Category: News

Parish announcements

Christ is among us!

This week vigil light is offered by Family in memory of all members of Waselik family.

The Great Fast/Lent begins Sunday evening with Forgiveness Vespers, or Monday when we begin with prayer and fasting.

Our Church, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church traditionally prescribes abstention from meat and dairy products for the entire duration of the Great Fast and Holy Week and this rule is still kept in monasteries. The following are the minimal Lenten regulations today, but the lay faithful are encouraged to live according to this historic rule of abstention as much as they can physically and spiritually. Hence, you are invited to follow the tradition as you are physically able given your age and health and work situation.

First Day of the Great Fast (Clean Monday) – Abstention from meat and dairy and foods that contain these ingredients is obligatory. Fasting is obligatory.

First Week of the Great Fast – Abstention from meat and foods that contain these ingredients is obligatory. Abstention from dairy and foods that contain these ingredients is encouraged.

Wednesdays and Fridays of the Great Fast – Abstention from meat and foods that contain these ingredients is obligatory. Abstention from dairy and foods that contain these ingredients is encouraged. Abstention from meat and dairy and foods that contain these ingredients is encouraged on Mondays during Lent as well.

Fasting regulations of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church —Definitions

Abstinence means that we do not eat a certain type of food or any other foods that have that as an ingredient.

Fasting means that we eat fewer food items. A general rule is that for a day of fast, we eat no more than one full meal and two smaller meals (snacks) that put together do not equal a full meal.

Meat is to be understood as including not only the flesh, but also those parts of warm-blooded animals that cannot be rendered, i.e., melted down, e.g., the liver, etc. Meat gravy or soup made from meat is included in this prohibition.

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Donating to help people in Ukraine

You can donate on the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s website www.ukrarcheparchy.us, and click on Donate through PAYPAL and select “WAR VICTIMS AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN UKRAINE”.

Write a check to the “Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia” and send it to the office at 810 North Franklin Street, Philadelphia PA 19123. Please write on the check “Humanitarian Aid Fund for Ukraine”.

There are no small or large donations. But your donation can change someone’s life for the better. The Lord God will repay the happy donor a hundredfold. Pray for the people of the war victims! May the Lord bless you and our brothers and sisters in Ukraine!

Let us keep each other in prayer as well as Ukraine.

Community gathered today in support of Ukraine

The community gathered in the church hall to support Ukraine in her current suffering. Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians alike. The rally started with praying Psalm 31 and concluded with a prayer offered by Fr Iura Godenciuc.

We we were honored by the Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Governor Ned Lamont and Mayor Justin Elicker.

Rallies in Connecticut today

Hartford, CT -Ukrainian National Home of Hartford, 961 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford, CT -1:00pm

New Haven, CT -St Michael Ukrainian Catholic church hall, 569 George Street, New Haven, CT -11:30am

New Haven, CT -Yale Ukrainian Student Club-Sterling Memorial Library High Street, New Haven, CT -2:00pm

Patriarch Sviatoslav of Kyiv writes on Saturday, February 26

Message from His Beatitude, Archbishop Sviatoslav of Kyiv and Halych, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church this morning from Kyiv, English translation by Fr Deacon Daniel Galazda:

Glory to Jesus Christ!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Today is Saturday, February 26, and the sun is rising over Kyiv, over Ukrainian Kyiv, over Kyiv that is triumphing, over Kyiv that has survived another night, a night blessed by God.

Allow me to address all of you with a word of greeting, a word of blessing, and a word of thanks. First of all, allow me to pass on to you the words of greeting and support from the Holy Father, Francis, who called me himself yesterday in order to express his support. He said literally the following words: “Farò tutto che é possibile.” (I will do everything possible.) Of course, to stop the war, so that innocent people do not die, so that Ukraine has the opportunity to develop freely. I would like every to be thankful to the Holy Father, because the whole global community is mobilizing itself in our support.

I would like to thank everyone today who in the last few days have sent me letters of support and solidarity with Ukraine, with the Ukrainian people, and with our Church.

I would like to thank the Bishops’ Conference of Europe and its president, the archbishop of Vilinius, archbishop Gintaras Grušas, as well as the bishops of Poland, Germany, France, England, Italy, USA, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, but it was particularly pleasant for me to receive a letter from the all the Catholic bishops of Kazakhstan expressing their support for our Ukraine and expressing their unity with our people in prayer.

To all those who are supporting Ukraine in various ways, in the name of our people, in the name of our state, in the name of besieged Kyiv, in whose streets battles are taking place, let me say a sincere “thank you.” They say that when artillery speaks, muses are silent. Let the muses remain silent, but we Christians, we people, have no right to be silent.

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CT United States Congresswoman and Senator to visit parish

Christ is among us!

On Sunday, February 27, US Congresswoman Delauro and US Senator Richard Blumenthal will be ATTENDING the 10:30 Divine Liturgy to pray with us. They are not coming to make speeches.

Following the Liturgy, Congresswoman Delauro and Senator Blumenthal will meet with the community in the church hall. They are coming to speak personally with our parishioners and guests after the Liturgy.

This is a crucial time for us to be united as a community of faith and a community who works for the good.

Our daily prayer and sacrifice is for peace, justice and mercy in our hearts and in Ukraine.

Let us pray for each other.