$1.

75

, 2011

XLVII No. 2

-
50-

FEBRUARY, 2011

San Diego Parish Celebrates 50 Years

Welcomes Bishop and Jubilee Icon

, , 20-21 2010 ,
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he Parish of St. John the Baptizer was blessed on November 20th and 21st to
have His Grace, Bishop RICHARD (Seminack) come and lead its celebrations
commemorating 50 years. The two-day celebration began with Great Vespers and Lytia for the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos. His Grace, Bishop
Richard was joined during the festivities by His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS (Samra)
of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church.
Also joining our community was Mitred Archpriest, Andriy
Chirovsky, pastor of St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Parish in
Tucson, Arizona; Hegumen Nicholas (Zachariadis) abbot of
Holy Resurrection Romanian Greek-Catholic Monastery in
Valyermo, California; Fr. Theodore Wroblicky, Pastor of Holy
Wisdom Mission in Citrus Heights; Fr. Robert Pipta, Pastor of
Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Parish, San Diego; Fr.
Deacon Jeffrey Smolilo, proto-deacon of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio. The Klyros of
the parish, under the direction of Mr. Luke Miller, was joined
by the voices of many others from Los Angeles, Sacramento,
Palm Springs and Tucson, Arizona.
At the beginning of Great Vespers, Bishop Richard blessed
the new icons for the iconostas that were especially commissioned for the 50th anniversary. They were written for our
parish by Mr. Michael Kapeluk of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Eparchial Jubilee Icon was also present for the weekend, adding to the joy of the events by highlighting our close
connection with our Eparch, Bishop Richard. The Lytia service at the end of Vespers was an opportunity to honor the Icon
with the special Marian stichera for the Feast of the Entrance
into the Temple as well as the Protection of the Mother of
God. After Vespers, parishioners and guests mingled with the
hierarchs and clergy during an informal pot-luck in the parish
hall.
On Sunday, November 21, the celebration continued with a
Hierarchical Divine Liturgy led by Bishop Richard. The hierarchs were greeted by our parishioners Maria Hughes and
Andriy Fedunyak. After the greeting and the initial blessing,
Bishop Richard blessed our parishioner, Mr. Frank Avant as
candle-bearer and tonsured him as Reader for our community. Frank is currently in the diaconal formation program and
travels between his home in Oceanside, California, and
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for his studies.
Over 120 people were present for the Divine Liturgy
despite rainy weather. The small church was overflowing
with many standing in the courtyard and breezeway outside
the church. Bishop Richard's homily highlighted the fact that
we were celebrating three events that day: Sunday and its
Paschal celebration, the Feast of the Entrance of the
Theotokos into the Temple, and finally, the 50th anniversary
of the parish (an anniversary shared with the Eparchy). He
reminded us all that, just as Mary responded to the call of
God to follow His will, the founders of our parish responded
to that call 50 years ago, and we must continue to be faithful
to that call. Using the Gospel for the Sunday, he spoke of the
necessity of sharing our spiritual wealth with others. He
ended his homily with these encouraging words: "You in this parish have learned
this over fifty years. We in the St. Nicholas Eparchy have likewise learned this over
the fifty years with which God has blessed us. May God continue to bless us, and

. 3.

continued on page 11

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, 2011

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NEW STAR

February, 2011

More Chicago Parochial

Anticipation for Jubilee

n accord with the preparation period

before the gala festivities marking the fiftieth anniversary of St Nicholas Eparchy
on September 25, the icon of St Nicholas in
the church of St Joseph the Betrothed in
Chicago is cloaked with a rushnyk--to stay in
place until St Nicholas Day this year.

Christmas in Utah

his year, Christmas festivities

were very special for Ukrainian
community in Utah. For the first
time Ukrainian Catholics were able to
glorify our Savior's birth in the tradition
of their homeland. On December 24, Fr
Leonard Korchinski from Saint Nicholas
Cathedral came to Salt Lake City to celebrate Christmas with local Ukrainians.
Festivities began in the home of Yuriy
and Oksana Holko in Bountiful, Utah,
with
the
Christmas
Holy Supper.
The meal
began with a
prayer and
the traditional greeting:
"Christ
is
born!-- Glorify Him!". After the traditional twelvecourse meatless dishes, those gathered
around the table were reluctant to get up.
They prolonged the celebrations late into the night singing
Christmas carols. At the end of
the Holy Supper Fr. Leonard
stated that the fact that we had
a lot of children in our community was a great sign of growth
On the next morning, Fr.
Leonard celebrated the Divine
Liturgy at St Jude Maronite
Church in Murray, Utah, fol-

lowed by a Christmas dinner in the

church hall. The event gathered together
Ukrainians from different areas and different generations. Dr. Robert Malko's
grandfather, for example, came to the
United States in 1903 from Velyki
Mosty, Lviv region; Fr. Leonard's grandfather arrived in Canada first in 1908,
and the family later moved to Los
Angeles; and there was a guest of the
younger generation--from Kenya, Africa--Yulia Holko, who traveled to Salt
Lake City to celebrate Christmas with
her parents.
This whole event was supported by
His Grace, Bishop. RICHARD (Seminack)
who first visited Salt Lake City on
December 13, 2009 and qualified the
community in Utah as an Apostolate of
the Church. At that time Msgr. Bill Bonczewski offered his church as a meeting
place for us, and hopefully the community will keep growing into a bigger and
stronger one.

Week of Christian Unity

--and St Nicholas Eparchy

parchial Ecumenical Officer and

Eparchial Chancellor, Very Rev
James Karepin, OP, presided
over a Prayer Service sponsored by
Ecumenism Metro Chicago, of which
he is the chair.
Eighteen local churches or jurisdictions are represnted by the group, in
addition to the Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministries. Fr Karepin convened
the gathering following a procession of
the participants into St Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Orthodox Church,
Sunday, January 23.
Guided by a theme developed in Jerusalem for the Chrisitan communities
there, the service was a rally for the
home team as Jersulaem is the place
from which Christianity spread. With
reference to the Acts of the Apostles,
the Prayer for Christian Unity focused
on One in the apostles teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer.
Following the lead of Fr Karepin,
each of the twelve clergy--bishops.
priests, ministers, majors and elders of
a diverse spectrum of ecclesial traditions--focused each prayer, scripture
reading, homily and hymn upon the
commonality of Christians--and the
diversity that each enjoys.

Included were the recitation by everyone in attendance of the NiceoConstantinopolitan Creed and the
Lords Prayer, sung in Armenian by
members of the host parish.
A litany for Christian Unity was directed to the Triune God--Holy, Mighty
and Immortal--to make manifest visible unity and healing of the world.
During the hour-long service petitions were addressed to God, Father--to
sustain in all the search for justice and
end to division; to God, Son--who
sanctified Jesusalem by His birth, ministry, death and resurrection, for reconcilliation and peace; and to God, Holy
Spirit--who visited the first believers in
Jerusalem, was directed a prayer for
faithfulness in teaching, breaking of
bread and prayer.
Concluding the service, all were invited to partake of Mas, blessed bread,
much in the tradition of distribution of
antidoron in our Church.
A fellowship reception commenced
in the parish hall, overshadowed by a
large-screen TV on which played a
football game by another home team,
the Bears, and the Green Bay Packers.
It was obvious the prayer was for loftier goals.

ABOVE:

Members of Ecumenism
Metro Chicago gather for
their 11th Annual service
for Christian Unity.
LEFT: His Grace, Bishop
Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox
Church asks God to bless the
food and drink of His servants.

continued from page1

may He fill our Church with people--not
merely so that we may flourish and prosper, but rather so that many hungry people may be fed at the Table of the Lord."
After the Spiritual Banquet at the
Table of the Lord came the celebratory
Banquet at the Crowne-Plaza. The
capacity crowd, which included many
former parishioners, enjoyed a delicious
meal and warm fellowship. Mr. Luke
Miller, also served as Emcee for the banquet. So that no one would be turned
away from attending the banquet, the
anniversary committee priced the tickets
accordingly, after all--it was not a fundraiser! A special appeal for donations
had covered the costs for anyone wishing to attend that otherwise could not.
Luke Miller gave a brief history of the
parish. An ongoing slide show brought
back memories. Each family attending
the banquet received a commemorative
booklet. Joining the celebration at the
banquet were Fr. Myron Mykyta, pastor
of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in

11

Los Angeles as well as Subdeacon Gary

Gebet and his wife Natalie from
Protection of the Mother of God
Ukrainian Orthodox Parish. Fr. Myron,
former pastor, was one of several speakers and gave a memorable talk. Bishop
Nicholas, Bishop Richard and Fr. James
also spoke.
The challenge lies ahead to not remain
in the past but to look to the future and
to heed the words of our Patriarch,
Lubomyr--"For we are Christians and
our task is to continue the saving action
of Jesus Christ. We, as the Church of
Christ, are called to evangelize, to bring
the whole world the Good News about
Christ's victory over sin and death, by
which He released us from the greatest
misfortunes, not only to talk about what
happened but also to be a visible sign of
this, living witness", delivered in Kyiv,
at the Patriarchal Sobor of the Resurrection of Christ on Flowery Sunday, April,
2009.

