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2010

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DECEMBER 2010

XLVI No. 12

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2010
Dated material~~deliver by December 13

Non-Profit Org.
BULK RATE
U.S. Postage

PAID
Permit No. 93
Calumet City, IL 60409

Christmas Pastoral of the Hierarchs of the

Ukrainian Catholic Church
in The United States of America
To Our Reverend Clergy, Reverend
Religious, and to the Faithful:
Christ is Born!

hristmas begins with the joyful

proclamation of good news. An
angel of heaven announces to the
shepherds that the Savior has been born.
It is good news which cannot be contained. It is announced and celebrated in
heaven and on earth by glorious choirs
and lowly shepherds. We joyfully proclaim in our beautiful traditional way that
"God is among us!" It is constantly repeated many times during the evening
Compline Service. It is as if we cannot
say it enough!
The angel announced to the shepherds
the birth of Jesus and led them to the
manger. The angel also directed the three
kings or astrologers to search for the newborn Jesus. Both the simple shepherds
and the well-studied astrologers heeded the proclamation of Jesus' birth
in the world. They
re-arranged their
lives to search for
Jesus. They made
personal sacrifice
to greet Jesus into
the world. Their
hearts were open
to the hand of
God
amidst
them.
The ruler at the
time, Herod, was
also blessed to
hear of the newborn King, Jesus.
His heart and
mind were not
open to God's
presence.
He
regarded Jesus'
authority as a threat to his own authority.
Pride does that to any person. The self
takes on greater importance and significance than God Himself. The person ends
up losing the privilege of coming to know
God. The angel of the Lord directed the
astrologers to take a different route home
to avoid revealing to Herod the place of
the Child Jesus.
God continually intervenes through
people in His love and concern for the
welfare of all peoples. Yet, there are those
who choose to allow pride and selfishness
to overtake their hearts. They diminish

the light of Jesus in the world. Reflect on

how you yourself reveal the light of Jesus
Christ in your life. Can you say of yourself that you are a hopeful person? Do
you reflect God's love in your words and
actions with others? Or, do you allow
selfishness and pride to dominate your
choices in life? Do you radiate God's love
or do you diminish it?
Choosing to love God and to share the
light of Jesus Christ will bring you to a
closer journey with Jesus in your earthly
life and in eternity. Allow yourself to be
the bright light of Jesus' love and care in
the word around you and with the people
you were given to love and to nurture in
Jesus' name. You will come to share in the
blessedness of our Blessed Mother who
will intercede for your needs with Her
Son, Jesus. You will then truly celebrate
Christmas!
God grant you a most blessed
Christmas celebration, filled
with much joy shared
with others. Know of
our love for you
and of our remembrance of you in
our prayers.
May you be
blessed with good
health, happiness,
and much contentment in all of
your endeavors
in the coming
year!
Christ is
Born!
Let Us
Glorify Him!

+Stefan Soroka
Metropolitan-Archbishop of
Philadelphia
+Richard Seminack
Eparch of St. Nicholas in Chicago
+Paul Chomnycky, OSBM
Eparch of Stamford
+John Bura
Apostolic Administrator
of St. Josaphat in Parma
Christmas, 2010

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NEW STAR

December, 2010

Traveling Icon in Oregon

he Eparchial Jubilee Year Icon of

the Protection of the Mother of
God arrived in the South-West
Deanery. Its first stop was at the Nativity of the Mother of God Church in
Springfield, Oregon, where it was venerated at the Sunday Divine Liturgy on
October 17th. Fittingly, that Sunday was
the Commemoration of the Fathers of
the Seventh Ecumenical Council, who
upheld the use and veneration of icons:
"As the sacred and life-giving cross is
everywhere set up as a symbol, so also
should the images of Jesus Christ, the
Virgin Mary--the holy angels, as well as
those of the saints and other pious and

holy people be embodied in the manufacture of sacred vessels, tapestries,

vestments, etc., and exhibited on the
walls of churches, in the homes, and in
all conspicuous places, by the roadside
and everywhere, to be revered by all
who might see them"
Attached to each of the icon cards that
were distributed was the name of one of
the eparchy's nearly 50 parishes, missions and monasteries. Included were
the names of the clergy serving that
parish, and the internet address or the
church's picture, or the parish's website,
if they were available. The people were
asked to pray each day during the fol-

11

lowing week for the clergy and

faithful of the parish/mission/
monastery whose name they
received and to remember that
even though the parishes "Out
West" are far from one another,
we are still united in Christ within our eparchy, under the pastoral
care of our bishop, Richard.
From left to right, Moises Molina, Sophie Morton and Justin
May stand next to the icon of the
Mother of God, with St. Nicholas
behind them, holding cards with
the names of the parishes for
whom they were praying.

Traveling Icon in Grand Rapids

Jubilee Icon Visits Twin Cities

he Eparchial Jubilee Icon of the munities, but are interwoven into a great
he Twin Cities of Minneapolis/ Parish of Saint Constantine Church in
Protection of the Mother of God mosaic of spiritual tapestries. This icon
Saint Paul, Minnesota, were Minneapolis for ceremonies concludrecently visited St. Michael's and its journey speak to this great truth.
visited by the Jubilee Icon of ing the icon's visit to the deanery. In
Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
While our congregation venerated the
the Mother of God, having first been the presence of His Grace, Bishop
Father Michael Bliszcz, pastor of St. icon, some recalled how they (or their
in other deanery parishes in Nebraska, RICHARD (Seminack).
Michael's, along with parishioner Ms. parents or grandparents) came to AmThe Jubilee Icon was placed on the
Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and
Linda Tymensky, drove to Warren, erica--how hard it was to get work. One
tetrapod for veneration amid blue
North Dakota.
Michigan, to transport the icon. Upon parishioner wondered if there were ways
The icon arrived in the Twin
its arrival, three parishioners, Mrs. to put more of those with jobs in touch
Cities from Minot, North DaMaria Bereza, Mrs. Anna Holynsky and with the unemployed. Another, after
kota. The Seat of the Upper MidMrs. Anna Marczuc--the latter two venerating the icon, questioned whether
west Deanery is in Minneapolis
founding members of
one might be
where Fr Canon Michael Stelthe church--took it out
inspired to demach, pastor at St Constantine
of its traveling consign a web
Church, is Dean.
tainer and surrounded
page. Someone
The icon first went to the
the image with a rainelse was inspiparish of Saint Stephen in Saint
bow of flowers. "It's
red to suggest
Paul to be venerated on Satbeautiful!" exclaimed
that Skype or eurday, September 25th.where the
one as she first saw
mail be used to
Divine Liturgies are on Saturday
the jeweled icon
start an interafternoon. The Divine Liturgy
which ignited many
parish prayer
was celebrated for God's blessflames of faith during
group. The sick
ings upon the Eparchy and all
its all-too-short stay.
and the homewho live in it. After the Liturgy, The Jubilee Icon rests upon the tetrapod at
St Constantine Church, in Minneapolis
Liturgical services
bound
were
all the parishioners came up to
began with Matins
brought
to
venerate the Jubilee Icon and receive votive lamps and many flower arcelebrated by Father
mind and, peran anointing with holy oil. The parish- rangements with an embroidered
John Leonard, a
haps to be visitioners then posed with the Pastor and ruchnyk placed around the icon itself.
Melkite priest, while
ed more freThe Jubilee Icon stayed at St Conthe Icon. Although a small communiFr Michael Bliszcz
quently after
ty, St Paul has a big heart and is a very stantine Ukrainian Catholic Church
heard confessions.
the icon's visit.
generous community, supporting the for yet a week after the festivities and
The
Jubilee
Icon
was
placed
in
a
shrine
After Divine LitWe should
parish. The parishioners felt privi- now continues its journey throughout
urgy, both priests and at St Michael Church, amid other icons thank and pray
leged to have the Jubilee Icon of the the Eparchy, in the South and West
of the Most Holy Virgin
the congregation recitfor our Bishop
Deanery, eventually back to Chicago
Mother of God come to them.
ed the prayer for the 50th Jubilee of St and all who dedicate their time and enerThe Jubilee Icon then went to the for permanent enthronement in St
Nicholas Eparchy.
gy to make it possible that we experiNicholas Cathedral.
During its brief visit to St. Michael's, ence this unique pilgrimage.
The visit of the Jubilee
the Icon touched hearts in an amazing
In Eastern Churches, many icons are
Icon of the Mother of
number of ways. Some parishioners believed to be miraculous. Individuals
God and the visit of
were moved to reflect on their origins as usually travel many miles to venerate
Bishop Richard were a
American Ukrainian Catholics, while them and pray that petitions will be
great source of spiritual
others were inspired to greater Christian heard. But in this unique pilgrimage,
renewal, blessings and
service.
the icon is doing the traveling. Let us
grace that does not come
When Father Michael Bliszcz in- pray the Icon of the Patronage of the
frequently but which lasts
formed those gathered that the icon Mother will inspire all who she visits to
long after the event has
would go from parish to parish to be greater faith and action it in the name of
passed.
venerated in every church in the our Lord, Jesus Christ.
by Father Canon
Eparchy, those present were reminded
Parishioners gather around the Jubilee Icon
Michael
Stelmach
by
Father
Michael
Bliszcz
at St Stephen Mission Church, in St Paul.
that we receive the Initiation Sacraments
of Baptism, Chrismation, and Holy
Eucharist and become part of a community greater than ourselves--of many
o the readers of New Star are extended all the blessings and
parishes, many eparchies. In every
Divine Liturgy, we pray not only for the
joys of the festive commemoration of the Presence of God
physical and spiritual needs of our
With Us during this festive season noting the birth, baptism
parish but for all individuals throughout
the eparchy--and the world.
and ministry of Jesus Christ, Son of God!
The icon will bring many blessings to
our Eparchy as it travels throughout our
parishes. It transcends any sense of
being isolated or that we are small com-

