SS Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church

Saturday, March 14
4:00 PM ✞Anna Dempsey – Dempsey Children

Sunday, March 15 THIRD SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners
4:00 Deanery Stations of the Cross – St. Nicholas, Glen Lyon, PA

Wednesday, March 18
4:00 PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Saturday, March 21
4:00 PM ✞Nellie Wdowiak – Irene Pstrak & Sons

Sunday, March 22 FOURTH Sunday OF THE GREAT FAST
8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners
4:00 PM Deanery Stations of the Cross – Holy Transfiguration

VENERATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
LENT IS THE HALF WAY TO EASTER
Today on the Third Sunday of the Great Fast, we venerate the Holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we mark the halfway point of Lent. The Cross stands before us today as a reminder of where we are and where we are headed during The Great Fast and the season of growing in holiness prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. By showing us our Crucified Lord Jesus on the Cross today, the Fruit of Eternal Life, the Church announces to us that Holy Week – the week of our Lord’s Passion – is just three weeks away. At the end of the Matins today, the Cross is carried by the priest in procession from the altar to the middle of the church (tetrapod), where the faithful come to kiss and venerate it for the remainder of the week. The following hymn is sung: “To Your Cross O Master, we bow in veneration, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection!”  (Slavonic: “Krestu Tvoyemu poklanyayemsia, Vladiko, i Svyatoye Voskreseniye Tvoye Slavim!”

THE GLORY OF THE CROSS

Thousands of years have passed since the day,
When my dear Lord died for me; 
For even though I was a mere gleam in His eye,
He knew I would need Calvary.
The pain He endured, the hardships and strife,
Were more than He deserved; 
But Christ made it clear right from the start,
His mission on Earth was to serve.
Though initially welcomed and cheered by the crowds,
The praises soon turned into scorn; 
As they mocked and beat Him so savagely, 
And gave Him a crown of thorns.
He bore the cross upon His back,
Standing in our place; 
Never turning or looking back,
While the tears ran down his face.
Yet it wasn’t the cross, nor was it the scars,
That filled Him with such grief, 
More than this, it was the hearts of those;
Who were hardened in disbelief.
He wept for the lost, the hurting, the blind,
Both present, and yet to be; 
For His only desire both then and now,
Was for His children to truly see.
Shrouded in darkness, not perceiving their Lord,
They watched Him lay down His life; 
While God Himself gave up His Son,
As the ultimate sacrifice.
Today, Christ’s arms are still outstretched,
But no longer upon a tree; 
For each generation that rises up,
He wants to see set free.
Though many hearts are still untouched, 
By what and who He is;

SANCTUARY LIGHT: The Sanctuary light is requested to burn this week March 14 – 21 by Anna Magill in memory of Anna Dempsey by the Dempsey Children.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: The Deanery Stations of the Cross:
March 22 – 4:00 PM – Transfiguration Of Our Lord, Nanticoke, PA
March 29 – 4:00 PM – St. Vladimir’s, Edwardsville, PA

PUSSY WILLOW BRANCHES: Just a little reminder that Pussy willows will be needed for Palm Sunday, April 5th. They are in bloom in Nanticoke, please check yours.

THANKS: Our thanks to all who participated in the preparation and serving of the Fellowship following the Stations of the Cross last Sunday. We appreciate all the good food, desserts and monetary gifts received to help make the affair a nice occasion. May God’s Blessings be on you.

Saturday, March 7
4:00 PM ✞Mary Ambrose – Rosemarie Kachinko

Sunday, March 8 SECOND SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioner
4:00 PM Deanery Stations of the Cross – SS Peter & Paul, U.C.C.
Plymouth, PA
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Wednesday, March 11
4:00 PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Saturday, March 14
4:00 PM ✞Anna Dempsey – Dempsey Children

Sunday, March 15 THIRD SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners
4:00 PM Deanery Stations of the Cross – St. Nicholas, Glen Lyon
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Take a lesson from your clock.
It passes the time by keeping its little hands busy.

The Prayer of St. Ephraim
O Lord and Master of my life, spare me from the spirit of indifference, despair, lust for power, and idle chatter. Instead, grant to me, your servant, the spirit of wholeness of being, humble-mindedness, patience and love.
O Lord and King, grant me the grace to be aware of my sins and not to judge my brothers; for You are blessed now and forever and ever.  Amen

Lessons on Life
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. 
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so
sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with
fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree’s life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the
beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. 
Moral:
Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don’t judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come
some time.
Live Simply. Love Generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly.  Leave the Rest to God.
Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keep You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!

PRAYERS: Please remember in your prayers the sick of the parish..
Always pray to have eyes that see the best,
A heart that forgives the worst,
A mind that forgets the bad,
And a soul that never loses faith.

THE EIGHTBEATITUDES & THEIR MEANINGS
RECITE ONLY THE UNDERLINED.

