Pope’s Prayer Intention for August 2019
That families, through their life of prayer and love, become ever more clearly “schools of true human growth.”
Let us be united in prayer.
The Dormition Fast
“Father,” someone once asked their priest, “I have a difficult time observing the Dormition Fast. What should I do?”
“Well,” the priest responded, “just keep the first week, and then keep second week, that should be enough.”
Is this acting a bit smart?
But there is much truth here. As we know, the Dormition Fast is just two weeks total. It’s an intense and necessary two weeks as the Church gathers together at the death bed of Mary, the ever-Virgin Mother of God.
Church teaches us that is the the gesture of those whom we love is near death: we ought to stop in our tracks and gather at their bedside. Today, we find ourselves at a nursing home, CT Hospice or even the hospital.
The Apostles and those –except Thomas– with them had been scattered across the world spreading the Gospel were miraculously gathered together at the bedside of the Church’s mother to bid her farewell from this life.
This is good spiritual advice: “We ought to keep this fast as carefully and attentively as possible because we love God’s Mother. She helps us, she loves us, and with the boldness of a mother she intercedes on our behalf to her Son and our God. It is not that Christ does not know our needs, but, because that is what a loving mother does!”
Are convinced to keep the Dormition Fast? Here are a few tips:
Go to Church. Run to Church. We will be open for business. Holy Feast of our Lord’s Transfiguration always falls in the midst of the fast.
Pray. Yes, pray. That you come to Church you will surely be praying, but, consider intensifying your daily devotions. Look in your prayer books for special prayers that you can add to God’s Mother during this season. Maybe even keep it up after the 14 days!
Fast. We got the whole way to #3 without even mentioning food. Do your best to abstain from meat and dairy as you are able. The Church provides strict directives as they always do, but, work together as a family to come up with a plan. At the least, do more than you have done in the past. Have questions or concerns, ask Father Iura.
Familiarity with Sacred Scripture–God’s Word
Are you familiar (at the deepest possible level as able) with sacred Scripture? Daily, it is recommended, to spend time doing lectio divina.
While John Paul is addressing members in consecrated life, the teaching is fitting and prudent for the laity, too.
“As the church’s spiritual tradition teaches, meditation on God’s word, and on the mysteries of Christ in particular, gives rise to fervor in contemplation and the ardor of apostolic activity. Both in contemplative and active religious life, it has always been men and women of prayer, those who truly interpret and put into practice the will of God, who do great works.
“From familiarity with God’s word they draw the light needed for that individual and communal discernment which helps them to seek the ways of the Lord in the signs of the times. In this way they acquire a kind of supernatural intuition which allows them to avoid being conformed to the mentality of this world, but rather to be renewed in their own mind, in order to discern God’s will about what is good, perfect, and pleasing to him (see Romans 12:2).
Saint John Paul II, The Consecrated Life
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Read: Romans 15:1-7; Matthew 9:27-35
The Gospel for this Sunday can be summarized: Jesus went about doing good, healing the sick and revealing God’s love for all. St. Paul tells us the Jesus did this out of his goodness, not to please himself, not to glorify himself. From love for us, he took insults upon us upon himself. St. Paul concludes, “Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). In this way, we can heal one another’s spirit. Today’s epistle and gospel, then, tell us what love for one another really is. There is a condition, though, we must be open to God’s love. What does Jesus ask the blind men? “Do you believe I can do this?” If they believed they could be healed, then they also believed they needed healing, unlike the hypocritical Pharisees, to whom Jesus says, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains” (John 9:41). They, in bitterness and unfaithfulness, hurl the insult at Jesus, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons” (Matthew 9:34).
We are blind to the image of God in the other when we “demonize” them, and in reality, makes ourselves into demons. We should, instead, heal one another and not condemn.