The staff of New Star

G o d I s Wi t h U s !

12

December, 2010

NEW STAR

CHANCELLOR HAS YET

ANOTHER

DUTY: Fr

James Karepin, OP, Chancellor and Ecumenical Officer

of the Eparchy of St Nicholas has yet another duty. He
has been chosen to chair the Ecumenism Metro
Chicago group.
With the permission of both his provincial and
eparch, Bishop RICHARD (Seminack) he has begun
serving the term of office, including the planning of the
annual Chicagoland prayer service for the Week of
Prayer for Christian Unity.

18 CHURCHES OF ODESA REGION DEFEND

GREEK CATHOLICS: Earlier this year, prayer services were held in churches of Odesa and the Odesa region
to intercede for the allocation of a land plot for the construction of a church building of the Ukrainian Greek
Catholic Church, reads a joint address to the mayor of
Odesa and the head of the Odesa Regional Administration signed by the heads of 18 Christian churches of
Odesa, reports most-odessa.info.
The address was signed by bishops, senior pastors,
and leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, Armenian
Apostolic Church, German Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Ukraine, Church of Christians of the Evangelical Church, Association of Evangelical-Reformed
Churches in Ukraine, Regional Association of
Churches of Evangelical Christians Baptists, and
eleven others.
The letter reads in particular: "Our joint address to
you was provoked by the atmosphere of unhealthy
aggression artificially created in the city by certain circles with regard to the construction in Odesa of a
church building of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church. We, as brothers in Christ of Greek Catholics of
Odesa cannot be indifferent to that. We, the heads and
leaders of churches and religious associations of the
city of Odesa, are aware that there are substantial differences in the creeds and church disciplines of our
churches. These differences, however, cannot become a
cause of persecution or discrimination of a particular
religious community."

CONFERENCE OF GREEK CATHOLIC PRIESTS OF

Journeys

ince early summer of this year, every issue of the

New Star has reported on the whereabouts of the
Jubilee Icon of the Mother of God, as it makes its
journey to parishes throughout the Eparchy of St.
Nicholas. The icon, commissioned to celebrate the
Jubilee of the eparchy, was written by Hieromonk
Damian Higgins, a well-known iconographer in our
eparchy. The icon was written to remind us that the
Most Holy Mother of God loves and cares for us. Its
visit to each parish gives each parish the opportunity to
not only showcase the icon itself but also the opportunity to promote and explain our Eastern spiritual heritage. The icon truly is a tool of evangelization for our
parishes, eparchy, and Church! Hopefully it will
remind all of our parishes that we in the eparchy are on
a common journey, to grow and thrive as Church in the
United States of America.
As I have contemplated the journey of the Icon of the
Mother of God, I have also been contemplating my
own journey in life.
If you enter my small home office, you will see piles
of books and papers and of course, a computer, printer
and telephone. You might miss what I consider the focus
of the room--hanging just above my computer screen is
an oil painting of a beautiful forest. I remember when I
bought the painting (from an unknown local artist, many
years ago). I even remember what I paid for it--$50,
which seemed a real extravagance in those days. I
rationalized that I was helping out a poor, starving artist.
What I didn't know, when I purchased the painting, was
how important a role it would have in my life.

RUSSIA AND KAZAKHSTAN: FOR Ukrainians outside

of Ukraine, in the Russian city of Cheliabinsk, a pastoral conference of the Greek Catholic clergy was held
with the participation of the Apostolic Nuncio in Russia
Antonio Mennini, Ordinary of the Greek Catholics in
Russia Bishop YOSYF (Vert), Apostolic Delegate of the
Congregation of the Eastern Churches for Greek
Catholics in the Eastern and Central Asia Fr. Vasyl
Hovera, and priests and nuns serving in Russia and
Kazakhstan.

Professor of theology at the University of Notre

Dame (USA), Fr. Dr. Yurii Avvakumov was a special
guest of the conference. He made several reports on the
history of Greek Catholics in Russia, the figures of
Metropolitan ANDREY (Sheptytsky) and Exarch of the
Russian Greek Catholics, Blessed Martyr LEONID
(Fiodorov).
Also, Bishop Yosyf and Nuncio Antonio Mennini
met with the parishioners of Greek Catholic communities of the city of Cheliabinsk and Kopeisk pastored by
a local parish priest, Fr Andrii Zverev.

KYIV PATRIARCHATE IS REFUSED LAND PLOT IN

SIMFEROPOL: The Crimean Eparchy of the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate has been
refused a permit for development of a draft land management regarding allocation of a land plot for the construction of a cathedral.
According to the Crimean Information Agency, the
draft resolution says that the eparchy asks to allocate
for it a plot on Kyivska Street.
Only nine deputies voted for the allocation. The
mayor of Simferopol,
Hennadii Babenko stated
that confession is a delicate matter and the
deputies are governed by
their religious beliefs in
their voting.

