Christ the King –Byzantine Styled

The Roman Church has a separate feast of Christ the King in 1925, with Pius XI’s encyclical Quas Primas. It was to counter the rise of secularism by proclaiming that Christ is the only true king of the believers. The original and ancient feast of Christ the King, however, is today, Palm Sunday. The Gospels record that Jesus is received in Jerusalem, imitating King David by riding into the city on a humble donkey. This is to become a central theme in Holy Week. The Sanhedrin will condemn Jesus for blasphemy, but will give him over to Pontius Pilate for execution for political reasons, that he set himself up as a rival king to the Emperor, a crime of treason. This is, in fact, the crime for which Pilate judges him, putting the accusation on the cross, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” The feast today is of immense spiritual importance, but, unfortunately, got tangled up with the concept of “king” that the people had. They wanted a political Messiah who would free them from Roman rule. Instead, Jesus tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world,” and he forbids his followers to fight for him. The kingdom of God is not a kingdom of worldly power, but a kingdom of our hearts and minds given freely to Jesus, the Son of God, that we may live in peace with our neighbor and with the will of God, and may grow in wisdom and understanding. St. Paul describes what the kingdom of God is like in today’s epistle: “ … whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). 

We must question ourselves today, do we want a king like the mobs did, a political king who will validate our nationalism and support our ideologies, or do we want a king that deifies our souls and hearts and minds? Only the one, true, authentic King can be our redemption and spiritual glorification, in a kingdom established on love of God and love of neighbor. On Holy Saturday, then, we sing, “Let all mortal flesh keep silence and with fear and trembling stand … for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is coming to be sacrificed and to give himself as food for the faithful” (Cherubic Hymn, Paschal Vigil Liturgy).

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Divine Liturgy for Holy Week 2019

Glory to Jesus Christ

Sunday, 4/14, Flowery (Palm) Sunday —The Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem

8:45 a.m. Lytija and Blessing of Bread
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish

Blessing of Pussywillows and Anointing

10:30 a.m.All deceased members of UNA branch 414 requested by the UNA branch 414

Epistle: Philippians 4:4-9
Gospel: John 12:1-18, Tone 6

Great Monday, 4/15, Holy Apostles Aristarchus and Pudens
9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy

Great Tuesday, 4/16, Holy Martyrs Agape, Irene and Chionia
9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy

Great Wednesday, 4/17, Our Holy Bishop Simeon
7:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts

Great Thursday, 4/18
7:00 p.m. Vespers with the Divine Liturgy and the Proclamation of the Passion Gospels

Great Friday, 4/19 —a day of strict fast and abstinence –NO meat or dairy products
4:00 p.m. Great Vespers with the Laying Out and Veneration of the Holy Shroud

Great Saturday, 4/20
8:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy

4:00 p.m. Blessing of Easter Foods
6:00 p.m. Blessing of Easter Foods

7:00 p.m. Prayers at the Tomb

Sunday, 4/21, Resurrection of Our Lord God and Savior, Jesus Christ

9:00 a.m. Procession and Paschal Matins
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish

Blessing of Artos
Blessing of Easter Foods

Epistle: Acts of the Apostles 1:1-8
Gospel: John 1:1-17, Tone 1

Parish announcements this week

Christ is in our midst!

This week the vigil light is offered God’s glory by Margaret and Stuart Maybury in memory of Pauline Kurylo.

A special THANKS to Rudolph Brezicki for donating the beautiful pussywillows for today’s Palm Sunday.

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. Please come and join in this beautiful tradition of our Church.

Olga Iastrubchak will be offering private dance classes for children ages 3-18. Classes will be held on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. in St Michael’s church hall. For more information please contact Olga at (203) 400-4467 or email her at olgaiastrubchak@gmail.com

The Knights of Columbus have available for sale a freshly cooked batch of 2 quarter pound tasty recipe kovbasa and cabbage meals for $10.00 each or a 2lb. vegetable only mix for just $6.00. These meals may be purchased in the church hall, please see Walter Ushchak.