Post-USSR Catholic-Orthodox
Relations Studied
WURZBURG, Germany, (Zenit.org).
Relations between the Catholic and
Orthodox Churches after the disintegration of the Soviet Union 20 years
ago will be the topic of a March 19
congress in Wurzburg.
Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity, and Metropolitan
HILARION (Alfeyev), chairman of the
Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, will
discuss this topic in a round table as
part of the congress organized by Aid
to the Church in Need.
Also taking part in the debate will be
the aid agency's president in Germany,
Antonia Willemsen, and the head of the
Russian Section of Aid to the Church in
Need International, Peter Humeniuk.
The moderator will be the writer Stefan
Baier of Die Tagespost, a Catholic
newspaper of Wurzburg.

In preparation for the meeting, Willemsen and Humeniuk traveled to

Rome to inform Cardinal Koch on the
works of their agency in Russia.
The prelate applauded the initiative
of the association to promote interreligious rapprochement between Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches.
He said that he is very interested in
the meeting with Metropolitan Alfeyev, whom he has known and esteemed
for years. He expressed confidence
that the dialogue will continue to prosper.
Willemsen affirmed that, at the
request of John Paul II, the aid agency
has always made an effort to collaborate with the "Russian Orthodox Sister
Church" since the fall of Communism,
without neglecting aid to the Russian
Catholic Church.
At present, the Catholic and Orthocontinued on page 15

12

February, 2011

NEW STAR
American Bible translation.

PATRIARCH RECEIVES TWO ASSIGNMENTS:

REVISED BIBLE TRANSLATION COMING SOON

REFLECTS ADVANCES IN BIBLICAL LANGUAGES:
WASHINGTON, D.C., (Zenit.org).- A revised translation of the New American Bible, which aims to be
more accurate, will be released March 9.
The U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference announced
the forthcoming publication of the New American
Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), which was approved
last September 30.
This revision, the most extensive in the past 20 years,
reflects advances in linguistics of the biblical languages, new discoveries of ancient manuscripts, and
changes in the English language.
The conference referenced Benedict XVI, who
affirmed in Verbum Domini that "the inculturation of
God's word is an integral part of the Church's mission
in the world, and a decisive moment in this process is
the diffusion of the Bible through the precious work of
translation into different languages."
The press release noted that this new edition "has
attempted to be more consistent in rendering Hebrew
(or Greek) words and idioms, especially in technical
contexts, such as regulations for sacrifices."
The Psalms were completely revised, and an effort
was made to "provide a smooth, rhythmic translation
for easy singing or recitation and to retain the concrete
imagery of the Hebrew."
The bishops approved the NABRE for private use
and study, though they noted that it was not be used for
Liturgy, which uses an earlier version of the New

Named a member of the

Congregation for the
Oriental Church is His
Beatitude ANTONIOS (Nagub) Coptic Patriarch of
Alexandria, Egypt. At the
same time Pope Benedict
XVI named him a member of the Pontifical
Council for the Pastoral
Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.

POPE JOHN PAUL II TO

BE BEATIFIED MAY 1:
Pope Benedict XVI signed
off on the miracle needed for
the beatification of Pope
John Paul II, and set May 1
as the date to honor one of
the most beloved popes of all
times as a model of saintliness for the Church.
His Holiness said in a
decree that a French nun's
recovery from Parkinson's disease was miraculous, the
last step needed for beatification. A second miracle is
needed for the Polish-born John Paul to be made a
saint.
The May 1 beatification, which Benedict himself
will celebrate, is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Rome--a major morale boost for a

Church reeling from a wave of violence against Christians and fallout from the clerical sex abuse scandal.
Once he is beatified, John Paul will be given the title
"blessed" and can be publicly venerated. Many people,
especially in Poland, already venerate him privately,
but the ceremony will make it official.
Benedict waived the typical five-year waiting period
before the process could begin, but he insisted that the
investigation into John Paul's life be thorough so as to
not leave any doubts about his virtues.
The last remaining hurdle concerned the approval by
Vatican-appointed panels of doctors and theologians,
cardinals and bishops that the cure of French nun,
Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, was a miracle due to the
intercession of John Paul.
He was the most-traveled pope ever, visiting more
than 120 nations during the third-longest papacy and
covering distance equal to nearly one and-a-half trips
to the moon.

HOLY SEE HAS DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH

178 STATES: VATICAN CITY (Zenit.org).- The Holy
See is reporting that it presently enjoys full diplomatic
relations with 178 states worldwide.
The Vatican press office reported that in addition to
these states are added relations with "the European
Union and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and
a mission with a special character: the office of the
Organization for the Liberation of Palestine (OLP)."
In regard to international organizations, the Holy See
is present in the United Nations as an observer state.
Moreover, it is a member of seven organizations and
agencies of the U.N. system, an observer in eight others and member or observer in five regional organizations.

CNN PAYS ATTENTION TO UKRAINE: A series of repeated programs recently feature articles about Ukraine and a quiz on how much you know about the counwas aired on CNN, highlighting modern Ukraine. This link gives some details and

Metropolitan
Marks
Milestone
February 27, 2011, is the ten-year
anniversary of the enthronement of His
Grace, the
Most Reverend STEFAN
(Soroka) as the Metropolitan-Archbishop
of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia.

To His Grace are

extended prayers for
"many years" blessed
with peace,
health and happiness.

try, plus many pictures: http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2010/ilist/?hpt=Sbin

The Prayer Rope and Christian Unity

imilar to the Rosary of the Roman Catholics, the New Testament that invite one "to pray every moment"
"prayer rope" (the komvoschinion of the Greeks, and "without getting tired," as the basis to acquire and
the chotki of the Slavs and the mis.ba.ha of the to grow in the attitude of being attentive to the Lord
Arabs) is used mainly by Eastern monks and nuns.
throughout the day.
The person who has visited their monasteries or conSaint Basil (+379) wrote: "We must incessantly revents has surely seen such a sight: a monk seated on a call God in our memory like the children do with their
stone stair, often with a cat gently "smoothing" around mothers." This idea is present in nearly all the famous
him, letting a "rope" of sixty or one hundred knots run sayings (apophtegmata) of the desert Fathers in an
through his fingers. His head is
exhortative form, without explanadown and his arms rest on his
The use of the prayer rope is a great tions or comments. It tells us that
knees. His lips, framed by a
the monks received that invitation in
spiritual help inasmuch as it keeps
"Biblical" beard, move almost Christians focused on the practice of the literal sense of a "twenty-four
imperceptibly. All around there prayer, until "you will have life-giving hour prayer." A strict challenge,
is the most absolute silence.
water flowing from deep inside you" even though it was facilitated by
Those who have seen the film
separation from the world. The chal"Into Great Silence" by Philip Grning will be familiar lenge was taken up by anchorites: those who withdraw
with such silence. The film authentically depicts the from the world to live a solitary life of silence, prayer
daily life of Carthusian monks in the Grand Chartreuse and penance.
Monastery in the French Alps with its daily unalterable
The use of the prayer rope is a great spiritual help
changes, like being immersed in eternity.
inasmuch as it keeps Christians focused on the practice
The "rope," of various lengths, is made of leather or of prayer, until "you will have life-giving water flowwool knots. The most ancient rope, used by the first ing from deep inside you" as the Scriptures promise
monks of Egypt in the fourth century, had between one (John 7: 38).
hundred to three hundred knots. Today it usually has
Another way practiced by monks (which is described
thirty-three, fifty or one hundred knots.
in the famous Way of a Pilgrim) is the invocation of the
The Slav rope has one hundred three knots (based on Jesus Prayer or Prayer of the Heart, which makes
the ancient "ladder of prayer," still in use among the earnest petition to the Lord till the point of leaving the
Old Russian Orthodox), inserted between beads of sep- monk in a continuous state of prayer. It is a simple but
aration that subdivide them into four groups of seven- meaningful prayer because it is the synthesis of two
teen, thirty-three, forty and twelve, numbers recalling invocations to Jesus: that of the Blind Beggar of
Biblical figures (Evangelists, Apostles, Prophets) or the Jericho (Lk 18: 38) and that of the Tax Collector in the
life of Christ.
Temple (Lk 18: 13). It says, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of
A monk or nun receives the "rope" during the en- the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner," and it can
trance rite into the monastery or convent so that he or be recited together by several persons or alone praying
she remembers the first day of monastic life whose for themselves or for others. In the case of praying for
main task is "to pray without interruption" (1Thess 5: others, the word "sinner" is omitted because as Christ17), an invitation that the Apostle Paul makes not only ians we are commanded to consider our personal sins
to the monks or nuns but to all Christians. The Fathers
continued on page 14
of Eastern monasticism interpreted the passages of the

NEW STAR

February, 2011

Why?/Why:

By Fr Denny Molitvy

When New Star arrives our whole family reads it.