The reason I bought the painting was that it reminded me of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, our Ukrainian Catholic monastery in Redwood Valley, California.
Our family visited the monastery many, many times in
its early years. We would pile the kids in the car and
journey to the monastery, looking forward to its rustic,
rural setting; its wooden chapel, the monks beautifully
chanting our liturgical services in English, and eventually, the huge dining room where we shared many simple, but ample meals. One of my favorite things to do
when there was to hike the main
path up the mountain side; it was
a somewhat rigorous walk, and
you never quite knew what was
around the corner-once one of the
monks met a bear on that path!
But hiking the path gave one the
opportunity to pray and reflect on
one's life and relationship with
God in total peace and serenity,
and because we lived a pretty hectic life, I really relished that.
The painting I bought shows a
path in the middle of the forest,
complete with stepping stones
and intermittent rays of light. There are trees on both
sides of the path and just a little blue showing through
the tree tops. Then as you focus on the path, the stones
disappear and you get the idea that the path is starting
to disappear. So is the sky. And then the path rounds a
corner and disappears-all you see are rays of light. Isn't
that what our lives are like?
Just about every day I look at my painting and I walk

NEW BISHOP FOR RUSSIAN TRUE OTHODOX

CHURCH ORDAINED IN ODESA: On 21-22 October,
in Odesa, at an extraordinary session of the hierarchical
Synod of the Russian True Orthodox Church (RTOC),
a new bishop of RTOC was ordained. According to
www.portal.credo-ru, the newly-ordained bishop is the
senior priest of the Vinnytsia parish of RTOC,
Hieromonach Savatii (Beskorovainyh).
According to the portal, Bishop Savatii is a little over
30. He was ordained priest by Archbishop LAZAR
(Zhurbenko) of Odesa and Tambov in the end of 2003
and served in Odesa before his transferal to Vinnytsia.
On February 2, 2009, he was included in the Higher
Church Council of the Synod of RTOC.
The new bishop is an adherent of the traditional ideology of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and the
Catacomb Church, honors the memory of new martyrs
and has a reputation of a good mentor.

WORLD YOUTH DAY ESSAY CONTEST LAUNCHED: NORTH HAVEN, Connecticut, (Zenit.org).Catholic.net is launching an essay contest in which the
winner will be awarded a trip to
Madrid for World Youth Day next
August.
The competition is open to any
youth between the ages of 16 and 28,
of any nationality.
Participants are asked to write an
essay answering the question: "How
have you found God?"
The best essays will be published
in a book. The deadline for submission is December.
31. Enter at: www.catholic.net/wyd2011competition

MYKOLAJIV POLICE CHECK GREEK CATHOLIC

NUNS: In the settlement of Vradiivka of Mykolaiv
Region, within the territory of the Odesa-Crimean
Exarchate, local police check Greek Catholic spiritual
persons. As sister Pokrova reported to the Information
Department of UGCC, recently, the building where
three nuns temporarily stay, has been visited by police.
The police ordered the nuns to produce documents of
entitlement to the house, where Greek Catholics plan to
organize an asylum. According to the police, that was
due to an application of the local parish priest of UOCMoscow Patriarchate.

the monastery path. I reflect on where I am in life. I

wonder--am I half-way to the end of the path? Less?
More? Am I doing what God wants me to do while on
my journey? Have I been distracted and stumbled off
the path? What exactly is there, around that bend where
the path disappears and there is only light?
My personal journey brought me to writing for the
New Star some ten years ago. I was given the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings about my religious faith when I wrote a short, monthly column on
the subject of Christian Stewardship. I
really believed, and still believe, that if
we practice Christian Stewardship-hierarchy, clergy and parishioners--we
will see our Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church grow and thrive. Then I felt
called to write this column, seeing the
Domestic Church as "A House of
Prayer" because I really believed, and
still believe, that true religious education starts in the home. I do hope that
after all of these columns these many
months you, our readers, can say
"Yes" to the following questions:
Does my home truly reflect my
Ukrainian Catholic faith?
Do we take the time to celebrate our faith at home,
as well as in Church?
Have I created an icon corner or special place in my
home for my family to celebrate our faith together?
Is there anything I could add or remove from our
continued on page 18

NEW STAR

December, 2010

Why?/Why:

By Fr Denny Molitvy

Can you tell us what the proper prayers for confession in our Church are?
The prayers prescribed in the Anthology for Worship
present two possible alternates: a long version and a
short version. Most people are more familiar with the
short version.
Usually persons approach the priest (who may stand
in front of the Icon of Christ on the icon screen) and
begin: "I, a sinner, confess to Almighty God the Lord,
One in the Holy Trinity; to the immaculate Virgin and
Mother of God, to Saint (N) my patron saint, to all the
saints and to you, my spiritual father, all my sins."
Having enumerated the transgressions, the penitent
continues: "For these sins and for all my sins which I
cannot remember, I am truly sorry because I have
offended God, Who is good. I sincerely repent and I
promise with the help of God to better my way of life.
And so, I ask you, my spiritual father, for saving
penance and absolution." Having received any instruction and maybe a penance and the prayer of absolution,
the penitent bows to the priest, says "Thank you,
Father" and kisses the end of the epitrachil he is wearing, and departs in peace.
Since sin harms not only the individual, but the
whole community as well, the "long version" is most
appropriate when a number of people are gathered for
a penance service that still allows for individual enumeration of sins. Sometimes there may be several
priests present to witness the individual enumeration of
sins. This form [from the Small Book of Needs, 1952]
consists of familiar prayers from "Blessed is our
God" through the Lord's Prayer ("Our Father").
Then; Priest: "For the kingdom, the power and the
glory are Yours + Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and
for ever and ever. Amen."
They then recite the following troparia: Have mercy
on us, O Lord, have mercy on us. We sinners bring this
appeal to You, O Master, for we have no defense. Have

Happy Endings
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
Upon those who dwelt in gloom a light has shone.
(Isaiah 9:1)

ho could forget the drama which took place

in Chile a few months ago? Thirty-three
miners had been trapped underground, and
people feared that they had died. When it was discovered that they were alive, despair gave way to hope.
News of the miracle shot around the world, and millions of people became vitally interested in the wellbeing of thirty-three men whom they did not know, and
the eyes of the world were seemingly fixed on the
Chilean desert--a place which must have seemed, to
some, like the edge of the world.
Interest sparked concern, as people from all over the
world got involved in a heroic quest to save the miners.
People of different religions joined together in prayer,
seemingly sheltering the men in a world-wide embrace
of love. Love stronger than death poured in from all
over the world, disguised under many other forms: cold
hard cash, technical expertise, elbow-grease, and drills
stronger than a would-be underground tomb. When at
last the time for a rescue was at hand, six men laid their
very lives on the line, going down into the pit to shepherd the miners from death to life.
One by one, the miners were raised to the surface and
emerged from the rescue capsule to a seismic eruption

mercy on us.
"+ Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the
Holy Spirit;
"Lord, have mercy on us, for we have put our trust in
You. Be not exceedingly angry with us and do not
remember our transgressions, but look upon us now
with compassion. Redeem us from our enemies, for You
are our God, and we are Your people. We are all the
work of Your hands, and we call upon Your name.
"Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
"Open the doors of mercy to us O blessed Mother of
God, that we who hope in you may not perish but be
delivered by you from danger, for you are the salvation
of the Christian people."
The priest then judiciously questions the person who
has come for confession and may assign a penance.
Then he says: "Bow your head." If he chooses, he may
say this prayer: "Let us pray to the Lord: O Lord, God
of Your servants' salvation, merciful and gracious and
patient, You grieve over our wicked deeds, and desire
not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn to You
and live. Come now and show compassion to Your servant [N.], and grant him/her a disposition of repentance, forgiveness of sins and pardon; absolving
him/her of every fault, deliberate and indeliberate.
Reconcile and unite him (her) to Your holy Church
through Christ Jesus our Lord with Whom power and
majesty belong to You, now and for ever and ever."
Penitent: "Amen". The priest then absolves the penitent saying: 'May our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, by
the grace and mercies of His love for us pardon you;
my child, [N ], all your faults, and I, an unworthy
priest, by His authority given me, pardon and absolve
you of all your sins, in the name of the + Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
When the priest comes to the end of the words of
absolution, he makes the sign of the cross over the penitent with his right hand. After everyone has confessed,
the priest says: "It is truly right to bless you, O God-