The traditional Easter parish “SVIACHENE” will be held on May 5, following the Divine Liturgy. We will celebrate only one (1) Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m. We will be running a raffle. If you would like to donate any items to be raffled, please bring them to our church hall on Sundays before our “Sviachene” or on Sunday, May 5. Tickets are $25.00 for adults, $10.00 for youth from 12 to 18. Free for altar boys, and under 12. Also we ask you to donate cakes for desert. We trust that all parishioners will join this parish gathering and through their presence attest to cherishing in our hearts a love for one another which builds our PARISH FAMILY.

The world-renowned Kyiv Chamber Choir returns to perform a Hartford concert at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 20, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 679 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford. Tickets are available at Ukrainian National Home (860-296-5702) or online at www.universe.com or you may call Platinum Concerts International, toll-free, at 1-877-232-9835 and at the door. For concert information, go to www.platinumconcerts.com This is a are opportunity to hear one of the world’s great choirs share ‘hidden treasures, from 1,000 years of Ukrainian sacred and folk music.

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5th Sunday of the Fast – St Mary of Egypt

This Sunday of the breathtaking life of Saint Mary of Egypt is commemorated and presented to us sinners as an example of heroic hope in the mercy of the Lord and the heights it can raise us to.

The boundlessly sinful woman who took all in lust now boundlessly gives herself to Love. Our unity with Christ is a wedding that gives life, rather than take away. She exemplifies the beauty of Catholic sexuality, and in that light sheds even greater light on the “no-no’s” of the Church that everyone in their worldly thinking sees as discrimination. We don’t look at the No’s as if they were the meaning of our life. We don’t look at what we must not do but what we should be doing and always in better ways! Fear of death is an imperfect way of avoiding sin (just as in Confession’s contrition). It is LOVE that must draw us to God, and naturally this means away from any disfigurement (sin) of His Image in us and the beauty of His works.

Saint Mary reflects the harrowing difference between a sterile taking away of someone else’s treasure for our pleasure (her previous life) vs. the fertile and life-giving love that draws us out of ourselves to give this self to another as the height of our Matrimonial unity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of Matrimony’s purpose as being two things: to get yourself and the other to Heaven, and participating in God’s creating act by making souls for Heaven. It doesn’t talk about “he’s handsome and I get butterflies” or “she’s pretty and I like her”. These are natural feelings and beautiful in the right place. However, to follow them as the primary source and goal of our sexual love is a blasphemy against the Sacrament of Matrimony and our Crowning as mutual martyrs for the sake of Love. It is like saying “I am not a Christian, I see the Eucharist, I don’t think about God but I receive Him because the Host tastes good.” What a blasphemy and a sorrowful misunderstanding of the treasure unfolding in the Sacrament!

Saint Mary of Egypt who had known the entirety of worldly pleasures and a sexuality given to lust, finally in one moment of Grace understood that the true Love everyone is called to have and experience is the One hanging on the Cross. She represents a soul that crucifies itself and all the worldliness within it to be raised in Christ from the tomb of sin. And the means for this is always the Cross. A soul that crucifies its plans and picture-perfect future to raise that “unplanned” life growing in her womb. A soul that crucifies its pride and false expectations of what it “deserves” in order to refrain from insulting but rather raising the other. A soul that crucifies its pleasure and rest to stick with its family and maintain a tiresome job to raise the kids. So on…

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Divine Liturgy for the coming week

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Sunday, 4/07, 5th Sunday of Lent –Our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt
9:00 a.m. Special Intention
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish

Epistle: Hebrews 9:11-14
Gospel: Mark 10:32-45, Tone 5

Monday, 4/08, Holy Apostle Herodian and other apostles

Tuesday, 4/09, Holy Martyr Eupsichius

Wednesday, 4/10, Holy Martyrs Terrence and Pompeius

Thursday, 4/11, Holy Priest Martyr Antipas

Friday, 4/12, Our Venerable Father Basil 
7:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Saturday, 4/13, Holy Priest Martyr Artemon

Sunday, 3/14, Palm Sunday

8:45 a.m. Lytija and Blessing of Bread
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
~Blessing of Pussywillows and Anointing

10:30 a.m. All deceased members of UNA Branch 414 requested by UNA Branch 414
~Blessing of Pussywillows and Anointing

Epistle: Philippians 4:4-9
Gospel: John 12:1-18, Tone 6

Parish announcements this week

Christ is in our midst!