Often we want to follow up on things, or find information on other topics concerning our Church. We'd
like to ask you questions, but with once-a-month
delivery, and the time it would take to get a reply, we
were wondering if you can recommend some books
or cite online sites we can use to be better and accurately informed?
Libraries and bookstores have numerous titles that
cover a vast array of material on different levels and on
different topics. The scope is very broad, and what you
seek depends on your interests. Often these sources have
"generic" religious topics and viewpoints, and may not
serve your needs as an Eastern Christian.
For the most part, if your interest is in Eastern theology, spirituality, ideas and topics, the quickest way to
wade through the myriad of material available is to focus
on the books, pamphlets and other resources produced
specifically by, about and for Eastern Christians. God
With Us Publications provides such material. The web
address to access their catalog is: theobooks.org. Click
on "God With Us" to find details on the publications or
videos available. Since the material is produced under
the direction of the ECA (the Eastern Catholic Bishops
of the United States) you can be sure what you find will
be authentically Eastern and trustworthy. The material
spans all age levels with individual books and/or tracts
that may be led by a facilitator over a period of six or
seven sessions.
The Internet is a seemingly endless resource for all
sorts of relevant information. As a research mechanism,
it provides a vast storehouse of thoughts on a wide variety of topics that concern the Church. Many, if not all,
eparchies have official pages that present some form of
information. Here would be a good place to start. [Wikipedia has a link to all the Traditions of the Eastern
Catholic Churches--Armenian, Byzantine, and Syriac-and all the varied particular Churches found within these
liturgical families--Ukrainian, Melkite, Maronite, Coptic, Malabar, Chaldean and others. Search their home
page for "Eastern Catholics" and go over the list.]
There are also a number of sites that attempt to address
matters of Eastern spiritual and liturgical themes with
varying degrees of accuracy. Some are presented by self-

styled "experts" who have a notion that Eastern Catholics can only be understood from a framework of Latin
mentality. Many are well-meaning, if, however sometimes misinformed or, through misunderstanding, fail to
capture the real ethos of Eastern Catholicism, and make
erroneous statements. Several go so far as to replace
Eastern terminology with Latin concepts--using "Mass"
instead of "Liturgy" or even using words in Latin--sursum corda--in an effort to clarify matters. Somehow the
point is often missed: the comparison almost always fosters the unfounded idea that the Catholic Church is the
Roman Church and the others are "rites" of it or a "uniate" entity somewhat lesser than or subservient to it. That
is not what the official teaching of the Church is.
Canonical Orthodox Churches support many very
good sites with a vast amount of information that is
sound in the presentation of authentic Eastern Christian
thought and expression. Their information is more reliable and applicable than much of what is found on socalled "Catholic" sites.
A number of websites exist that claim to be either
Eastern Catholic or Orthodox, but are actually neither.
Some are perhaps vaguely innocent of their error--others
seem as charlatans, preying upon the lack of sophistication of many inquirers into the complex topic of Eastern
Christianity--Orthodox or Catholic--and espouse positions that are often innocently false, if not deliberately
misleading.
Still another category of available resources is the
"blog". These fall into the same classifications of some
of the pages mentioned above. There are some very good
and worthwhile resources with expanding threads presented. Yet, there are some that tend to misrepresent the
truth. There are a few who seem to take particular delight
in criticizing one Church or another for being "too
'Catholic' or too 'Orthodox'" (especially) in liturgical expression. This is often a good place to stay away from if
you want really substantial information. Even some
"moderators" are highly inaccurate in their opinions-and not really "moderate" at all.
Interestingly your question arrived so as to be included in our issue during "Catholic Press Month." New Star
is a valued part of the Catholic Press, designated by
Bishop Richard as "the catechetical tool" of the Eparchy,
to be sent to every household, and as such has the re-

13

sponsibility of presenting its readers information that is

catholic and Catholic, orthodox and Orthodox. There
once was a time when all religious information publicly
distributed needed the permission of a bishop for distribution. Obviously, with the pervasive presence of the
globally-accessible Internet, this is not feasible. Yet we,
as members of this Church, are not excused from the
precept noted in the Pastoral Guide for the Ukrainian
Catholic Church in the United States (Article 563): "The
faithful should be instructed to look for the proper ecclesiastical approval in all published writings on religion
and morality which they purchase, subscribe to and
read".
All publishing is not in ink on paper. Obviously there
can be no "control" over what is disseminated--but there
can be directives established for discerning what is genuine and what is bogus, along with guidelines as to
where to look for information.
People seek the truth--and over the course of time
develop ways and means to find it. To solve controversies, ecumenical councils have been called. To clarify
points, great tomes have been written and homilies delivered. No one can be expected to oversee the infinite
system of the Internet and other vehicles of social networking. We have tools available to work in tandem with
the quick electronic communication forum that exists
beyond the ten-second attention span so often generated
by instantaneous information.
Keeping this in mind, you may surf the web--but be
very wary of what you read. All is not always presented
in such a way as to be beneficial to you. If you find some
idea that is questionable--ask your pastor, or send in a
question.
There might be another way you could benefit. A local
discussion group could be established with great results.
You might even gather your web research and evaluate it
under scrutiny and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in
parish-sponsored study sessions--rather than be confused trying to untangle complex knotty issues found in
isolation perusing the monitor of your computer, laptop
or hand-held device.
Even in the fast-paced world,
some things still take time, contemplation and prayer. The
quick answer you find in a nanosecond is not necessarily the
right answer you need to have to
work toward the longer-lasting
eternity for which you are made
--and should strive.

New Life Community, Church of Hope

hese words are from a billboard which I see

every week as I drive westbound on US-20 on
my way to Chicago from my parish in Mishawaka, Indiana. I suspect that it refers to one of those
non-denominational Protestant churches which have
sprung up everywhere--perhaps as people seek nourishment not found in the established mainline
Churches like our own. Beyond that, I know almost
nothing about this congregation except for its very
significant name.
First of all, they refer to themselves as a community. The English poet John Donne, in "Mediation
XVII", tells us how important this is.
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is
a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod
be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as
well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor
of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death
diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind"
Does this describe us? Hardly! Often, our parishes
are only a community to the extent that we gather
together in the same building, and not even at the

same time. Perhaps we are more like gamblers in a

casino filled with slot machines: we pay no attention
to those around us--neither to the person at the next
slot machine nor to the one in the next pew--so
focused are we on what we are doing and on what
we want. Perhaps our Protestant friends in Indiana
are right to remind us that we are to be a community, that our vocation is to become a credible icon of
the loving community which is the Trinity.
Then they tell us that their community is about
new life; ours should be as well. Jesus tells us: "I
have come so that you might have life, and have it
more abundantly." St. Irenaeus of Lyon says that "the
Glory of God is a human being fully alive." Does
this describe our Christian lives? I get the impression
that we often endure our liturgies rather than celebrating them, that we go through the motions as a
matter of habit rather than joining in wholeheartedly. After we leave the church building, do we share
joyful acts of goodness, or do we display grudging
obedience in actions controlled by fear rather than
inspired by love?
Finally, our friends in Indiana strive to be a

"Church of Hope". Do we? Sometimes it seems that

we are so tied to another time long ago, to another
place far away, that we pay little attention to the God
Who is not only our past but also our future, and
Who right here and now invites us to join Him on the
way. Are our communities so burdened by declining
numbers and revenues that we can scarcely stand
upright in order to recognize the sparkling eye of the
One Who is our hope? Jesus promised that the gates
of hell would not prevail against His Church; do we
trust Him enough to let ourselves be transformed into
the hopeful, living community for which the world is so
desperate?
By the way, it seems that
the church along US-20 also
sponsors a restaurant and
catering service named "Holy Macaroni!" So much food
for thought!
Fr. Jim Karepin, OP