of joy heard all over the world. We all watched transfixed, our emotion evident in the enormous lump
lodged in our throats, and in the fountains of tears
which our eyes had become. The miners' eyes, after
months of darkness, needed the protection of dark
glasses lest they be blinded by the unaccustomed light.
Yet bathed in dangerous light they were, for such were
the requirements of the video cameras: after all, inquiring minds want to know! There was talk of book and
movie deals; one wondered if the formerly anonymous
miners would ever again know a moment's peace!
Would the attention which saved their lives now
become a threat? Is it because I am pessimistically
Ukrainian that I see the cloud behind every silver lining?
Turn back the clock two thousand years to another
cave in another backwater--this one in Bethlehem. The
Nativity Icon shows Jesus lying in the womb of the
earth, having been born in a dark cave. Yet He needs no
light, for He Himself is the Light of the world, dispersing the darkness which afflicts all of humanity. As we
read in the Gospel according to John, "I have come as
a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in
Me should not remain in darkness" (John 12:46). His
light guides us not only to Him, but to one another:
when we love one another enough to abandon our selfishness, instead giving of ourselves in order to care for
others, it is then that His Light shines forth in us. Is this
not the parable to be found in the world's response to
the miners' fate? Would that our actions always shone
forth so brightly!
In the afterglow of the Chilean miracle, it is easy to
forget that mining is a dirty business, as was the rescue.

New Star Reminders:

Two features of New Star: "Our Readers Write" and the listing of death
notices are expected to be in full operation in our January issue.
Please take advantage of these services (in either English or Ukrainian).

13

bearing One, as the ever-blessed and immaculate

Mother of our God. More honorable than the cherubim,
and by far more glorious than the seraphim; ever a
Virgin you gave birth to God the Word, O true Mother
of God, we magnify you".
Priest: "Glory be to You, O Christ, our God, our
hope, glory be to You."
People: + "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and
to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and forever.
Amen". (three times) and: "Give the blessing."
Concluding, the priest says: "Christ our true God
through the prayers of His immaculate Mother and of
all the saints will have mercy on us and save us, for He
is good and loves mankind. Response: 'Amen.'"
By placing the epitrachil over the head, and the penitent kissing it, the format infers a face-to-face confession of sins, in the presence of an icon of Christ. Use of
the penitent's name allows a spiritual child/father confessor relationship that goes beyond sheer anonymity.
Use of a "confessional box" may
be found in some places. Either
way, the rite (or ritual) of confession is secondary and less
crucial to the fulfillment of the
Mystery of Penance through an
honest confession, sorrow for
sins, and a firm resolve to avoid
them in the future. Incidental
details may differ from place to
place. The priest will help you.

Do you want to know why? something is the

way it is? Fr Denny Molitvy may just be able
to help you to find out why!
Send your questions for Fr Denny Molitvy to:
WhyWhyNewStar@cs.com
Include your name and parish.
Personal information will not be published,
but is required to verify or clarify the
question if needed.
Personal replies are not possible.

The words of Isaiah can apply not only to the miners

and the rescuers, but to Jesus in His dealings with
humanity: "There was in Him no stately bearing to
make us look at Him, nor appearance that would attract
us to Him" (Isaiah 53:2). Some of His contemporaries
would choose not to recognize Him, while others
would try to extinguish His light lest it reveal their own
darkness; King Herod would be only the first of many
such. The icon is full of foreboding. Is the cave of
Bethlehem not reminiscent of the tomb where Jesus
would be laid? Do the swaddling clothes not remind us
of the shroud? Does the manger not take the form of a
sarcophagus? Such is the price which Jesus accepted
when He chose to get mixed up in the dirty business
which is human history.
Many saw the Star of Bethlehem without heeding it.
Many heard Jesus without listening, many walked with
Him without recognizing Him as the Way, many
touched Him without letting their hearts be touched.
May we not be like them! He is among us, present and
powerful. Every once in a while, His presence and
power break through in an unmistakable way. Perhaps
the miracle of the Chilean miners,
along with the love and care and
cooperation which made it possible, can be recognized as such a
breakthrough. Let us recognize
Him where He chooses to be
found--in Bethlehem, in Chile, in
the midst of our lives--and join in
a rollicking carol: "Joy to the
world, the Lord is come!"
Fr. Jim Karepin, op

You may submit either by mail or by e-mail (note Opinion or NOTICE on

envelope or on subject line) Send to: NewStarNews@aol.com; or to:
New Star; 2245 W Rice St; Chicago, 60622-4858. Deadline: 15th every month.

14 NEW STAR

December, 2010

he apostles invited Nathaniel to come and see

the Mystery of God in His Son our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. Those who have presented
themselves for the Divine Mysteries of Baptism,
Chrismation and Eucharist. and indeed all of us. are
constantly invited to a deeper level of illumination and
purification.
Our worship, the celebration of the Divine Liturgy,
celebrates our relationship to our God, the Holy Trinity.
"Liturgy is the summit and the source of our Christian
life." This quote is from the tenth paragraph of the
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy promulgated by the
Second Vatican Council. Every Sunday we celebrate
Pascha using Resurrectional Tropars and Kondaks. The
celebration of Mains and Vespers is one with the

Divine Liturgy. We solemnly pray and express our

belief that Christ our God rose from the dead in the
Resurrectional Gospels. This is the message that we
have been entrusted to share with the whole world. "Go
therefore and baptize all the nations in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." When we
celebrate the Divine Liturgy we profess our faith and
proclaim the mystery of God: one in the Holy Trinity.
This is our public worship.
When we celebrate the Divine Liturgy, we do what
has always been done. We read the Word of God,.
When we celebrate the Anaphora we recall Passover,
the manna in the desert, our Pasch in the Mystical
Supper. In the Eucharistic Anaphora, we recall the
mystery of God's presence among His People. The celebration of the Divine Liturgy is a proclamation of our
faith.
When we celebrate the Divine Liturgy, we share with
people at the deepest level of human existence imaginable: the fact that our God loves mankind. During the
Liturgical Year, we celebrate the great mysteries of Our
Lord among us in the Feasts of the Church. On the
Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, the Church proclaims in the Tropar Your Nativity, O Christ our God,
made the light of knowledge dawn on the world:
through it, those who worshiped the stars were taught
by a star to worship You, the Sun of Righteousness, and
to know You the Dawn from on high. The doxology is
sung, praising the Holy Trinity, then the Kondak: The
Virgin today gives birth to Him who is above all being:
the earth offers the cave to Him whom no one can
approach; angels with shepherds give Him glory, while
Magi make their way with a star, for to us is born a little Child, the pre-eternal God.
We might ask, then why don't people know God and

Fr Arsenii and the Pascha Bunny

iving a monastic existence

on the fringe of this boldly
post-Christian world presents anachronistic challenges. Gone
are the days when St Theodore,
abbot of the Studion, could march
tens of thousands of sturdy monks
through the streets of Constantinople demonstrating on behalf of the
Holy Icons. Gone, too is the era of
the Byzantine Empire anthem:
O Lord, save Your people
and bless Your inheritance.
Grant victory to the orthodox
Christians over their enemies.
And protect Your people by
Your Cross.
One of my obediences at the
Mother of God Monastery outside
Toronto was as driver and Englishspeaking guide for the other monks
who came from small villages in
western Ukraine. Fr Arsenii was
the econome, i.e. in charge of the
money and commercial transactions. He needed to visit several
stores and offices in the enclosed
Orangeville Mall.
At the monastery we were deep
into the Great Fast of Lent, so the

contrast with the giant chocolate

bunny-pastel-colored cheery commercial celebration of Easter was a
great shock. As we walked through

the mall poor Fr Arsenii looked at

me as if I had lost my mind and was
probably responsible for the display
of secular Easter decorations and
candies.

