On Sunday March 25, we hosted a Tribute to Taras Shevchenko with the Ukrainian American Society of Texas.  There was a drawing contest, a poetry reading contest, performances by the Ukrainian singing ensemble Veselka and the Ukrainian dance ensemble Zorya, and delicious food.

We hope you join us for Shevchenko 2013! You can get in the spirit through the year by reading Ukrainian poetry at Ukrainian Poetica. The website might also have poetry with themes inappropriate for children so caution is advised.

  

OF THE EASTERN CATHOLIC CHURCHES
OF THE U.S.A. and CANADA
“TOGETHER IN CHRIST”
Clergy and Laity in the vineyard of Christ….
“DIVERSITY IN MINISTRY; UNITY IN MISSION”

Theme:
SPIRITUALITY OF DISCIPLESHIP:
A CALL TO HOLINESS

Purpose:
EASTERN CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVES FOR THE
PEOPLE OF GOD LIVING THE GOSPEL.
“All you who have been baptized into Christ,
have put on Christ. Alleluia”

ONE CONFERENCE IN THREE LOCATIONS!
ONE THEME! ONE PURPOSE! ONE VOICE!

Please visit the Eastern Catholic Eparchial Directors of Religious Education of the Eastern Catholic Associates’ webpage (www.eced-eca.org) for more information!

On Sunday March 25, we’re coordinating a Tribute to Taras Shevchenko with the Ukrainian American Society of Texas, complete with food and a poetry contest. More info is available in the attached flyer. Visitors and guests are welcome!

You can see some Ukrainian poetry at Ukrainian Poetica. The website might also have poetry with themes inappropriate for children, so caution is advised.

Please RSVP at shevchenko@uast.org

Pilgrimage for the Restoration of the Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Honor of the 120th Birthday of Patriarch Josaphat Slipyj with Bishop Richard Seminack
October 11-16, 2012 (6 days)

$2,449 from Chicago. $2,349 ($100 less) if booked by May 1, 2012.
Read more details and the daily itinerary on the eparchial website here.

During the Synod of Bishops, held from February 8–9, 2012, in retreat center of the Lviv Archeparchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Bryukhovychi (near Lviv), began the Year of Remembrance of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj in honor of the 120th anniversary of his birth, which is celebrated on February 17. This is stated in the message of the Synod of Bishops to the faithful on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj, which was passed to UNIAN new agency.

In the message the bishops recall Patriarch Slipyj is a “live embodiment of the fate of the Ukrainian Church and our people in the twentieth century – he, like many others, were unlawfully deprived of liberty (18 years imprisonment). He, like millions of Ukrainians, was doomed to torture in the dungeons of the NKVD/KGB and martyrdom in the Gulag. Even if in prison he was a ‘silent witness of the Church,’ later, in the settlements (outside Ukraine), he became the voice of the ‘silent Church’ and its spiritual support, never forgetting his countrymen, who were still being punished in captivity.”

The bishops of the UGCC believe that these words are also spoken to us today. “To those who have to live in conditions of selective justice, increasingly more restrictions on the right to assembly and demonstration, to receive and disseminate accurate information, in a time when the national language and culture is being forced out from public life. In Ukraine, unfortunately, there is no stop to the troublesome tradition of abuse of power and disregard for human dignity, violation of national, cultural and religious rights, neglect by ones own, accompanied by pursuit of honors and thirst for power,” states the document of the Synod.

According to the Synod, Patriarch Slipyj’s views on national unity today “are a guiding light,” since now there is still a lack of unity and it becomes “our national disaster when people are artificially divided by regional, historical, linguistic and cultural characteristics.”

In their message, the bishops stress that thanks to Patriarch Slipyj the Church in the diaspora not only survived but has become a world Church, without which today it is difficult to imagine the landscape of the Catholic Church in the world.

“Today normative for us are the two fundamental principles with which Patriarch Slipyj described the UGCC’s church identity: the first, communion with the Bishop of Rome, and the second, allegiance to the Eastern Byzantine tradition,” said Synod.

Therefore, the bishops encourage the faithful of the Church to pray for the glory of Patriarch Slipyj and participate in festivities planned by the UGCC and the state in this anniversary year, but they say the best way to honor him is “to make Patriarch Slipyj’s ideals ours.”

Source: Feb 19, 2012 The Way

Holy Supper is a tradition of Slavic Christians including those from Ukraine.