14 NEW STAR

February, 2011

s we celebrate the Divine Liturgy we are

reminded at the dismissal prayer that God is
the Lover of Mankind. We believe that God
created the universe and proclaimed after each day's
work that it was good. God created man whom He
made the steward of all creation. Indeed God is good
and loves us.
When Adam disobeyed God, God maintained His
love for humankind. That is the story of Sacred Scripture. This relationship was renewed with the covenant
that He made with Abraham. The story of God's relationship with man continues with the call of Moses and
the presentation of the Ten Commandments.
The first three commandments speak of our responsibility to the Lord our God, and the next seven speak
of our relationship to our neighbor. This was the coven-

The Challenges
of Discipleship
Here is a report on one response to accept the "challenge of discipleship" written by a person who decided to get involved with the Church on a really basic
level--and found so much more!

n September, 2010, St Nicholas Cathedral began a

new catechetical group for everyone of every age:
Generations of Faith, better known to those that
attend as GOF. I had attended church regularly but
never really considered myself very knowledgeable
regarding the traditions of the church services. I simply
bowed when everyone else did. I would make the sign
of the cross three times, only following the rest of the
congregation. I always felt a bit intimidated in church.
Looking around during Liturgy, I wished I had some-

from page 12
and not those of others. The personal
and inner aspects of such prayer are
never separated from liturgical prayer
and life, just as prayer and service, contemplation and action can never be separated.
Liturgical prayer is completed with
personal prayer so that Saint John
Chrysostom (+407) calls it "the liturgy
after the liturgy" and Mother Maria
Skobtsova (+ 1945) a "liturgy outside

ant that God established with us, and continues to

enforce. Again and again, the scriptures remind us of
God's love and protection for His people. The Prophets
often reminded the people of their obligations during
the feasts and festivals of the chosen Jewish people, at
the various places where the worship of God occurred.
In our own time our faith is expressed through our
worship of the Triune God, so integral to our public and
liturgical worship. After all, our worship is the summit
and the source of our Christian life. When we worship
God, in the Divine Liturgy, we become, at the deepest
level, what God asks of us: give Him honor and worship. When the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, we proclaim belief in the Triune God throughout the Liturgy.
The Trimity is proclaimed through the Apostle and
Gospel readings. These readings are addressed to us,
and shape our faith, and deepen our relationship with
God, always recounting His love for us.
During the discourse at the Last Supper, found in the
Gospel of St John, (chapters thirteen through seventeen), Jesus speaks of the relationship that He has with
His Father who is Love. When He washed the feet of
His disciples, Jesus gave us an example of service and
love for His disciples. In this discourse Jesus tells us
that He will ask the Father for the Advocate, the Holy
Spirit, Who will guide us.
Each and every Divine Liturgy proclaims the Creed
--the profession of our faith. It is a set of beliefs that
guides us through the list of the work of each Person of
the One God. When we profess the creed, we, in reality, state how our God loves us and how His love is
manifest in His revelation of the Holy Trinity.
I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker
of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of

God, eternally begotten of the Father. Light from Light,

true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in
being with the Father. Through Him all things were
made. For us men and for our salvation He came down
from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He was
born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake
He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered,
died, and was buried, On the third day He rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will
come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end,
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the
Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken
through the Prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic,
and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for
the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the
dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen
This Creed was affirmed by the bishops at the
Councils of Nicea and Constantinople in the Fourth
Century.. It contains the basic truths we profess about
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. What we
believe is that God is the Almighty Father, and His Son
is begotten by the Father. We believe that Jesus is the
Son of God and is both fully God and totally Man. We
believe that the Spirit was sent by the Father and animates the Church.
Some people have no religious affiliation. They do
not believe in God. On the other hand, our scriptures
and our tradition express not only the fact that we
believe in God, but that we can share with others our
tradition and the foundations for our belief. That is, if
we do not just say the words--but live them.
Fr Deacon Michael Cook

disciple of Christ is one who is constantly

learning and receiving instruction from Him
in order to spread His teachings. Jesus summons us to follow Him. When He called His apostles
they left a former way of life and immediately joined
Him. Jesus sent them on missions to do the same as
He was doing. They had the same authority as Jesus
had.
The challenges we face at the present can seem
overwhelming but Christ is always with us. Pope
Benedict calls us to a New Evangelization which
requires both community and personal response. You

may confidently be a catechist in your parish and have

knowledge of the faith so that you are able to answer
questions for your friends.
St. Nicholas Eparchy's Office of Religious Education has a learning plan for any parishioner who
wants to take up the challenge of discipleship. Such
subjects as Ukrainian Church history, Ukrainian Byzantine Liturgy, prayer, Sacred Scripture, moral problems, ecumenism, sacraments, and Eastern Canon
Law may be considered for your reading plan.
Phone Fr. Leonard Korchinski at (773) 276-5080 to
discuss your plan.

one to ask why certain things were they way they were.
I had a lot of questions but was too intimidated to
approach anyone.
My connection to St. Nicholas Church has spanned
generations. My parents were married in St. Nicholas
in 1963, every one of my sisters and I were baptized
there and all my sisters were married there. Yet, I
always longed for a more meaningful connection to the
parish community.
GOF was a real step in the right direction for me to
begin to educate myself on the why's and how's of my
faith and traditions through which we practice our faith.
It helped me connect to my church, that I absolutely
love. GOF also helped me make friends at the church
for the first time in my life. I had always wanted to be

able to wave "hello" and have a cup of coffee after

church with some folks and participate in church
events. GOF is a monthly commitment and a social
way to learn about Church, and its people.
By participating only a few hours one Sunday a quarter, my understanding of our rituals and symbols of our
faith has deepened and my connection and love of the
Church has grown. I strongly encourage those of you
who ever felt like I did or would like to grow in faith to
please attend GOF meetings, or see it you can start a
group in your parish--and welcome everyone!
If you need any information about our church or
GOF, please review our parish website for more information: http://www.stnicholaschicago.org/#Home
Lydia

the temple" because it extends the divine

office and the divine liturgy to all the
rest of the day and the night. To acquire
the memoria Dei, the constant remembrance of God, demands much determination, to the point that St Demetrius of
Rostov (+1709) wrote: "Many do not
know anything of the inner suffering
necessary to those who want to possess
the memory of God."
The Prayer of the Heart, rooted in the
New Testament, was received by a current of the ancient Eastern spirituality

called hesychasm (from the Greek hesycha meaning calm, peace, tranquility,
absence of worry). To acquire it is not
easy, but, with the passing of time and
daily exercise, it gives great joy of the
heart in loving Jesus and all his creatures.
A document of the Monastery of
Iviron on Mount Athos states, "The true
hesychast is the one who speaks only to
God and who prays to Him without
rest."
It brings comfort to think that from the

scorching sands of the Egyptian desert

to the snowy steppes of Ukraine, from
the monasteries of Mount Sinai and
Mount Athos to those of the cities of
every continent, the Prayer of the Heart,
born many centuries ago among solitary
monks and nuns, comes from the heart
of Eastern and Western Christians and
can obtain from the life-creating Spirit
the yearned-for gift of unity.
Fr George Gallaro

February, 2011

NEW STAR

Mail Delivery of New Star

ome people have contacted us about late or nondelivery of New Star. This is a problem with
your local post office. New Star is on a schedule
to produce our paper in time for you to receive your
copy within the "7-10 day" window the Post Office
promised us they follow. If your paper arrives later
than the day printed--contact them first, then tell us.

If you move or change address, it is the responsibility of every person to notify the Post Office of a
change of address, and to notify us (using the form
provided on Page One of every issue. Also it notes to
not e-mail or telephone changes)--we take the time to
provide information--it is up to you to follow directions. Please follow the procedure.

Guidelines for Lent-and Other Times

ue to the timing of monthly delivery of

New Star (scheduled for the 10th of
every month) and the beginning of the
Great Fast (March 7), the following is included
as an early reference to allow you to be prepared
for the Holy Season that is to lead us to and
through the journey to Pascha.