Generations of Faith
The Faith Formation Office in our
eparchy is planning a catechist course
for all generations. We are called to be
Christ's disciples, proclaiming the good
news of God's love--no matter our age.
Learning our faith is a life-long work.
The more we learn about our Church,
about its life and the Mysteries celebrated and the Liturgy--the greater will be

"What IS this?" he asked.

"Well, this is how North Americans celebrate the pagan Pascha. It's
a Spring planting festival stressing
fertilitysee all the bunnies
and eggs? The Easter Bunny
brings chocolate eggs to children. This is how modern
pagans celebrate Pascha."
Poor Fr Arsenii suddenly cut
short his errands and we left the
mall. He soon arranged to return
to Ukraine and to this day constantly thanks the Lord for his
delivery from the wicked North
American "culture."
Very few of us have the option of fleeing to a grandparent's
farm in the Carpathians. Instead
we have the opportunity to bear
witness to our faith--and more
importantly, God's faith in us-as we are confronted by the
weirdness that passes for how
things are done these days. We
can celebrate our myriad opportunities for grace and pray for one
another.
Or you could bite the head off a
chocolate bunny.

our participation in our salvation.

St Nicholas Eparchy will be conducting a catechist formation program to
prepare anyone of any generation to pass
on the vast storehouse of information to
family, relatives or friends.
For further information contact the
Faith Formation Office at (773) 2765080--or e-mail the office at this address: faithformation@esnucc.org.

come to believe in Him? People are often distracted by

the selfishness that is found in our world. We are all
distracted by our own self-centeredness. What makes a
difference is that we are both body and spirit which the
great Father of the Eastern Church, Saint Gregory of
Nazianzus, teaches us--the ability to know of God so
that we may choose what is good, and the deepest
goodness is God the Trinity Himself.
People are most apt to find God, not in power but in
service, not in wealth and riches, but in the desire to
meet the needs of the lonely and sick and poor. The
needs of the world are overwhelming but when we
come together as Church, and the Spirit dwells within
us, we have the strength of the community of God the
Trinity. It is often so striking to read the passages in
Scripture where Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes,
because He often heals the sick and the broken and
then feeds them.
This truth of God's intimate relationship with us has
sustained us in our belief from the very beginning. It
sustains us and engages us to share with others the
presence of God amongst us. The Spirit of God exists
in what we do. And what we do is to celebrate the
Divine Liturgy, to read the Word of God and reflect on
Him who is the Word, and to take bread and wine and
to do what Jesus did, to pray over them so that with the
action of the Spirit they become the Body and Blood of
Christ. The celebration of the Divine Liturgy is the
most significant way to evangelize. This is the experience of the Church from the time of the holy Apostles.
This is the Good News! It is the truth of God the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit!
Fr Deacon Michael Cook

The Peace Light Flame of

Bethlehem 2010 in
St. Nicholas Cathedral
Christmas season with its magnificent Christian
holy days is coming shortly. Again, many Christian
pilgrims will visit a place where our Savior, Jesus
Christ was born. Through incarnation of the Son of
God, Jesus, salvation and peace came into the world.
In Bethlehem, a Christian church of the Nativity is
located is one of the oldest continuously operating
churches in the world, which is under care of the
Greek Orthodox patriarchate of Jerusalem. Beneath
the altar in the Grotto of the Nativity, a star marks the
spot believed to be the Birthplace of Jesus. The star
is set into the marble floor and surrounded by silver
lamps, which burns continuously the centuries.
Christian communities from all over the world take
turns to provide oil for these lamps.
Last year, right before Christmas, Ukrainian
scouts passed on the Peace Light of Bethlehem to
the faithful of St. Nicholas Cathedral.
Members of Plast, a Ukrainian scouting
organization, in cooperation with other
scouts, took an active part in a long
process of distributing the Peace Light of
Bethlehem, which is a powerful symbol of
God's peace and a light of hope, given to
us by the Lord.
This year the Peace Light of Bethlehem
again arrives to Chicago and it will be
delivered to our St. Nicholas Cathedral.

ishop Richard has designated New

Star as a catechetical tool for the
Eparchy. All homes are to receive
it and pay for it through your parish--but
it can be an evangelization tool too. Send
a gift subscription to a friend or relative
who might just benefit from information
in our pages. Fill our the form on page 20
for a year-long gift of faith.

December, 2010

Meeting of Ukrainian
Catholic Youth of Argentina

n the city of Apostoles in Argentina, the 21st

Congress of the Ukrainian Catholic Youth of
Argentina was held. About 500 young people from
various Ukrainian parishes and colonies of the
provinces of Misiones, Corrientes, Chaco, Mendoza
came to the meeting. The event was hosted by the
Ukrainian community of the Church of the Holy

Bishop Bohdan Reports on

Emigration at Synod of Bishops

NEW STAR
Trinity and College of St Josaphat of the city of
Apostoles headed by hieromonks of the Argentine
province of the Basilian Fathers.
The Youth Congress was headed by the Apostolic
Administrator of the Ukrainian Eparchy of the Holy
Protection in Argentina, Bishop SVIATOSLAV
(Shevchuk). In his pastoral word during the hierarchical liturgy, he explained the divine origin of the institution of the family, which was established by the
Creator Himself as an exclusive, indivisible and fruitful unity of man and woman and elevated to the status
of a Holy Sacrament. "No decision of any state level
can influence the nature of the family as well as the
very human being," stressed the bishop.
This year's meeting of the youth of the Ukrainian
eparchy was dedicated to the theme "Christian
Family." This was the result of new legislative acts of
the government, which legalize same sex marriages,
and the Ukrainian family and youth are searching for
the truth of their own identity in accord with the Word
of God.

