Father Iura blessed our Easter Foods today. As His Beatitude, Patriarch Sviatoslav said, the blessing of foods is communicated with through the social media.
Keeping parish on mission and budget
Dear Parishioners of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church:
It is apparent that parishioners will not be able to attend the Divine Liturgies in our church at least until April 30. Realizing that this is a very extraordinary and difficult time in all aspects of our life today, we humbly ask for your continued financial support by mailing in your donations until such time that the physical presence of our parishioners in church is restored. These weekly donations are the main source of income for our parish and are needed to meet our mission and our budget. Thank you for your generosity.
Please be so kind as to place your donation into your weekly donation envelope and enclose that into an envelope addressed to:
St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church
569 George Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Let us pray for the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may cover the whole world with her Spiritual Veil and guide us through this turbulent time. And please be assured of my continued prayers for the spiritual needs of all our parishioners.
Very truly yours in Christ,
Fr. Iura Godenciuc
GREAT AND HOLY FRIDAY
St. Gregory Palamas on the Atonement…
“Man was led into his captivity when he experienced God’s wrath, this wrath being the good God’s just abandonment of man. God had to be reconciled with the human race, for otherwise mankind could not be set free from the servitude. A sacrifice was needed to reconcile the Father on high with us and to sanctify us, since we had been soiled by fellowship with the evil one. There had to be a sacrifice which both cleansed and was clean, and a purified and sinless priest” (Christopher Veniamin, trans. Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies (Waymart, PA: Mount Thabor Publishing, 2009) p. 124).
“Christ overturned the devil through suffering and His flesh which He offered as a sacrifice to God the Father, as a pure and altogether holy victim — how great is His gift! — and reconciled God to our human race” (p.125).
“For this reason the lord patiently endured for our sake a death He was not obliged to undergo, to redeem us, who were obliged to suffer death, from servitude to the devil and death, by which I mean death both of the soul and of the body, temporary and eternal. Since He gave His blood, which was sinless and therefore guiltless, as a ransom for us who were liable to punishment because of our sins, He redeemed us from our guilt. He forgave us our sins, tore up the record of them on the Cross and delivered us from the Devil’s tyranny (cf. Col 2:14-15)”( p. 128f).”
Live stream Paschal liturgies
In addition to liveliturgy.com, which will give you abundance of options for the Divine Liturgy around the world, in various Eastern Churches and languages. This option was previously sent to you.
You can also attend the Paschal liturgies at St Michael’s in Terryville, CT … https://stmichaelsterryville.org/holy-week
Easter Basket blessing 2020
Easter Baskets will be blessed on Saturday, April 11.
This blessing will be live streamed via Facebook at 4:00 PM AND will also be posted on the parish website (https://stmichaelukrainian.org)
Parishioners will be able to sprinkle their baskets with holy water while Fr. Iura does this virtual blessing.
Those parishioners who do not have access to the internet and wish to have their baskets blessed may come to the church parking lot at 4:15 PM or 6:00 PM and Fr. Iura will bless your Easter Baskets while you remain in your vehicles.
Please do not bring your baskets into the church or the church hall.
Thank you for your understanding.
Holy Wednesday – Anointing of the Sick
Most of us will not be able to participate in this rite personally this year but we can still pray. In a special way let us pray for all afflicted with the corona virus.
“… Yes, O Lord, send down your healing power from heaven, touch the body, quench the fever, ease the suffering, and drive out every lurking ailment. Be a physician to your servant/s. Raise him (her) (them) from the sick-bed, the bed of affliction, give him (her) (them) to your church whole and fully cured, well-pleasing to you and doing your will. For yours are mercy and salvation, O our God, and we give glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
Metropolitan-Archbishop Emeritus Stephen Sulyk asleep in the Lord
Metropolitan-Archbishop Emeritus Stephen Sulyk
Born into life—October 2, 1924
Born into Eternal Life—April 6, 2020
Stephen Sulyk was born to Michael and Mary Denys Sulyk on October 2, 1924 in Balnycia, a village in the Lemko District of the Carpathian mountains in Western Ukraine. In 1944, he graduated from high school in Sambir. After graduation, the events of World War II forced him to leave his native land and share the experience of a refugee.
