Parish announcements this week

Christ is in our midst!

This week’s vigil light is offered to God’s glory by Cathy Kolesnik for God’s blessings and health for Barbara and Patrick Bagley.

During my vacation, you can call Fr. Stepan Yanovski (203) 468-0367, or Fr. Ivan Mazuryk (203) 367-5054. Blessings, Fr. Iura Godenciuc

Today, August 25, we will be having a ceremony in observance of the 28th Anniversary of Ukrainian Independence. This will take place after the 2nd Divine Liturgy beside the statue of the Blessed Virgin. Coffee and cake will be served in the church hall after the ceremony.

We have for sale frozen pierogies (varenyky) 2 dozen $14.00, borsht $5.00, cabbage and sausage (kapusta and kovbasa) $10.00. You can buy after each Divine Liturgy.

We will make pyrohy for the Ukrainian Festival in Stamford on Saturday, September 7th. Our next pyrohy project  for regular orders will be September 14th. Please come and help. See Walter Ushchak for more information.

The Immaculate Conception Society (Sestretsi) is cordially inviting all St. Michael’s Parishioners and friends to attend its Lasagna Dinner to be held on Sunday, October 6, 12:00 noon, at our Parish church hall. Come to enjoy good food, deserts and the company of parishioners and friends. Tickets are $20.00 for adults and free admission to those under the age of 12. Tickets sellers will be announced at a later date. See the Treasurer, Maria Sobko for more information.

The final festival meeting of the CT State Ukrainian Day Committee will be held on Monday, August 26, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be hosted by: St. Basil’s Seminary, 195 Glenbrook Road, Stamford, CT. Refreshments will be served promptly at 7 p.m.

STAMFORD CHARITIES APPEAL

REMINDER: Please don’t forget to donate to the Charities Appeal. Forms are designed for each family of our parish. Attached to the form is an envelope into which you can place your contribution. Please enclose the form with your contribution into the envelope and place it into the collection basket during church services. Kindly make checks payable to the Byzantine Rite Eparchy of Stamford. DO NOT MAIL THIS FORM TO THE CHANCERY OFFICE. We sincerely ask all parishioners to make generous contributions.

The Connecticut State Ukrainian Day Committee wishes to invite all parishioners to attend this year’s Ukrainian Day Festival to be held on Sunday, September 8. The Festival will be held on the grounds of St. Basil’s Seminary, 161 Glenbrook Rd., Stamford, CT. Advance general admission tickets are $5.00 per person, 12 and over and are available from Luba Dubno. Tickets purchased at the gate will be $10.00 per person. We also have raffle tickets for sale 5 tickets $5.00. This festival can exist only if volunteers sign up during the day to help out. Please make that effort to volunteer.

Awakenings —Adult Faith Formation: A theologian who does not love art, poetry, music and nature can be dangerous. Blindness and deafness toward the beautiful are not incidental; they necessarily are reflected in his theology. (Card. Joseph Ratzinger)

SingCon 2019 – UGCC Music Conference – September 26-29
St. Basil’s Seminary, Stamford

Experience common prayer at liturgical services, including Vigil (Vespers and Matins) on Saturday evening and Hierarchal Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning. Services will include various approaches to singing (congregational, choral, small ensembles) and be held in English with Ukrainian and Church Slavonic.

SingCon is a gathering of church singers of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) in North America to promote contact with one another (networking), to learn from experienced cantors and singers in our church, to share experience and solutions to current issues in church singing, and to pray together. SingCon is organized by the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission of the UGCC and in 2019 will be sponsored by the UGCC Eparchy of Stamford CT. Singers and faithful of other Churches are welcome! Registration is open to everyone regardless of ability. All are welcome and encouraged to participate in this exciting conference.

SingCon 2019 —UGCC Music Conference

SingCon 2019 —UGCC Music Conference
September 26-29

St. Basil’s Seminary, Stamford

Experience common prayer at liturgical services, including Vigil (Vespers and Matins) on Saturday evening and Hierarchal Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning. Services will include various approaches to singing (congregational, choral, small ensembles) and be held in English with Ukrainian and Church Slavonic.

SingCon is a gathering of church singers of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) in North America to promote contact with one another (networking), to learn from experienced cantors and singers in our church, to share experience and solutions to current issues in church singing, and to pray together. SingCon is organized by the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission of the UGCC and in 2019 will be sponsored by the UGCC Eparchy of Stamford CT. Singers and faithful of other Churches are welcome! Registration is open to everyone regardless of ability. All are welcome and encouraged to participate in this exciting conference.

Participants will learn new music and take part in practice sessions in preparation for the liturgical services.

Led by experts from the UGCC, these practical workshops and lectures will be offered at both beginner and intermediate/ advanced levels, with the aim of advancing knowledge and helping to improve the quality of church singing. This will also be an opportunity for fellowship and networking among cantors, singers, choir directors, and clergy, to foster cooperation and growth. The workshops will explore church singing practices, and will take place in English.

ugccmusic.com is a project of the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

For more information and to register visit: https://ugccmusic.com/singcon2019

SingCon 2019

We are pleased to announce that registration for SingCon 2019 is now open!

Registration LINK is here.

We look forward seeing you at St. Basils’s Seminary in Stamford, Connecticut, from Thursday, September 26 (registration opens at 4:00 pm), to Sunday, September 29 (concluding after lunch, approx. 1:00 pm). This Year Registration is available either for Thursday-Sunday or Friday-Sunday.

SingCon is a weekend of lectures, workshops, rehearsals, discussions, and liturgical services (Matins, Vespers, Vigil, and Divine Liturgy) for cantors, choir directors, singers, and anyone interested in church singing, regardless of background or ability.

The full schedule, workshop details, music, and liturgical texts will be posted on here in July.

See you in September in Stamford!

Good Church Music Starts with Kids

Music is essential to life. Sacred music –that which is lived and performed in the Liturgy– is crucial important and integral to the worship of God. Yes, we live the text and the notes.

If you love music, if you love listening to music, if you love sharing the experience of listening to music with others, can you support church musicians –our church chanters, for both Divine Liturgies (in English and Ukrainian).

The “normal” parish does not spend enough time thinking about the sacred music program never mind spending money on it. (AND St. Michael’s is not the object of these moments.) Even a financially strapped parish could put $50.00 per week away for sacred music. More important to money is the understanding of pastor and laity have regarding the music and give personal, informed and reasonable interest to it and the people involved. The worship of God is paramount; the lifting of our soul is desired and beautiful and healing.

Read Orthodox Christian Benedict Sheehan’s blog post “Good Church Music Starts with Kids” which is spot-on and parishes, especially Catholic parishes, need to attend to what he Benedict proposes.

Benedict Sheehan regularly posts at The Music Stand –visit him there.