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, 2010

MARCH, 2010

XLVI No 3

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Tucson Parish Celebrates

Consecration of its Church

remarkable and historic Consecration took place Sunday, November 15, 2009. The site was
St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church at
715 W. Vanover Road in Tucson, Arizona, and the main celebrant was His
Grace, Bishop RICHARD (Seminack).

of Sts. Martha and Mary Sisterhood,

also greeted the bishop, and Zenon
Korytko presented His Grace with two
intricately-carved wooden Ukrainianstyle plates he had handcrafted for the
occasion.
Kyr Richard then led the procession
of priests and altar
servers into the
church. Standing
on a platform, Bishop Richard and two
priests each donned
white aprons to prepare for assembling,
washing and vesting the new Holy
Table. The top was
placed on columns;
wooden nails were
inserted in the corners, hammered in
using river stones,
and sealed with aroPart of the elaborate ceremony of Consecration:
matic wax-mastic.
preparing the Holy Table for the august services
As the altar reprewhich will be celebrated upon it.
sents the sepulcher
of our Lord, Jesus
Assisting him were St. Michael's Pastor, Christ, so the mastic, mingled with fraRt. Rev. Dr. Andriy Chirovsky, and grant spices, represents the sweetpriests from Phoenix, (Fr. Hugo Soutus); smelling spices wherewith Joseph of
Los Angeles, (Fr. Myron Mykyta); San Arimathea and Nicodemus anointed the
Diego, (Fr. James Bankston); as well as a Body of our Lord when they laid Him in
former Pastor, Fr. Jaroslav Dowbush of the tomb. As the choir chanted Psalms
Tucson. Fr. Ivan Chirovsky from Pitts- 83, 50, 132, 131, 92, and 25, the Bishop,
burgh also concelebrated. The singing assisted by the other priests, washed the
was under the direction of Mitrophoric Holy Table with fragrant soap, then wet
Archpriest Roman Galadza of St. Elias the altar with wine, followed by roseChurch in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. water mixed with spikenard (sweetFr. Deacon Tibor Turi from Stoney Creek, smelling spices). Sea sponges and white
Ontario served.
cloths were used to wipe it dry. Then it
Guests came from various locales in was anointed with Holy Chrism.
Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland,
A first linen altar cloth was brought
Colorado, and Pennsylvania, as well as forth, and after sprinkling it with holy
Canada and Poland to attend this rarely- water, the Bishop placed it over the holy
seen ceremony.
altar, wrapping it with a white cord
His Grace, Bishop Richard, was wel- which typifies the cord wherewith our
comed with the traditional bread and salt Lord was bound when He was led
presented on a platter draped with an before Annas and Caiaphas. A second
embroidered cloth by young parish- covering of rich and brilliant material
ioners Nadia Fesz and Alexandra Cole, was placed over the altar. The double
who were dressed in traditional Ukrain- vesting of the altar indicates its double
ian attire. Parish Council President Ihor significance: as the tomb of Christ and
Kunasz and Alexandra Terleckyj, head the Throne of God. The first altar cloth
continued on page 11

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, 2010

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NEW STAR

March, 2010

11

Sisterhood Active at Palos Park

ne of the traditions of our Church, at large, is Ukrainian and the English

the continuous integration of the laity into the languages on the same
ministry of the Church, through various organ- level, or as needed. English
PARMA, OH -- The city has two
connections to the cause of
izations: Brotherhoods; Societies; Apostleships; and is the official language for
possibly making the late TV
Sisterhoods--just to mention a few. Such organizations the archives and records.
evangelist, Archbishop Fulton
in parishes of Saint Nicholas Eparchy have a goal to
As a parish organization
J. Sheen, a saint. Two Eastern
engage younger and older parishioners into the life of there is a "Mission StateCatholic Cathedrals play a role
the parish. As often happens, these organizations ment" of the Sisterhood:
in the process of canonization.
attract a certain age group. With the Sisterhood at "United we grow in faith"
See the local NBC newscast at:
Nativity--formed one year ago--we tried to do some- and the purpose of the
thing different. Forty-five women entered the Sisterhood is to integrate
Sisterhood of the Mother of God in November, 2008. all women of the parish in
http://www.wkyc.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=
All received a set of statutes when they took an oath, an organized manner to
asking The Mother of God "to accept me into the ranks bring new life into the
For more details,
of your most faithful servants and adopt me as your parish.
you may also visit:
child who will serve you forever".
The first big undertaking
Every year, on the closest Sunday to the Feast of the of the Sisterhood was the
Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple, mem- preparation of the tradihttp://www.stjosaphateparchy.org/News016.html
bers of the Sisterhood renew their commitment. Last tional Holy Supper Christyear along with the renewal of vows, seven more mas Dinner, which was
joined, giving us 52 members.
held in the parish hall.
We have members that were
and set up parish functions
around even before the relocaRecently, the sisterhood held a
tion of the parish from
Tea Party. Needless to say, it
Chicago to Palos Park in 1993;
was well-prepared and wellor, before the opening of
received. This church organizaNativity BVM Grade School,
tion still has need for more comwhich was closed in 1975.
mitment from all members, still
There are others that are as
has to become more aware of
young as the new church
their role in the parish and for
building in Palos Park. Young
the parish. But, the integration
girls, as young as 15, may join
of the younger members, abthe sisterhood, along with their
ABOVE: Members of the Sisterhood posed for a photograph after pledging service to the Church.
sorbing
what the most experimother. One family has three
BELOW, LEFT: The festive food was enjoyed--having been prepared some time earlier (RIGHT)
generations in the Sisterhood.
The ladies made the traditional twelve-course meal,
served it; and even made a display table describing
each of the courses. The idea brought deeper knowledge and understanding to a lot of people. This showed
the interconnectedness of our Church, culture and tradition. Another activity is the paska making/baking
class--an instant success for all the women that were
teaching and for those who were learning.
With the creation of the sisterhood, many have
become personally involved in the ministry and life of
our Church. And, personal commitment of its members
The sisterhood is not a church organization limited is one the most important aspects.
only to the widows and retirees. We made sure, from
They have been organized into small groups, each enced have brought in, will bring spiritual growth to
the very beginning, that this organization is open to the with a smaller or greater job to do. So far, they have the whole parish.
most-senior, as well as, to the most inexperienced. organized groups to visit the sick and shut-ins; clean
Fr. Varcilio Basil Salkovski, OSBM
Language is not an issue, either. We use both the the Altar linens; make varenyky; collect for the poor,
from page 1

represents the winding-sheet wherein the body of our

Lord Jesus Christ was wrapped for burial, and the second typifies the glory of God's throne.
After the incensation and sprinkling of the walls of
the church with holy water (typifying Holy Baptism),
and their anointing with Holy Chrism, a procession
was formed to bring in the holy relics. The procession
included not only the clergy, but the entire congregation, carrying banners, crosses and icons. Relics of
Blessed Bishop and Martyr VASYL (Velychkovsky) and
the Holy Hieromartyr Petro Verhun, had been placed in
a shrine outside the church. After the people venerated
these relics, they were carried in procession around the
church, signifying that the church is consecrated forever to God, because the circle is the symbol of eternity.
The procession re-entered the church, and the bishop
placed the holy relics inside niches hollowed in the
altar. The sanctuary lamp was lighted and placed over
the High Place behind the altar. This concluded the
Consecration, which was followed by the Hierarchical
Divine Liturgy.
After a picture-taking session on the front lawn, congregants lined up for anointing by His Grace, Bishop
Richard, receiving antidoron and commemorative icon
cards. All then proceeded to the University Park
Marriott, where a banquet was held. The Bishop was
again welcomed at the doors of the banquet hall with

the traditional bread and salt. The program, ably led by

Master of Ceremonies Dr. Ihor Kunasz, included the
reading of a letter from Mayor Walkup and various
greetings from dignitaries around the world, followed
by a violin solo by Peter S. Fesz, accompanied by Dr.
Juliana Osinchuk. Vice-Consul of Ukraine, Roman
Nedilskyi of San Francisco addressed the gathering.
During dinner, photos of parish life, both old and new,
were shown on a big screen.
A film entitled "God's House Our Home," prepared
by Halyna Chirovsky with assistance from Peter S.
Fesz-Nguyen, Matthew Cole and Peter W. Fesz was
screened. It featured interviews with a number of
parishioners woven around the theme of the retrieval of
the time capsule from St. Michael's old chapel on
Brown Avenue, which had been placed there in 1985.
Additional entertainment was provided by parishioner
and soprano soloist Zenovia Kunasz, accompanied by
Dr. Juliana Osinchuk, and by Bandurist and tenor,
Luke Miller of San Diego. Banquet participants
received copies of the commemorative book God's
House Our Home.
Kyr Richard addressed the assembly, and Pastor, Fr.
Andriy Chirovsky, offered concluding remarks. His
Grace, then led the closing prayer.
After over 30 years, St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic
Church now has a permanent new home that is conve-

niently accessible; has proper liturgical furnishings;

comfortable meeting office; social hall and houses the
Russell Dworian Memorial Library and educational
facilities near the Grant Road exit of Interstate 10.
The church building was acquired from Holy
Resurrection Antiochian Orthodox Church last February, and has been extensively remodeled and updated by a small group of volunteers headed by Bohdan
Gojnycz. Alexandra and Yurij Terleckyj helped to restore the iconostasis as well as antique banners. The
iconostasis had been received through the efforts of
longtime pastor Fr. Basil Bucsek, as a gracious gift
from St. George Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after that parish had merged with
another. Parishioners had been working feverishly for
months in preparation for this great day.
Christina and Ivars Vecbastiks headed up the invitations team that got the word out to people near and far.
Many made the effort to come and support the small
but dynamic parish. Others sent best wishes and donations.
Friends from cold Northern climes are encouraged to
visit perennially sunny and warm Tucson. Divine Liturgies at St. Michael's are at 10:00 AM on Sundays.
The parish can be accessed online at its website:
www.stmichaeltucson.org