He entered the Ukrainian Catholic Seminary of the Holy Spirit in Hirschberg, Germany. In 1948, he migrated to the United States and continued his priestly studies at Saint Josaphat’s Seminary and The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
In 1952, he received his S.T.L. degree from the Catholic University of America and was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1952 at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Philadelphia.
After ordination, he served as assistant pastor in Omaha, Nebraska; Brooklyn, NY; St. Nicholas parish in Minersville, PA, and Youngstown, Ohio. He received his first pastoral assignment in 1955 in Phoenixville, Pa. with the additional responsibilities as Chancery Secretary.
From July 1, 1957 until October 5, 1961 he was pastor of St. Michael’s Church in Frackville, Pa. During his short tenure of four years, he built, furnished and paid for a new church and parish social hall. Annual gross income rose from $10,000 in 1957 to $60,000 in what was considered a financially depressed area.
After a short stay at St. Nicholas parish in Philadelphia, on March 22, 1962, he was appointed pastor of Assumption Church, Perth Amboy, NJ. Within a year, he completed a new elementary school. During his pastorate, he converted the rectory into a convent for nuns, built a new rectory, purchased and landscaped additional parish grounds and renovated the parish church. He also compiled and printed a series of bi-lingual texts for use in liturgical services. On May 31, 1968, His Holiness Pope Paul VI granted him the dignity of Papal Chaplain with the title of Monsignor.
On December 29, 1980 he was appointed Metropolitan-Archbishop of Philadelphia by Pope John Paul II. He was consecrated bishop in Rome on March 1, 1981.
He supervised the construction of a new chancery center and bishop’s residence and cathedral rectory. He renovated the sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and landscaped the adjoining grounds. He established the Seminary Endowment Fund to finance the education of seminarians and to provide income for St. Josaphat’s Seminary.
At the request of the Vatican, he was involved in sensitive diplomatic talks with members of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine at the time the Soviet Union was collapsing, Ukraine was becoming an independent nation and the Ukrainian Catholic Church was emerging from its existence as a persecuted catacomb church under atheistic communism of the Soviets.
He has served on various committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
After reaching the canonical age for retirement, Pope John Paul II accepted his resignation on November 29, 2000.
June 14, 2002 was the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination to the Holy Priesthood and his Golden Jubilee was observed with the celebration of a hierarchical Divine Liturgy and a testimonial banquet on June 23, 2002.
During his retirement years, he lived in Cherry Hill, NJ
Divine Liturgy
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Regrettably, the following liturgies are not open to the public.
Sunday, 4/05, Palm Sunday
10:00 a.m. For the people of the parish and For all sick people with corona virus
Blessing of Pussy-willows
Epistle: Philippians 4:4-9
Gospel: John 12:1-18, Tone 2
Monday, 4/06, Holy Father Methodius, teachers of Slavs
9:00 a.m. God’s blessing and heath for all family members requested by Stefania Tsidaridis
Tuesday, 4/07, Holy Bishop George
9:00 a.m. God’s blessing and health for Sophie DeCarlo requested by Judith Ellis
Wednesday, 4/08, Holy Apostles Herodion, Agabus, Rufus
9:00 a.m. No intention for the Liturgy
Thursday, 4/09, Holy Thursday
6:00 p.m. Matins —Proclamation of the Passion Gospels
Friday, 4/10, Good Friday
3:00 p.m. Vespers and Veneration of the Holy Shroud
Saturday, 4/11, Holy Saturday
9:00 a.m. Serving the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great
4:00 p.m. Blessing of Easter Foods
6:00 p.m. Blessing of Easter Foods
6:30 p.m. Prayers at the Tomb and Paschal Matins
Sunday, 4/12, Resurrection of Our Lord
10:00 a.m. For the people of the parish and For all sick people with corona virus
Blessing of Easter Foods
Epistle: Acts 1:1-8
Gospel: John 1:1-17, Tone 2
Parish announcements this week
Christ is among us!