#1 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
#2 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
#3 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
#4 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
#5 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (We
#6 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
#7 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
#8 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

REFKECTIONS OF THE BEATITUDES

1 (Be satisfied with what you have. Share the good things we have with others because God wants us to.)
2 (Comfort those who are suffering. Help others feel better about themselves after a loss.)
3 (Humility-a true sense of who you are. Get the ego out of the way.)
4 (Do what is fair for everyone. Think WWJD)
5 (We forgive those who are unkind to us. Look for ways to show kindness to others.)
6 (We do what is right just because we know it is the right thing to do.)
7 (We try to bring God’s peace to the world. We control our behavior so people can see Jesus in us.)
8 (We are willing to stand up for God’s laws even if we are teased or insulted.)

Second Sunday of Lent
The second Sunday of Lent is called “Sunday of the palsied Man.” Men must repent for their sins. If they want to be forgiven Christ cannot heal our soul if we do not repent for having offended God by our iniquities. The Church leads us in pious exercises of prayer and fasting because our weakness can be healed by them.

SECOND SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
On this day we celebrate the memory of our holy father Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica

WELCOME FATHER MAKAR FOR THE SERVICES THIS WEEKEND.

SANCTUARY LIGHT: No Request

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Our Parish will be the host for the Deanery Stations of the Cross this Sunday and fellowship afterward. It would be nice to see our parishioners attending this Lenten Service.

MAY LOTTERY: The May Lottery tickets are available and you are asked to be cooperative in buying and trying to sell some of the tickets.

Happy Birthday Father Walter. May God bless you with many more Happy, Healthy Years. Mnohya Lita!

LUC MEETING: The North Anthracite Council of the LUC will meet on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at 6:00pm at Grotto Pizza, Edwardsville. Discussion will include the March 27 to 29 Lenten Retreat at St. Mary’s Villa Spiritual Center, Sloatsburg, NY; the May 16 bus trip to New York City; and, the September 2020 National Convention in Upstate New York hosted by the Niagara Frontier Council. A warm invitation is extended to all parishioners of our Anthracite Deanery to become members of the LUC to further the richness and beauty of our Ukrainian Greek Catholic heritage. For further information contact Janina Everett, Membership Coordinator

TIME CHANGE: Remember to turn your clocks forward one hour thisSunday, at 2:00 AM. This is the beginning of Day Light Saving Time

LENTEN RETREAT: A Spiritual Lenten Retreat, Sponsored by the League of Ukrainian Catholics will be held March 27 – 29, 2020 at St. Mary’s Villa, Sloatsburg, NY. Retreat Master Msyr. Martin Canavan. Director of Spiritual Formation at St. Basil Seminary, Stanford, CT. Fee is $180 which includes meals, room and program. Contact Marion Hrubec

Saturday, Feb. 29 Good’s Blessings for good health
4:00 PM Father Stephen Saffron
Sunday, March 1 FIRST SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioner
4:00 PM STATIONS OF THE CROSS – SS Peter & Paul, Wilkes-Barre, PA

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Wednesday, March 4
4:00 PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Saturday, March 7
4:00 PM ✞ Mary Ambrose – Rosemarie Kachinko
Sunday, March 8 SECOND SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners
4:00 PM Deanery Stations of the Cross – SS Peter & Paul, U.C.C. Plymouth, PA

LENTEN RETREAT
There will be a Lenten Retreat on Saturday and Sunday March 7th and 8th here in Ss. Peter and Paul, Plymouth.  Fr. Paul Makar, the Pastor of St. Nicholas in Minersville, PA and Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Middleport, PA, will visit Ss. Peter and Paul and celebrate the Divine Liturgy.  The “retreat” will part of the liturgy and will in essence be a longer homily than you are normally accustomed to receiving.  As we have no “extra” priests available to provide our parish a Lenten Retreat, Fr. Paul Makar and I have agreed to swap parish assignments for this weekend so he could give you a Lenten Retreat and I could provide a Lenten Retreat for his parishes.  Please give him a warm welcome as you do with all visitors to our parish.  For the Stations of the Cross at 4 p.m. on Sunday, I fully expect to return in time for this and the reception that will follow.