It is a traditional lenten meal on the eve of the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Eve). Since Christmas is preceded by forty days of fasting, the Holy Supper is the last meal of the fast. The twelve fasting foods usually served are barley, honey, stewed prunes, pierogi, sauerkraut, potatoes, lima beans, garlic, Lenten bread, mushroom soup and salt. The meal begins with the singing of the Christmas troparion (a hymn) and the lighting of a candle placed in the center of the table. The candle symbolizes the star of Bethlehem. The bread is then broken by the father of the house and given to everyone present. This symbolizes Christ at the Last Supper. The foods range from bitter to sweet to remind us of the bitterness of life before Christ was born and the sweetness of life which comes after His birth. The number 12 symbolizes the twelve apostles.

The Holy Supper usually takes place in the home with the father leading the family in the prayer ritual. It begins with the youngest child reading the Nativity account from the gospel of St. Matthew 2:1-12. The father then starts with an opening prayer asking God to bless the bread, wine, and food. He then breaks the bread and passes it out to all present.

Some believers preserve this tradition by eating the Holy Supper with the parish family, having the priest, who is the father of the church family, performing the prayers. Since families no longer live close together and few have the time to cook the necessary dishes, the tradition of the Holy Supper is in danger of being lost if not for those like Ed and Stephanie Beakey who work to preserve it and pass it on. We are grateful for their tireless effort and the delicious food again this year! And also to Chris who thought to snap a few pictures and graciously shared them.

This is being posted on behalf of the Ukrainian American Society of Texas (www.uast.org) who will be holding a Malanka 2012 Ukrainian New Year Celebration on Saturday, January 14, 2012, in Garland, Texas. As always, they say you can expect fine food, great entertainment, dancing, performances by Zorya and Veselka, prizes, a champagne toast and that it will be a wonderful time to be had by all.

Event: Malanka 2012, Ukrainian New Year Celebration
Host: Ukrainian American Society of Texas
Date: January 14, 2012, starting at 6:00PM (Cocktail hour will be from 6:00 – 7:00. A sit down dinner will be served at 7:00PM)

Where: Hyatt Place Dallas/Garland.
5101 North President George Bush Highway,
Garland, TX 75040
(Map and directions can be found at http://www.uast.org/)

NOTE: The hotel is also offering Malanka guests room rates for a January 14 stay-over, starting at $79 and dropping to $69 dollars if more than 20 rooms are reserved by Malanka attendees. Reservations can be made directly with the hotel by explaining that you will be attending Malanka, or you can contact Sandy Kloberdanz (214-802-4034, sandydandy4@gmail.com).

* Free Parking

* Ticket Prices:
o Non-UAST members $50.00 per person, *Children 12 and under $20.00
o UAST members $40.00 per person, *Children 12 and under $15.00
o The above prices apply if purchased by January 4 2012.
o Ticket purchases includes a chance for the door prize drawing.
o After January 4, 2012 the Adult ticket price increases by $10.00 and the child ticket price increases by $5.00.

* Information about UAST Membership can be found at: http://www.uast.org/Membership.htm

* A printable flyer for ‘Malanka 2012 Ukrainian New Year Celebration’ can be found at http://www.uast.org/2012/Malanka2012.pdf

* To order your Malanka tickets, please send them your check with the following information:
***********************************************************************************************
o Name:________________________________
o Number of persons attending: # Adults__________ #Children__________
o We will try to accommodate your request for group seating, please submit your request early.
Request to be seated with:_____________________________________
o Total amount enclosed:______________________ Check#_______________
o Make check payable to UAST
o Mail check to: UAST c/o Rudy Zupanic, 1815 Forest Hills, McKinney 75070
***********************************************************************************************
For more information or to make a telephone reservation, contact Sandy Kloberdanz 214-802-4034 (Sandy Kloberdanz sandydandy4@gmail.com) or send an e-mail to malanka@uast.org.

We had a children’s homily in Liturgy, which was followed by a yummy lunch, music, and a visit from St. Nicholas!

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

In his book The Attitude Of Gratitude, James Merritt reflected on 1 Thes 5:18 with a story about the famous and successful author Rudyard Kipling:

A newspaper reporter came up to him once and said, “Mr. Kipling, I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings amounts to over $100 a word.” Mr. Kipling raised his eyebrows and said, “Really, I certainly wasn’t aware of that.” The reporter cynically reached into his pocket and pulled out a $100 bill and gave it to Kipling and said, “Here’s a $100 bill Mr. Kipling. Now you give me one of your $100 words.”