Meditation by Archpriest David Petras
#ByzantineCatholicNewHaven
Divine Liturgy for the coming week
Glory to Jesus Christ
Sunday, 7/28, 7th Sunday after Pentecost —The Holy Apostles and Deacons Prochor, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas
9:00 a.m. +Frances Dmyterko (13th Anniv.) requested by the Family
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish
Epistle: Romans 15:1-7
Gospel: Matthew 9:27-35, Tone 6
Monday, 7/29, The Holy Martyr Callinicus
9:00 a.m. No intention for the Divine Liturgy
Tuesday, 7/30, HThe Holy Apostles Silas, Silvanus and Those with Them
9:00 a.m. No intention for the Divine Liturgy
Wednesday, 7/31, The Holy and Just Eudocimus
9:00 a.m. No intention for the Divine Liturgy
Thursday, 8/01, The Seven Holy Martyred Maccabees, Their Mother Solome and Their Teacher Eleazar
9:00 a.m. No intention for the Divine Liturgy
Friday, 8/02, The Transfer of the Holy Relics of the First-martyr and Archdeacon Stephen
9:00 a.m. No intention for the Divine Liturgy
Saturday, 8/03, Our Venerable Father Isaac, Dalmatus and Faustus
9:00 +Ivan and Halyna Lobay requested by Maria Lobay
Sunday, 8/04, 8th Sunday after Pentecost —The Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus
9:00 a.m. +Ann Muryn requested by Mary and Michael Muryn
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Gospel: Matthew 14:14-22, Tone 7
Parish announcements this week
Christ is in our midst!
This week vigil light is offered to God’s glory by Catherine Kolesnik in memory of all deceased of Kolesnik family.
The next meeting of Knights of Columbus Blessed Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Ukrainian Council will be held on Monday August 5, 7:00 p.m. in the Holy Name Room. All men of the parish are invited to attend.
THANK YOU to the Knights of Columbus, Blessed Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Council, for your generous donation of 20 new Divine Liturgy Missals to our parish.
We have for sale frozen borscht for $5.00; cabbage and sausage (kapusta and kovbasa) for $10.00 and pyrohy (varenyky) in 2 dozen packages for $14.00. You can buy pyrohy after each Divine Liturgy or during the week if you call the rectory.
CT STATE UKRAINIAN DAY COMMITTEE will hold its next meeting tomorrow evening, July 29, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be hosted by St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, 135 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford, CT. Refreshments will be served.
The ANNUAL HOLY DORMITION PILGRIMAGE will be held on August 10-11 at the motherhouse of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in Sloatsburg. This year’s theme is “Responding with the heart as did Mary and Josaphata”. The Sisters invite all our parishioners to attend! For information call: 845-753-2840 or http://www.ssmi-us.org
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, 2019. The Festival will be held on the grounds of St. Basil’s Seminary, 161 Glenbrook Rd., Stamford. Advance general admission tickets are $5.00 per person, 12 and over are available from Luba Dubno. Tickets purchases at the gate will be $10.00 per person. This festival can’t exist if volunteers sign up during the day to help out. Please make that effort to volunteer.
STAMFORD CHARITIES APPEAL
REMINDER: Please don’t forget to donate for Charities Appeal. The forms are designed for each family of our parish. Attached to the form is an envelope into which you can place your contribution. The form along with your contribution, we ask you enclose in the envelope and place it in the collection basket during church services. Please make check 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.
Third meeting for CT Ukrainian Day announced
Whale Watch
The Menunkatuck Audubon Society and members of St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church (New Haven) is sponsoring a Whale Watch from Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The trip is a beautiful event and experience to see whales in their native habit. To register and to purchase tickets online @ https://menunkatuck.org/calendar/whale-watch (you can also send a check to the Menunkatuck Audubon Society)
The Whale Watch is Saturday, August 10, 2019, 1-5pm
More information: https://menunkatuck.org/calendar/whale-watch
OR, email Carl Harvey: carlrharvey79@gmail.com
Humanae vitae at 51
Today is the 51st anniversary of Pope Saint Paul VI’s landmark encyclical, Humanae vitae .
Ss. Boris and Gleb
Today is the memorial of the holy protomartyrs of Kievan-Rus’, Boris and Gleb, known in baptism named Roman and David.
When the first Christian prince of the Kievan-Rus’ people, St Vladimir, died in 1015, his eldest son, Svyatopolk, attempted to consolidate his own position by eliminating his two half-brothers, Boris and Gleb. When Boris heard of his brother’s plans, he refused to defend himself and faced his death without fear or hatred. His younger brother also accepted his assassination without opposition.
Such murders were typical of the extremes of political struggle for power in a pagan society. Boris and Gleb sincerely believed that the good news of Christ, so recently preached in their own land, must change all of this. Thus, by their voluntary sacrifice to their brother’s lust for power, they bore witness to the command of Christ to love one another. The impact of their witness deeply affected the character of the Kievan-Rus’ spirituality.
Meditation by the New Skete Monks
Edited by PAZ