Great Fast
The weekdays of the Great Fast are aliturgical
whereas no Divine Liturgy should be celebrated
except for the Feast of the Annunciation. On
Wednesday and Friday of the Great Fast, the
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is to be celebrated. Typika may be used the other days. For
funerals, the Great Parastas is prescribed. The
Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom is celebrated on Saturday, according to liturgical prescription. The reading of the triptychs is done for
the Second, Third and Forth "All Souls Satur-

days"
The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is to
be celebrated for Sunday Liturgies during this
time. During Holy Week, the Liturgy of the
Presanctified Gifts is to be celebrated Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday. There is no Divine Liturgy celebrated on Good Friday or Holy Saturday. On Holy Saturday evening, Vespers with the
Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is to be celebrated.
This directive is to be observed according to
the best of their ability by all Ukrainian
Catholics who are capable of receiving the Holy
Eucharist. The language of the law is that it is
obligatory for those between the ages of 14 and
59
Additionally, the following list is included for
your guidance:

FASTS
The following are Days of Fast and Abstinence
(abstaining from meat, eggs, and dairy products)
in the Ukrainian Catholic Church:
a) Monday of the First Day of the Great Fast
--March 7
b) Great and Holy Friday--April 22
The following are Days of Fast (abstaining
from meat):
a) Eve of Theophany--January 5/18
b) Holy Saturday--April 23
c) Beheading of St. John the Baptist-August 29/ September 11
d) Exaltation of the Holy Cross-- September
14/27
e) Before the Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus
Christ--December 23 (due, this year to the
celebration of Royal Hours December 24,
morning).
f) Every Friday during the year except for the
remaining privileged weeks this year: --after
Pascha: April 29; after Pentecost: --June 17;
after the Nativity of Christ: --December 30.

15

UAOC Archbishop IHOR

(Isichenko): "Possibile
to Unify Churches"

he possibility to unify the Ukrainian Churches

is "very simple" as of today, said Archbishop
IHOR (Isichenko) of Poltava and Kharkiv of
the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
(UAOC).
"In September, a project was developed at a special council of the Ukrainian Orthodox ChurchMoscow Patriarchate in Donetsk. The strategy,
which resulted from the discussion, is currently
being
implemented
in
Ukraine. The same way as we
were united in 1930 through
the liquidation of UAOC and
in 1946 through the liquidation of UGCC, the present
regime in Ukraine can use
administrative resources to
liquidate the churches that are
alternative to the Russian
Church," stressed the bishop
Archbishop
in a BBC program.
IHOR (Isichenko)
The bishop added that such
arithmetic addition of communities will not preserve
the believers in such a church. For example, he mentioned the situation in Russia, "where all the attempts
of religious communities to leave the Moscow
Patriarchate are actually liquidated ... And has the
Moscow Patriarchate retained its authority in Russia? By no means," said the bishop.
As for the pressure of the officials in the regions,
where the Moscow Patriarchate has great influence
on other religious communities, especially, Orthodox ones, Archbishop Ihor, in a commentary for portal-credo.ru, reported that the replacements of persons in the offices of Kyiv was not reflected in the
position of the Kharkiv and Poltava Eparchy of
UAOC. "I have received not a single signal about
pressure put on priests. Perhaps because our clergy
was formed in the conditions of permanent confrontation with the state authorities and was never attractive for conformists," stressed the bishop.
On the other hand, he noticed substantial pressure
put on the priests under the previous president. "The
Kaniv parish still cannot regain control of a church,
which was passed to the UOC-KP by the Cherkasy
authorities. The brother of former President Yushchenko, Petro Yushchenko, transferred the parish of
[St] John Chrysostom to the UOC-KP," he said.
And the statements of Patriarch Filaret about attempts to destroy the UOC-KP through political
pressure, in the opinion of the archbishop, are connected with the experience of use of administrative
pressure by the adherents of the UOC-KP. "Patriarch
Filaret expects application of that experience to his
Church not without grounds. 'For with the same
measure that you use, it will be measured back to
you,' (Luke 6:38)" said the bishop.
RISU

from page 11
dox Churches are debating the question of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome.
As Cardinal Koch explained last November in a plenary assembly of the dicastery he heads, "An ecclesiology linked to the national culture and a Catholic
ecclesiology oriented to the concept of universality
have been up to now in disagreement."
Whereas for Pope Paul VI this question was the
"major obstacle" for the restoration of full communion, he explained, "in the eyes of the present Pontiff it
is also the main opportunity for union."
According to the thinking of Benedict XVI, the cardinal said, "without primacy, the Catholic Church
would also have disintegrated a long time ago into
national Churches sui iuris, which would have con-

fused and complicated the ecumenical landscape."

He noted that for ecumenism now, it is necessary
that "the Catholic Church reflect further on the idea
that the primacy of the Bishop of Rome is not a simple
external juridical appendix to Eucharistic ecclesiology,
but an element that is founded precisely on it."
On the other hand, the prelate stated, "the Orthodox
Church should address with determination the problem of autocephaly, because it is of fundamental importance for its future and for ecumenism, and thus
seek adequate solutions in order to recover its own internal unity and its capacity to act in a concerted way."
Cardinal Koch pointed out the importance of the
work of the International Mixed Commission for
Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church

and the Orthodox Church over the last few years, noting that there have been advances in the discussions on
ecclesiology in general and on the primacy of the
Bishop of Rome in particular.

eaders are invited to express an opinion about

this, or any other, article in New Star, in either
English or Ukrainian.

By e-mail to:
NewStarNews@aol.com;
opinion on subject line
or, by post to:
Opinion New Star
2245 W Rice St
Chicago, IL 60622-4858

All submissions
must be signed
and note city
and state.
Please-between
50-500 words.

16 NEW STAR

February, 2011

Prayer for Unity of

Christians Led By Patriarch

atriarch Lubomyr, led a

celebratory
ecumenical
prayer in the Church of St.
Basil the Great in Kyiv on
Sunday, January 23, as part of the
Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity.
According to the Information
Department of UGCC, His Beatitude concelebrated with Auxiliary Bishop of the Kyiv ArchHis Beatitude--in the posture of prayer
eparchy JOSYF (Milyan), clergy of
UGCC parishes, representatives
and delegates of other Christian
The organizers chose as the theme for
denominations of the city of Kyiv. The this year's Week of Prayer for Christian
Kyiv men's choir Favor sang during the Unity Acts 2:42, "They devoted themprayer.
selves to the apostles' teaching and to
This is the 43rd year that Christians fellowship, to the breaking of bread and
across Europe came together to pray to prayer."
during the Week of Prayers for Christian
The main idea of the Week of Prayer
Unity, which is organized by the World for Christian Unity of 2011 is based on
Council of Churches (nearly all Orth- the experience of the Churches of
odox and Protestant Churches of the Jerusalem, which hope to remind all
world belong) and the Papal Council for Christians about the time when the
the Promotion of Christian Unity.
Church was one and undivided.

UGCC Accepts no State Money

to Remain Free to Criticize

ur position is not to accept

donations from official
authorities for it is always
fraught with a certain 'gratitude,' so to
say. We want to be a free church so that
donations will not stop us from saying
the truth when it must be said," said
Patriarch Lubomyr in his traditional
Christmas interview to Channel 5.
The Patriarch was asked about the
progress of the construction of the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of
Christ in Kyiv and about his attitude
toward the denominations that receive
allocations for construction needs directly from the state budget, reported the
Department of Information of UGCC.
"When a certain state institution or
authority supports a church initiative,

whatever it may be, whether construction

or something else, it, undoubtedly, involves a certain obligation. Perhaps to be
silent about something, or to overlook
something, in other words, it restricts the
church's freedom. It is a very dangerous
thing. In order to be itself, the church
must be free enough to be able to tell its
faithful and all the others about things
when necessary," added His Beatitude.
According to Patriarch Lubomyr, now,
when the process of construction of the
Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv approaches
completion, people readily donate for the
cathedral. "For instance, recently, we
have received financial support from our
faithful in distant Australia. Each hryvnia, each dollar, each euro or any other
currency helps,"

Patriarch Lubomyr
Welcomes Migrants Home

atriarch Lubomyr attended the

first meeting of Ukrainian
migrants, which took place on
December 31 in Kyiv. As SoborNews
reports, the meeting was organized by
the Pastoral and Missionary Department of the UGCC.
Migrants who have returned to
Ukraine as well as their relatives and
friends have thanked God for a happy
life in the past year. "Let's thank God
that you were able to return and that
you are home. To stand on native land,
to speak the native language is good
fortune. Let's thank God and pray for
those who are still away from home,"
His Beatitude said to the participants.
He also mentioned that many workers,
including his relatives, were forcibly
deported from Ukraine.
Patriarch Lubomyr said that the
Church organizes many activities
abroad so that migrants can lead a
proper life and so their rights are protected. "We are also working so that
those who return to Ukraine have a better life. I would like to express my

gratitude to the Pastoral and Missionary Department, which does so much

in this," he said.
Executive Secretary of the Pastoral
and Missionary Department Fr. Vasyl
Potoczniak said that the meeting was
attended by migrants from the Lviv,
Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa,
Donetsk, and Kyiv oblasts. The meeting began with a Hierarchical Divine
Liturgy in the St. Basil the Great
Church, which was led by the head of
the administration of the Patriarchal
Curia, Bishop BOHDAN (Dziurakh).
During the sermon the bishop noted
that Christ Himself was a migrant and
immigrant.