12

March, 2010

NEW STAR

STUDY SHOWS EFFECTIVENESS OF TEEN ABSTINENCE; FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL DECRIES

U.S. GOVERNMENT'S INDIFFERENCE: WASHINGEPARCHY OF VAN NUYS' NAME CHANGED: It has
been announced that His Holiness, Benedict XVI, has
approved the change of the name of the Eparchy of Van
Nuys for the Ruthenians to the Holy Protection of Mary
Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix. The ProCathedral of Saint Stephen has been elevated to the status of Cathedral for the Holy Protection of Mary
Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix. The change is
effective immediately.
The designation as "Holy Protection of Mary" retains
the historic connection with the original cathedral of
that title for the Eparchy of Van Nuys, established in
1981.
Phoenix has been the administrative center for the
Eparchy of Van Nuys (California) since 1994, when the
devastating Northridge Earthquake with its epicenter a
mile from the Pastoral Center and the episcopal residence caused severe damage to these structures as well
as to the Cathedral complex eight miles away in Van
Nuys. In the wake of the earthquake, then Bishop
GEORGE (Kuzma) relocated the Pastoral Center and residences for its personnel soon after.

PRESIDENT YUSHCHENKO THANKED PATRIARCH

FOR IMPARTIAL POSITION OF CHURCH IN
ELECTIONS: President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko
held a meeting with Patriarch Lubomyr.
At the beginning of meeting, the president noted the
impartial position of the church shown during the election on January 17. "The church has shown the absence
of support for a specific political party and thus made a
great contribution to the maintenance of lawful and
transparent elections," said Yushchenko.
As reported on the official presidential web site, during the conversation the current state of church-state
relations and the inter-church dialogue was discussed.
In this context His Beatitude expressed his gratitude to

the president for initiating the celebration of the 1025th

anniversary of the baptism of Kyivan Rus'.

2011 YOUTH DAY WEB SITE AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH: MADRID, Spain, (Zenit.org).- The Web page
for the 2011 World Youth Day, which will be hosted by
the Archdiocese of Madrid, is now available.
A press statement from the youth day organizers
noted that the countries asking for
the most information are Spain, the
United States, Italy, Mexico, Brazil
and Germany.
"We continue working in the
Web's beta concept," the press
statement said, "which obliges us to
improve the page, hearing the suggestions of users and putting them
into practice. We hope that the
interaction of our new Englishspeaking users will be as positive as
Logo of
the one we already have with our
WYD 2011
users of the Spanish version."
Within the next few weeks, the French version will
be available, followed by the Italian, German and
Portuguese.
Other versions under way are Chinese, Russian,
Arabic, Korean and Polish.
The 2011 World Youth Day will take place August
16-21. Its theme is "Planted and Built Up in Jesus
Christ. Firm in the Faith."

Right to Left Is Right, Right?

y the time you receive this issue of the New

Star, we will be well into The Great and Holy
Lent and the Great Fast. On the Third Sunday
of The Great and Holy Lent we venerate the Holy
Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We sing, "To Your
Cross, O Master, we bow in veneration, and we glorify
Your Holy Resurrection." Each time we sing "To your
Cross" we bow and make the Sign of the Cross. At
the end of the Divine Liturgy the priest prays "that we
may conquer sin with the Wood of the Cross as our
weapon, and become worthy of the joyous resurrection
on the third day." He blesses us with a hand-cross at
the end of the service and we respond to his blessing by
again making the Sign of the Cross.
To Catholics, both in the Eastern and Western
Churches, making the Sign of the Cross is an almost
automatic gesture during liturgical services and when
at prayer. We hardly think about what we are doing.
Except that as Eastern Christians, we often hear that
"you make the sign of the cross backwards." After
doing a little research, my new response is going to be,
"are you sure about that?"
Early Christians used their thumb or finger on their
right hand to make the Sign of the Cross on their foreheads and on objects they used in daily living. In 386,
St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, said: "Let us therefore,
not be ashamed of the Cross of Christ; but though
another hide it, do thou openly seal it upon thy forehead, that the devils may behold the royal sign and flee
trembling far away. Make then this sign at eating and
drinking, at sitting, at lying down, at rising up, at
speaking, at walking: in a word, at every act."
As you may recall, Christians were not able to practice their religion freely until 325, so it wasn't until
about the Fourth Century that the Sign of the Cross
involved more than on the forehead. When shoulders

became part of the Sign of the Cross, one first touched

the right shoulder, then the left. This was done both in
the East and in the West
until sometime in the
Middle Ages.
There were several reasons for this shift in the
West. One is pointed out
by Pope Innocent III
(1198-1216). He first
explains that the Sign of
the Cross is made with
three fingers, an invocation of the Trinity. "This
is how it is done: from
above to below, and from the right to the left, because
Christ descended from the heavens to the Earth and
from the Jews He passed to the Gentiles." Then he
explains that some priests were crossing themselves
from left to right instead of right to left. They did so
when facing the people so that he and they would be
signing themselves in the same way. Another theory is
that as Latin became more popular than Greek, going
from right-to-left changed because the Latin word
sinestra, which originally meant "left" evolved into
"evil" or "sinister" and who wanted a prayer to end up
on the left-hand side!
Over time, the words that accompanied the Sign of
the Cross also changed. From the earliest "the sign of
the Christ," "the seal of the living God," and "in the
name of the Holy Trinity," we see the Sign of the Cross
become a statement of faith in the Trinity and the two
natures of Christ. How do we make this statement of
faith? We join together the tips the index and middle
fingers and the thumb of the right hand to show that we
believe in God: the Father Who made us, God the Son

TON, D.C., (Zenit.org).- In response to a new study

demonstrating the effectiveness of abstinence education for teens, the Family Research Council is lamenting the government's rejection of programs that teach
this to youth in the United States.
The council released a statement after the publication
of a study by John and Loretta Jemmott from the
University of Pennsylvania; Geoffrey Fong from the
University of Waterloo; and the Ontario Institute for
Cancer Research in Waterloo, Ontario.
Tony Perkins, the council's president, explained that
the study "tells us clearly that abstinence education, not
the promotion of high-risk sexual behavior among
teens, is needed."
"The study reports that abstinence education successfully reduced self-reported sexual involvement among
African American students in grades six and seven," he
added.
"In light of this study and others showing the positive
health benefits of abstinence education," Perkins noted,
"it is unfortunate that this congress and administration
has zeroed out abstinence education."
Instead, he acknowledged, they have favored "sex-ed
programs that advocate high-risk sexual behavior" and
"it is children and young teens who suffer the consequences."
The council president reported that "despite an enormous amount of money going to comprehensive sex-ed
programs dating much earlier than abstinence education programs," the Center for Disease Control data
shows that "an alarming 40% of teen girls who are sexually active are infected" with a sexually transmitted
disease.
"The government does not promote drug use or
underage drinking, and it should not promote high-risk
sexual behavior either," Perkins stated.
He added, "The evidence shows clearly that sexual
abstinence is the healthiest behavior for youth."
Who saves us and God the Holy Spirit Who lives in us.
The three fingers joined together show that we believe
in one God, not three. The ring and little fingers stand
for the two natures of Christ, that He is both God and
man at the same time. These two fingers are brought
down into the palm of the hand to show that "Jesus
came down from heaven" for our salvation.
When Ukrainian Catholics make the Sign of the
Cross, we say: "In the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen". The act of making
the Sign of the Cross on ourselves reminds us of the
price Jesus paid to save us and it is also the greatest
expression of the commandment "You shall love the
Lord God with all your mind, heart, soul and strength."
For when we touch our forehead we are in effect saying, "I love You, Lord, with all of my mind." When we
touch our chest we are saying, "I love you Lord, with
all my heart and soul." When we touch our shoulders,
we are in effect saying, "I Love You Lord, with all of
my strength." When we pray to God, we do so with our
mind and heart. When we make the Sign of the Cross,
we are praying with our body. In this way, our whole
person, body, mind and heart prays to God.
When should we make the Sign of the Cross? When
we enter and leave the Church; when the words:
"Father, Son and Holy Spirit" are heard; when the
priest blesses you; before and after the Gospel reading;
when venerating the Cross, an icon, or when passing
the altar or iconostasis. We also make the Sign of the
Cross when the Trinity is inferred--Holy God, Holy
Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, for example. Actually, in our Tradition, we are free to use the Sign of the
Cross whenever the spirit moves us! However, it is
best not to make a Sign of the Cross when receiving
Communion, however; cross your hands over your
chest, receive and then walk away a short distance, face
the altar, and then make the Sign of the Cross. This
helps avoid accidentally hitting the chalice or the spoon
continued on page 15

