November 8, 2026
Saturday, November 7 TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
4:00 PM John Ostrum – Gayle & Bobby Miles
Sunday, November 8 ARCHANGEL MICHAEL & AND ALL THE ANGELS
TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
8:30 AM God’s Blessings & Good Health for All Parishioners
Saturday, November 14 TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
4:00 PM God’s Blessings & Good Health for All Parishioners
Sunday, November 15 TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
8:30 AM Helene Sirak- Tom & Mary Ann Potsko
Phillip’s Fast
This fast begins forty days before the Nativity of our Lord on November 15, the day after the feast of St. Philip, and that is why it called Saint Philip’s Fast (or the Philipian Fast – Pilipiwka in Ukrainian). The Philipian Fast is a time to prepare us to receive Christ into the world and into our hearts. On each Sunday of the fast in our church we celebrate a different figure who has helped to show us the way.
1. The first holy person we encounter is the Evangelist St. Matthew whose feast is celebrated on November 16. St. Matthew is the first Evangelist to give us the infancy narratives in the Gospels, the first to announce the “Good News” of salvation. He begins us on our journey.
2. Next we celebrate the entrance of the Theotokos (The God bearer – Mary) into the temple. Mary goes into the Temple to prepare her heart for God. She is the Temple where the Son of God will make His home until His birth. She shows us how to be true servants of the Lord who may give our entire life, so that we may also become worthy dwelling places for our Savior.
3. St. Andrew who is celebrated on Nov. 30, was the first apostle called by Jesus. Tradition tells that he travelled to Slavic territories to bring the light of Christ’s message to the Slavic people. He encourages, us to be the bearers of the light of Jesus to others.
4. The Feast of St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker, is on December 6. The story of this Saint is well known. St. Nicholas’ life is an example to us all of preparing our hearts by loving acts for one another.
5. This week we commemorate the ancestors of our faith; the great men and women of the Bible who kept the promise of the Messiah alive through the ages; the prophets, and we especially admire the Prophet Daniel and the faith and courage of the three children who went into the fiery furnace. They teach us to be courageous in our faith.
6. This week, we remember the ancestors of Jesus. These holy people waited and prayed with hope in their hearts that God would send the promised Savior to the world. They remind us to wait for the Savior with hope in our hearts.
(excerpt from the Edmonton Eparchy)
NOVEMBER BOOK: The Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation From the Works of St. Alphonsus Liguori Adapted from the German of Rev. Paul Leick by Rev. Fr. Cornelius J. Wareen C.SS.R.
PRAYER FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCH
O glorious St. Michael, guardian and defender of the Church of Jesus Christ, come to the assistance of the Church, against which the powers of hell are unchained, guard with especial care her august Head, and obtain that for Him and for us the hour of triumph may speedily arrive. O glorious Archangel St. Michael, watch over us during life, defend us against the assaults of the devil, assist us especially at the hour of death; obtain for us a favorable judgement, and the happiness of beholding God face to face for endless ages. Amen.
ASK FATHER A QUESTION? Father, if I go to communion- how long before communion should I fast? One hour before church? One hour before communion? When it comes time in preparation for encountering Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, from the time of the Apostles, the tradition had been to eat and drink nothing, even water, from dinner time (sundown) until we present ourselves for Holy Eucharist. Now the bishops of the church, over time, “relaxed” the requirement of what should be done as a minimum in preparing for receipt of Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion). First was to reduce the time from going to sleep until receiving Eucharist. Then later, for at least 3 hours before the Diving Liturgy begins and then the latest, in the 1960’s, was a reduction to 1 hour before the Divine Liturgy begins. These times of 3 and 1 hour were done when the church had grown so large that everyone could not attend a single Divine Liturgy early in the morning and liturgies were added so that some did not receive Eucharist until well after mid-day. Today the bishops permit the minimum of 1 hour. Notice; this is 1 hour before the liturgy begins not 1 hour before the time at which the Eucharist is distributed. Also, of importance is to understand that these prescriptions are for people of good health and are able to actually follow these prescriptions. For the very young, aged and infirm this rule is relaxed. The Church understands the need for worldly food and Spiritual Food, to nourish the body and the soul, and as the child is too young to grasp the understanding of how fasting is a spiritual growth, of being in control of one’s appetites, it is acceptable for them to be permitted to eat. For the aged and infirm the rule is relaxed for material needs. When a person thinks about this issue like that of an athlete training for competition, fasting is then understood to be like training the muscles to succeed in the athletic event. Fasting, being in control of one’s own appetite, is training the self to be in self-control of decision by free will. This is spiritual training to succeed in virtue over sin when a temptation presents itself. If a person never trains then that person is setting themselves up for failure. Failure to plan is planning to fail.
