Christ is in our midst!

This week’s vigil light is offered God’s glory by Vasyl Ivantsiv in memory of Dmytro.

We would like to congratulate Vasile and Andra Godenciuc on the occasion of the Holy Baptism and Chrismation of their son August Vasile, which took place on Saturday, November 7th in our church. Many happy and blessed years!

We would like to congratulate Aart and Erin VanWilgen on the occasion of the Holy Baptism and Chrismation of their daughter Olivia Tatijana, which took place on Saturday, November 7th in our church. Many happy and blessed years!

CONGRATULATIONS to our Ukrainian American Veterans on a successful National Convention and also thank you to all those who helped out and contributed to their success.

PHILIP’S FAST, ПИЛИПІВКА, the pre-Christmas fast which begins on November 15, the day after the feast of St. Philip, is a 40 day period of spiritual preparation for the celebration of the Nativity/Theophany cycle of the church year. Once a period of strict fasting, it has now been changed to a period of voluntary fasting and works of penance.

The next Sestrechi meeting will be held on Sunday, November 17, after the 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy. The meeting will be held in the church hall, classroom 1.

The Pyrohy Project will be making Pyrohy on Saturday, November 16. Please come and help.

St. Michael’s Day will be celebrated on November 24th. On this day we will have only one (1) Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m.. After the Divine Liturgy, we will have a dinner and short program. All parishioners are cordially invited to this celebration. Tickets are available through Margaret Maybury, Svitlana Nakonechnyj and Fr. Iura Godenciuc. Tickets are $25.00 for adults, $10.00 for youth between 14and 18. Free for students Ridna Shkola, altar boys and for children under 12. We will be running a raffle. If you would like to donate any items to be raffled, please bring them to our church hall on Sundays before our Feast Day. Also we ask for donations for dessert.

The Ukrainian Ridna Shkola of New Haven had started its school year with 3 classes: 1.) A nursery school program for children 3-5 years old; 2.) A class to teach Ukrainian to English language-speaking children ages 6-10; 3.) A class where instruction is only in the Ukrainian language for children 8-11 years old. Classes are from 9:30 to 11:30 each Saturday morning. Religious instruction follows at 11:30 am. We have dance instruction as well from 12:00 noon.

PARISH MAINTENANCE UPDATE NOTICE: Please take note of the fact that there is various concrete repair work being conducted around the Parish on all five buildings. This includes repointing the church stairs, repairing walkways and concrete areas. Your care in walking around and avoiding the work areas for your safety is appreciated.

The Holodomor Remembrance in New York City will take place on Saturday, November 16. The cost for bus $40.00 for adults, 20.00 for students. To reserve seats call Halia Lodynsky 203-494-6278. The bus will stop in New Haven at 9:30 Ikea Parking Lot (rear) Brewery Street.

Adult Faith Formation

St. Josaphat, (1580-1623), was born into a devout religious family of Ruthenian ancestry and was baptized in the Eastern Orthodox Church. During a revival of Eastern Catholic monastic life he became a monk in the Order of St. Basil, and was ordained in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in 1609. He was noted for his life of asceticism, holiness and virtue which led to his appointment as Archbishop of Polotsk. During his lifetime there was much sociopolitical and ecclesiastical rivalry between Catholics and Orthodox, and Latin and Byzantine rites, especially in the wake of the 1596 Union of Brest which saw the Ukrainian Church break away from the Orthodox and place itself under the authority of the Holy See in Rome. St. Josaphat was passionate about communion with the Holy See, however he was also strongly opposed to the Latinization of his people. This combination of views drew ire from both Catholic and Orthodox clergy. His diocese was contested by the Orthodox, and a rival Orthodox bishop was set up to oppose him, causing riots. During one uprising Josaphat tried to calm the tensions and work for reunification and peace, but his enemies plotted to kill him. A mob entered Josaphat’s home, stabbed and axed his body and threw it into a river. His body was seen glowing in the water and was recovered, and after his martyrdom many miracles were attributed to his intercession. Josaphat’s sacrifice became a blessing as regret and sorrow over his death converted many hearts toward reunification with Rome. In 1867, Josaphat became the first Ukrainian Saint of the Eastern Church to be formally canonized by the Catholic Church. Not only our Ukrainian Catholic Church, but also the entire Catholic Church, venerates, prays to and erects churches in honor of St. Josaphat. His relics are enshrined in the center of the Catholic world – in the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. It is due to him and his martyrdom that we today profess the true Christian faith and are members of the true Church of Christ. His feast day is November 12. (from communio.stblogs.org, et al.)