This week vigil light is offered to God by Katia and Andrew Bamber in memory of John Muzyka
Thank you to Mr. Rudpolh Brezicki and the Brezicki Family for their donation of pussy willows to our parish.
Easter Baskets will be blessed on Saturday, April 11.
This blessing will be live streamed via Facebook at 4:00 PM and will also be posted on the parish website. Parishioners will be able to sprinkle their baskets with holy water while Fr. Iura does this virtual blessing.
Those parishioners who do not have access to the internet and wish to have their baskets blessed may come to the church parking lot at 4:15 PM or 6:00 PM and Fr. Iura will bless your Easter Baskets while you remain in your vehicles.
Please do not bring your baskets into the church or the church hall.
Thank you for your understanding.
The CT State Ukrainian Day will have the 1st meeting of the Committee tentatively scheduled for April 26th, 3:00 p.m. in Ansonia at SS. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church. This meeting is subject to change as conditions warrant.
Memorandum of the bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States of America regarding of the COVID-19 pandemic
Public Services
- All weekday and Sunday services will be celebrated temporarily without the participation of the assembly of the faithful. Our clergy will continue to celebrate and pray for you and with you vicariously. We will celebrate the Divine Liturgies and other services in behalf of and for all of you, especially for the sick and the healthcare providers. We will beseech the Lord for wise and prudent decisions on the part of government and medical authorities. We will pray for the eternal repose of the deceased. We are obligating our priests to be steadfast in prayer for their flock. Be as Moses, who raised his hands in prayer so that whole people of God could prevail over the enemy (cf. Ex 17, 11-12).
- Our churches will remain open for private prayer at designated times. We ask the pastors to guarantee the safety and frequent disinfection of our churches.
- We renew and confirm the dispensation from the obligation to participate in Sunday services. At the same time, we ask you to pray as a Domestic Church (as a family or household unit) on Sundays and on Holy Days. We suggest making use of the ZhyveTV and internet resources of your eparchy or parish. Read prayerfully the Holy Scriptures, reflect upon the source and meaning of your life, on God’s love and salvific action on our behalf.
- We encourage you to make best use of the quarantine time, which coincides with Great Lent, for personal prayer, reading the Word of God, and building a more profound relationship with Our Lord, our neighbors and in our families.
- We ask that all the Lenten practices — e.g., missions and spiritual exercises — be held with the aid of the internet and other means of social communication.
Sacraments and Sacramentals
- We kindly ask that you postpone, in consultation with your pastor, the Sacraments of Christian initiation (Baptism and Chrismation) and Matrimony.
- The faithful can avail themselves of the Sacrament of Repentance (Confession) in church, taking all necessary precautions for social distancing.
- In cases of grave illness or danger of death, priests are obligated to administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, while assuring safety for all involved.
- Priests will celebrate funerals with the participation only of the immediate family members of the deсeased, according to local regulations regarding public assemblies.
Practical advice
- Dear priests, religious, sisters and brothers! If you feel sick, we urge you to stay at home, call your doctor, and obey all medical and civil regulations.
- We encourage our pastors to maintain personal contact with their faithful, especially with the elderly and sick by phone and via social media. Our priestly ministry continues without ceasing.
- Confessions are to take place in the open, not in a confessional. Safety of the penitent and priest must be assured.
- Frequently sanitize with disinfectant whatever people tend to touch in the churches: pews, door handles, etc.
- During private prayer in church, maintain a safe distance from each other (6 feet or 2 meters).
- Venerate icons and the Cross by bowing your head and with a sign of the cross or by prostrations. Do not kiss icons or the Cross.
- Comply with the guidelines and prescriptions of governmental authorities (town, county, state, federal) regarding public gatherings and personal safety.
These norms are effective immediately after being published on Wednesday, March 19, 2020. We carefully follow developments, consult experts and will update our norms and regulations according to new information and circumstances.
At home with Holy Week and Pascha
Here is a wonderful resource for celebrating the Holy Week and Pascha at home. The resource is curated by the nuns of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery (Ohio). It is the best thing found so far and perhaps it can aid you in this time!