Patriarch Celebrates Anniversary

he Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church observed the

10th anniversary of the patriarchal ministry of His
Beatitude LUBOMYR (Husar), on January 22-23. The
main events of the celebration included the Christmas
prosphora held on January 22 at the International Exhibition
Center and a Hierarchical Liturgy on January 23 in the
Church of St. Basil the Great.
The celebratory events included the presentation of the
third audiobook of Patriarch Lubomyr "The Path to God"
and his collection of quotations "To Be Human."
The third audiobook has been published by the multimedia
studio Svichado. "The Path to God," as well as the previous
editions, consists of two CDs and is recorded in the form of
an interview. The interview is conducted by a distinguished
journalist, the editor of the Church Department of the Weekly
Mirror, Kateryna Shchotkina.
The collection "To Be Human" offers 268 quotations presented in 18 chapters. The quotations come from official
addresses of the Patriarch, his interviews for printed and
Internet publications, his three audiobooks, and various
meetings.
After the death on December 14, 2000, of His Beatitude
MYROSLAV IVAN (Lubachivsky), an extraordinary council of
UGCC bishops was convened. On January 26, 2001, it was
officially announced that Lubomyr (Husar) was elected to
File photo of
fill the leadership position. The enthronement was held on Patriarch Lubomyr at
Divine Liturgy at St
January 28, 2001, in the Cathedral of St. George in Lviv.
Grant, O Lord, to Your Servant, Patriarch Lubomyr, many Joseph the Betrothed
Church, Chicago.
years!

Third Audio Book of Patriarch Published

third audio book of Patriarch

Lubomyr, The Path to God, has
recently been recorded in Kyiv.
The recording continues a
series of talks with His
Beatitude which began with
his first two audio books The
Road to Oneself and Path to
Thy Neighbor. The latest
book appeared during the
Christmas holiday, reports
the Information Department
of the UGCC.
This time, the Patriarch spoke with a
well-known journalist, editor of the
Church Department of the Weekly Mir-

ror, Kateryna Shchotkina.

During the two hours of the conversation, the hierarch answered the question
why people in the modern world
choose Christ; what it means "to
meet Christ;" how the Church
can help a person in this search;
what are the ways to God; if
church members can make mistakes; if it is easy to be a Christian; what a miracle is needed
for; what the correlation between the faith and love and
freedom is; what Hell is; and how God's
will is combined with responsibility.

NEW STAR

February, 2011

17

Homily for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son

his parable is a "Gospel within the Gospel." It is

the Lenten parable par excellence. It is the story of
repentance--our return from exile--the story of salvation. Byzantine hymnography repeats this theme
throughout the Great Fast.
Which of the characters in this parable do you identify
with? I myself can identify with all three--the younger
son, the older son, and the Father.
First, who doesn't see one's self in the younger son? As
a fallen human being, I take to heart the mess that the
younger son was in. Our Heavenly Father has given us all
an inheritance--an inheritance of life, and blessings in
abundance. With the Psalmist we can surely say,
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his
benefits." Yet we have each fled to that far-off country of sin where we forgot about our Father and the
life lived in communion with Him.
To what depths did the younger son sink? He
squandered his inheritance on loose living. He lost
all that had been given to him, both spiritually and
materially. In the eyes of a faithful Israelite, he had
sunk even below the harlot and the tax collectors
that the Pharisees had grumbled about. He had become a swineherd. In fact, he longed to eat the same
food as the swine. He was truly, as the Eastern view
of fallen man describes--"Sub-human."
Physical hunger led the son to remember his life
with his Father. Prompted by hunger, the son realized his lack of love for his Father. This was the catalyst of his conversion. Repentance is but a fall into
the hands of God! Now, the Great Fast also prompts
us to remember our life with our Heavenly Father.
What is it that each of us has so carelessly squandered? It is our inheritance which is Life in Christ-life that our Father so graciously bestowed upon us
through the saving waters of Baptism. Will that
remembrance stir us to action? Will we each undertake our own journey out of exile and back to our
Heavenly Father's house?
Secondly, and much to my chagrin, I can also say
that I have sometimes felt the self-righteousness of
the older son when I see a public sinner welcomed
back into the community.
I have heard of those who would like to have this parable eliminated from scripture. They identify solely with
the older son and cannot understand how this parable can
be anything but a story of injustice.
We may see ourselves as the righteous brother--as one
who has remained faithful. Glory be to God if we have
remained faithful, but we should seek to learn a lesson as
well. Jesus directed this parable to the Pharisees and
scribes because they grumbled when sinners came to
Jesus. We should not look with resentment or indifference upon a sinful brother or sister who returns home and
above all, we should not be angry with our Father who
shows such love and mercy! We should all be truly anxious to have others share in the blessings that we already
enjoy. Rejoice with our Heavenly Father! Join the celebration, for it is that very banquet of the Father's sacrificethe mystical supper.
Is the elder son justified in his resentment? Let's examine what he says to his father. Does he speak as a son? He
describes himself as an obedient slave rather than as a
loving son. This is Pharisaism in its heart which is obedience devoid of love: Obedience out of a sense of fear or

possibly only in view of a reward to be gained. For them,

God is not a father but a master--a slave owner.
Thirdly, as a father myself, I would like to think that I
too can show the mercy, compassion and unrestrained
love that the father shows his younger son.
Look at the love the Father has for his younger son.
First, He gives him all that the son asks for and bestows
upon him his inheritance. The Father certainly misses his
son when he is gone. When the Father sees him from afar,
He runs to meet him. The Father had been keeping watch
and anxiously awaited his son's return! And when his son
finally returns to him, does the Father reprimand and

scold him? No! He "put his arms around him and kissed
him"--because, as the Prophet Micah says: "he delights in
showing clemency"! The younger son returned to his
Father but was not expecting to be restored to his former
state. He only sought what his older brother already expected from the relationship--to be an obedient slave. But
his Father is not to be outdone in generosity. He restored
to him the garment of baptism. He gave him the ring that
signifies his son-ship. He gave him sandals for his feet.
He cast all his sins "into the depths of the sea." He sacrifices the fatted calf. The Fathers of the Church see this as
a reference to the Sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation.
How can hope not surge within us when we see such love
for one who is repentant?
This is among the most beloved of the parables of
Jesus. It is often quoted and even the term "Prodigal Son"
has become a phrase commonly used in everyday speech.
Let's re-examine the name of this parable. Is the heart of
the story really the prodigal son? What makes it so
appealing? Is it not the father and his love for both his
sons? Wouldn't it be better to call this the parable the
parable of the "Loving Father"? After all, Our Father is:

A Father full of mercy and compassion

A Father who forgives all our iniquity
A Father who heals all our diseases
A Father who waits patiently for our return
A Father who give us every good gift
A Father who restores us to our former glory
A Father who sacrifices the fatted calf for us
A Father who gives us to eat from the mystical table
Now is the time to examine our relationship with our
Father and to ask, "What is my relationship with God?"
Let us begin this examination by with the questions
"What has God done for me? What has he given me?"
We must seek to answer these questions in all seriousness. Do we see God as a loving Father, or as a
stern Master we must obey? Do we realize that everything we have is a blessing from God? Once we have
answered these questions, we must in turn ask, "What
have I done for God? How have I treated God?" Is
our relationship only one-way? Do we offer thanksgiving to God for those blessings?
Not only do we need to look at our relationship with
God, we also need also to ask "What is my relationship with others?" and, "How do I get along with
them?" Without a loving relationship with others, any
relationship with God will be deformed and maybe
even a deception. This can be the hardest task for a
believer--living together in peace as brother and sister.
And what about those that we don't see as brother or
sister? An ancient hymn of the Western Church says
"Where charity and love are--there is God." How difficult is it to truly follow the command to "Love your
enemies and do good to those who hate you"? Yet that
is precisely what Jesus calls us to do.
"Let our lives, then, be worthy of the loving Father
who has offered sacrifice, and of the glorious Victim
who is the Saviour of our souls."
St. Romanos the Melodist, in his Kontakia on the
Prodigal Son uses these words:
I have rivaled the prodigal by my senseless deeds
and like him I fall down before you and I seek forgiveness, Lord. Therefore do not despise me O Loving
Father and Lord of the Ages.
Of your Mystical Table, O Immortal, count me worthy,
who have been corrupted by living as a prodigal. And the
first robe of grace, which I have befouled, wretch that I
am, by the stains of the passions, in your unattainable
mercy give me once again, O Loving Father and Lord of
the Ages.
Fr James Bankston

O Lord and Master of my life, keep from me the spirit of indifference

and discouragement, lust of power and idle chatter.

