Saturday, Dec. 2
4:00 PM ✞Donald Magill – Anna Magill & Family
Sunday, Dec. 3 TWENTY SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners
1:00 PM Women’s Society Christmas Party
Tuesday, Dec. 5 The Feast of St. NicholAs
Anointing with Holy Oil – Myrovania
4:00 AM ✞Fr. Thaddeus Krawchuk – Ron & Rosemarie Kachinko
Friday, Dec. 8 CONCEPTION OF ST. ANNE
9:00 AM Anointing with Holy Oil – Myrovania
✞John Phillips – Son Peter Phillips
Saturday, Dec. 9
4:00 PM ✞Ihor Pasicznyk – Olympia Pasicznyk
Sunday, Dec. 10 TWENTY SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners
Please remember Ron Kachinko in your prayers. He is in Geisinger Hospital.
May God Grant him a speedy health back to us.
The Feast of St. Nicholas
The feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated on the 6th day of December.
Pope Nicholas, the first Pope bearing this name – erected a church in Rome in honor of St. Nicholas around the year 860. The Latin Church also celebrates the feast of St. Nicholas on the 6th of December. In France and Germany over two thousand churches are dedicated to his name; an additional four hundred such churches are found in England.
The cult of St. Nicholas came to our native Ukraine along with the Christian faith. There were numerous churches in honor of St. Nicholas. The Church of St. Nicholas in Lviv, which dates back to the thirteenth century, is one of the oldest. Our Ukrainian Encyclopedia says the following about the veneration of St. Nicholas among our people: “In a great number of oral traditions, Nicholas protects people from disasters caused by the elements; mostly he protects those who sail on the sea. Hence, the Black Sea fishermen, when going out to fish, take the icon of St. Nicholas with them. Songs about St. Nicholas are among the earliest examples of Ukrainian poetry and include such popular ones as “O Whoever, whoever loves St. Nicholas…”
In our Church, St. Nicholas not only has two separate feasts in his honor, but ever Thursday is also dedicated to his name.
We do not know very much about the life of St. Nicholas, and what we do know is somewhat embellished with various legends. We know for certain that St. Nicholas was a bishop for many years in Myra, a city in the province of Lycia, in Asia Minor; that he took part in the First Ecumenical Council in 325 at Nicea; and that he died around the year 345. His whole life was dedicated to works of mercy, both corporal and spiritual. Even during his lifetime he was called the father of orphans, widows, and the poor. After his death, the Lord glorified him with the gift or working miracles, for which he received the title “Great Wonder-worker”.
St. Nicholas saw Jesus Christ in his neighbor and that is why he quickly and generously hastened to help him in every need. The Holy Gospel says that at the Last Judgment the Lord will judge us by our works of love and mercy. Christ assures us of this when He says: “Amen I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it for Me”.
Nicholas’ tomb in Myra became a popular place of pilgrimage. Because of the many wars and attacks in the region by Muslims, some Christians were concerned that access to the tomb might become difficult. For both the religious and commercial advantages of a major pilgrimage site, the Italian cities of Venice and Bari vied to get the Nicholas relics. http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/who-is-st-nicholas/
SANCTUARY LIGHT: The Sanctuary Light is requested to burn the week of Dec. 2 – 9 by John and Claudia Bosack in memory of Anna Bosack.
MONTHLY CANDLES: The Altar Candles are requested to burn during all services in the month of December by Albert Piston in memory of his parents Jennie & Mike Piston.
FLOWERS: We appreciate the donations of flowers for this week: donated by Anna Magill in memory of Donald Magill.
THANKS: Our thanks to the men & women who volunteered their time and energy to help clean and decorate the Church Hall. God Bless you all.
NY BUS TRIP: Last Call for Christmastime Bus Trip – 53 seats has been reserved on the Saturday, December 9th trek to New York City leaving 2 seats still available. Call Paul Ewasko of Scranton’s St. Vladimir parish to reserve the remaining seats.
SING ALONG: YOU ARE INVITED to join Saints Peter & Paul Ukrainian Greek Catholic Parish for their 24th Annual Christmas Carol Sing Along in the church on North River Street in Wilkes-Barre, Sunday, December 10th, 2017 starting at 2 p.m. Join in the singing of some very sacred, joyful and inspiring Christmas Carols. Afterwards, please join us in the lower church hall for a Christmas Fellowship Social. Please bring a friend or family member, and share the joy of Christmas with them, as we all prepare to welcome the Newborn Son of God into our hearts and homes.
SS Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church 