Sunday of the Forefathers

Colossians 3:4: “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

This first phrase from today’s Epistle as the Church begins it’s celebration of the birth of our Lord really tells us what Christmas is all about. This is the announcement of the feast. The Word of God, appearing in our world, is the glory of the believer. He appears in humble surroundings, but invites all to the feast!

The gospel (Luke 14:16-24) tells us that those who are well off refuse the invitation, but it is “the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind,” who come, it is those in “the highways and hedges” who are “compelled to come.” Mary probably realized this when she prophesied, “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.” (Luke 1:52) The angels appear to the shepherds in the fields, and they are invited to the house of the Lord. The glory of the Lord is his humility, and our glory is our humility. For all that, everyone is invited to the banquet, and the wise and the rich from Persia come with expensive gifts, though they too are outsiders, and the epistle tells us “there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.” (Colossians 3:11)

Those who welcome Christ will put aside “anger, wrath, malice….” (Colossians 3:8) The first sticheron at Christmas chants, “let us proclaim the present mystery by which the partition has been broken and the flaming sword withheld. Now the Cherubim shall let us all come to the Tree of Life.”

This is putting Christ back into Christmas!

Meditation by Archpriest David Petras

Divine Liturgy for the coming week

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Sunday, 12/17/17 Sunday of the Forefathers —The Holy Prophet Daniel, the Three Holy Youths Ananiah, Azaraih and Mishael
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
10:30 a.m. +Eugene Koziupa requested by Lydia Koziupa

Epistle: Colossians 3:4:11
Gospel: Luke 14:16-24, Tone 3

Monday, 12/18/17 The Holy Martyr Sebastian and companions

Tuesday, 12/19/17 The Holy Martyr Boniface

Wednesday, 12/20/17 Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ —The Holy Priest-Martyr Ignatius the Godbearer

Thursday, 12/21/17 Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ —The Holy Martyr Juliana of Nicomedia

Friday, 12/22/17 Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ —the Holy Great-Martyr Anastasia

Saturday, 12/23/17 Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ —the Holy Ten Martyrs of Crete

Sunday, 12/24/17 Sunday of the Holy Fathers —Christmas Eve—The Holy Venerable Martyr Eugenia
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
10:30 a.m. Special Intention

Epistle: Hebrews 11:9:10;17-23;32-40
Gospel: Matthew 1:1-25, Tone 4

Monday, 12/25/17  The Nativity in the Flesh of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ – Christmas
9:45 a.m. Great Compline
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish
Anointing and distribution of prosphora (Myrovann)

Parish announcements this week

Christ is among us!

1. VIGIL LIGHT: This week vigil light is offered to God’s glory by Nadia and Vasyl Ivantsiv in memory of +Dmytro.

2. AFTER DIVINE LITURGY: Dear parishioners and guests, after each Divine Liturgy, coffee and hard rolls are available in the church hall.

3. HOLY DAY SCHEDULE:

Divine Liturgy Schedule for the holy days:

~Christmas, December 25: 9:45 a.m. Great Compline (The God is with Us service) and Divine Liturgy 10:30 a.m.

~New Year’s Day, January 1: Divine Liturgy 11:00 a.m.

~Theophany of Our Lord, January 6: Great Compline at 9:15 a.m. followed by the Divine Liturgy and Great Sanctification of water 10:00 a.m.

~Christmas (Julian Calendar), January 7: Great Compline at 9:45 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m.

4. 2017 CHRISTMAS BAZAAR:  TODAY, you have an excellent opportunity to purchase, at very reasonable prices, the Ukrainian gifts and cards (for Christmas and other special occasions) that you would like to give to family members, friends, co-workers or teachers of your children. We are also seeking volunteer sales associates that can help process the purchases that people make. If you can help during one of the times indicated earlier in this note, please call Carl R. Harvey at 203-389-6076. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. You will be giving much needed support to sustain the operation of your Heritage Center.

