SS Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Saturday, February 27

4:00 PM ✞ Fr. Frank Patrylak – The Patrylak Family

Sunday, February 28   SECOND SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST

8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners

   Wednesday, March 3

4:00 PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts  

    Saturday, March 6

4:00 PM ✞ Eugene Slabinski – Walter, Debbie, Johnathan & Michael Boyson

    Sunday, March 7 THIRD SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST

        8:30 AM VENERATION OF THE CROSS

                                          God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners

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. 

CHURCH AND CEMETERY GROUNDS: Our grounds keeper, Jeremy, informed the parish that he will not be available to do the church grounds and the cemetery maintenance this year. If you know of any one that does this type of work and would be interested, please notify the office. Estimates are necessary from 3 different companies. 

ST. GREGORY PALAMAS

Today is the Second Sunday of Lent in which we commemorate St. Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonika (his regular feast is November 14). He lived in the 14th century, became a monk and eventually the champion of Hesychasm. What is “hesychasm”? It comes from the Greek word hesychia, meaning silence and solitude. The Hesychasts were the monks and nuns who regularly and frequently practiced silence as part of their prayer life. Their practice centered on the Prayer of the Heart and especially the Jesus Prayer. Many of these hesychasts talked about their direct experience of God through seeing His uncreated Light.

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Saturday, February 20 FIRST SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST

4:00 PM ✞ Alex Szumskyj – Ulana Campbell

Sunday, February 21 FIRST SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST

8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners 

    Wednesday, February 24

4:00 PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts 

    Saturday, February 27

4:00 PM ✞ Fr. Frank Patrylak – Patrylak Family

    Sunday, February 28 SECOND SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST 

      8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners

As it is not possible to walk without feet or fly without wings, so it is impossible to attain the Kingdom of Heaven without the fulfillment of the commandments.”

St. Theophan the Recluse

The First Sunday of the Great Fast is called the Sunday of Orthodoxy. What do we mean by “orthodoxy”? The word “orthodoxy” is from the Greek word “ortho-doxia”, ‘ortho’ meaning straight and ‘doxia’ meaning belief; hence, straight-belief, or correct-belief.  The orthodoxy that we celebrate this Sunday is truth that we can represent God, the Son of God, Jesus Christ in image, against the heresy of Iconoclasm.  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 which sought to destroy all images of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom is God.

Building Fund: The Parish appreciates the donation received in memory of Father Patrylak from Chet and Phyllis Kempinski.      

Signing with the cross – Lord Jesus,

I sign my heart with the sign of the cross, reminding myself of your love for each person.

I ask that I may grow in faithfulness as your friend. 

I sign my lips with the sign of the cross, that I may speak as you would speak.

I sign my hands with the sign of the cross asking that you enable me to do your work,

and be your hands in our world which you love so much

I sign my eyes with the sign of your cross that I may really see, Lord, and be aware of all that is around me.

I sign my ears with the sign of your cross that I may listen and really hear the communication that comes to me in different ways-

from you and from the people you place into my life.

I sign my shoulders, Lord, with your cross, knowing that you call me

to carry my own cross each day and support others in the burdens and

difficulties that they have.

All that I do today I set out to do in the name of the Father (+)

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This is the First Sunday of Lent

On this Sunday the Church

exhorts the faithful to purify

the image of their souls by a

true repentance.

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

Saturday, February 13 

4:00 PM God’s blessings for Gary Poullard – The Poullard family.

Sunday, February 14 SUNDAY OF CHEESEFARE

8:30 AM God’s Blessing and Good Health for all parishioners. 

