The organizational meeting of the newly formed Facilities Maintenance Team of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church to work on projects for the parish. The usual time frame for the work sessions will run from 6:30 to about 9:30 p.m. The first meeting took place on Friday evening, January 18th. The schedule of work sessions was also established for the entire year so that plans can be developed for doing all the projects and arrangements made for the purchase of required supplies and equipment. All parishioners who would like to become part of the team should leave your contact information with Fr. Iura after the Divine Liturgy. Forms for providing your contact information can be found in the vestibule of the church.
Awakenings —Adult Faith Formation: “Heaven is the heaven of the Lord, but the earth he has given to the children of men” (Psalms 115:16)
God’s Plan —God the Creator fills creation with the grace of his presence, and yet at the same time, he remains unattainable in his essence. God’s presence in the world is discovered through prayerful contemplation, which is capable of seeing in the world his divine Prototype, the Christ. In accordance with his plan, God acts in the world; he sustains the world in existence and leads it to final fulfillment. This action of God is referred to as the Divine Plan (Providence) of God. Divine Providence consists of his gracious “foresight” and the “counsel from before the ages” of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; this Providence is God’s will for the world and determines the consummation of the world: “By your power you hold together the creation, and by your providence you govern the world.” This means that in the world and in our lives, there are no coincidences or random occurrences. Faith makes it possible to see the action of Divine Providence in the concrete circumstances of life. (Christ Our Pascha, 111 and 112)
“Let us venerate the holy icons of Christ; of the all-pure Virgin and the saints,
whether depicted on walls, on wooden panels or on holy vessels, rejecting the impious teachings of the heretics.”
From Great Vespers – First Sunday of Lent