A Prayer of
S t. Ephrem
the Syrian

[kneel/prostration]

Instead, grant to me, Your servant, the spirit of wholeness of being,

humble-mindedness, patience, and love.
[kneel/prostration]

O Lord and King, grant me the grace to be aware of my sins and not to
judge my brother; for You are blessed now and ever and forever. Amen.
[kneel/prostration]

18

NEW STAR

February, 2011

Does Religion Have a ''Secret Ingredient' '?

t's long been known that people who regularly attend

a church or synagogue are happier than people who
don't. But WHY? Now researchers from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison and Harvard
University have identified religion's "secret ingredient"
that makes people happier: Social interaction. While a
religion's theology and spirituality may attract someone
to go to worship services in the first place, it is the social
aspects of religion that ultimately lead to life satisfaction.
"In particular, we find that friendships built in religious
congregations are the secret ingredient in religion that
makes people happier," says study co-leader and sociology professor Chaeyoon Lim. Along with co-author
Robert D. Putnam of Harvard, the team analyzed data
from the Faith Matters Study, a panel survey of a representative sample of U.S. adults in 2006 and 2007. The

findings:
33 percent of people who attend religious services
every week and have three to five close friends in
their congregation report that they are "extremely satisfied" with their lives. "Extremely satisfied" is
defined as a 10 on a scale ranging from 1 to 10.
23 percent of people who attend religious services
only several times a year, but who have three to five
close friends in their congregation are extremely satisfied with their lives.
19 percent of people who attend religious services
weekly, but who have no close friends in their congregation report that they are extremely satisfied.
19 percent of people who never attend religious services, and therefore have no friends from congregation,

say they are extremely satisfied with their lives. "To

me, the evidence substantiates that it is not really
going to church and listening to sermons or praying
that makes people happier, but making church-based
friends and building intimate social networks there,"
Lim said. Why? People like to feel that they belong.
"One of the important functions of religion is to give
people a sense of belonging to a moral community
based on religious faith," Lim explained. "This community, however, could be abstract and remote unless
one has an intimate circle of friends who share a similar identity. The friends in one's congregation thus
make the religious community real and tangible and
strengthen one's sense of belonging to the community."

Does New Star Make a Difference?

elonging to a parish of St Nicholas Eparchy,

you are entitled to many things. Among them,
the attentive care of the clergy to your spiritual
needs. This includes faithful observance of the liturgical prescriptions of the Church--celebration of the
Mysteries of the Church: from initiation through baptism, chrismation, and the Eucharist, to penance,
crowning in matrimony and the oil anointing of the
sick. All grace flows from the healing gift bestowed by
Holy Orders upon your bishop, your priest and your
deacon, and passed on to you by them.
There should be an expectation to hear edifying
homilies, preparation of parish bulletin material and
edifying religious instruction in the tenets of the faith
in classes or by example in everyday life..
Also, as a member of the parish and eparchy, you receive a spiritual gift from His Grace, our bishop,
Bishop RICHARD (Seminack). As he was enthroned
amid pageantry and rich liturgical tradition, he also
pledged to be, as a shepherd to this part of Christ's holy
flock, leading each and every person in his care toward
the heavenly goal that is prepared for us.
Not taking his responsibility lightly to provide access
to a Christian viewpoint on many matters, Bishop
Richard has, in concert with the Pastoral Guide for the
Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States, desig-

Monument for Sheptytsky Brothers

to Be Built in Lviv Region

monument to Metropolitan ANDREY and

Archimandrite Clement (Sheptytsky) will
stand near a newly-built church in the village
of Prylbychi, the birthplace of the Sheptytsky brothers.
According to sculptor Vasyl Hohol, the monument
will be twelve feet tall and weigh 40 tons.
"The monument includes a pyramid in front of
which sit the Sheptytsky brothers clad in cassocks. It
symbolizes the eternity of the ideas that these men
embodied in their actions and thoughts," says the
sculptor. The monument was made from limestone.
Today the monument is ready; work is being completed on the landscape. The cost of the monument is
about 500 thousand UAH; its founder is Petro Pysarchuk.
Metropolitan Andrey was the leader of the Ukrainian
Greek Catholic Church from 1900 to 1944. Clement
Sheptytsky, Andrey's brother, was the archimandrite of
the Studite monks. He was arrested in 1947 for refusing to convert to Orthodoxy and died in a prison in
Vladimir, Russia, in 1951. In 2001 the blessed hieromartyr was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

nated our eparchial newspaper, New Star, as the main

vehicle of communication between each person, no
matter where they live in the eparchy. New Star is the
catechetical--teaching--tool for each of us, no matter
our age, our education, or particular circumstance. New
Star is here to help you know your faith--and make the
bishop's goal attainable.
In bilingual editions, once-a-month you receive in
your home a copy of this "messenger" of God's grace.
To facilitate this, it is necessary to meet the expenses of
such a large undertaking. Paper, printing, production
and postage are necessary ingredients of the publication of thousands of copies. Each parish is responsible
for reimbursing the eparchy for the financial costs that
are incurred. All pastors and administrators have been
informed, over the past few years, of the plan to
include 100% of the parishioners in this valuable mission of the Church.
No one is exempt--no parish can deny any of its
members of the resource our bishop provides. No parishioner can decide to "opt out" of the program. Each is
asked to consider the focus of "Catholic Press Month"
and take care of the reasonable subscription fee of only
$1.75 per month, and contribute this sum to the parish
every month--or make quarterly installments, or a onetime payment of $20.00 directly to the parish. Use the

special envelope in your offertory envelope sets--or, if

there is none--use any envelope to make the payment
directly to your parish. It is to be forwarded to us from
there.
Your parish receives an invoice every month to help
the eparchy defray the expenses involved. With your
cooperative contribution this is not a financial burden
to the parish. If the cost is "too high" for you on a limited income budget--at least give your parish twentyfive cents every week to cover the cost.
People who have the means may wish to make an
additional donation directly to New Star--allowing us
to further improve the quality of the important information you receive.
With so many things of our earthly life fading
through their frail and fragile substance, help promote
the eternal-life-giving qualities of New Star to let you
better know, love understand and enjoy the wondrous
gift of faith you have been given as it is expressed in
age-old traditions of countless generations of our spiritual fathers and mothers.
Support "Catholic Press Month" through your support of New Star--and see how you can grow in the
things that matter for eternity.

Saint Nicholas Feast Day at Nativity Church in Palos Park

he Saint Nicholas Feast Day

celebration is something
very dear to the Ukrainian
people, across the world. For
Ukrainian Catholic Communities
throughout the United
States is no different, we
honor and cherish "our"
saint.
On this day, or the closest Sunday, in honor of St
Nicholas, children receive
gifts. This year, at the
Nativity Church the Feast of St
Nicholas was not the same as before. Being this is the year which
we kicked off the Jubilee celebrations of our Eparchy, at the end of
the Divine Liturgy we all prayed
the Jubilee Prayer,
and then moved on
to the hall to see a
play prepared by
our Sunday Catechism children. Our
teachers, with the
help of the children's parents, prepared a play.

The set of the play was the sky

with the stars and the moon. All of
a sudden the stars gathered around
the moon to inquire about St.
Nicholas. Pani Moon gathered

the stars around and began to

explain who St Nicholas is. At one
given point Pani Moon could no
longer explain and asked for the
angels of heaven to help. The
angels finished the story, convinc-

ing the stars that St Nicholas exists

indeed, and that he is real, and that
he brings gifts. So, Pani Moon
along with the stars and the angels
took off from the stage and went in
search of St Nicholas. A few minutes later they brought on to the
stage "St Nicholas" himself,
singing all together the traditional
song to St Nicholas who ended up
distributing gifts not only to the
children, but also to the adults as
well, even to our parish priests.
Fr. Basil Salkovski, OSBM

NEW STAR

February, 2011

19

reparing for the visit of the Jubilee Icon to the Chicago

Deanery, the parishes have decorated the icon of St
Nicholas--and will embark on a plan of parish-to-parish
pilgrimages. First in the series is to St Michael's in
Mishawaka, Indiana. All parishes--whether in the Chicago
deanory or not--are welcome to attend, Sunday, February 27. There will be
Divine Liturgy at 1:30 PM (Eastern time)--and a luncheon. At 4:00 PM there
will be a celebration of the Akathist Hymn and
refreshments available for the pilgrim-travellers.