Wednesday, February 17  

4:00 PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts   

Saturday, February 20 

4:00 PM             God’s blessings for Alex Szumskyj – Ulana Campbell

Sunday, February 21  FIRST SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST

8:30AM God’s Blessing and Good Health for all parishioners

THE GREAT FAST BEGINS MONDAY

Monday, February 15, 2021 marks the beginning of The Great Fast (Lent). The Great Forty-day Fast is a time when we intensify our prayers and work more to grow spiritually, and work on spiritual excersies through fasting, praying, and almsgiving (acts of charity [corporeal works of mercy]).  Only through proper preparation, serious effort, can we hope to grow spiritually and properly prepare for our Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection and we need the Priest for this.  Do not do this alone!  The first day of The Great Fast and Good Friday are days of strict abstinence for Ukrainian Greek Catholics – we are not to eat any meat or dairy products all day long, and we should strive to limit our consumption of food.  All Wednesdays and Fridays during The Great Fast are days of mandatory abstinence from all meat products.  Our fasting regulations are optional only for persons older than 59 and younger than 7.  Everyone else is obliged to follow the rules of abstinence of our Church.

ALTAR CANDLES – The Altar Candles have burned and will burn during the month of February for all services in memory of Michael Sirak, Olga Uhas & Fred Uhas requested by Michaelene Ostrum

BUILDING FUND: Our thanks for the donations to our Parish Building & Improvement fund in memory of Father Frank Patrylak from: The Lacey Family, Randi & Jeff Neff, Rosalie Bigus, Karen Harper and Joseph & Victoria Dilazzaro. 

The donations are greatly appreciated. 

Forgiveness is a wonderful way to lift yourself up and it is the best way to encourage yourself and others to do better. 

Lord, grant me greater understanding and wisdom so that I can move past my problems into a new day.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2021 IS ALSO CALLED FORGIVENESS SUNDAY

Forgiveness of Sins

The forgiveness of sins can be viewed from many different aspects. The spirituality of the West tends to accentuate man’s activity in receiving the sacraments, performing good works and believing in Christ. These are all part of the total response; but Byzantine spirituality has the peculiar emphasis of seeing the forgiveness of sins effected through praise of God in repentance.  Christ’s act of love in His passion and resurrection is a victory over the forces of evil and over sin itself when we turn away from sin. We share in this victory when we acknowledge it and praise the Victor. We actually enter into the Kingdom as we recognize Him, in praise, to be the source of our sanctification, and we participate in His glory and holiness when joyful praise cleanses our hearts while celebrating His victory:

We beg forgiveness for our stumbling, Christ God; because you chose, of your own free will, to ascend upon the cross in the flesh in order to deliver from the enemy’s yoke those you had created. For this reason we cry out to you in thanksgiving: ‘You our Savior have filled all things with joy when you came to save the world.’  (Feast of the Ikon of Christ)

Ss. Basil and Chrysostom, and many other Fathers of the Church, often repeat that one of the effects of praising God is to “forgive sins” “purify the soul,” “bring down the grace of God.” St. Cyril of Jerusalem insists that “by our spiritual hymns our sins are forgiven, and we sanctify ourselves.” St. Basil says “when the day is breaking (his community) sings together with one mouth and one heart the psalm of confession (Ps. 51) to the Lord, each making his own words the words of repentance and thus having his sins forgiven him.” St. John Chrysostom explains, “Psalm 141 has the effect of purifying a soul and forgiving sins.  By stirring up the soul it enkindles a desire for God and a desire to turn away from sin, i.e. repentance. Once the soul has burst into flame and overflows with joy and love, sins are forgiven, go and sin no more. Where there is love, every evil vanishes from the soul. When God is thus remembered, sins are forgiven and evil destroyed.”
Confession, therefore, is not only an acknowledgement of man’s misery and of his need for help, it is a untying from the Devil and his demons, it is also (and perhaps more so) a joyful proclamation of God’s saving goodness; it is an act of worship:

My heart is ready, O God,
My heart is ready!

A day without the Lord – Is a day wasted.

Prayer for the Beginning of Lent

Jesus, beloved friend, you call us to a season 

of growth and repentance.

You have high hopes for us; may we not

disappoint you.

May we see your face ahead of us,

beaming at the end of our Lenten Journey.

Give us strength and energy to run 

toward you during this season. 

Give us integrity and generosity in each

new challenge.

We ask this of You who lives and reign

with God the Father

In the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,

for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord said:

“If you forgive men their offences (against you), your heavenly Father will also forgive you (your offences). But if you do not forgive men their transgressions, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your transgressions (against Him).”

Un-forgiveness

Nothing is as painful, as un-forgiveness to the soul;

A heart that’s torn asunder, with forgiveness becomes whole.

