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
This weekend we are even closer to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is not found because we give up meat and cheese and follow the prescriptions of the Great Fast like a robot. No, we enter into the Kingdom of God as a result of our being in good relationship with God and our neighbor. Recall Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness, unity, the Our Father, Prodigal Son, and more.
We say good-by to cheese for a period of time to open our hearts and minds and bodies to what the Lord wants to give us: new life. Eating cheese is like eating death in that we eat milk transformed into something new, exciting, robots for the whole of the body, mind and soul. But the Christian is asked to make a 40 day sacrifice of dairy products like cheese so that we can prepare ourselves for glory. God wants us to be a new creation in Him. And sin prevents us from this fact. Corporate sin and personal sin.
Reflecting on the place of forgiveness for the Christian, St Silouan the Athonite tells us that “We have such a law: If you forgive, it means that God has forgiven you; but if you do not forgive your brother, it means that your sin remains with you.”
Below please find link for all the resources prepared for you for the Sunday of Cheese-Fare (also known as the Sunday of Forgiveness!). Listen especially to the Gospel reflection.
Included among this week’s resources is “Great Lent at Home,” with reflections and activities for every day of the Great Fast, beginning with “Clean Monday,” the day following Cheese-Fare Sunday. We hope you will find it helpful as we journey together towards Pascha!
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.
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.
TONIGHT (Feb. 25) at 7pm, there will be the Moleben to the Mother of God.
Join us for prayer for Ukraine.
Ali Oshinskie and photographer Ryan Caron King of Connecticut Public Radio came to the Moleben last evening.
Thank you Ali and Ryan.
The print story is here, but it was presented on CT Public Radio at 90.5FM.
This evening we gathered at 7pm to sing the Moleben to the Mother of God. In the time of suffering, violence and injustice (person, economic, social and religious) we approach the Mary, the Mother of God, placing ourselves under her mantle for protection. We especially pray for those killed and those injured in this war.
About 60 members of our parish community –far and wide– sustained each other in prayer led by Fr. Iura our pastor, Fr. Stepan Yanovsky, Fr Al Forlano and Fr. Gregory Lozinskyy (pastor of St John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church, Trumbull). Laity and clergy alike came to beg the for a peaceful resolution in Ukraine.
Let’s NOT be unmoved by the suffering of both fellow Christians and non-Christian children of God.
We are filled with anguish and anxiety that friends, family, colleagues, the poor and the elderly, children and the like can be threatened by a fellow Slav, a violent and self-centered man. Pope Francis has called us to place ourselves in the framework of the “weakness” of prayer to counter the power of arms.
The Pope’s recent teaching on the events in Ukraine runs along these lines: by our meek ascetism (our humble, disciplined work of prayer) we can counter the strength of cannons. We know from experience that prayer unites us to God the Father and makes us brothers and sisters; fasting takes something away from us in order to share it with others – even if the other is an enemy. The Lord teaches us to pray for our enemies.
Again, we have the experience that prayer is the real revolution that changes the world because it changes hearts. This kind of demon, Jesus says, “never comes out except by prayer and fasting.”
“May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war,” Pope Francis said.
We are grateful for the presence of the Mayor of New Haven, Justin Elicker tonight. His solidarity with us is meaningful. Likewise, we are grateful for the news media outlets who covered the service and took the time to meet people.
May Our Lady, the great mother of God hear and answer our prayers.
Christ is among us!
We are having a 7pm bi-lingual prayer service TONIGHT for Ukraine.
Join us.
ALSO, at 7pm tonight in other parishes in the Eparchy:
St Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church, 135 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford CT
St Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church, 303 Eddy Glover Blvd, New Britain CT
St Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church, 569 George Street, New Haven CT
St John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church, 39 New London Tpke, Glastonbury CT
St Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church, 178 Linwood Avenue, Colchester CT
Sts Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, 105 Clifton Avenue, Ansonia CT
Holy Dormition of BVM Ukrainian Catholic Church, 255 Barnum Avenue, Bridgeport CT
St Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church, 24 Wenzel Terrace, Stamford CT
St Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church, 35 Allen Street, Terryville CT
AND the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches
Holy Trinity Parish of Orthodox Church of Ukraine 99 York Street, Bridgeport CT
St Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 10 Oakwood Street, Bridgeport, CT
St Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 24 Winter Street, New Britain CT
St Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 50 Fowler Street, New Haven CT
AND in Massachusetts
Sts Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, 45 Newbury Street, Ludlow MA
Appeal of His Beatitude Sviatoslav to the Sons and Daughters of the Ukrainian People in Ukraine and Abroad, and to all People of Good Will
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The recognition by the president of the Russian Federation of the “independence and sovereignty” of the self-proclaimed LNR and DNR creates serious challenges and threats for the entire international community and for international law, on the basis of which today people and their nations exist and cooperate. Irreparable damage has been done to the very logic of international relations, which are called to safeguard peace and the just order of societies, the supremacy of law, the accountability of state powers, the defence of the human being, human life and natural rights. Today all of humanity has been placed in danger—that the powerful have a right to impose themselves on whomever they wish, with no regard for the rule of law.
In its decision the government of the Russian Federation unilaterally withdrew from a lengthy peace process, tasked with ensuring the restoration of dignified conditions for life on the territories controlled by Russia in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, for those impacted by Russian military aggression. The war, initiated against our people in 2014, has inflicted deep wounds on many of our fellow citizens: thousands killed, wounded, left in solitude. Yesterday’s step taken by the president of the Russian Federation destroyed foundational principles for a long-term process of restoring peace in Ukraine, created the path for a new wave of military aggression against our state, opened the doors for a full scale military operation against the Ukrainian people.
We consider the defense of our native land, our historical memory and our hope, our God-given right to exist to be the personal responsibility and sacred duty of the citizens of Ukraine. The defence of our Fatherland is our natural right and civic duty. We are strong when we are together. Now has come the time to unite our efforts in order to defend the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Ukrainian state. The duty and responsibility of all of humanity—to actively work to avert war and protect a just peace.
Catholic Neat East Welfare Association (CNEWA) is the process of setting up ways to finance humanitarian aid for those affected Ukrainian War with Russia.