SAVE

THE DATE:

September 25,
2011
Eparchial 50th Anniversary
celebration in Chicago!

anuary 26 was the initial meeting for

an English-language Choir at St
Joseph the Betrothed Church,
Chicago. Inviations were made in the
bulletin seeking "everyone and anyone"--even those whose
s are included as
Items from parish bulletin
singing experience is minimal, or English is not their first
to
space is available. Send
language.
("BB" on subject
om
l.c
ao
@
NewStarNews
Meetings are held Monday evenings, at 7:00, conducted
line): or mail to
by Julian Hayda for the purpose of preparing for Vespers
BB, New Star
and Divine Liturgies.
2245 W Rice St;
Chicago, IL 60622

egularly listed in the parish

bulletin of St Josaphat
Church, Warren, Michigan
is a reminder to pray for the military
personnel of the parishioners and their families:
Patricia Butenis, Michael Crill, Eric Dackiw,
Anthony D'Angelo, Douglas DeMint, Daniel Dyell,
Michael Poff, Eugene Potterfield, Christopher V.....,
Michael Weigle, Jordan Wenson, Nicholas
Zablonski.
As far as planning ahead goes, the events
calendar includes the reminder that Daylight
Saving Time resumes March 13. With this much
fore-notice, no one should be late that day.

Archpriest Robert Anderson, Dies Age 64

he Archpriest Robert Anderson,

whose first pastoral assignment
was in the Eparchy of St. Nicholas, has died. As Fr. Bob was spending
Christmas with his sisters on Staten
Island he collapsed in the early hours of
December 27, 2010, and fell asleep in
the Lord, aged 64. He leaves three sisters, Nancy, Lynn, and Debbie; friends
and colleagues in Europe and North America..
The priestly parastas took place on
Staten Island along with the funeral and
burial in a plot beside his father, Alexander Anderson, Bishop PAUL (Chomnycky, OSBM) of the Stamford Eparchy
concelebrated the liturgy with over a
dozen priests, most of whom traveled
from across Canada.
Fr. Bob was born in Brooklyn, New
York, in 1946 After graduating from
Xaverian High School he received a
B.A. in French language and literature

from St. Peter's College in Jersey City,

Along with pastoral work, Fr. Bob was Mission Society as a means of spreading
New Jersey and then several diplmes a teacher for over three decades in the riches of Eastern Christianity in
from the Institut Catholique in Paris. He Catholic schools in the Bronx, Chatham North America. He was one of the spirialso received a B.Ed. from the Univer- and Ottawa, teaching all grades from 5 tual directors at Holy Spirit UGCC Semsity of Toronto, and a Masters degree in through 13. He taught French, various inary in Ottawa, He also assisted in the
Oriental Christian Theology from Mary- religion courses and world religions in UGCC parish, giving leadership to Light
knoll Seminary.
and Life, a successful adult catechHe was ordained priest in the Holy
esis group.
Land March 5, 1972 by Melkite
He enjoyed spending summers in
Archbishop JOSEPH (Raya) Shortly
Ukraine where the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation, based in
thereafter, he accepted his first pasChicago, runs a program of volunteer
toral assignment to the Ukrainian
English teachers in Ukraine each sumCatholic parish in Wilton, North Damer. He taught in the English Summer
kota, which he served from 1973School of the Lviv Theological Aca1974. Then Bishop ISIDORE (Bordemy, precursor to today's Ukrainian
ecky) appointed him pastor of the
parish in Chatham, Ontario. While
Catholic University (UCU). He faiththere, Bishop Isidore elevated him to Fr Bob amid students at English Summer School, fully went every year except 2009,
Veselka, Ukraine; July, 2010.
archpriest in 1986. He was pastor
when surgery and illness prevented
there until 1990 before Bishop Isidore English as well as in French immersion him. He greatly loved being a part of the
named him pastor of St. Michael's Par- programs. He retired from teaching in ESS and found the Church thriving in
ish in Kingston, Ontario, the assignment June, 2004 but remained active not only Ukraine in a way that gave him hope for
he held until his death.
in his parish but with the St. Irenaeus the future.

mother was preparing

pancakes for her sons,
Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.
The boys began to argue over
who would get the first pancake.
Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson, and said:

"If Jesus were sitting here, He

would say: 'Let my brother have
the first pancake, I can wait.'"
Kevin turned to his younger
brother and said, "Ryan, you be
Jesus!"'

ld Dan Young, nearly 100,

was a well-known fixture in
his little town, where it
seemed everyone always knew everyone elses business. He certainly lived
longer than he thought he would after
he bought his "last car"--a 1949
Studebaker.
He was a bit confused when the
town constable had to stop by and issue him a ticket for making an unsafe
left turn--resulting in a collision.

"Well," he said "Everyone knows

me. Everyone knows my car. Everyone knows it's older than electric turn
signals. Everyone knows I have my
breakfast at the diner every day.
Everyone knows I live down Maple
Street and everyone knows I always
turn left onto Maple from Front Street
about 8:45.
"How was I supposed to know that
some out-of-towner would just drive
throuh and smack right into me?"

20

NEW STAR

February, 2011

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

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

The Table of Preparation

roskomedia is a Greek word which simply means "offering". An early

Christian custom was to bring to church an offering of bread and wine which
the priest needed for the Liturgy, and place it on the tetrapod.
The actual preparing of the Gifts is done behind the Iconostas, by the priest at the
Table of Preparation (Prothesis). On this table special veils and, most importantly,
the prosphora are placed. Also the diskos; chalice; wine; water; a small lance (a
wedge-shaped knife); an asterisk (star) which protects the prosphora so that when
the veil is placed over the diskos it does not touch
it. During the Great Entrance, the gifts are taken to
the Holy Table (Altar).
Every sacred instrument on the Table of Preparation and every action that takes place at the
preparation has symbolic meaning.
Often there will be five small loaves of bread
(prosphora). They must be made of wheat flour,
yeast, water and salt. Christ Himself used leavened
bread at the Mystical Supper. Each is stamped on
top with a cross and the Greek letters IC (the
abbreviation for "Jesus"), XC (the abbreviation for
"Christ") and NIKA (Greek for "conquers" [the
cross]). These little loaves are formed in two parts
to represent the Human and Divine natures of
Christ. Five prosphora remind us of the five loaves
that Christ used to miraculously feed the multitude
and teach us about spiritual nourishment received
through receiving Communion in the Mystery of
the Holy Eucharist.
From one loaf a large "lamb" is extracted. From
this the priest cuts individual pieces to distribute to
the faithful. "For we, being many, are one bread
and one body, for we are all partakers of the one
Bread" (1Cor. 10:17). Pieces not used for the Eucharist may be distributed at the end of the Liturgy.
The lance that cuts the Prosphora represents the
lance
used to pierce Christ's right side as He hung
Can you find and identify
on the cross.
all the parts mentioned?
The wine is red grape wine symbolic of the
color of blood. It is mixed with water to remind us of the piercing of Christ's right
side in accordance to John's words.
The diskos symbolizes the caves in Bethlehem where Christ was born and where
Christ was entombed. The asterisk (star) represents the Star of Bethlehem which
lighted the way for the magi to where Christ was. The chalice is the cup in which
Christ sanctified the wine for all to share, and the veils symbolize the swaddling
clothes that the Infant was wrapped in at birth and the long winding-sheet that enveloped Jesus at His death.
Lastly, the offering is censed. This censing reminds us to ask that our gift be
acceptable to God, that the Holy Spirit overshadows us and that His
grace be shared in the Mystery of Holy Communion.
Now that I have familiarized you with the terminology, next
month's issue will explain the actual preparation that takes place at
the Table of Preparation.
Phyllis Muryn Zaparaniuk

The Office is closed on all

major Church Holy Days
and National Civil Holidays

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Published monthly with the permission and authority of His Grace, Bishop RICHARD (Seminack), by St
Nicholas Publications, official publisher of the:
St Nicholas
Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy
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EDITORIAL BOARD AND CONTRIBUTORS:

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