NEW STAR

March, 2010

Why?/Why:

By Fr Denny Molitvy

Two related questions arrived recently: There's a contradiction to be found on page 19 of the January
issue of New Star. The caption under the icon of St
Andrew refers to him as "first-called" whereas the
text refers to him as Jesus' "second Apostle." So is
he first or second? The other question refers to an
item [on page 18]. An article quotes Cardinal Foley
as saying Christians in the Middle East should
"give up their 'Western ways'". Wouldn't that suggest something drastic--like eliminating the title of
the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem?
These two questions have certain similarities, if not
in content, then in perspective or perception. It is interesting to see that such close attention is paid to details.
Concerning the sequence of Apostles--Andrew has
been known (in Eastern Tradition, at least) as "the
First-called Apostle," based upon the chronology of
events. Jesus did call Andrew (who contacted his blood
brother, Simon). There is also a matter of perspective
involved in the rationale for calling him "the second"
apostle--based upon the concept of the roles of leadership each of these brothers played in the Early Church.
Conditioned by the tropar and kondak sung on the
Feast of St Andrew (November 30) we can appreciate
this: "As the first-called of the apostles and full brother of their leader, implore the Master of all to give
peace to the world and great mercy to our souls." And
"Let us praise God's herald, whose name is 'courage',
Peter's kinsman who leads those in the Church who follow the chief apostle, for then to Peter so now to us, he
cries aloud 'we have found the One so longed for.'"
There is no contradiction--Andrew can easily be
described as "first" (-called)" and as "the second" Apostle. Peter can be considered both "first" and "second"
without confusion. Historically the Sees of Rome and
of Constantinople (the "second Rome") hold high
esteem among the Churches--with brothers Peter and
Andrew closely connected to each. To this day, the
leaders of these two ancient Sees participate in celebrations of the feast days of each other's Patron, either
in person or through legates.

Religious Life

he Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic

Church has been focusing on different aspects of
the Christian "vocation"--that is, our call to live
out the Christian life. For example, the Bishops had
directed that we, along with the other Churches of the
Catholic Communion, focus on those exercising priestly ordained ministry during 2009, the "Year of the
Priest". Toward the end of last year, the Synod asked us
to focus on another lifestyle within the Church--namely, religious life. In fact, at the end of last year,
+Richard sent out a bilingual letter directing our priests
and deacons to include consecrated religious among
the intentions mentioned during the "fervent" ektenia-i.e., immediately following the Gospel and homily; I
hope that this is indeed being done in your parish!
It seems strange that we need to be reminded about
the importance of consecrated religious within our
Church. When was the last time you bumped into a
Ukrainian Catholic monk or nun, brother or sister? It
has probably been a good long while--unless, of
course, you live in the Detroit or Chicago areas, or perhaps near a monastery of monks. Other than these
folks, and the poor people of Mishawaka who are currently groaning under the tutelage of the friar whom
+Richard has chosen to inflict upon them--namely,
moi--very few of our people are blessed with the presence of a religious in their midst.
How different this is from the way it used to be! Back
in the day, many of us went to schools staffed by sisters
--either the Sisters of St. Basil the Great, the Sisters
Servants of Mary Immaculate, or perhaps the
Missionary Sisters of the Mother of God. Then there
were the "missionaries" who would come around every
year during the Great Fast--usually Basilian or
Redemptorist or Franciscan priests. As our numbers

With respect to the place of the Latin Patriarch of

Jerusalem, it is certainly not up to you or I to take any
action on this. Some would say that the presence of
such a title continues the lingering effects of the Crusades (and a concern for many Eastern Christians
whose memories seem to extend back centuries) with
an impact upon the tenor of the region. There was speculation some years ago when the See became vacant
after the death of the man who held the title, Pope John
Paul II would not name a successor. That did not happen. It is doubtful that there will be any follow-through
of Cardinal Foley's remarks along the lines you envision--or, perhaps that he even considered such an interpretation of his statement.
Maybe you can answer a question I've had for a
while. It has to do with a priest who was in our
parish but is elsewhere now. While here, this priest
who I really liked, seemed so involved in everything
we did; was close to us; took an interest in many
things happening not only in the parish, but in our
lives, as well. He visited our home for birthdays,
weddings, graduations, funerals and at times when
someone was sick--even consoled us when our cat
died.
Well, to make a long story short, he was transferred. We have a different priest. He tries to do
everything for us, but in a different way. We can't
get used to him because his approach is not the
same. I'm not saying it's wrong--just not something
we're used to.
Here's where the question is: we keep calling our
former pastor for advice, or help, and he refuses to
comment on the way things are developing now. He
even said he could not baptize our granddaughter-which is so disappointing, because he had such a
close (almost as a "family member") relationship
when our son and daughter-in-law were engaged
and getting married.
Why doesn't he care for us? We feel we've lost his
friendship.
have dwindled, we religious have become as scarce as
hen's teeth. Why?
Back before the Second Vatican Council, religious
were the "workhorses" of the Church. If there were
children to be taught or sick people to be cared for or
theology to be studied, bishops and pastors were likely
to call in religious to do whatever job needed doing.
Then along came Vatican II, which encouraged lay
people to think of themselves as more than "deep pockets" to finance the Church--you know the expression:
"pray, pay, and obey". The laity got more involved in
the life of the Church and started doing the jobs religious had always done. People began to think: "why
should I join an Order if I can do the same thing 'without giving up my life'"--i.e., giving up the joys of marriage and family? (After all, even secular priests can
now be married in our Church! We've returned to our
ancient tradition: imagine that!) Needless to say, religious communities went off a cliff. That's what happens when religious life gets equated with work and
reduced to a job. But there is so much more to it
One thing religious life should be about is koinonia
--a Greek word which can be translated as "communion". In other words, religious life should be a microcosm of the Church, where people come together to
live and work and pray, where people take the Gospel
to heart and try to put it into practice in their lives. We
should be able to look at religious and learn about how
we are all called to become Church together.
This leads me to another important aspect of religious life: martyrion. You can recognize the word
"martyr" in this word. This certainly does not mean that
people who enter religious life have a "martyr complex", although it would be untrue to deny that some
such troubled people sometimes seek refuge from the
world behind convent or monastery walls. Religious
life is definitely not about fleeing the world and its trials: the trials which one finds in religious life may be

13

Ironically, what your concern is is actually proof that

your former pastor does care for you and your family!
While every priest strives to minister to the needs of
the flock entrusted to him by God, not every one does
it in the same way. Each unique human being who
serves as a priest does so only with the gifts and
resources he has been given. We each have separate talents, personalities, strengths and even weaknesses.
Your former pastor knows that. He realizes that for
the sake of unity in the parish, he must step aside from
the life of a place he leaves--and undoubtedly loves-and allow his successor to have the same degree of success he enjoyed in growing with and in the Faith that is
grounded in the teaching of the Church.
Also, he most surely realizes he now has responsibilities to his new ministry--and cannot cheat those now
in his care of the service they need from him.
This allows you the opportunity to get to know, like
and even love the new priest who is now in the position
of serving your needs--spiritually. Your acceptance of
him makes his task easier, and the transition more
smooth. You may find it just as difficult to see him go
after years of tending to your needs.
It is heartening to hear that a priest is liked and respected as a "pastor" (leader of the flock). It is good to know
that human ties and friendship have developed--but they
are not the essence of his service to you--or his new
"family" of people who need catechesis, counseling,
care, compassion and concern just as much as you did
when he ministered to you.
Leaving or coming to a parish is not easy for a priest,
either, because of human connections that often develop.
But he must remember an axiom that was most likely
infused into his memory in a seminary class devoted to
"Pastoral Theology." It goes something like this: "when
you leave a place, leave it." It is a sure sign of his concern for the well-being of the people he had led for whatever time he had with them; that he trusts they will continue to grow in a fuller dimension under the care of
someone else--who may just be able to bring out more
"Christian values" than he was capable of doing.
He knows that any interfering with the progress of a
new priest is actually a detriment to the parish life. He
continued on page 15
different from those "outside", but they are just as real
and just as painful. Imagine having to confront your
own imperfections every day! Imagine having to live
with a group of imperfect people who are not shy about
pointing out your imperfections, who routinely question your actions and motives! Religious life is certainly not for those who are afraid of having their "rough
edges" smoothed--sometimes painfully! This is as
much the "martyrdom" of religious life as is "what we
give up" in vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. It
is a "martyrdom" to which not all are called.
Martyrion is more than suffering, however; it also
means "witness": religious are to show to the world that
it is possible to live out the Gospel--and yes, Gospel
means "Good News"! Ecce quam bomum et quam
iucundum habitare fratres in unum : "How good and
joyful it is to live in unity as brothers [and sisters]!"
Religious should strive, through their mutual learning
and growth in the ways of Christ, to create havens of
peace where all can come for refreshment, for "where
Christ reigns, all are welcome". Moreover, the conversion of life to which we religious are called can--and
indeed should--have a positive impact upon our ministries: if "conversion" can be seen as "Christian contagion", then our personal and communal conversion
should make a difference to all those we meet.
In my province, we say this prayer: "Bless our common life, study, prayer, and ministry, so that our life
together may be a joyful witness, creating a desire in
others to join " As we in the St. Nicholas Eparchy
follow the directive of the Synod during this year, may
we likewise pray for an outpouring of generosity on the
part of our young people: may they have the courage to
accept Christ's challenge, enrolling in the "school" of
religious life so that we may all be enriched by what
they learn there!
-Fr. Jim Karepin, op