A single kind word spoken means more than countless words;

The three words, “I forgive you,” are all that need be heard.

To a soul that has been wounded, like a healing, cooling balm;

Forgiveness soothes and comforts, Till at last the soul is calm.

For the soul that seeks forgiveness, when forgiveness can’t be found;

It struggles vainly everyday, to hear that simple sound.

The power in those three kind words, can heal a heart that’s broken;

But that heart cannot begin to heal, as long as words remain unspoken.

Compassion in its purest sense, reside in those three words;

The three words, “I forgive you,” Are all that need be heard.

Compassion in its purest sense, reside in those three words;

The three words, “I forgive you,” Are all that need be heard.

FEBRUARY 7, 2015

MEATFARE SUNDAY

MEATFARE SUNDAY

SUNDAY OF MEAT – FARE

FEBRUARY 7, 2015

Saturday, Feb. 7

4:00 PM God’s Blessings for Mary Hoolick – Hoolick Family

Sunday, Feb. 8               SUNDAY OF MEATFARE 

      8:30 AM                  God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners                            

Saturday, Feb. 14

4:00 PM  God’s blessings for Gary Poullard – The Poullard family.

Sunday, Feb. 15          CHEESEFARE SUNDAY 

 8:30 AM God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners

      SUNDAY OF MEAT-FARE

 The Sunday of Meat-fare is also called the Sunday of the Terrible Judgment. In the Gospel today, Christ speaks of the Terrible Judgment, of the reward of the righteous, and the eternal punishment of the wicked. By recalling the manner in which the Terrible Judgment will be carried out, this service is designed to fill us with salutary fear, sorrow for our sins, and to stress the importance of good works, especially works of mercy.

No one shall escape this Judgment. All our deeds will be exposed and rewarded or punished. This is clear from the following stichera, “The books will be opened and the acts of men will be revealed before the unbearable judgment seat; the whole vale of sorrow shall echo with the fearful sound of lamentation, as all the sinners, weeping in vain, are sent by your just judgment to everlasting torment.

Therefore, we beseech you, O compassionate and loving Lord: Spare us who sing your praise, for you alone are rich in mercy.”

“The trumpets shall blow, the graves shall be opened and all mankind shall rise trembling greatly, moaning and shaking, as they are separated from the elect and sent to suffering. Therefore, O Lord of glory, be compassionate toward us and make us worthy to be counted among those who love You.”

Everyone shall appear at the Terrible Judgment where there shall be no respect for persons, as the following hymn of the canon of the Matins service of that Sunday makes clear: “The day is approaching, already at the door is the judgment! O Soul, where kings and princes, the rich and the poor gather, where all people shall be judged and receive according to their deeds.”

What do we mean by “meatfare”?

The week following the Sunday of the Prodigal Son is called Meatfare week and it terminates on the Sunday called Meatfare Sunday . Meatfare Sunday is the last day on which it was still permissible to eat meat before the Great Fast. Meatfare means “farewell to meat.” Hence, the name “meatfare” Sunday. Of course, we are speaking here of the time when the Great Fast was observed in all strictness. 

sATURDAY, JANUARY 30 IS THE FIRST ALL SOULS SATURDAY

 Although the Church remembers the souls of the departed faithful in her daily prayers and services, nevertheless, like a good Mother, she still assigns special days in the Liturgical Year on which she commemorates and prays for them. These days are called Souls’ Days or Memorial days. 

All-Souls Saturdays

On Saturday, God rested after He created the world and Jesus Christ rested in the tomb, after having accomplished the salvation of the world; hence, Saturday became the symbol of eternal rest and happiness in God. For this reason, the Church dedicates Saturday to all the souls, who have gone into eternity, but have not yet entered into eternal rest with the Blessed in heaven

    Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory

My Jesus, by the sorrows You suffered in Your agony in the Garden, in Your scourging and crowning with thorns, on the way to Calvary, in Your crucifixion and death, have mercy on the souls in purgatory, and especially on those that are most forsaken; deliver them from the terrible torments they endure; call them and admit them to Your most sweet embrace in paradise. Amen.