ASK FATHER A QUESTION? Why are there bells on the incensor?
The bells represent the apostles calling the people to Jesus Christ. There should be 12 bells with the ringer removed from one, this one represents Judas who lost his voice when he betrayed Jesus and fell silent. We are supposed to be standing when the King, Jesus Christ enters and because the holy doors are supposed to be closed for much of the liturgy, the people would not necessarily be able to see what is happening at the altar, so when the people hear the bells they know it is time to stand. In addition, some people have commented, “Father, we have never seen anyone swing the incenser like you do.” What the priest does before incensing the church is first stand in front of the altar and make a sign of the cross with the incenser. Some priests do it Roman Catholic style with their hand while holding the incenser, I swing the incenser so that the incenser boat, with the incense, makes the sign of the cross, first the vertical pole swinging up and then the cross beam, and now it is time to incence the entire church.
The Altar Candles for the month of October are requested by Rosemarie Kachinko IMO Ronald Kachinko and Sandra Elko.
The Sanctuary Light was requested by Michaelene Ostrum IMO her aunt Olga Uhas.
WOMEN’S SOCIETY: The Women’s Society will hold their monthly meeting Tuesday, November 10th at 6PM in the church hall. A summary of the rummage sale, dates for cleaning the church and hall are some of the topics that will be discussed at the meeting. The society is always open and look forward for new members to join.
Baptism Announcement: On Saturday November 28th at the 4 pm liturgy we will celebrate the Baptism and Chrismation of Jett John Schappert, the new-born son of Jude and Ali Schappert.
CHRISTMAS FLEA MARKET: Transfiguration of Our Lord Church will be having a Christmas Flea Market on Saturday, November 21st (9am-2pm) & Saturday November 28th (9am-2pm), and Saturday, December 5th (9am-2pm). There will be Ukrainian Raffle Baskets. The drawing will be Saturday, December 5th at 2:00PM weather permitting. Food will be served: Pierogies, whimpies, clam chowder and more for eat-in or take-out.
LITURGY: We will have a Liturgy on Sunday, November 8th at 10:30AM for Father Paul Wolensky at Transfiguration of Our Lord Church. It is hoped that we will sing this Liturgy and that all singing voices can come together in loving memory of Father Paul Wolensky. We will have coffee & cake immediately following church in Father Paul’s Memory. Everyone is welcome.
Petitions & Prayers for Our Parishioners: Donna Winsock, Sonia Dempsey, Catherine Halloway, Charles Hallaway, Louise Hubiack, Frank Udiski, Paul Hoover & James Bencho, Reader John Fedorko. Keep them in your prayers. If anyone would like to be included in the prayer list drop a note in the basket, email the church or text Michalene Ostrum at 570-704-7079.
A Spiritual Psalter
or Reflections on God
from the writings of
Saint Ephraim the Syrian
148
The saints themselves shall marvel at their glory.
Blessed is the man who obtains boldness in the terrible day of judgment and hears with the others: Come, ye who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you since the creation of the world!
Then each man, when he sees himself in the light, will begin to examine himself and wonder: Can this be me? And how did it happen that I who am unworthy have made it here?
The angels will come with great joy and begin to glorify the saints and extol their lives: their struggles, restraint, vigilance, prayers, voluntary poverty, perfect lack of acquisitiveness, tolerance of thirst, perseverance in hunger, constant maintenance of prayerful attention, joy in nakedness endured for the love of Christ — all this shall the angels proclaim with joy to the righteous.
And in answer the righteous will say to them: There was not even one day when we could be found with as much as one good deed.
The angels will remind them anew of the times and places where they performed their deeds, and again they shall marvel at themselves and begin to glorify God, seeing that their bodies shine in the heavens more than light — and thus are they repaid for the minor deprivations and sorrows they suffered voluntarily on earth.
They found a treasure hidden in a field and, having sold all they had on earth, they acquired it and found a wondrous pearl. By their suffering did they receive and harbor this pearl in themselves and, though they were unaware of it, they prepared themselves an undefiled and incorrupt garment.
The labor of ascetic struggle is not great, but great is the respite it brings. The struggle to achieve restraint is brief, but the repose that is its reward lasts unto the ages of ages.
Remembrance Day for the Victims of Holodomor (Stalin imposed Genocide) in Ukraine this year is Saturday, NOVEMBER 28, 2026.
In 1932–1933, a man-made famine, known as the Holodomor, killed 3.3–12 million ethnic Ukrainians in theSoviet Socialist Republic (The Soviet Union), included in a total of 5.5–20 million killed by the broader Soviet famine of 1930–1933. At least 4 million ethnic Ukrainians died as a result of the famine in the USSR.