14 NEW STAR

March, 2010

Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine:

-- In answer to the question of a

correspondent of Week information agency about a possible
meeting between Pope Benedict
XVI and Patriarch KIRILL of
Moscow and Moscow's statements that the meeting is obstructed by problems connected with
the situation between the Orthodox of the Moscow Patriarchate
and Greek Catholics in Western Ukraine, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovich stressed that such a meeting is
very important as it will be the first one in history.
"The meeting of the Pope and the Patriarch of
Moscow will be an event of special significance for
both the Catholic Church and the Moscow Patriarchate. It never happened in history. Such a meeting could become an icon of the 21st century. One should
note that at the official level, the Holy See and Russian
Federation have recently established full diplomatic relations. Of no less importance is the fact that the Catholic
Church and the Moscow Patriarchate promote identical
positions as to firmness of moral and religious values and
the support of the Christian identity of the European continent."
As for whether it is worth while to sacrifice the interests

Moving Headquarters of UGCC to Kyiv

Will Facilitate Recognition of Patriarchate
Meeting of Patriarch of Moscow and Pope
Could Become Icon of 21st Century
KYIV - The Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine believes that
moving the headquarters of the Ukrainian Greek
Catholic Church to Kyiv will facilitate the recognition
of the Patriarchate of that Church. Archbishop Ivan
Jurkovich, the nuncio, expressed this in an interview to
Week news agency.
-- In response to a question about the patriarchate of
the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Apostolic
Nuncio answered: "Pope John Paul II once said to
Greek Catholic bishops that their Church had was entitled to a patriarchate and that he would pray for the
UGCC to become ready. Now, Pope Benedict XVI has
taken it under his personal control. Only he can say
when this will happen. Let me only note that the presence of the major archbishop of the UGCC in Kyiv
changed the issue for the better. The world began to
view that Church in a completely different way."

and feelings of the

five million Greek
Catholics of Ukraine
who have proven
their loyalty to the
Apostolic See during
the years of persecutions, for the sake of
such an icon, the
nuncio believes that
"this should be
viewed from the
viewpoint of an ecumenical context."
"We should not
even discuss the
claims of the Moscow Patriarchate as to the return of Orthodox parishes to
Greek Catholics in Western Ukraine, even though we
consider them unjust. It is better not to discuss what, how,
and why it happened. Someone can call it naive optimism. But optimism is always wise," answered the archbishop.
As for the unity of churches, the archbishop stressed
that all popes in the 20th Century spoke in their spiritual
testaments about the inevitability of Christian unity.

Apostolic Administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis Appointed for Stryj Eparchy

On January 20, 2010, the Vatican announced that:
The Holy Father Benedict XVI accepted the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek
Catholic Church to proclaim the Stryj Eparchy "hindered." The decision was accepted according to the
canon 233 1 CCEO, on the basis of the state of health
of Bishop JULIAN (Gbur);
The Holy Father, accepting the proposition of the
same synod, named Bishop TARAS (Sen'kiv), titular
bishop of Sichena, and until now the auxiliary bishop
of the Stryj Eparchy, as the Apostolic Administrator ad
nutum Sanctae Sedis (at the disposition of the Holy
See).
To better understand the report of the Apostolic
Capital we include an explanation. The Synod of
Bishops of the UGCC, which took place in LvivBryukhovychi on November 29 to December 5, 2009,

decided to appeal to the Pope of Rome with a request

to proclaim the Stryj Eparchy "hindered" considering
the state of health of the Administrative Bishop, Bishop JULIAN (Gbur). The synod offered Bishop TARAS
(Sen'kiv), auxiliary bishop, to accept the administration of this eparchy, which was confirmed by the Holy
Father. This appointment became legal on the date of
the proclamation--January 20, 2010--and means that
the control of the administration of the Stryj Eparchy
was transferred to the apostolic administrator. Bishop
JULIAN (Gbur) preserves only the title of Eparch of the
Stryj Eparchy.
Bishop Julian, who in December of last year turned
68, led the Stryj Eparchy of the UGCC from the
moment of its creation by the Synod of Bishops in
2000, reports Radio Vatican. He was engaged in the
creation of organizational structures and the development of pastoral activity. On May 22, 2008, it was

"God Says: 'You Want it?--Here it Is'":

Patriarch Lubomyr about Election Results
KYIV - An in interview with
Glavred, Patriarch Lubomyr
discussed the second round
of presidential elections of
Ukraine.

Answering the question

about whether [the] current
president is chosen by God,
as it is regarded that all
authority is from God, Patriarch Lubomyr said: "We
should not credit our acts to
God. God says: 'You want
it?--Here it is...." Then on the
basis of the Holy Scripture
the leader of the UGCC gave
the example from the life of
the Israeli people. "The peo-

ple of Israel left Egyptian

captivity and wanted to
choose for themselves the
King Saul. The Lord said: 'If
they want it so... I wanted to
be their possessor, but they
want to have a man for a
king, so let them have it.'
Saul, unfortunately, was not
very successful. Then the
Lord sent the prophet
Samuel and said to him to
find David in Bethlehem,
because God's will was for
David to become king."
According to His Beatitude, in the subsequent history of Israel there were different kings who eventually led
Israel to Babylon's captivity.
"The Lord knew about it, but
did not send anyone to Israel,
did not name anyone. Therefore we can not say today
that we chose a person that
was wanted by God. Such
was God's admittance, but
not God's will. And this is

not the same," he explained.

In the opinion of the Patriarch, it cannot be said that
this or another president is
God's anointed sovereign.
"Whether God truly wanted
him or not--the Lord knows
only. There is no doubt that
God admits someone to
authority. And whether He
wants this man is something
entirely different," he said.
Speaking about whether His
Beatitude expects changes-positive or negative--after
electing a new president, he
said that the Church would not
perish, the Church will go further.
"How it will be--we will
see. I am not worried by this.
A lot depends on us--how we
conduct ourselves as citizens
and as Christians," he said.
As for what we have to
hope for the new president,
His Beatitude called speculation.

learned that Bishop TARAS

(Sen'kiv) was elected auxiliary bishop of this eparchy.
On July 20 of last year, he
obtained the hierarchical
ordination.
The Stryj Eparchy is
located in the western
part of the Lviv region,
and includes five administrative districts. The
Pastoral activity is carried out in over 330
parishes, divided into 16
deaneries.

Information Department of the UGCC

Haiti Earthquake Relief

Pastors and Administrators have received reminders from the Bishop's Chancery of the dire need of financial aid to the people of Haiti,
with the purpose of facilitating collection of funds to be distributed to
Catholic Relief Services or the American Red Cross.
Parishioners who would like to participate in this manner of "almsgiving" may make a donation through your parish. Please mark all
intended donations "Haitian Relief" and deposit in your parish collection by March 14, 2010.

This is one of a series of postcards advertising St Nicholas School

that have been mailed in the neighborhood to boost enrollment.

March, 2010

NEW STAR

EXCEPTS FROM

Great Fast Message of the Ukrainian Catholic Hierarchy of the U. S. A.

to Our Clergy, Hieromonks and Brothers, Religious Sisters,
Seminarians and Beloved Faithful:

Glory to Jesus Christ!

"Coming to his senses at last, he thought: I will get up and return to my father, and say to him,
Father, I have sinned against God and against you" Luke 15:17-18

n the gospel lesson for one of the Sundays which prepare us for Great Lent--the Sunday of the
Prodigal Son--we encounter a 'coming home'. The youngest son of a wealthy father, having
selfishly squandered his inheritance and having been reduced to abject poverty in a far-off country, suddenly comes to his senses and realizes what exactly it is that he has turned his back on. "How
many of my father's hired workers have more than enough to eat, while here I am dying from
hunger!" (Lk. 15:17) And he also sets off in return to his boyhood home where, in the embrace of his
father, he finds fulfillment and happiness and rediscovers what it is to be truly human, to share one's
life with others and what it means to be the son of loving father.
Each and every one of us is re-living the dilemma of the Prodigal Son who was reduced to eating
corn husks, [or anyone unfortunate to lose a job and/or family through reckless living]. Each and
every one of us, in his or her own way, through our own sins, has turned away from our childhood
hearth and home and has struck out selfishly on our own. We have rejected the God who created and
nurtures us and have put our faith in ourselves and in the world. And if the world has not yet failed
us, it undoubtedly will.
The Church then, in her age-old wisdom, has given us this blessed time of Great Lent upon which
we [have] embark[ed], so that that we can more easily remember what it is we have lost, and rekindle
in ourselves the desire and the power to return home and rediscover the love we have so callously
rejected, the love of our Heavenly Father for us.
The liturgical services of a uniquely and deeply penitential and meditative character which are celebrated during Great Lent offer us a golden opportunity to plant the seeds of remembrance and repentance in our souls. This, along with fasting, self-control, alms-giving, personal prayer, and the Holy
Mystery of Confession can instill in us the courage to rise up from our miserable state and take the
first steps on the journey home. During these weeks of Great Lent that lead up to Pascha may we
once again rediscover what it is to be truly human, to share our lives with one another and what it
means to be children of a loving Father.
Our wish and prayer for each and every one of you is that you enjoy a prayerful and fruitful time of
Great Lent and a joyful 'home coming' to the arms of the loving Father who is already hurrying along
the road to meet us.
+Stefan Soroka
Metropolitan-Archbishop of Philadelphia
+Richard Seminack
Eparch of St. Nicholas in Chicago
+Paul Chomnycky, OSBM
Eparch of Stamford

Great Fast, 2010

+John Bura
Apostolic Administrator
of St. Josaphat in Parma

from page 12

the priest is holding.