Rudyard Kipling looked at that $100 bill for a moment, took it and folded it up and put it in his pocket and said, “Thanks.”

Well the word “thanks” is certainly a $100 word. In fact, I would say it is more like a million dollar word. That is one word that is too seldom heard, too rarely spoken, and too often forgotten.

Thanks.
It might only have six letters, but it gets across a point that very few other words are capable of achieving. It’s a word that selflessly conveys appreciation for what one person in a relationship has done for the other. As we reflect upon this simple word, gratitude should arise out of our relationship with God because He has given us so much. He cares for us, provides for us, and protects us. We have food on the table, good homes, good times, love, and health. We have tasted the pleasures and joys of life because he is our heavenly Father who loves us and has mercy on us.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures (James 1:17-18).

If, for some reasons, you do not consider yourself to be among the fortunate or lucky or blessed, then just turn on the news and see what is happening in the world. Violence, shootings, riots, injustice…. Haitians who lost everything in a Tuesday earthquake borrowed clothes to be able to go to church on Sunday where they offered thanks to God. After priests and bishops were martyred in front of their churches, Iraqi Christians continued to show up each Sunday and feast day to offer their thanks to God. And if you still are not convinced about God’s blessings in your life for which you can be grateful, then go to any hospital and walk through the units where you will see suffering and grief and misery in its fullness. We have much to be thankful for.

It is often easier to be thankful when everything is perfect and well. A question that rises now in my mind is will we still be thankful even in times:
• when we experience sickness and continuing ill health?
• when we have to lay to rest a loved one whom we will miss very much?
• when we have to face the indignity and the worry of unemployment?
• when we are overwhelmed with worry and are depressed about the way life is turning out?

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:2-5).

Today as we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States, I encourage you to join me in giving thanks to God for his love, forgiveness, and the gift of eternal life. As we move on with our day, let us all recognize and remember that God is always at work in our lives, giving us in abundance what we need from day to day; it is only up to us to recognize this and convey our appreciation to him. Today we say, “Thanks.”

I praise You, O God of our fathers, I hymn You, I bless You,
I give thanks to You for your great and tender mercy.
To You I flee, O merciful and mighty God.
Shine into my heart with the True Sun of your righteousness.
Enlighten my mind and guard all my senses,
that from this time on I may walk uprightly and keep Your commandments,
and finally may attain unto all fullness of life, found only in You,
who are the source of life and the light of all.
For You are my God, and to You, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be ascribed glory, now and forever and ever. Amen.

I give thanks on this day for all of you who support me and assist me in ministering to our faithful at St. Sophia. I am very proud and happy to serve you as your priest. Please remember in the midst of your celebrations to take a moment and offer your own prayer of thanksgiving to Almighty God.

I wish every one of you a joyous and peaceful Thanksgiving Feast,
Fr. Pavlo

Thanksgiving
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

The parish picnic was a great success! A few of the activities we had were face painting, temporary tattoos, a hula hoop contest, bean bag toss, cake walk, a lollipop pull, our delicious food, Christmas cards for soldiers, singers, cotton candy, a reptile petting zoo, and our delicious food! And Liz was the lucky winner of a Kindle!

You’ll definitely want to mark your calendars for next year’s picnic! If you have pictures to add, please email them to the webmaster and they’ll be posted!

The parish picnic is going on right now.

Here are just a few snapshots of what you’re missing if you aren’t there!

It’s a reptile petting zoo!

More to come…

We had a wonderful pancake breakfast last Sunday!

Many thanks to all who pitched in to make it a yummy success!

We look forward to many more yummy meals together as a community!

Following the Divine Liturgy which included a children’s homily, we had a fantastic Fall Festival for the children.

After church, they changed into their costumes and made their way through fishing, basketball, pin the tail on the donkey, and a trick or treat parade before they headed out onto the playground to play in the gorgeous weather.

This weekend, Father celebrated both his birthday and the anniversary of his ordination. A surprise luncheon was arranged with BBQ ham sandwiches, hot dogs, green beans, potato salad, dips and crackers, khrustyky, chocolates, candies and cake.

We are grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate these milestones with you, Father, and pray that you have many more happy and healthy years! Многая літа!