essence of the Eastern

Catholic Churches

e want to think about the essence of the

uring his report at a plenary session at the
Eastern Catholic Churches, taking into considassembly for the Middle East of the Synod of
Bishops of the Catholic Church, Bishop eration the theological, canonical and pastoral aspects,
BOHDAN (Dzyurakh), head of the administration of the so we may better carry out our mission in the Catholic
Patriarchal Curia, Secretary of Synod of Bishops of Church and successfully fulfill our pastoral ministry,"
UGCC, reported on the following three main themes: said Bishop BOHDAN (Dziurakh), Secretary of the Synod
care for emigrants, the necessity of spiritual fathers, of Bishops, of the goal of the Meeting of the Bishops of
Eastern Rite Catholic Churches. According to Bishop
and the value of a contemplative life.
Touching on an "extraordinarily important problem Bohdan, the decision to examine a wider range of issues
of emigration," Bishop Bohdan, in particular, said: "I related to the life and work of the Eastern Catholic
want to express deep gratitude to the Latin bishops for Churches was made last year.
We remind that the 13th Meeting of the Bishops of
the friendly reception with which they meet our faithEastern
Catholic Churches was held in Sofia, Bulgaria,
ful and for the care which they express to them; this of
from
November
4 to 7, 2010. The meeting coincided
course is not only about providing a 'place for ministry'
with
the
celebration
of the 150th anniversary of the
and 'strengthening connection with the faithful of
Eastern Catholic Churches in the countries of emigra- union of Bulgaria's Byzantine-Slavic Church with the
Catholic Church. Representatives of 13 Eastern Catholic
tion,' but about something far important and deeper."
In summary, Bishop Bohdan turned to Pope Benedict Churches sui iuris discussed the topic "The ecclesiologXVI and about 270 participants of Assembly with a ical criteria of the Eastern Churches today." Pastoral
concrete suggestion: "Responsible study of this theme care structures for migrants of Eastern rite churches
were also discussed.
of spiritual paternity of patriAccording to Radio
archs and eparches and to
Vatican, in the meeting
define legal and organizawere Ukrainian Greek
tional means, will with close
Catholic bishops from
cooperation with local
Ukraine and Europe, the
administrators result in the
hierarchy of other Greek
effective realization of their
Catholic Churches of the
service in places where the
continent and the Martheir faithful live."
onite archbishop of
As reported earlier, on
Cyprus. The Holy See
October 10 to 24, 2010, a
was represented by
Special Assembly for the
Cardinal Leonardo SanMiddle East of the Synod of
dri, Prefect of the ConBishops of the Catholic
Meeting
with
His
Holiness
Benedict
XVI,
Bishop
gregation
for the OriChurch was held in the
Bohdan
shared
ideas
from
Synod
of
hierarchs
in
the
ental Churches, and its
Vatican. Its theme was "The
Middle East, before meeting bishops in Europe
Secretary Archbishop
Catholic Church in the
CYRIL (Vasyl), and ArchMiddle East: Communion
bishop
Antonio
Veglio,
President
of the Pontifical
and Witness." The following representatives of the
Council
for
Migrants
and
Travelers.
UGCC were invited to participate in the work of the
It should be noted that previous meetings were devotassembly: Patriarch LUBOMYR, and Bishop BOHDAN
ed
to the theological reflections on the Holy Sacraments.
(Dziurakh), the secretary of the Synod of Bishops of
In the Catholic Church are churches sui iuris, which
UGCC..
Information Department of the UGCC are in full communion with the Roman Church but have
their form of liturgical worship, canonical discipline,
terminology, and theological tradition. Currently there
OHDAN
are 24 churches sui iuris around the world, 15 of them
are Byzantine (14 are in Europe).

Bishop B
(Dzyurakh):
We want to think about the

Information Department of the UGCC

Take advantage of the opportunity to express your opinion about matters that concern our Church.
Tell us at: NewStarNews@aol.com (Put on subject line: Opinion)--or send to us by mail.

15

Patriarch Lubomyr: UGCC

Is not against Construction of
UOC-Moscow Patriarchate
Church in Lviv
It is not the UGCC's business to
allocate or not allocate land to the
Moscow Patriarchate (MP), as there
are authorities for that, "but whether we are against it
or not, we certaintly do not mind," said Patriarch
Lubomyr, in an interview with the newspaper Day.
"I myself wrote a letter to the city authorities several years ago saying that we, the Greek Catholics, have
absolutely nothing against the city allocating an
appropriate land plot for the construction of a cathedral for the MP. This document exists: let them look
for it," His Beatitude said in reposonse to the journalist's comment that the Moscow Patriarchate states that
it opposes the construction of the UGCC church in
Odesa because Greek Catholics allegedly do not
allow them to build a church in Lviv.
In his comment on the situation regarding the construction of the cathedral of the UGCC in Odesa,
Patriarch Lubomyr said, "It seems to me that someone
failed to see--as it was probably not convenient to-that our duly-registered church, religious organization
in Ukraine has some rights. And these rights do not
depend on other people's opinion of it."
According to Patriarch Lubomyr, the tragedy of the
situation in Odesa and similar situations is that someone deliberately refuses to understand that the
Constitution and constitutional rights should be
ensured for everyone, irrespective of whether there
are ten million of them or ten thousand or a thousand.
"Everyone has a right, because later negative consequences may come for those who pass such decisions.
For when someone begins to cry that everything
should be for us and only for us and the authorities
blindly obey it is not a healthy situation. I am sorry to
admit that, but that is true,"

Patriarch Lubomyr: Ukraine was

and will always be a part of Europe
On November 2 Patriarch Lubomyr, met with a
deputy of the European Parliament and co-head of the
parliament's Committee for Supervising Elections in
Ukraine, Pavel Koval. The participants of the meeting
discussed the issues of integration of Ukraine in the
European Union.
"Ukraine has been and will always be a part of
Europe. As for the European Union, it's more of an
economic rather than cultural institution. Therefore,
we would like to see Europe rich spiritually and culturally. Many things coming to us from the West are
not the best. We would like to see Europe rich spiritually and with such a Europe we wish to cooperate,"
noted Patriarch Lubomyr during the meeting.
During the meeting His Beatitude noted the courage
of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, who "was the
only one in Europe who sought to defend Christian
values in the EU. Whereas, such strong European
countries like France, Germany, and Italy do not have
that courage and because of that Europe has lost much
due to lack of such brave people."
Information Department of the UGCC

Patriarch Lubomyr: Church Must

Address Each Nation in its Own Language
In his speech at the round table "The Church and the
Ukrainian Language," Patriarch Lubomyr stressed
that the human community is naturally divided into
nations, so the church must address each nation in its
own language.
The patriarch noted that the church has two aspects.
"First, ecumenical--the church receives from God
divine elements: Scripture, Sacraments, hierarchical
structure common for Christians wherever they are.
But there is a second aspect: the Church of Christ
exists in the circumstances of the human community
and human community is naturally divided into
nations," says Patriarch Lubomyr.

16 NEW STAR

December, 2010

Eastern Bishops Underline Communion with Rome

Catholic Church in Bulgaria Celebrates 150 Years
SOFIA, Bulgaria, (Zenit.org).- The Eastern Catholic
bishops of Europe are underlining their full communion with the See of Peter as part of the criteria of ecclesiology of the Churches.
This was one of the conclusions of an annual meeting of the Eastern Catholic bishops in Sofia.
The theme of the meeting, which was sponsored by
the Council of European Bishops' Conferences
(CCEE), was "The Ecclesiological Criteria of the
Eastern Catholic Churches and the Reality Today." It
also marked the 150th anniversary of the union of
Bulgaria's Eastern Catholic Church with Rome.
Some 35 prelates representing various Eastern
Churches of Europe took part in the meeting, along
with Cardinal Peter Erdo, CCEE president, Cardinal
Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for
Eastern Churches, and other representatives of that
dicastery. Members of the Pontifical Council for
Migrants and Travelers also participated.
At the beginning of the meeting, there was a prayer
service in memory of Monsignor Eleuterio Fortino,
who died due to illness on September 22. He was supposed to have given the opening talk on "The
Ecclesiological Criteria of the Eastern Catholic
Churches on the Basis of the Vatican II Documents and

Recent Papal Documents," but before he died he provided an outline for the address. Thus Father Manuel
Nin, rector of Rome's Pontifical Greek College, was
able to give the talk based on the outline and previous
works of Monsignor Fortino, who had served as subsecretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity and focused particularly on relations
with the Orthodox Churches.
Archbishop Antonio Veglio, president of the
Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, next
gave a talk on "Pastoral Structures for Catholic
Migrants from the Eastern Churches, on the Basis of
the Instruction 'Erga Migrantes Caritas Christi.'"
The Byzantine exarch of Sofia, Bishop CHRISTO
(Proykov), who hosted the meeting in his region, celebrated a Divine Liturgy with the participants in which
they recalled the Greek Catholic martyrs of the communist persecution and how that Church was almost
wiped out.
In another Divine Liturgy, celebrated the next day,
Cardinal Sandri gave the homily and urged his listeners
to give an authentic witness of faith to young people in
particular.
Archbishop Janusz Bolonek, apostolic nuncio to
Bulgaria, read a letter that Benedict XVI sent through