THE SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY

The first Sunday of the Great Fast is called the Sunday of Orthodoxy. What do we mean by “orthodoxy”? The word “orthodoxy” stems from the Greek word “orthodoxia” (orthos=right; doksa=opinion) which signifies the true faith and the true worship of God. We are not speaking here of orthodoxy as we understand it today as being separated from Rome, but orthodoxy, as applied to the whole Church of Christ until the schism when Rome left behing the other 4 Patriarchates, which occurred in the eleventh century during patriarchate of Cerularius (1054). The orthodoxy that we celebrate this Sunday is catholic (universal) orthodoxy, professed by the entire Church of Christ of the first centuries in the battle against the heresy of Iconoclasm (Gr – eikon=image; klastes=a breaker; – an image breaking heresy). Because God became man, the Son of God took on flesh we can write icons and depict the Son of God in image. The Sunday of Orthodoxy is a festival for the whole Church, both Eastern and Western. It is the festive celebration of the decisive victory over Iconoclasm and other heresies.
The purpose of this feast is to pay solemn public homage and veneration to Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother of God, and all the Saints in image.
The Church of Christ deeply respects and honors the holy icons as it also does holy relics. She places them in church for public veneration and recommends that we venerate them privately in our homes, and wear small icons around our necks in the form of little crosses or medals because these are windows into heaven and Jesus and the saints are present to us in iconography (via proxy).

SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY
 We remember the restoration of icons and we venerate to the holy icons of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Most Blessed and Ever Virgin Mother of God Mary, and all the Saints.

THE GREAT FAST
Although our time has brought with it many changes in traditions, and discipline, and the bishops have relaxed the rules for fasting, including the Great Fast, nevertheless, the Forty Days Fast still has massive importance for our spiritual life. For various reasons, today we can still fast as our ancestors did even though bishops may not direct you to; yet even today we are still obliged to fast – that is, we are obliged to refrain from sin, and from giving in to our evil inclinations. We are also obliged to pray and to practice virtue and good deeds. In reality then, the most important goal of the Great Fast is our spiritual growth.
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts:
A typical Lenten service is the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Already in the first centuries there was a custom during the Forty Days Fast to omit the celebration of the Divine Liturgy because, at that time, it was still linked with agape, that is the love banquet, and this was not in keeping with the spirit of fasting. Furthermore, the Divine Liturgy is regarded as joyful mystery; for this reason, its celebration was limited to Saturdays and Sundays. On the other days of the week to give the faithful an opportunity to receive Holy Communion, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts developed which is Vespers with Communion added. Actually, this is not a Divine Liturgy in the sense of the word, for it does not have the consecration of bread and wine, the Anaphora; but rather, it is a Vespers service with the distribution Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of Christ reserved since Sunday, from which the bread was consecrated and became Christ! Hence, the name of Presanctified Gifts.
The Council of Laodicia (c.364) prescribed: “It is not permitted during the Great Fast to offer up the Bread (that is the Holy Liturgy), except on Saturday and Sunday” (rule 49). The Sixth Ecumenical Council of Trullo (691) decreed: “On all the days of the Great Fast, with the exception of Saturday and Sunday, and the feast of the Annunciation, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts must be celebrated. “ (rule 52).

SUNDAY LITURGIES DURING LENT:
WHY DO THEY SEEM LONGER?

Our Byzantine Church prescribes that the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is to be celebrated on all of the Sundays of Lent, instead of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which is celebrated throughout the rest of the church year.  St.
Basil’s Anaphora prayers are older and has longer priestly prayers than the St. John Chrysostom Liturgy (which was derived from the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great), and is celebrated ten times during the church year:  the five Sundays of Lent (not Palm Sunday), Holy Thursday, Holy Saturday, Christmas Eve, Epiphany Eve, and on the actual Feast of St. Basil which we celebrate on January 1.
SANCTUARY LIGHT: NO REQUEST.
WOMEN’S SOCIETY: The date has been changed again for the next Women’s Society meeting. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 3rd at 11:00 AM in the church hall. This is necessary due to the fact that the Hall must be prepared for the Fellowship serving after the Stations of the Cross on Sunday, March 8th. Please try to be present as you are needed to set up for this occasion.
DESSERTS: We ask our great dessert makers to help with the serving of fellowship on Sunday, March 8th after the Stations of the Cross. Your contribution or any dessert you wish to donate will be greatly appreciated.

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS; Father Walter will celebrate his Birthday on Saturday, March 7th. May God grant him many more Happy, Healthy Years. Mnohya Lita!

CALENDAR LOTTERY: It is time for our May Lottery tickets. Mike Sinko had the tickets printed and ready for distribution. Please, if you can take a few to sell it would be a great help as we are missing a few of our sellers. Ask your family and friends to purchase a chance to win.

TIME CHANGE: It is time to spring forward. Turn you clocks forward one hour next Sunday, March 8th at 2:00 AM. This is the beginning of Day Light Saving Time.

LUC MEETING: The North Anthracite Council of the LUC will meet on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at 6:00pm at Grotto Pizza, Edwardsville. Discussion will include the March 27 to 29 Lenten Retreat at St. Mary’s Villa Spiritual Center, Sloatsburg, NY; the May 16 bus trip to New York City; and, the September 2020 National Convention in Upstate New York hosted by the Niagara Frontier Council. A warm invitation is extended to all parishioners of our Anthracite Deanery to become members of the LUC to further the richness and beauty of our Ukrainian Greek Catholic heritage. For further information contact Janina Everett, Membership Coordinator,