We cross ourselves at the beginning, during and at the end of prayer. We can make
the Sign of the Cross when we get up and go
to bed; before and after eating; when we go
out of the house. We should also make the
Sign of the Cross at eventful times in our
lives: when we are in danger, sorrow, fear,
in joy, in happiness. From the earliest centuries, Christians signed themselves with
the Cross at the beginning of every task or
journey. They did this at departure, putting
on robes, putting on shoes, at washing,
before and after meals, making fires, before
lying in bed and sitting down to rest after a
journey!
The Sign of the Cross of Christ sanctifies
all and everything. It is the most terrible
weapon against demons and evil. Armed
with the Cross, the holy martyrs went to the
most horrible tortures. The saints healed the
sick, raised the dead, fearlessly drank poison, and passed through fire and water by
the power of the Cross of Christ.
For some reason, many of today's

Christians often don't even think to cross

themselves, even when they are with other
Christians. Perhaps it's just an oversight.
Perhaps it's because we are ashamed or
afraid to admit that we are Christians; perhaps we have been convinced that it is not
politically correct to make the Sign of the
Cross in public. We might heed the words of
Mark (8:38) when he tells us that "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this
adulterous and sinful generation, of him the
Son of Man also will be ashamed when He
comes in the glory of His Father with the
holy angels."
When at liturgical services, be sure you
and your family members make the Sign of
the Cross at the proper times. Teach them to
make the Sign of the Cross frequently in
their daily life. Most of all, teach them not
to be ashamed to cross themselves from
right to left in public--help them to be proud
of the fact that they are Eastern Christians.
With profound gratitude to
St Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church
parish bulletins,
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

15

CHURCH CALENDAR ~~ 2010:

A guide to the various Holy Days throughtout the year.
I. HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION
All Sundays of the year
Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ December 25/January 7
Theophany of Our Lord January 6/January 19
Annunciation to the Mother of God March 25/April 7
Ascension of Our Lord, Jesus Christ May 13
The Apostles, SS. Peter and Paul June 29/July 12
Dormition of the Mother of God August 15/August 28
On these days, the faithful are bound in conscience to participate in [either] Vespers, Matins or Divine Liturgy and
refrain from unnecessary physical labor.
II. SOLEMN FEASTS
Circumcision of Our Lord January 1/January 14
Three Holy Hierarchs January 30/February 12
Encounter of Our Lord, Jesus Christ February 2/February 15
Bright Monday April 13
Bright Tuesday April 14
Pentecost Monday June 1
Nativity of St. John the Baptist June 24/July 7
Transfiguration of Our Lord August 6/August 19
Nativity of the Mother of God September 8/September 21
Exaltation of the Holy Cross September 14/September 27
St. Demetrius the Great Martyr October 26/November 8
St. Michael the Archangel November 8/November 21
Entrance into the Temple of the Mother of God November
21/December 4
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker December 6/December 19
Conception of St. Anne December 9/ December 22
Synaxis of the Mother of God December 26/January 8
St. Stephen the Protomartyr December 27/January 9
These feasts are to be celebrated on the actual calendar date
of the feast. The faithful are encouragd but not obligated to
attend the Divine Liturgy and refrain from unnecessary physical labor.
III. SIMPLE FEASTS
St. George the Great Martyr April 23/May 6
St. John the Theologian May 8/May 21
St. Volodymyr the Great July 15/July 28
St. Elias the Prophet July 20/August 2
Beheading of St. John the Baptist August 29/September 11
Falling Asleep of St. John the Theologian September 26/
October 9
Protection of the Mother of God October 1/October 14
St. Josaphat the Hieromartyr November 12/November 25
These feasts may be observed on the date itself, or transferred to the following Sunday.
Originally published by the Eparchy of Stamford in The
Sower. Adapted for New Star.

from page 13

certainly would not welcome such

disruptive intrusion from a previous
priest into the life of the new parish he
is trying to form into a tight-knit
believing community.
It may be the former priest actually
retires from parish work. Here, too,
the axiom applies. "Go," to not interfere with the work of the one the bishop has put in his place. Then there is
no temptation to agree to humanly
flattering requests for advice or services. That is not his "job" anymore.
There are times when it is appropriate for a priest to return to a former
assignment for a specific event or occasion. This is always to be at the
invitation of the current pastor.
For some this approach may seem
uncaring, cruel, demeaning or even
anti-Christian.
In reality, it is a practice that promotes a deeper appreciation for the
Mystery of the Church as a visible
representation as the Body of Christ.

How? It does not get caught up in

personality cults or emotionalism that
might cloud our perception or even
see the Church as a "club" as our
rationale for attending. Therein lies a
chance for pride to interject an unwanted element into the Church.
In all fairness to the new priest-your good example of cooperation
should serve as a testimony to the
love for the Church his predecessor
instilled upon the flock. Your new
priest's ways may be different--his
means may be unfamiliar--but his
motive is the same: bring the people
closer to God and to one another.
Surely you're finding this out by
being open to the new growth that
happens with a new "Father" who
challenges you to practice your faith
in a way open to ever-expanding and
exciting change (AKA growth).

Send your questions for

Fr Denny Molitvy to:
WhyWhyNewStar@cs.com
Include your name and parish.

16 NEW STAR

March, 2010

Award of the President of Ukraine Conferred

on Bishop VOLODYMYR (Viytyshyn) of UGCC

n January 15, 2010, in the session hall of the

Ivano-Frankivsk regional council, Bishop
VOLODYMYR (Viytyshyn) of the Ukrainian
Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), Eparch of the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk, received the
award of the President of Ukraine the "Order for
Merits of the III degree." So reported the UGCC web
site.
At the beginning of the board meeting of the IvanoFrankivsk regional state administration which addresses the basic questions related to the results of socioeconomical and cultural development of Prykarpattya
and the status of calculations for energy sources, Mr.
Oleh Korzhak, vice-chairman of Ivano-Frankivsk
RSA, read the Decree of the President of Ukraine
about conferring the Medal for the Merits of III degree
on the Bishop of Ivano-Frankivsk of the UGCC
VOLODYMYR (Viytyshyn): "For the realization of state
social programs, for active charitable activity, and on
the occasion of Charity Day VOLODYMYR (Viytyshyn)

Acts of the Oriental Churches

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) - The Synod of Bishops of the
Syro-Malankar Major Archiepiscopal Church, having
duty consulted with the Holy See, has adopted the following provisions and, with the prior assent of the
Holy Father, has proceeded with the following episcopal elections:
- Erected the new Eparchy of Pathanamthitta, India,
appointing Bishop Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom Kalloor
of Marthandom, India, as first bishop of the new
eparchy.
- Appointed Fr. K. M. Vincent Kulapuravilai, professor
at St. Mary's Malankara Major Seminary, as bishop of
the Eparchy of Marthandom (area 1,684, population
1,977,000, Catholics 63,988, priests 39, religious 190),
India. The bishop-elect was born in Anakkarai, India in
1964 and ordained a priest in 1991.
- Erected the new Eparchy of Puthur, India, appointing
Bishop Geevarghese Mar Divannasios Ottathengil of
Battery, India, as first bishop of the new eparchy.
- Appointed Bishop Joseph Mar Thomas Konnath,

--Bishop of Ivano-Frankivsk
of the UGCC--is awarded
with the Order of the III
degree"
The award was handed by
Mr. Mykola Paliychuk, the
head of the Ivano-Frankivsk
RSA, and Mr. Ihor Oliynyk,
the head of the IvanoFrankivsk city council. After
receiving the order the bishop
of Ivano-Frankivsk addressed those present with words
of gratitude: "First of all I want to wish all of you a
New God's Year 2010 with wishes of good, peace, and
spiritual rest, and sincerely thank you for the reward,
which is the work of everyone in the Ivano-Frankivsk
Eparchy of the UGCC: the clergy, the faithful, and people of good will" gratefully remarked Bishop
Volodymyr.
auxiliary of Trivandrum, India, and apostolic visitor for
North America and Europe, as bishop of the Eparchy
of Battery (area 75,000, population 1,767,000,
Catholics 27,675, priests 88, religious 284), India.
- Appointed Fr. Samuel Kattuakallil, vicar of the
Archieparchy of Trivandrum, India, as auxiliary of the
same archieparchy (area 4,636, population 5,935,000,
Catholics 251,000, priests 257, religious 868). The
bishop-elect was born in Kadamanitta, India in 1952
and ordained a priest in 1978.
- Appointed Fr. Stephen Thottathil, professor of Moral
Theology and Dean of Theology at Malankara
Seminary, as auxiliary of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla
(area 11,120, population 5,435,000, Catholics 37,648,
priests 132, religious 344), India. The bishop-elect was
born in Ranni, India in 1952 and ordained a priest in
1979.
- Appointed Fr. Anthony Valiyavilayil O.I.C., chancellor of the Syro-Malankar Major Archiepiscopal Curia,
as bishop of the Syro-Malankar Major Archiepiscopal
Curia. The bishop-elect was born in Adoor, India in
1955 and ordained a priest in 1980.

