Martyrs of Sebaste, Armenia

Together let us honor that holy company united by faith, those noble warriors of the Master of all; they were divinely enlisted for Christ and passed through fire and water. The they entered into refreshment and pray for those who cry: Glory Him who has strengthened you; glory to Him who has crowned you; glory to Him who has made you wonderful, O holy Forty Martyrs. (Apolytikion)

Today, the Churches of the Constantinopolitan Tradition (as a point of comparison, the Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates liturgically these martyrs on March 21) recalls the forty holy martyrs who perished on the ice of Lake Sebaste in Armenia in AD 320.

The 12th legion of the Roman army was stationed at Sebaste in Armenia when the emperor Licinius decreed the profession of Christianity a capital offense. Forty soldiers of this legion who were Christian refused to renounce their faith. Their sentence was mass execution, carried out by forcing them to strip and wade into a freezing lake. A warming fire was burning on shore to encourage renunciation. One soldier gave up but his place was quickly taken by one of the guards who was so impressed by his comrades valor and commitment that he was willing to join their ranks. All were dead from the cold by the following morning. (NS)

A friend marked the occasion by listening to Donizetti’s opera on this subject, Les Martyrs (Poliuto), based on Corneille’s tragedy Polyeucte. The recording on Opera Rara was sponsored by Haig and Elza Didizian, Bob and Tamar Manoukian and Armen and Nouneh Sarkissian.

Through their holy prayers, O Savior, save Armenia, all the Oriental Orthodox and those of us who love them dearly as brothers!

Easter bread (Pascha) 2020

UNWLA branch 108 will be taking orders for Ukrainian Easter bread (pascha). They will be available for pick up on April 4 and 5; there will only be a limited amount available so pre-order your paska now. To place an order call or text Anna at 203-506-1818 or e-mail ans51@sbcglobal.net

108 Biдділ Cоюз Українок буде пекти паски на продаж 4 і 5 Квітня. Прошу замоляти паски в Гані 203-506-1818   

Peace!

New book: Strangers in a Strange Church

“This mainly young group of people – none of whom are ethnic Ukrainian and many who were not raised Catholic – has breathed new life into not only the shrine community, but the overall Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church in Canada.”

Book spotlights ‘new faces’ in Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada
By Christopher Guly/Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

http://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/book-spotlights-new-faces-in-ukrainian-catholic-church-in-canada/

https://www.sheptytskyinstitute.ca/strangers-in-a-strange-church-new-faces-of-ukrainian-catholicism-in-canada/

h/t: Sheptytsky Institute

Divine Liturgy this week

Glory to Jesus Christ

Sunday, 3/01, 1st Sunday of Lent
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
10:00 a.m. +Gregory Dubno requested by Luba Dubno

Epistle: Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40;12:1-2
Gospel: John 1:43-51, Tone 5

Monday, 3/02, Holy Priest Martyr Theodotus
9:00 a.m. +Stefan Jurczak (Pan.) requested by Ihor and Olia Lewiskyj and family

Tuesday, 3/03, The Holy Martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus
9:00 a.m. +Ivan Lobay (Pan.) requested by Maria Lobay

Wednesday, 3/04, Our Venerable Father Gerasimus
9:00 a.m. +Allan Yursha (Pan.) requested by Mary Ann Yursha

Thursday, 3/05/20 The Holy Martyr Conon
9:00 a.m. No intention for the Liturgy

Friday, 3/06, The Holy Forty Martyrs of Ammorium
7:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy of the Presanctifed Gifts

Saturday, 3/07, Holy Priests Martyrs Basil, Ephrem
9:00 a.m. All deceased of the Parish-Sorokousty

Sunday, 03/08, 2nd Sunday of Lent
9:00 a.m. +Catherine Levitzky (11th Anniv.) requested by Joseph M. Levitzky
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish

Epistle: Hebrews 1:10-2:3
Gospel: Mark 2:1-12, Tone 6

Parish announcements this week

Christ is among us!

This week vigil light is offered to God by by Katia and Andrew Bamber in memory of +Orest Dubno.

Liturgy of Pre-sanctified Gifts will be celebrated on Friday, March 6 at 7:00 PM. Please come and join in this beautiful tradition of our Church.

The next meeting of Knights of Columbus Blessed Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Ukrainian Council will be held on Wednesday, March 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the Holy Name Room. All men of the parish are invited to attend.

Sestrechi will resume their monthly meetings, beginning next week on Sunday, March 8, in Classroom 1 after the 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy.

Pysanky Lecture on Sunday, March 15, 2 p.m. at The Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Fr. Paul Luniw will present a lecture on Pysanky – Ukrainian Easter Eggs. He will explain the history of Pysanky and the process by which they are created. Come and see as he shares examples of his magnificent artwork.

Ukrainian Easter Egg Workshop (Pysanka) will be held on Sunday, March 29, in the church hall from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. It is open to youth and adults, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Bring your children and grandchildren to learn their beautiful heritage. Free to parish youth and Ridna Shkola students. Charge for class is $10.00 to others. See flyer for details or call Gloria Horbaty (203)-269-5909 for information. Sponsored by: UNWLA-Branch 108, the Heritage Center and the CT Ukrainian American Historical Society.

EPARCHIAL SOBOR 2020 will take place on March 28, at Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, 161 Glenbrook Rd., Stamford, CT. The theme for the upcoming VII Session of the Patriarchal Sobor of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to held this summer is”Immigration/Migration, Settlements and Unity”. Each parish will send three lay parish delegates in representing parish community. For more information call rectory office.

Sorokousty will be celebrated on All Souls’ Saturdays, March 7th, March 14th, March 21st, May 30th. Please take a book found in the entrance of the church, fill it out, place it in envelope, and drop it in the collection basket. Let us remember all our loved ones who have gone to their heavenly reward. Eternal Memory!

American Melkite Appointed New Secretary at Vatican

VATICAN – Holy Father Francis has appointed Bishop George Demetrio Gallaro as the new Secretary of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches. Published on Tuesday February 25, 2020, at noon Italian time in the Sala Stampa, the former Bishop of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi di Sicilia was appointed to the rank of titular Archbishop as well.

George Demetrio Gallaro was born on January 16, 1948 in Sizilien Pozzallo, Italy. After his seminarian studies at the seminary of Noto, he moved to the United States and was ordained a priest in 1972 in Los Angeles. He worked as a parish priest in various parishes of the Eastern Rite in the United States, and in 1987 he was incardinated in the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton.

Archbishop Gallaro taught Canon Law at the Melkite Seminary in Massachusetts and he also served as a professor of Canon Law at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, PA. On March 31, 2015 he was named by Pope Francis as a bishop of the Italo-Albanian Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi. He was consecrated a bishop on June 28 by the bishop of Lungro Donato Oliverio as principal consecrator, and the bishops Dimitrios Salachas and Nicholas James Samra as co-consecrators.

Axios!

Ad Limina Apostolorum 2020

A 3 minute video on the US Eastern Bishops making the Ad Limina Apostolorum this week.

Be familiar with a venerable tradition of the church of bishops praying at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul, meeting with the successor of Saint Peter and meeting with the heads of the important offices at the Holy See and the Vatican.