Christ is among us!
1. VIGIL LIGHT: This week vigil light is given to God’s glory offered by Mary Ann and Allan Yursha in memory of +Michael Kurylo.
2. AFTER DIVINE LITURGY: Dear parishioners and guests, after each Divine Liturgy, coffee and hard rolls are available in the church hall.
3. FOOD DRIVE: Judy Ellis leads the mercy project which provides food items to the needy. A container is in our church vestibule for non-perishable food. This collection will be taken every week. Father Iura will distribute the food to those in need. Thanks for your support.
4. PRE-CHRISTMAS FAST: The Philip’s Fast (Pylypivka), the pre-Christmas fast, begins today. The Church begins the Fast the day after the feast of the Holy and All-Praiseworthy Apostle Philip. The Fast is a period of 40 days of spiritual preparation for the celebration of the Nativity/Theophany cycle of the liturgical (Church) year. Historically, the Philip’s Fast (Pylypivka) was a period of strict fasting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday –days of strict fasting without meat, dairy products or oil (in Slavic countries). Now the bishops have indicated that the Fast is lessened a bit also to include fasting, works of penance and doing charitable work. BUT today we observe the Fast on Wednesdays and Fridays by an abstention from meat and foods that contain these ingredients.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church teaches her faithful that “Penitential fasting practices, repentance and abstinence that aim to satisfy the sins committed and to achieve the highest level of perfection is the oldest tradition in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church” (CCEO: 882, §1). Recall, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church maintains that “Abstention from meat and meat products is to be observed on all Fridays of the year except for compact weeks, patronal feasts and the twelve major feasts” (CCEO: 882, §4).
Definitions: Abstinence means that we do not eat a certain type of food, for example meat and oil, or any other foods that have that as an ingredient.
Fasting means that we eat less food. A general rule is that for a day of fast, the amount of food of the main meal is less than the other two meals combined.
Those exempt from fasting and abstinence are:
Children under the age of 14; Adults over the age of 60; those who are gravely ill, pregnant women, post-partum mothers, breast-feeding mothers, travellers (if travel time exceeds 8 hours), those engaged in heavy labor, those who eat from the table of others, the poor who live from charity.
On December 24, the Vigil of the Nativity, there is an abstention from meat, dairy and eggs, and foods that contain these ingredients. When we arrive at the Nativity on December 25, until January 4, there is no fasting or abstinence.
We keep the Philip’s Fast because we believe that doing so it can help us to better understand and appreciate all of God’s saving plan for each of us.
At the Divine Liturgy you will notice that the priest will wear dark vestments as the norm for this penitential season with exception of Saturdays, Sundays and first class feasts.
Further reading: The Winter Pascha (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press) by Thomas Hopko.
5. SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THAT HELPED WTH LAST WEEK’S SUCCESSFUL ST. MICHAEL’S DAY FESTIVAL:
On behalf of all the members of the Parish, I wish to extend a special thanks to everyone that helped to make this event a great success. From the KofC members who cleaned the hall and building, to the table setups, to the fantastic selection of appetizers, to the great buffet meal, the entertainment, the gift bags, the great donated desserts, the food service, the flowers, and the cleanup afterwards. Thank you and my blessings. It is events such as this with everyone working together that reafirms my faith in the strength of this parish and its members. I also wish to make a special thank you to Walter Ushchak whose Pyrohy project money quietly buys and pays for all the consumables that are used in the Parish hall every day, from the paper goods on.