Holy Prophet Haggai

The Holy Prophet Haggai

The Holy Prophet Haggai. whose Feast is today, December 16th, was the tenth of the Twelve Minor Prophets. Little of his personal history is known to us. What we do know is that Haggai was of the Tribe of Levi and he prophesied during the times of the Persian emperor Darius Hystaspis (prior to 500 BC). Haggai was concerned for the authentic worship of God, especially need for the purity of Temple worship and promised the people that God would bless His people with fruitfulness and prosperity, overthrow the Gentiles. Upon the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity, he persuaded the people to build the Second Temple at Jerusalem, and he proclaimed that the Messiah would appear in this Temple in the last times. Hence his importance for Christians.

Some scholars say that Haggai was buried with the priests at Jerusalem, since he was descended from Aaron.

The Kontakion for this holy prophet reads:

Enlightened by the Spirit, your pure heart became the dwelling place of most splendid prophecy; for you saw things far off as if they were near. Therefore, we honor you, blessed and glorious Prophet Haggai.

Our next shipment being prepared: cars, food and generators

During the first week of 2023 we will be sending three used cars and perhaps two military grade diesel generators. The used cars will be used to move people and goods in the dangerous areas of Ukraine. The Lviv Police made the request.

The generators are being sent to assist in providing more consistent electrical power in areas in dire need. These generators are locally sourced by friends of our Ukrainian Relief Project.

Father Roman Manulak, our on-site point person, is doing a brilliant job receiving the clothes, medical supplies and food being sent over to Ukraine. Father Romans knows the good guys well. He and his valiant team are shepherds of mercy!

What is needed: dried soups (for example, with beans and meat), oatmeal and Carnation Breakfast Milkshakes.

Many of you, our faithful friends, have donated a good amount of these food items. AND we are most grateful! We need a bit more to load into the empty cars. We can’t ship empty cars!

Shipping things costs lots of money. As with everything else these days prices of services have gone up. The price per pound has increased in the last month to over $3.oo per pound. If you can, a financial gift to cover the shipping of these things would be an added sacrificial gift. Online giving: https://givesendgo.com/G2ZXR

The collection will take place at St Michael’s church hall at 569 George Street, New Haven on Saturday, December 17, 10 to 2pm.

Stand with Ukraine Calendar of Events

Ukrainian flags and Holiday gifts available at Cooperative SUMA Ukrainian Gift Shop (860-296-6955) every Saturday 11am to 1pm.

Varenyky [Pierogi] Night-every Thursday night 5:30pm to 8:00pm, Sunflower Cafe-Ukrainian National Home of Hartford www.ukrainiannationalhome.org

Ukrainian Night-every Friday night-8pm to 11pm-Sunflower Cafe-Ukrainian National Home of Hartford www.ukrainiannationalhome.org

Sunday, December 11, 12pm to 4pm, Ukrainian Christmas Bazaar at St Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church Hall, 569 George St, New Haven

Friday, December 16, 6pm to 11pm, Christmas Party-Sunflower Cafe, Ukrainian National Home of Hartford www.ukrainiannationalhome.org

Saturday, December 17, 3pm to 6pm, Ukrainian Songs by Olichka to Support Ukraine, Phantom Brewing Company, 290 Murphy Road, Hartford CT

Friday, January 6, 6pm, Traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve Dinner, Ukrainian National Home of Hartford, 961 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford CT (860-296-5702)

Sunday, January 8, 2023, A Rising Fury-Ridgefield Playhouse

Thank you for your support of Ukraine.

Resources

CIRC-Connecticut Immigrant & Refugee Coalition, 40 Woodland St, Hartford CT-860-727-5731

IRIS-Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, 235 Nicoll St, New Haven CT-203-562-2095 X275

New Britain Community Health Center/Family Wellness Center, 85 Lafayette St New Britain, 860-424-1412

Soup, oatmeal and milkshake collection Saturday, December 10

I will be at the church hall on Saturday, December 10, 10-12noon if you would like to drop off any collected soups, oatmeal, Carnation milkshake mixes for Ukraine.

Also, I was asked yesterday to ask if there is a good, used (or new) refrigerator that you would like to donate to a recently welcomed Ukrainian family in East Haven. The new family is living with another family and one fridge is not enough.

Likewise, we are looking for a high chair for feeding a child.

Let me know.

PAX,

Paul Zalonski

Stuart F. Maybury fell asleep in the Lord

The parish is sad to announce that Stuart F. Maybury Jr., 82, of Northford, fell asleep in the Lord peacefully on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. He was the beloved of Margaret Brezicki-Maybury.

