is sung again on the Third Sunday of Pascha, but with this addition: “But on the third day, You arose, O Lord, and bestowed great mercy upon the world!” The noble or righteous Joseph of Arimathea, along with Nicodemus, is commemorated on this…