VIGIL LIGHT: This week vigil light is offered to God’s glory in memory of Frances Dmyterko requested by the Family.

SESTRECHI: the next meeting will be held today after the 9:00 Divine Liturgy.

CANCELLATION: Due to scheduling conflicts, the April 8th Parish Council meeting and the KofC meeting are cancelled. The next scheduled meeting dates will be announced.

LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS will be on Friday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m.

Our next PYROHY PROJECT will be Saturday, April 13. We need your help on Friday to peel potatoes and especially on Saturday to make Pyrohy (varynyky). Please come and help. See Walter Ushchak for more information.

Olga Iastrubchak will be offering private dance classes for children ages 3-18. Classes will be held on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. the St Michael’s church hall. For more information please contact Olya at 203-400-4467 or email olgaiastrubchak@gmail.com

Kovbasa and Cabbage Meals: The Knights of Columbus Have available for sale a freshly cooked batch of 2 quarter pound secret, tasty recipe kovbasa and cabbage meals for $10.00 each or a 2lb. vegetable only mix for just $6.00. These meals may be purchased in the Church Hall, please see Walter Ushchak.

Knights of Columbus raffle tickets are being sold in the church hall after each Divine Liturgy. 1st Prize is $5,000.00!!! The tickets are $10.00 each. Please see Michael or Mary Muryn to purchase your tickets.

SVIACHENE: The traditional Easter parish “SVIACHENE” will be held on May 5, following the one (1) Divine Liturgy. We will celebrate only One Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m. We will be running a raffle. If you would like to donate any items to be raffled, please bring them to our church hall on Sundays before our “Sviachene” or on Sunday, May 5. Tickets are $25.00 for adults, $10.00 for youth from 12 to 18. Free for altar boys, and under 12. Also we ask you to donate cakes for desert. We trust that all parishioners will join this parish gathering and through their presence attest to cherishing in our hearts a love for one another which builds our PARISH FAMILY.

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Blessed Josaphata Hordashewska 100th anniversary

The Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church have designated April 7, 2019 – April 7, 2020 as a special Jubilee Year marking the 100th Anniversary of the passing into eternal life of Blessed Josaphata Hordashewska, the co-foundress of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate.

The official opening of the Jubilee Year for Blessed Josaphata will take place on Sunday, April 7, in Lviv.

For more information, visit the website of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate.

George Weigel to speak in New Haven

A lecture will be given this Monday, April 8 at 7:00 pm by author George Weigel from the Ethics and Public Policy Center, on his new book The Fragility of Order, Catholic Reflections on Turbulent Times (2018). This includes Ukraine as part of the lecture. This event will take place at St. Mary’s Parish, 5 Hillhouse Parish, New Haven. A reception will follow.

You may register at the Thomistic Institute.

George Weigel has been a great advocate for the work and life of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Recently, he wrote an appreciative essay on Archbishop Borys Gudziak that can be read here.

All meetings at the Parish on this day have been canceled to allow parishioners to take advantage of this unusual opportunity.

Helping the poor-a work of charity

Helping the poor —The Director of the St. Vincent DePaul Homeless Shelter in Waterbury wrote to us requesting assistance in collecting bath soap, tooth brushes, tooth paste, deodorant, Q-tips, men’s underwear for the ministry to the homeless. We will have this collection for the poor through Pentecost (June 9).

These items can be put in the basket at the entrance of the church in the marked box.

Can we follow the example of the Lord who exhorted us to care for the poor? Let us follow the holy example of the Venerable Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky who heroically lived a life of Christian virtue with his commitment to the poor. Pray to Venerable Metropolitan Sheptytsky for guidance in living a holy life.

Paul Zalonski (of our parish) will drive the donations to St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury Homeless Shelter in Waterbury (www.svdpmission.org).

From Evangelicalism to Byzantine Christianity

A recent online interview about a family of Evangelical Christians who came to Byzantine Christianity through a relationship with the pastor of a Kyivan Church in Richmond, British Colombia. Thanks to God’s Grace and the great work of Jesuit Father Richard Soo the parish is growing (with a large number of Chinese people).

The article: “Bridging Protestantism and Eastern Catholic Orthodoxy.”

May the Holy Theotokos and all the saints continue to move hearts and minds to be in relation with Jesus Christ and His Church.