5. 2017 CHRISTMAS BAZAAR: The Ukrainian Women’s League of New Haven, Branch 108 will be holding their annual Christmas Bazaar TODAY after each Divine Liturgy, 10 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. Baked goods and kutia will also be available. Donations of Ukrainian or holiday items would be greatly welcome. For more information, contact Anna Salemme 203-934-6520 or Larissa Swartwout 203-248-9767.

6. END OF YEAR REPORTS: All donations and contributions must be received by Monday, December 25 to be recorded on the annual statement for the Year 2017.

7. VETERANS POST 33: The next meeting of the Ukrainian –American Veteran Bishop John Stock Post 33 of New Haven will be held TODAY. We will begin the meeting immediately following the second Divine Liturgy. The meeting will be held in Classroom 2. For more information, contact the Post Commander Carl Harvey at 203-389-6076 or crharv384@optimum.net

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Pierogi Saturday

This coming Saturday, December 16 is Pyrohy (Pierogi) Saturday.

The Pyrohy Project sells the varenyky in the church hall for $6.00 per dozen. Checks payable to “Pyrohy Project.”

Today is the final day to place your order for pick up after 1pm on Saturday. The following are ready to take your order:

Lydia Koziupa: 203-467-2285
Alexis Hickerson: 475-221-8399
Sophie DeCarlo: 203-468-2761

Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Ephesians 6:10-17; Luke 17:12-19

In today’s Epistle, St. Paul tells us, “draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil ….take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The true weapon of the Christian is not the metal sword, but the sword of the word.” Hebrews tells us, “the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12).”

Christians do not meet violence with violence, but when persecuted, follow the Lord’s teaching, “Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. (Luke 21:14-15)” Jesus is the Word of God, and his word is powerful indeed, and so the true power Christians comes when we speak in the truth of our Lord. Our human words may not seem that powerful, but words spoken in Christ can transform our lives. This power does not come from us, but from God, therefore, as St. Paul again says, “yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me, (Galatians 2:20)” and yesterday’s epistle says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)” All this has meaning in this Christmas season. We give gifts to one another, and parents instruct their children, say “Thank you,” to those who give you gifts. The words “thank you” are more powerful than the material gifts, for they form bonds of love. As Christians, we, too, say words of “thanks” that bind us in love to God, “the giver of every good and perfect gift. (James 1:17, Ambon Prayer).”

In this church, we utter words of thanksgiving, as we offer our Liturgy, a “sacrifice of praise.” That is why we call the Liturgy the Eucharist, the Greek word for “thanksgiving.” And on Christmas, we offer words to the new-born child, “Christ is born! Glorify him.” We must not only say words with our mouth, “for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)” But Jesus has to lament today that only one in ten cured return to give thanks. The gospel tells us that we must give thanks to God, who alone brought us into being and who alone can give us salvation. Jesus tells us today that this is difficult, because it requires humility and an open heart. Thus only one of the ten lepers gives thanks, and the least expected, the foreigner.

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Divine Liturgy for the coming week

Glory to Jesus Christ

Sunday, 12/10/17 27th Sunday after Pentecost —The Holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes and Eugraphus
9:00 a.m.  For the people of the parish
10:30 a.m. +Ivan & Olena Godenciuc requested by the Family

Epistle: Ephesians 6:10:17
Gospel: Luke 17:12-219, Tone 2

Monday, 12/11/17 Our Venerable Father Daniel the Stylite
8:30 a.m. God’s blessing and health for Johanna Patrylak requests by Maria Radawiec and family

Tuesday, 12/12/17 Our Venerable Father Spiridon the Wonderworker
9:00 a.m. no special intention for the Divine Liturgy

Wednesday, 12/13/17 The Holy Martyrs Eustratios, Auxentius, Eugenius, Mardarius and Orestes and the Holy Martyr Lucia the Virgin
9:00 a.m. no special intention for the Divine Liturgy