"Churches Simply Returned to Owner"-UGCC Points to Historical Facts

LVIV - "Allegations that the Greek Catholics violently this fact in the Branch State Archive of the Security
took away Orthodox churches are absolutely untrue. Service of Ukraine and the Central Archive of Public
They simply returned them to the owner. And we in let- Organizations of Ukraine.
ters to the top authorities mention that such assertions
"To organize an Orthodox eparchy in Lviv, to put at
we heard, but where is the proof that those are your its head a bishop with the title of Bishop of Lviv and
churches? Please let someone give some notarized and Ternopil who will unite Orthodox parishes of Lviv,
reliable evidence because we do not know of any," Stanislaviv, Drohobych, and Ternopil regions To orPatriarch Lubomyr reported in an interview with the ganize inside of the Uniate [sic] Church an initiative
magazine Glavred.
group that will declare the breaking with the Vatican
According to the Institute of Church History of the and call the Uniate [sic] clergy to convert to OrthoUkrainian Catholic University
doxy," such directives were set
(UCU), before the beginning of
by the Instruction No. 58 from
World War II the Ukrainian
the 15th of March, 1945, which
Greek Catholic Church counted
were made by the head of the
2,387 parishes with the 3.6 milCouncil on Matters of the
lion faithful, including 2,352
Russian Orthodox Church of the
eparchial priests, 31 men's and
Council of Ministers of the
121 women's monasteries, and
USSR, G. Karpov, and was permonastic houses. Under the
sonally ratified by Joseph Stalin
care of the Church were a theofor the realization by the comlogical academy and three spirbined efforts of the party adminitual seminaries where 480 stuistration, state structures, and
Photo exhibit "Toward the Light of Resurrection
dents studied.
organs
of state security in collabthrough the Thorns of Catacombs"
In addition to the already
oration with the Russian Orthowell-known fact that Lviv's "council" of 1946 was a dox Church.
pseudo-church event organized by the state authority of
The fact of mass proselytization, that is the universal
the USSR with the active participation of organs of establishment of the supported religion, is also constate security, the Institute of Church History presented firmed the letter of G. Karpov of September 24, 1949,
a series of documents that were found as evidence of to the leader of Central Committee of the Communist

Patriarch KIRILL of
Moscow Addresses
Ukrainian People
MOSCOW-KYIV. Patriarchal message to
Ukrainian people:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You have made your choice. I hope that the
period of upheavals and instability will pass into
history together with the recent elections. The
time has come to move from words to deeds.
Both those who supported the victor and those
who made a different choice are to work now side
by side to build a dignified life for the country
and the people.
Great hopes are placed now on the newly-elected President. But Ukraine will have to cover a
very difficult path. For a long time the country
has been in a difficult political and economic situation. Therefore, all the faithful of the Russian
Orthodox Church should pray today for Ukraine.
May our common prayer help our brothers and
sisters to overcome the ordeals that have fallen to
their lot.
However, the future of Ukraine depends most
of all on her citizens themselves. No country in
the world has a right to order you what to do and
how to live. It is my conviction that the ancient
Kiev and Ukraine on the whole will always be a
major center of the world of Eastern Christianity
open to cooperation with all those who are near
and who are far, especially the nations tied
together by a common history and common faith.
At the present time so decisive for Ukraine I
ask all to act according to Christian conscience
which has always been strong in the Ukrainian
people. Keep, my dear ones, the spirit of peace,
the spirit of brotherhood and constructive endeavors 'and the God of love and peace will be with
you' (2 Cor. 13:11).
+ KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW
AND ALL RUSSIA
Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine N[ikita]. Khrushchev, in
which is reported: "From 1946 to August 1949 were reunited 3,001 Uniate [sic] parish churches, 1,242
priests, 463 deacons, and 1,018 cantors in the Zakarpattya, Drohobych, Lviv, and Stanislav regions."
After the long-term prohibition of legal activity, the
UGCC was renewed in November, 1989, on the basis of
a decision of the Council on Religions of the Council of
Ministers of USSR, in which the Church was allowed to
register and found communities. In relation to this,
Patriarch Lubomyr noted in his interview for Glavred
that "the then president of the USSR [Mikhail]
Gorbachev went to Pope John Paul II and knew that in
Rome he would be asked the following question: and
what is with the Greek Catholics? Therefore, the Soviet
government about a week before the visit set the directive
regarding the registration. But what happened? If people in
some community said that they want to remain in the
Orthodox Church, they were not reregistered. And about a
thousand communities at once said that they want to return
to the Greek Catholic Church."
According to the Information Department of the
UGCC, more details with materials from the Soviet
archive about the destruction of the UGCC, and also
other documented testimonies from the period of prohibition, the underground activity, and revival of the
Church can be found in the exhibition dedicated to the
20th anniversary of the legalization of the UGCC,
which is coming to an end in Kyiv. (Starting February
14, as part of the exposition program, the photo exhibition "Toward the Light of Resurrection through the
Thorns of Catacombs" will continue in the museum of
the city of Brody, in the Lviv region).

NEW STAR

March, 2010

Commitment to Christian Unity

Is a Task for Everyone
VATICAN CITY, (VIS) - In the Roman Basilica of St. has become part of their history".
Paul's Outside-the-Walls, the Holy Father presided at
After then referring to "questions that still separate
the celebration of second Vespers of the Feast of the us from each other, and that we hope may be overcome
Conversion of St. Paul. The celebration marked the end through prayer and dialogue", the Pope explained how
of this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the there nonetheless exists "a core content of Christ's
theme of which has been: "You are witnesses of these message that we can announce together: the paternity
things".
of God, Christ's victory over sin and death with His
The event was attended by a number of cardinals and cross and resurrection, and trust in the transforming
bishops, as well as by representaaction of the Spirit.
tives of other Churches and eccle"As we journey towards full
sial communities present in Rome.
communion", he added, "we are
In his homily Benedict XVI
called to present a joint witness in
explained how the choice of the
the face of the increasingly comtheme for this year's Week of
plex challenges of our time, such as
Prayer--"that is, the invitation to a
secularization and indifference, reloffer shared witness of the risen
ativism and hedonism, delicate ethChrist in accordance with the manical questions concerning the
date He entrusted to His disciples"
beginning and end of life, the lim--is linked "to the hundredth
its of science and technology, and
anniversary of the missionary condialogue with other religious tradiference in Edinburgh, Scotland,
tions".
which many consider as a decisive
Pope Benedict continued: "There
event for the birth of the modern
are other fields in which we must
Holy Trinity--Exemplar of Unity
ecumenical movement".
already show our joint witness:
"It is precisely the desire to announce Christ to oth- protecting creation, promoting peace and the common
ers and to carry His message of reconciliation to the good, defending the centrality of the human person,
world that makes us aware of the contradiction of divi- and the commitment to defeat the poverties of our time
sion among Christians". he said. "The communion and such as hunger, indigence, illiteracy and the unequal
unity of the disciples of Christ is, then, a particularly distribution of wealth".
important prerequisite for a more credible and effective
And he concluded: "Commitment to the unity of
witness".
Christians is not just a task for the few, or an
The Holy Father explained how, "in a world charac- appendage to the life of the Church. Each is called to
terized by religious indifference and even by a growing offer his or her contribution to help take those steps
aversion towards the Christian faith, what is needed is towards the full communion of all Christ's disciples,
new and intense evangelizing activity, directed not never forgetting that it is, above all, a gift constantly to
only at peoples who have never known the Gospel, but be implored from God".
also at those among whom Christianity is present and

Unity Between Christians Depends on What We

Are Ready to Give to Achieve it

s part of the Week of Prayer for Christian

Unity, on January 24, 2010, in St. Basil the
Great Church (UGCC) representatives of the
main denominations of Ukraine jointly prayed for the
unity of Christians. That evening together with His
Beatitude in the joint prayer took part the Apostolic
Nuncio in Ukraine Archbishop Ivan Yurkovich, clergy
of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of KyivanPatriarchate and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox
Church, clergy of Ukrainian Greek Catholic and
Roman Catholic Churches, Protestant pastors of the
Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith of
Ukraine (Pentecostals),
and the Kyivan Jewish
Messiah Society. The
prayer was led by Bishop
JOSEPH (Milyan), auxiliary
of the Kyivan Archeparchy
of the UGCC.
Speaking to those present, His Beatitude LUBOMYR said in particular
that he is often sarcastically asked: "Do you
really think that unity
between Christians is possible?" According to His
Beatitude, one not need be surprised by such a question. "The sinful world does everything possible so that
between people, and even more between Christ's
pupils, there were no unity. By the secular society's criteria such unity is impossible," His Beatitude said. But
those, who trust Jesus Christ, according to the speaker,
have another answer, and it is positive: unity between
Christians is possible and feasible. "When and how?"
the leader of the UGCC asked. "We take the apostles for
an example. They saw that the world did with Jesus