The full obituary for Stu may be read here.

The funeral rites for Stu are:

The visiting hours will be Wednesday morning, Dec. 7th at The Havens Family North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Avenue from 9:00 to 11:00 with a Panachyda service at 10:00. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated in St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, 569 George Street, New Haven at 11:30. Interment will follow in All Saints Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Animal Haven, Inc., 89 Mill Road, North Haven CT 06473 or Trout Unlimited, 1300 North 17th Street, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22209-3801 or St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church or a charity of one’s choice.

Let us pray for Stu and for the consolation of Margaret and the children.

May Mary, the Great Mother of God, St Michael the Archangel and all the saints and angels assist Stu and the Maybury family.

May Stu’s memory be eternal!

Divine Liturgy for the coming week

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Sunday, 12/04, 6th Sunday after Pentecost
8:30 Akatist to the Mother of God requested by Sestretsi
9:00 a.m. +Sophie Waselik (21st Anniv.) requested by the Family
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish

Epistle: Ephesians 5:9-19
Gospel: Luke 17:12-19, Tone 1

Monday, 12/05, Our Venerable Father Sabbas
9:00 a.m. +Stefania Kolos and all deceased members UNWLA Branch 108

Tuesday, 12/06, Our Holy Father Nicholas
9:00 a.m. +Lorraine Boyle requested by Sestretsi

Wednesday, 12/07, Holy Father Ambrose
9:00 a.m. No particular intention for the Divine Liturgy

Thursday, 12/08, The Conception of Saint Anna
9:00 a.m. Special Intention

Friday, 12/09, Our Venerable Father Patapius
9:00 a.m. +Wasyl Jureczko (4th Anniv., Pan.) requested by Olga Furmanyk

Saturday, 12/10, Holy Martyrs Menas and Hermogenes
9:00 a.m. +Micheal Stadnycky (Pan.) requested by Stadnycky and Altrui family

Sunday, 12/11, Sunday of the Forefathers
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish

Epistle: Colossians 3:4-11
Gospel: Luke 14:16-24, Tone 2

Parish announcements

Christ is among us!

This week vigil light is offered by Halia Lodynsky in memory of Stefan Jurczak.

On November 30th, Stuart Maybury fell asleep in the Lord. Please remember him in your prayers. Eternal Memory!

If you would like to receive the Mysteries (sacraments) of Confession, Holy Communion or prayer of the sick at your house or nursing home, please call the rectory at (203) 865-0388.

Schedule for December, 2022:

December 11, One Divine Liturgy 10:30 A.M.
December 18. One Divine Liturgy 10:30 A.M.
December 25, 9:50 God with us, 10:30 A.M. Divine Liturgy;
January 1, 10:45 Lytij and Blessing of Bread, 11:00 Divine Liturgy.

We will be making Pyrohy (varenyky) for regular orders on December 17. We need your help on Friday to peel potatoes and Saturday to make pierogis. Please come and help.

UNWLA Branch 108 will be taking pre-orders for kolachi (Christmas braided bread). Please call Anna Salemme at (203) 934-6520 to order or text (203) 506-1818 or email ans51@sbcglobal.net by December 12.The kolachi will be available for pick up on Saturday, December 17. Kutia will also be available on the 17th and at the Christmas bazaar on December 11. Profits will benefit the UNWLA”Keep Ukraine Warm” campaign.

We invite you to our Christmas Bazaar, which will take place on Sunday, December 11:00 from 12:00 to 4:00 P.M. The proceeds are supported to help the Ukrainian army and civilians affected by Russian aggression. You can buy jewelry, souvenirs, candles, handmade ornaments as well as pastries and homemade food. For more information call (347)523-1226.

Children aged 8-12 will be accepted to the School. The nursery school has 3 groups as follows: ages 2-3 years of age – the youngest group; ages 3-5 years of age –the middle group; ages 5-6 years of age –preschool/ oldest group. This year we plan to offer Ukrainian dance instruction under the director of Mr. Orlando Pagan for children 7 years and older. Details to follow. For further information please contact School Director Halia Lodynska (203) 494-6278 or Nursery School Director Natalia Dankevych (203) 901-7168.

Pages: 1 2

St Savva

Today our Church recalls one the important saints, Our Venerabe Father Savva (Saba or Sabbas) the Sanctified.