Thursday, 12/14/17 The Holy Martyrs Thyrsus, Leucius, Philemon, Apollonius and Callinicus
9:00 a.m. no special intention for the Divine Liturgy

Friday, 12/15/17 The Holy Priest-Martyr Eleutherius; Our Venerable Father Paul of Latra; Our Holy Father Stephen the Confessor
9:00 a.m. no special intention for the Divine Liturgy

Saturday, 12/16/17 Holy Prophet Haggai
9:00 a.m. +Warwara Bodnar (Pan.) requested by Maria Wysowskyj

Sunday, 12/17/17 Sunday of the Holy Forefathers —The Holy Prophet Daniel, the Three Holy Youths Ananiah, Azaraih and Mishael
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
10:30 a.m. +Eugene Koziupa requested by Lydia Koziupa

Epistle: Colossians  3:4:11
Gospel: Luke 14:16-24, Tone 3

Parish announcements this week

Christ is among us

1. VIGIL LIGHT: This week vigil light is offered to God’s glory by Luba Romaniw for a Special Intention.

2. AFTER DIVINE LITURGY: Dear parishioners and guests, after each Divine Liturgy, coffee and hard rolls are available in the church hall.

3. 2017 CHRISTMAS BAZAAR :  The Ukrainian Heritage Center’s Christmas Bazaar will be held on Saturday,  December 9,  Sunday, December 10, Saturday, December 16 and Sunday, December 17 in the church hall from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. This offers you an excellent opportunity to purchase, at very reasonable prices, the Ukrainian gifts and cards (for Christmas and other special occasions) that you would like to give to family members, friends, co-workers or teachers of your children. We are also seeking volunteer sales associates that can help process the purchases that people make. If you can help during one of the times indicated earlier in this note, please call Carl R. Harvey at (203) 389-6076. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. You will be giving much needed support to sustain the operation of your Heritage Center.

4. 2017 CHRISTMAS BAZAAR: The Ukrainian Women’s League of New Haven, Branch 108 will be holding their annual Christmas Bazaar on Sunday, December 10, Saturday, December 16 and Sunday, December 17, after each Divine Liturgy, 10 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. Baked goods and kutia will also be available. Donations of Ukrainian or holiday items would be greatly welcome. For more information, contact Anna Salemme 203- 934-6520 or Larissa Swartwout 203-248-9767.

5. ST. GIANNA CENTER OF NEW HAVEN: The parish is collecting diapers, seats, strollers and gift cards to be given to the St. Gianna Center of New Haven (www.gianna center.org). Useful diapers sizes: 3, 4, 5. Gift cards are needed from Walmart or Target. Please place the gift card in an envelope marked “St. Gianna Center” and give it to directly Fr. Iura. Also, NEW car seats / strollers are needed (sorry, old car seats / strollers can’t be accepted due to legislation). Items can be placed in the labeled box at the entrance of the Church. The St. Gianna Center is a ministry of Catholics in New Haven helping at-risk pregnant women and their children. Thank you for your generosity!

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Maternity of St Anna

maternity-of-st-anneThe conception of the all-holy virgin Mary in the womb of Anna is celebrated on December 9 in the Byzantine tradition, for a natural reason, that the Eastern ancients thought a girl was in the womb one day less than a boy. However, in the Ruthenian Church in America, the feast is now celebrated together with the Roman Church on December 8, nine months before her birth on September 8, because she is the patron of the United States.

It is clear that this is a preparation for the birth of Christ on Christmas, for the first sticheron of the feast begins: “The barren Anna leaped for joy when she gave birth to Mary the Virgin who in turn will give birth in the flesh to God the Word.” Mary, the daughter of Anna and Joachim by way of natural birth is to be the temple of the Word of God incarnate for our sake and for our salvation.