Christ. He was crucified as the biggest criminal. However,

He was resurrected and they believed in Him insomuch
that for faith they were ready to give everything, even
their lives."
Today the achievement of unity between Christians
depends on that we are ready to give in order to carry
it out. "Jesus Christ, in order to prove His love to us,
allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross. His apostles, His witnesses, gave their lives for Christ. How
much, dearly beloved in Christ, are we ready to give to
make unity possible?" asked His Beatitude Lubomyr.
On his persuasion, very few of us will be called to

17

Good Priests Have to "Hit

the Books", Says Pope
Recalls the Importance of Study,
Preparation for Ministry
VATICAN CITY, (Zenit.org).- Those who minister
the Word of God must be well-prepared, and the "cultural dimension" of faith needs to be cultivated, says
Benedict XVI.
The Pope affirmed this
when he reflected on the life
and teaching of St. Dominic
Guzmn during the general
audience in Paul VI Hall. He
noted "the great contribution made by St. Dominic to
the renewal of the Church in the Middle Ages."
The Holy Father emphasized the saint's insistence
on being well-educated and prepared for the apostolate.
Benedict XVI took up this exhortation, urging
everyone, "pastors and laity, to cultivate this 'cultural
dimension' of faith, so that the beauty of the Christian
truth can be better understood and faith can be truly
nourished, reinforced and also defended. In this Year
for Priests, I invite seminarians and priests to appreciate the spiritual value of study.
"The quality of the priestly ministry depends also
on the generosity with which one applies oneself to
the study of revealed truths."
The Pontiff recalled how Dominic found inspiration to found the Order of Preachers while doing missions throughout Europe with his bishop.
This "drew his attention to the need for sound and
zealous preachers to bring the Gospel to the people,"
he said. Dominic saw the need to evangelize those
who had never heard of Christ, and to re-evangelize
those wavering under the influence of heresy.
Dominic was assigned the task of refuting the
Albigensian heresy, which proposed the idea of two
equally powerful principles of Good and Evil. The
heresy led its followers to deny "the incarnation of
Christ, the resurrection of the body and the value of
marriage and the sacraments," the Pontiff noted.
The saint himself espoused poverty and founded
the Order of Preachers, emphasizing "theological
study, prayer and community life for his friars," the
Pope said.
He continued, "Thus fortified, [the friars] would be
sent out on missions as itinerant, mendicant preachers. Hence the Dominican motto, 'contemplata aliis
tradere'--to hand on to others the fruits of contemplation."
The Bishop of Rome affirmed that Dominic
"reminds us that theology has a spiritual and pastoral
dimension, which enriches the spirit and life. Priests,
consecrated persons and also all the faithful can find
a profound 'interior joy' in contemplating the beauty
of the truth that comes from God, truth that is always
up-to-date and always living."

Mr. Yuriy Reshetnikov, the head of the State Committee on Nationalities and Religions, also addressed all
those present.
Commenting on the meeting, Deacon Ihor Shaban,
head of Commission of the UGCC for assistance of
unity between Christians, remarked in particular:
"Such joint prayer is a unique method for people to
learn to be with each other and be friends, to learn to
not see in other Christians a threat, but first and foremost, another Christian. To learn to be tolerant, first of
all, will be the first step in the dialogue."
Information Department of the UGCC
give the greatest sacrifice: to give one's life for Christ's
truth. However, we all "have to cast aside everything
that hinders the unity, and rather do everything we can
so that unity is reached." "If with our actions, with our
lives we will prove our faith, then that force which
revived Jesus Christ, God's force, will operate among
us and in spite of the mockery and malevolence unity
will be achieved," remarked the leader of the UGCC.
At the completion the guests and participants of the
prayer had the opportunity to greet all the people who
came to the St. Basil Church. In addition to the clergy,

18

NEW STAR

March, 2010

Oldest Christian Monastery Renovated

Monks Open Doors to Pilgrims
AL-ZAAFARANA, Egypt, (Zenit.org).- After eight
years of renovation, the Monastery of St. Anthony, the
world's oldest, opened its doors to pilgrims.
The Coptic Orthodox monastery was built around
356 at the burial site of St. Antony of Egypt, also
known as St. Anthony the Great, at the foot of the Red
Sea mountains near the town of Al-Zaafarana.
Last week, a $14.5 million renovation project was
completed, and the monastery, which still has monks
living in it, was opened to pilgrims as well.
The project restored a wall surrounding the
monastery, two of the seven churches, the monks' living quarters and a tower that was used as a fortress during times of attack in the Middle Ages.
The American Research Center in Egypt worked
along with the Supreme Council of Antiquities to
restore paintings dating back to the 7th Century.
The renovations uncovered monks' cells from the 4th
Century, the oldest discovered to date. Project leaders

covered some of these findings with glass so that they

can be viewed by pilgrims from above.
Other treasures of the monastery include over 1,700
handwritten manuscripts contained in the library.
The cave where St. Antony lived as a hermit is a little over a mile from the monastery, some 2,230 feet
above the Red Sea level.
Born in the year 251, St. Antony is recognized as the
first known ascetic who went into the desert in order to
pursue a deeper living of his Christian faith.
His lifestyle attracted many followers, who built the
monastery on his burial site immediately after his death.
Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of
Antiquities, noted that this project to renovate the more
than 1,600-year-old monastery was carried out through
the collaboration of both Christians and Muslims.
He stated that all of these antiquities, whether Muslim,
Christian or Jewish, are a part of Egypt's national heritage.

Iraqi Archbishop
Affirms Mission to
Bring Hope
Calls for Political Pressure to
Stop Anti-Christian Persecution
MOSUL, Iraq, (Zenit.org).- The new Archbishop of
Mosul of the Chaldeans is underlining his mission to
bring hope to the persecuted and suffering Christians
in his region.
Archbishop EMIL SHIMOUN (Nona), 42, stated this to
Aid to the Church in Need shortly after his January 22
installation in the Mosul Archeparchy, which took
place two weeks after his episcopal ordination.
"My new mission is to provide hope and confidence
to the Christians in Mosul, making them aware of the
presence of a father and a minister beside them in their
present plight," he said.
Christians in the country are currently undergoing
another wave of violence, which has included 10 murders in the last two months, kidnappings, car bombs
and attacks on churches.
The violence claimed the life of the former archbishop of Mosul of the Chaldeans, Archbishop PAULOS
FARAJ (Rahho), who was killed in 2008.
Archbishop LOUIS (Sako) of the Kirkuk Archdiocese
in Northern Iraq voiced his concern that this crisis will
lead to another mass exodus of Christians determined
to "leave the country for good."
Archbishop Nona affirmed that the Chaldean
Catholic community in Mosul has decreased by twothirds since anti-Christian violence began in 2003, and
now they number only around 5,000 people.
Archbishop Nona affirmed: "The only thing that the
faithful are still adhering to is the Church.
"For this reason, the Church, represented in the person of the bishop, has to care for its followers and help
them feel secure through its presence in them and
among them."

The unveiling took place one month after a drive-by

shooting killed six Coptic Christians exiting Christmas
Midnight services, escalating interreligious tension in the
country.
Hawass, while unveiling the monastery, told journalists
that he hopes everyone will now forget that violent incident.

Exhibition of Documents about the

Violent Liquidation, Underground
Activity, and Legalization of UGCC

n January 24, 2010, in Kyiv, in the St. Basil

the Great Church, the Institute of Church
History of the Ukrainian Catholic
University presented the exhibition "Toward the
Light of Resurrection through the Terrains of
Catacombs." The exhibition is devoted to the 20th
anniversary of the emergence of the UGCC from the
catacombs and its official legalization. The presentation of the exhibition was after the Divine Liturgy. It
was also possible to visit the exhibit after the prayer
for Christian unity, an interdenominational prayer as
part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
The exhibition included materials from the institute, including memoirs of eyewitnesses and active
participants of the underground which were collected
during 1992-2009; documents of the state's archives;
and pictures from private collections. In the exhibition were the histories of representatives of Greek
Catholic clergy, monasticism, and the laity-- each of
which had a unique human fate. All together they are
the witnesses of deep Christian faith and unshakable
loyalty to the Church and nation. The exhibition covered the period from 1939 to 1991 and represents the
three important stages of the tragic, yet heroic, history of the UGCC of the 20th Century: the violent liquidation, underground activity, and legalization in
1989.
The creators of the project hope the materials of

the photo exhibit summarize and present the position

of the whole Church in the conditions of the persecution and expose the forms of resistance and underground activity of clergy and laity and their methods
of struggle for the recognition of their rights.
"With this exhibition the Institute of Church
History aims to express gratitude to the known and
unknown martyrs and confessors of faith, who with
their great deeds made it possible for the Ukrainian
Greek Catholic Church to regenerate on Ukrainian
soil renewed and be enriched," remarked Fr. Andrey
Mykhaleyko, PhD, director of the Institute of Church
History, for the Information Department.
Information Department of the UGCC

Message to New Patriarch of

Serbian Orthodox Church
VATICAN CITY, (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a
Message to His Holiness IRINEJ, Archbishop of Pec,
Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Patriarch of the
Serbian Orthodox Church, for his recent election to that
office. In the English-language message he congratulates the new Patriarch and prays "that the Lord may
grant you abundant gifts of grace and wisdom for the
fulfilment of your high responsibilities in the service of
the Church and the people entrusted to you.
"You succeed Patriarch PAVLE, our brother of happy
memory, who was a pastor both fervent and esteemed,
and who bequeathed to you a spiritual inheritance that
is rich and profound", the Pope adds. "As a great pastor and spiritual father, he effectively guided the
Church and maintained its unity in the face of many
challenges. I feel bound to express my appreciation of
his example of fidelity to the Lord and of his many ges-

tures of openness towards the Catholic Church.