St Savva first entered a monastery near his home in Cappadocia, but in the year 457 he travelled to Jerusalem and sought out St Euthymius. After spending some time under his instruction, Savva spent several years in seclusion in the Kedron wilderness. He was soon surrounded by followers. He organized them into a semi-eremitical community known as a lavra, which consisted of caves in a wild gorge in the wilderness between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. The reputation he gained for wisdom and holiness earned him an unsought role in ecclesiastical history. The patriarch of Jerusalem ordained Savva priest and made him his vicar, or archimandrite, over all the eremitical settlements in Palestine.

St Savva, together with St Euthymius, was responsible for keeping the vast number of monks in Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine loyal to the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon concerning the two natures of Christ.

Savva was 93 when he died on this date in 532. The Typicon of St Savva, while probably not his actual composition, had enormous influence on the shape of worship in orthodox churches (who pray the Divine Liturgies of St John Chrysostom and St Basil).

In 1256 the Crusaders removed the body of St Savva to Venice, where it was enshrined until 1965 when Pope Paul VI returned it to the lavra that is today known as Mar Savva. This lavra has a history of nearly fifteen hundred years, which makes it one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the Christian world today. (NS)

St John Damascene

Also, today we liturgically recall St John Damascene on the same day we commemorate St Barbara.

The feast of Christmas is a theological feast. It is a celebration of God incarnate, taking our nature to perfect it. Jesus commanded us poor mortals to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:47). How can we do this – only by imitating our Lord Jesus Christ, who is perfect God and perfect man, as we see in this passage from the Damascene:

“For the divine Word was not made one with flesh that had an independent pre-existence, but taking up his abode in the womb of the holy Virgin, he unreservedly in his own subsistence took upon himself through the pure blood of the eternal Virgin a body of flesh animated with the spirit of reason and thought, thus assuming to himself the first-fruits of man’s compound nature, himself, the Word, having become a subsistence in the flesh. So that he is at once flesh, and at the same time flesh of God the Word, and likewise flesh animated, possessing both reason and thought.

Therefore we speak not of man as having become God, but of God as having become Man. For being by nature perfect God, he naturally became likewise perfect man: and did not change his nature nor make the dispensation an empty show, but became, without confusion or change or division, one in subsistence with the flesh, which was conceived of the holy Virgin, and animated with reason and thought, and had found existence in him, while he did not change the nature of his divinity into the essence of flesh, nor the essence of flesh into the nature of his divinity, and did not make one compound nature out of his divine nature and the human nature he had assumed.” (On the Orthodox Faith, 3.2, www.Orthodox.net).

As a result of his theology of the Incarnation, John was able to defend with strength the importance of icons. If, in Jesus, God took a human face, then we can make images of him. We pray, holy Father John, make our Christmas a feast of perfection, for “God is with us.”

Pages: 1 2

St Barbara

St Barbara is commemorated today in the Church’s prayer of the Divine Liturgy and the Hours.

There is little doubt that the legendary story of the Holy Martyr Barbara was embellished a bit by early hagiographers. There is no reason for this, since the mere fact that someone who comes to faith in Christ is willing to lay down their life for him. For this reason, the more plausible facts of her life are a beacon for us who struggle in and for the faith. Her story tells us that she was a philosopher, a “lover of wisdom.” It was her love of wisdom, guided by grace that brought her to faith in the one true God in the Holy Trinity.

It is a reminder that our faith is not blind, it is rational, based on an authentic consideration of reality. Clement of Alexandria was one of the first Christians to see the value of Greek philosophy for the Christian faith, and on this same day, December 4, we celebrate the memory of Our Holy Father John Damascene, who wrote a massive work, the Fount of Wisdom, reasoning about our faith.

St. Barbara, however, shows that once we believe in the true God, it becomes more than just an intellectual exercise, but it changes and transforms our whole life, so that we cannot live any other way, and so she gave up her life for her faith. The story also tells us that it was her very own father who executed her. This is plausible. We know, as Christ told us, “From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Luke12:52-53).

What does family truly mean in our faith? What does it mean to be a father? Should not a father encourage his daughter to become her own person, and not simply to imitate his way of life? A beautiful idea, but how do we carry it out in practice? What if the roles had been revered and the father was a Christian and his daughter would want to revert to paganism? Would he then be justified in his actions? I think some of us might say yes. We have difficulty, I think, separating sin and sinner. We say, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner,” but we have difficulty distinguishing the two, and we end up hating the sinner double. The father would not be justified in killing his daughter, even if she was wrong, and even less, of course, because she was right.

Pages: 1 2