ECED Autumn Meeting Falls into Place

he semi-annual
meeting of the
Eastern Catholic
Eparchial Directors of
Religious
Education
(ECED) was held Monday, November 1-Thursday, November 4 in
Houston, Texas.
The Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center
provided facilities for
the discussion sessions,
and ample place for
lodging, eating, praying
and social gathering for
the days of intense deliberations.
Besides regular attention to the business end
of the board--accounting
ECED members L-R: Fr Leonard Korchinski (Eparchy of St Nicholas, Chicago); Fr
for monies spent, sales of James Bankston, (St Nicholas) Fr Vasile Colopelnic (Eparchy of Stamford); Fr John
catechetical material, and
Lucas (St Nicholas); Bishop Nicholas (Samra) episcopal liaison of the Eastern
production of new cataCatholic Bishops; Dr Barbara Lutz, treasurer/business Manager, Very Rev Gregory
logues, the group also
Noga, chairman, (both Eparchy of Passaic); Fr Elias Rafaj, vice-chair, ) Sr Marion
spent much time on the Dobos OSB, (both Archeparchy of Pittsburgh); Fr Anthony Hernandez (Eparchy of the
revision of seventh and
Protection, Phoenix) and Cindy Corbett, recording secretary.
eighth grade texts.
Tuesday, after a day of
of 2012. Still in early stages of development, the
concentrated effort, after dinner the group traveled to
Encounter is envisioned as three regional presentations
nearby St John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Parish
(East Coast, Midwest, West Coast) to focus on matter
for the celebration of vespers--and another item of
of importance to those who teach "religion" at school
business. Vespers was celebrated by Fr Elias Rafaj,
or at home.
pastor and vice-chair of ECED, who arranged the local
The final day was devoted to wrapping up some of
details for the meeting. After a brief social get together
the loose ends, and election of the board members.
with some of the parishioners, a presentation was made
Setting the date for the next meeting, to be held in
by Larry Monks, who is developing a new ECED webPittsburgh, the meeting was adjourned, and the group
site.
made their way back to the airports for the journey
It was time to return to the retreat center and get
home.
some rest to prepare for the next day's schedule of
meetings. A comprehensive
report was given by the business
manager, plans were discussed
for other on-going projects and
production of new material.
Much attention was given to the
topic of the "Encounter of the
Eastern Churches" a seminar for
catechists and other interested
persons slated for the Autumn

his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, for the

occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Eastern
Catholic Church in Bulgaria.
The next annual meeting of Eastern bishops will take
place in Oradea, Romania, on the theme, "You Will Be
My Witnesses: The Evangelization in Europe's Catholic Eastern Churches."

Conclusions
of Inter-Religious
Meeting in Tehran
VATICAN CITY, (VIS) - The Centre for InterReligious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and
Relations Organisation (Tehran, Iran) and the
Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue
held their seventh colloquium in Tehran from
November 9 to 11 under the joint presidency of
Mohammad Baqer Khorramshad, president of the
Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation, and
of Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the
Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.
At the end of the meeting the participants
(seven in the delegation led by Mohammad Baqer
Khorramshad and six in the delegation led by
Cardinal Tauran), agreed upon the following:
(1) Believers and religious communities, based
on their faith in God, have a specific role to play
in society, on an equal footing with other citizens.
(2) Religion has an inherent social dimension
that the State has the obligation to respect; therefore, also in the interest of society, it cannot be
confined to private sphere.
(3) Believers are called to co-operate in the
search for common good, on the basis of a sound
relation between faith and reason.
(4) It is necessary for Christians and Muslims as
well as all believers and persons of good will, to
co-operate in answering modern challenges, promoting moral values, justice and peace and protecting the family, environment and natural
resources.
(5) Faith, by its very nature, requires freedom.
Therefore, religious freedom, as a right inherent
to human dignity, must always be respected by
individuals, social actors and the State. The cultural and historical background of each society
which is not in contradiction with human dignity
should be taken into consideration in applying this
fundamental principle.
(6) Education of the young generation should
be based on the search for truth, spiritual values
and promotion of knowledge.
The participants also emphasised the necessity
of continuing on the path of a genuine and fruitful
dialogue. The next colloquium will take place in
Rome in 2012.

NEW STAR

December, 2010

A Day of Three Blessings

at SS Volodymyr and Olha

n Sunday, September 17, 2010, a Koshyk and Fr. Stepan Kostiuk.

Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was
Bishop Richard's homily recalled the
celebrated at the Church of Sts. example of the Blessed Martyr, Fr. Omelan
Volodymyr and Olha in Chicago, which Kovch, who perished in a German concenmarked three imtration camp "Mayportant events.
danek" for his resFirst was the celecue and baptism of
bration of the
Jews. He "stands
Feast of the Probefore us as a shintection of the
ing Icon of the
Theotokos--the
Blood of Christ,
"second Parish
which was shed for
Feast Day." Secus."
Today one
ond: the Ordinmore person has
ation of Roman
chosen to follow
Artymovych to
Christ--Roman Arthe Holy Deactymovych.
onate.
Third:
With the preblessing the newscribed prayers and
ly-reconstructed
"laying
on
of
courtyard in front
hands", Subdeacon
of the Church.
Roman knelt bePresiding
over
fore the Holy Table
these three events
and placed his forewas our Eparchial
head to its edge. As
Bishop, His Grace
the hierarch intoned
RICHARD STEPHEN
the prayer of Ordin(Seminack).
ation of a Deacon.
Members of the
Again Axios was
Parish Council, Through prayer and laying on of his hand,
sung, and the deathe Brotherhood
con received the
Bishop Richard calls the Holy Spirit
of St. Michael the
censor and the ripto work in the new Deacom.
Archangel, carryidia, and took his
ing the banners of the Parish organizations, place among the clergy
met His Grace at the Parish Rectory, and
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, one
under the sound of bells processed from the additional event took place--the blessing
rectory leading His Grace to the en-trance of a decorated pectoral cross presented to
to the Church.
the Pastor of Sts. Volodymyr and Olha, Fr.
After the traditional greeting, Parish Oleh Kryvokulsky. The Divine Liturgy
Pastor, Fr. Oleh Kryvokulsky presented His concluded with the traditional singing of
Grace with a hand cross and requested that Mnohaya L'ita.
His Grace celebrate the Divine Liturgy and
A procession was once again formed--

Bishop Richard on the Ninety-fifth Birthday

and Seventieth Anniversary of Priesthood of
Bishop Innocent (Lotocky OSBM)
"You and I have gathered together our friend and companion as we jouraround Bishop Innocent today for a ney along the way of life here at St.
special reason. Not only do we cele- Nicholas Cathedral in Chicago. My
brate his 95th birthday and 70th anni- wish is that Bishop Innocent continue
versary in the priesthood of Jesus to be a shining light for so many peoChrist, we celebrate the presence of ple as he continues his journey in this
Bishop Innocent.
world.
"We celebrate his life and the contri"I wish you many more years as you
butions he has made to the
Ukrainian Catholic Church.
We celebrate this gift of God
which is our midst. We celebrate his life and his dedication to all the faithful of the
world and especially those
whose hearts he has touched
in a special way.
"Bishop Innocent remains
the center of our life because
he represents Christ in his
humility, kindness, gentleBishops Innocent and Richard share a light moment .
ness and generosity. He
reflects Christ as an icon reflects the show us how to live in the footsteps of
specialness of God's gift to us in Jesus Christ. Continue to be for us the model
Christ.
of grace that you have been for the
"My sincere wish is that we will People of God. Many happy and
continue to have Bishop Innocent as blessed years, Bishop Innocent!"

Chicago Deanery
Clergy Meet

recent meeting of the priests

of the Chicago Deanery was
held at Nativity of the BVM
Church in Palos Park, Illinois.