"I therefore pray that the Lord will grant Your
Holiness the inner strength to consolidate the unity and
spiritual growth of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well
to build up the fraternal bonds with other Churches and
ecclesial communities. Let me assure you of the closeness of the Catholic Church and of her commitment to
the promotion of fraternal relations and theological dialogue, in order that those obstacles which still impede
full communion between us may be overcome. May the
Lord bless our common efforts in this regard, so that the
disciples of Christ may again be united witnesses before
the whole world to His salvific love".

NEW STAR

March, 2010

19

St Michael Jordan Celebration

Information for Bulletin Board
is from weekly bulletins--send your
parish bulletin, or short items to
New Star BB; 2245 W Rice Street;
Chicago, IL 60622-4858--or e-mail
NewStarNews@aol.com

This item from the February 21,

2010, St Andrew the Apostle parish
bulletin in Sacramento, California,
might make our readers in Chicago,
Detroit, Minneapolis, Denver,
Omaha and North Dakota scratch their heads:
"[The] Parish thanks Alex Kachmar and Mykola
Parashchak for working on the power lawn mowers,
this week. And we also thank God for Fr. Petro who
mowed the grass on parish property."
There was an
announcement in
the parish bulletin--along with
a brief biography and a photograph--to let people of Nativity of
the BVM parish in Palos Park,
Illinois, know that Fr Demetrius
Wysochansky, OSBM, observed his
50th anniversary of ordination.
New Star takes this opportunity to
get out the word and sends congratulations: God grant His servant, the
Priest Demetrius, many happy years!

Our
recent Staff
Meeting
addressed
the issue of
finding
material for Bulletin Board--from
our 45 parishes. Parishioners are
encouraged to send copies of parish
bulletins to either of the two
addresses in the green box above.
We will begin a different format
just as soon as possible. Let us
know who is doing what in your
parish!

ames and John, friends since they were children in the 1940s, were spending
an evening visiting. Part of the conversation turned to "favorite restaurants".
John went on to say he'd just had the best food ever--at a reasonable price--perfect portion size, and not too far from home.
Intrigued, James asked his long-time buddy what the name of the place was.
John struggled to come up with the name--and haltingly said "It'sit's Oh, I
can't think of it. It's on the tip of my tongue. Wait, I'll get it. Oh, oh, oh, I know-what's the name of that flower that smells so nice, but has thorns?"
"Rose?" his friend replied.
"Yeah, that's right!"
Leaning back in his chair, he turned toward the kitchen where their wives were
busy with their own conversation, and asked "Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to yesterday?"

Parishioners of St
Michael's Church in
Chicago gathered for
the Feast of Theophany. They met to
join in the prayers of
the prescribed blessing of Jordan Water
for the Eve of the
Feast. What is noteworthy is that the day
was made special not only by the blessing of the Jordan Water--but by the shared
"Holy Supper" that was part of the festivities.
Since the families had two weeks earlier observed the Holy Supper for Christmas
Eve at home, the spontaneous choice was made to make the Theophany Holy Supper
a parish event.
The foods were there; singing carols and hymns--and everyone took part providing
for one another, reminiscent of the.communal Nature of the Trinity revealed which is
shared by the community
of believers "strengthened
against evil powers" and
"guide(ed) into [God's]
Kingdom." (cfr Ambo
prayer, Theophany) They
felt the truth of God Is with
Us!

Greetings were read from

former parishioners now living
in warmer climates. And, as a
gesture of togetherness, several
people packed "to go" portions
to take to those who were
unable to be present due to
weather or
other confining conditions.
Adding to
that, a bottle
of the newlyblessed Jordan Water
was part of
the "care"
package.
The photos show some of the memorable highlights of the candle-light
meal and song-fest gathering.

300,000 March For Life in U.S. Capital

WASHINGTON, D.C (Zenit.org).Some 300,000 people gathered in
Washington, D.C. to mark the 37th
anniversary of the U.S. supreme court
decision that legalized abortion.
Half of the multitude that attended
the annual rally and March for Life
was under the age of 25, Father
Thomas Euteneuer, president of
Human Life International, told the
Eternal Word Television Network.
Another 75,000
participated in the
pro-life demonstration through a
Virtual March for
Life, an initiative
sponsored by Am-

ericans United for Life Action.

The action group launched a Web
site for people who support the cause
and want their voices to be heard but
were unable to attend the event.
The Web page allowed users to sign
in and choose an avatar--a digital figure--to be placed on a map in front of
the congressional buildings, thereby
making a stand to defend life.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be a detailed progress report of

each parishs participation in the Annual Appeal in the next
issue of New Star.

20

NEW STAR

March, 2010

Christ the Bridegroom?

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hen you hear the word "bridegroom" what is the first thing that pops into
your mind? A wedding, right? Would you ever think to associate the word
"bridegroom" with Holy Week during the Great Fast?
The icon depicted on this page is titled, "Christ The Bridegroom". It portrays Christ
during His Passion, the period in which when our Lord was mocked and tortured by
the soldiers who crowned Him with thorns, dressed in royal colors as the betrothed
King, His hands are tied with rope, a symbol of bondage to sin in which is placed a
reed, a symbol of His humility, a crown of thorns upon His head a symbol of His marriage to the Church and taunted Him as, "KING OF THE JEWS!"
Christ is shown with the wounds of his mocking and torture. He is dressed in a purple cloak with His hands bound together, and holding a reed as a staff.
We see Him with a sad expression on His face, yet
peaceful, absent is emotion, no writhing in pain. It is
not written with the intent to show His suffering; rather
it shows His intimate union with our humanity which
came to be through His Incarnation. It shows his selfless love for his Bride, the Church. In Christ's halo are
the Greek letters for the words "I AM", to remind us
that Christ was the all powerful God who freely chose
to experience pain and death. Christ the Bridegroom is
the main figure in the parable of the ten Virgins
(Matthew 25: 1-13); He is the divine Bridegroom of
the Church as described in the Book of Isaiah (chapter
54). Christ suffered for our sins and by doing so prepared a great Feast for us in God's Kingdom. As a husband is to his wife so is Jesus Christ to His church. His
crucifixion is His marital vow and His mockery and
beating is His wedding feast.
Bridegroom Matins is a service specific to the first
three evenings of Holy Week and commemorates the
last days in the earthly life of the Lord, the last teachings of Christ to his disciples. The mood of the services is to experience sorrow and to feel Christ's voluntary submission to His passions and highlight the purpose behind the evil that is about to take place against
the Lord. The atmosphere is one of mourning (for
sins) and is symbolic of the shame the Christian
should feel for the Fall of Adam and Eve, the depths
of hell, the lost Paradise and the absence of God. The
main emphasis of the Bridegroom Service is repentance and each service has its own particular theme.
We sing:
Behold, the Bridegroom is coming in the middle of the night. Blessed is the servant
he shall find awake. But the one he shall find neglectful will not be worthy of him.
Beware, therefore, O my soul! Do not fall into a deep slumber, lest you be delivered to
death and the door of the Kingdom be closed to you. Watch instead and cry out: Holy,
Holy, Holy are you, O God. Through the intercession of the Theotokos, have mercy on
us. (Troparion)
May we all stay awake in anticipation and prayer throughout this holiest of weeks,
as we prepare to meet the Bridegroom as he emerges from the tomb on the Great Feast
of Pascha, the day Christ rose and the day when all creation and we ourselves will rise
with Him to the newness of Life.
Phyllis Muryn Zaparaniuk

Telephone:
(773) 276-5080
fax: (773) 276-6799

Bishops Chancery
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday-Friday; 9:00 am--4:00 pm
Central Time Zone

The Office is closed on all

major Church Holy Days
and National Civil Holidays

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EDITORIAL BOARD AND CONTRIBUTORS:

Fr John Lucas, Managing Editor
Petro Rudka, Ukrainian Editor
Fr James Karepin, OP
Fr Denny Molitvy
George Matwyshyn
Serge Michaluk
Olenka Pryma
Nazar Sloboda
Pani Barbara Wroblicky
Phyllis Muryn Zaparaniuk