Today, several of our parishioners –with many others from around CT– made the journey to The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Litchfield to join Bishop Paul and several of the clergy to pray for peace in Ukraine.
Here are some action photos.
We can never underestimate prayer wrapped in community.
2. Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly urges brother Knights around the world to join with Pope Francis and the Universal Church in praying for peace in Ukraine, on January 26, at 3 p.m. EST. Learn more: https://bit.ly/35hsxfH
Ukrainian Bishop Paul and Archbishop Blair expect to be in attendance.
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Mt. 189:20)
For the past eight years, since the invasion of parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by the Russian Federation, Ukraine has lived under constant threat. The hybrid war fomented on Ukraine by Russia continues unabated until this day.
Since that time, the Ukrainian people, in Ukraine and throughout the world, have responded to this unprovoked aggression with undaunted determination. They have countered the Russian disinformation campaign with objective truth, they have morally and financially supported the Ukrainian military and especially the wounded soldiers and citizens displaced by the conflict, and, most importantly, they have prayed to God for peace and an end to the conflict.
As you are aware, the tensions along Ukraine’s eastern border have recently intensified to the point that a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has become a distinct possibility.
Shaken by the threat of actual armed conflict on the European continent, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, addressed the situation in Ukraine in remarks to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, January 23: “I make a heartfelt appeal to all people of good will to raise prayers to Almighty God that all political actions and initiatives may be at the service of human brotherhood rather than partisan interests.” The Holy Father then proposed that Wednesday, January 26 be proclaimed a day of prayer for peace in Ukraine in the universal Catholic Church. We wish to sincerely thank Pope Francis for this gesture of solidarity and his paternal love and care for the people of Ukraine.
Our desire as your bishops is that all our parishes and faithful take up this appeal to prayer of the Holy Father. In our parish communities, wherever possible, we ask that the parish faithful be gathered on Wednesday, January 26 for prayer vigils, divine liturgies, molebens or akathists. We also encourage that our families and individual faithful respond to this appeal with their own private devotions, prayer and fasting on that day. Let an avalanche of prayer from every corner of the world ascend to heaven so that the Lord would make an end to the threat of war, death and destruction in Ukraine and everywhere in the world.
We also encourage our faithful to take part in a “Marathon of Prayer” for peace in Ukraine initiated by the Head and Father of our Church, His Beatitude, Patriarch Sviatoslav. It will take place on Wednesday, January 26 for twelve consecutive hours from 9:00 am to 9:00 (Kyiv time); 2:00 am to 2:00 pm (EST); 1:00 am to 1:00 pm (CST); 12:00 am to 12:00 pm (MST); and 11:00 pm to 11:00 am (PST) and can be accessed on the internet at zhyve.tv
With confidence and faith let us lift our hearts to the Lord who saves, as we pray with the Psalmist: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles.” (Ps. 34:17)
+Borys Gudziak
Archbishop of Philadelphia,
Metropolitan of Ukrainian Catholics in the United States
+Paul Chomnycky, OSBM
Eparch of Stamford
+Benedict Aleksiychuk
Eparch of St. Nicholas in Chicago
+ Bohdan J. Danylo
Eparch of St. Josaphat in Parma
+Andriy Rabiy
Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia
In letter to the faithful, the US Ukraine Catholic Bishops speak out against the aggression of Russian toward the people of Ukraine. In part the bishops wrote, “God-given human dignity and freedom threaten rulers who seek to dominate others, build empires, enslave, and colonize. Those with the audacity to resist, who dare to move from the fear of totalitarianism to freedom and dignity are mercilessly punished.”
The bishops ask us to “Pray for peace and justice for Ukraine. Be informed. Support the suffering.” Read the entire episcopal missive:
On Sunday, November 7, Bishop Paul Chomnycky will be at the Parish to serve the Divine Liturgy and to attend the feast day celebration of Saint Michael the Archangel.
Join us in the worship of the Holy Trinity at 10:30 a.m.
Our parish will be hosting the visit of Bishop Paul Patrick Chomnycky, OSBM, on Sunday, September 13. He will be serving both Divine Liturgies at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
This is Bishop Paul’s first visit in about five years.
Please join us in person or online.
On Saturday, June 6, Bishop Paul invites the faithful of the Stamford Eparchy to join Him for a bilingual prayer service “Time to Heal” streamed LIVE from St. Basil Seminary Chapel at 6:00 p.m.
Today (May 19th), our Bishop Paul Chomnycky, OSBM, the Eparch of Stamford, celebrates his birthday.
Bishop was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He entered the novitiate of the Order of St. Basil the Great, the Basilian Monastery in Glen Cove, New York, in November 1982 and professed final vows in Rome on January 1, 1988, ordained to the priesthood on October 1, 1988. He was appointed Exarch for Ukrainian Catholics in Great Britain on April 5, 2002 and ordained bishop on June 11, 2002 by His Beatitude, Lubomyr Cardinal Husar and installed as fourth Eparch of Stamford, February 20, 2006.
Happy birthday, Bishop Paul! Many blessings!