The Eastern and Western Churches put the accent on different aspects of the feast. In the East, we celebrate the miracle of God taking away the barrenness of Anna’s womb. The Protoevangelium of James portrays the sadness of Joachim and Anna. Joachim lamented, “I have searched whether I am the only one who has not begotten offspring in Israel, and I have found of all the righteous that they had raised up offspring in Israel.” Anna wept, “I will bewail my widowhood, and bewail my childlessness.” (1,3 and 2,1) Two angels came, one to Joachim and another to Anna with a divine message that they would bear a child, even in their old age. When God takes away an emptiness, he fills us more than our faith can grasp, and they gave birth not only a child, but to the new Ark of God’s covenant with us.

The Western Church, on the other hand, puts the accent on Mary’s purity from all sin from her conception, defined by Pope Bl. Pius IX in 1848 as the Immaculate Conception. The theology behind this is that the incarnation of the sinless Word of God must come from a sinless temple, the womb of Mary which was never touched by sin, even from her conception.

It is unfortunate that this dogma has become a bone of contention between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Both believe in the ancestral sin, but in different ways, so that for the Orthodox the main curse of the sin of Adam and Eve is death, while for the Catholics, it is original sin. May we seek unity and not division. Most Orthodox theologians do believe that the “ancestral sin” has infected the human race, but might disagree about the way it does this. In our dialogue, we must seek a mutual understanding, perhaps in the words of Orthodox theologians who saw a “pre-purification” in Mary. “And in every way [the Lord] became a man, save sin, for he had been conceived from a virgin, after she had been pre-purified with respect to soul and body through the Holy Spirit.” (Gregory the Theologian, Homily 38 on the Theophany) or St. John Damascene, who wrote, “O all-blessed loins of Joachim, from which the all-pure seed was sown. O epic womb, in which the all-holy infant was born, after she was formed, and a little later increased by nutriments from Anne. Her (Anne’s) belly conceived in itself an ensouled heaven, wider than the wide space of heaven.” (Both quotes from Christian Kappes’ book, The Immaculate Conception 21 and 60).

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Maternity of St. Ann –Holy Day

December 8 is a Holy Day celebrating the Maternity of Saint Ann (AKA Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Mother of God in the Latin Church). You will also hear the feast as the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Divine Liturgy will be served at 9:00 a.m. in Ukrainian AND 7:00 p.m. in English.

The Holy Theotokos under the title of the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States of America.

“With the Angels let us celebrate the aIl-glorious conception of the Mother of God” (From the Matins). Historically, Saint Ann is the mother of the Virgin Mary. Ann’s biography says that she was the youngest daughter of the priest Nathan from Bethlehem, descended from the tribe of Levi. She married Saint Joachim, who was a native of Galilee.

For many years Saint Ann was childless, but after twenty years, through the fervent prayer of both spouses, an angel of the Lord announced to them that they would be the parents of a daughter, Who would bring blessings to the entire human race.

For more information on this feast, read an article published by the Ruthenian Metropolitan Church in Pittsburgh, which also speaks to the Ukrainian observance.

 

Meeting with Senator Richard Blumenthal Sunday, December 10

Senator Blumenthal will explain in detail the recently passed Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative in the NDAA defense bill and his funding authorization proposal to aid Ukraine’s soldiers

Let’s support the Senator for helping Ukraine’s soldiers  by thanking him in person at St. Michael’s Church Hall, New Haven, this Sunday, December 10, at 11:45 a.m.  Local press will cover this event.

Please note that the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) more than doubled  the level of U.S. support for Ukraine in the coming fiscal year. This legislation  now awaits the President’s signature.

Below is an excerpt of Senator Blumenthal’s recent press release.

Aiding Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers: Blumenthal partnered with Connecticut’s Ukrainian-American community to secure a provision that creates a new funding authority for the treatment of wounded Ukrainian soldiers at Department of Defense (DoD) military treatment facilities. Ukrainian soldiers are currently able to come to America to be treated at military facilities when Ukraine cannot provide adequate care, but funding is not guaranteed and is often unaffordable. This legislation will provide a new route through the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative to cover medical care and associated costs at DoD treatment facilities.