Bishop Richard blesses the newly-refurbished plaza.

the order of tonsuring Roman Artymovych
to the lower orders of Candlerbearer, Reader, Cantor, and Sub-deacon, as the clergy
and the choir exchanged sung chants of
Axios.
Roman Artymovych was born in the village of Velyka Berezovcia in the Ternopil
region of Ukraine. Upon completing studies at the Lviv Theological Seminary with
an Ecclesiastical Baccalaureate, he continued in Rome at the Pontifical University of
St. Thomas Aquinas, where, in 2005, he
earned a Licentiate in Ecumenism. In
2006, Roman was crowned in marriage
with Yulia Sydoruk and later that year relocated to Chicago. They have one son,
Roman, born in 2008.
Serving the liturgy with His Grace were
Fr. Oleh Kryvokulsky, Pastor of Sts.
Volodymyr and Olha, Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Ivan Krotec, Pastor-Emeritus, Fr. Ihor

this time with members of the dance

ensemble "Hromovytsia," in traditional
Ukrainian dress, carrying the Parish banners to the courtyard in front of the Church
where the newly-reconstructed space was
blessed by Bishop Richard with the sprinkling of Holy Water.
Following the nearly three-hour Liturgical Service, the celebration moved to the
Ukrainian Cultural Center for a fitting
program of greetings, acknowledgments
and congratulations
The celebrations of the Feast of the
Protection of the Theotokos at the Parish
of Sts. Volodymyr and Olha for the year
2010 concluded with a Moleben to the
Theotokos in the parish Church.
From information by Taras Matviyiv,
translated by Rostyslaw J. Smyk

17

After a Moleben to the Mother of

God celebrated by Fr Basil Salkovski
OSBM, pastor and Dean, the clergy

gathered to discuss parochial participation in the current Jubilee Year.

In addition to setting the schedule
for the visit of the Jubilee Icon in each
parish in July, August and September
of 2011, it was also decided to honor
the patron of the Eparchy throughout
the year.

Consequently, each parish is to

place a garland around the icon of St
Nicholas on the iconostas beginning
with St Nicholas Day, 2010, continuing until St Nicholas Day, 2011.
Additionally, the prayer found on the
reverse of the Jubilee Icon card is to
be recited during the same time period, a continual reminder
of our need
for heavenly
intercession.
Attending
were: Frs Basil Salkovski,
OSBM, Mykola Buradnyk,
Thomas Glynn, James Karepin, OP,
Leonard Korchinski, Ihor Koshyk,
Mykhailo Kuzma, Oleh Krivokulsky,
John Lucas, Yaroslav Mendyuk, Bohdan Nalysnyk, Pavlo Popov, Deacon
Michael Cook and Subdeacon Petro
Rudka.
Following the meeting all were
invited for dinner in the parish hall.

18

NEW STAR

December, 2010

United Nations Report: Ukraine 69th in

Human Development Ranking

kraine is in 69th place in the

United Nations human development ranking of 169 countries,
according to a UN report entitled "The
Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to
Human Development," which was presented in Kyiv.
According to the rating of the human
development index, Ukraine dropped
three positions in 2005-2010, but it is
still among those countries with a high
level of human development (the rank-

ing is divided into countries with very

high, high, medium, and low levels of
human development).
The top ten countries include Norway,
Australia, New Zealand, the United
States, Ireland, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, and Germany.
Russia is ranked 65th, Belarus 61st,
Kazakhstan 66th, Bosnia and Herzegovina 68th, Iran 70th, Georgia 74th,
Turkey 83rd, China 89th, and Moldova
99th.

Kharkiv City Council Puts Plaque

to Josyf Slipyj in Danger of Vandalism
As reported the secretary of the Commission of Toponymy and Protecting the
Historical and Cultural Environment of
the Kharkiv City Council, Oleksiy
Khoroshkovatyj, the city authority is
preparing grounds to remove the memorial plaque to prominent religious and
public figure of Ukraine, long-term political prisoner of Stalin's camps, Patriarch
of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
JOSYF (Slipyj). This board was installed
in August, 2005, by efforts of public
organizations of Kharkiv
and the World Congress of
Ukrainians. The plaque
was placed on the building of the former deportation prison where in the
1960s Patriarch Joseph
was held during his arrest
(now the building houses
the police force for the
Lenin district of Kharkiv).
At its March 30, 2010, session, the
above-mentioned city commission resolved to abolish the order of the Kharkiv
city chairman from July 14, 2005, about
the permission to establish the memorial
plaque. In the opinion of the Ukrainian
public, this puts the memorial plaque in

danger of dismantlement. Information has

been received about possible acts of vandalism to the memorial plaque to the
UGCC patriarch.
The Ukrainian public of Kharkiv, faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church, deem the decision of the City
Commission of Toponymy and Protecting the Historical and Cultural Environment as provocative and destroys principles of civil society in the Kharkiv region,
creates grounds for interdenominational
and international discord, and also leads to
the escalation of public
tension in the multiethnic Ukrainian community.
Ukrainian organizations of the region sent
letters to President of
Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and Minister of
Internal Affairs Anatoliy Mogylev asking
them to stop the offensive actions against
the memorial plaque to the UGCC patriarch.

A CALL TO PRAYER AND FOR

LIVING VOICES FOR JUSTICE
A Pastoral Message from the Ukrainian Catholic
and the Ukrainian Orthodox Hierarchs of
The United States of America and Canada

krainians throughout the world will commemorate the 77th anniversary

of the genocidal famine, the "HOLODOMOR", which was perpetuated
by Joseph Stalin and the Soviet regime against the people of Ukraine in
1932-33. We will pray together for the souls of the over seven million victims of
this man-made famine. We will raise our collective voice against such oppressive measures and suffering being used in the name of any ideology.
It is important that we remember the more than 7 million victims comprised of
innocent men, women and children of a proud nation who simply attempted to
defend itself from the forced collectivization policy of Soviet Russia. Borders
were closed. Food and crops were confiscated. People who were defiant were
shot. Their souls cry out to be remembered. Let us gather in our holy churches
to pray for their souls. We unite ourselves with them in our collective holy
prayer.
St. Paul reminds us that "you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built
on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the
chief cornerstone". (Ephesians 2:14-22) We, your hierarchs, remind you to fulfill your obligation as a member of the household of God by remembering the
victims of the famine in collective prayer.
We are also called to be a living voice for justice for the millions of victims of
the "Holodomor". We are called to continually bring to mind, to ourselves and to
the world around us, that this famine occurred as a result of the policies of a
repressive and evil regime. Much of the world deluded itself of it happening at
the time. Voices for justice and democracy were silenced, largely by the media
who perpetuated the oppressive regime's denial of the existence of the man-made
famine. Our living voice is needed to ensure that such acts of genocide are
remembered and prevented from re-occurring. Efforts to erase or minimize the
horrific impact of this man-made famine continue to this day.
Our strong and assertive collective voice is needed to ensure that the sacrifice
of the over 7 million victims is not forgotten and not repeated. Your hierarchs
urge you to choose to be a part of the living conscience of those who have suffered. Their memory and sacrifice cannot be forgotten or minimized. The victims
of the genocide in Ukraine need to be remembered and given justice and dignity
by our speaking up in remembrance of them, and for other such victims of genocide throughout the world.
We, the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches
in the United States of America and Canada pray that this united pastoral message
to our faithful will serve as a source of inspiration for Ukrainians to unite in
prayerful observance and as a collective voice in remembering the more than
seven million victims of the "Holodomor" genocide of 1932-33 in Ukraine.
May the memory of the victims of the "Holodomor" genocide be eternal.
Given November, 2010

Pavlo Klenenko, Kharkiv

+CONSTANTINE
Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church in the USA

from page 12

home-life that would strengthen the presence of

Christ in our lives?
I have really enjoyed writing for the New Star
and hope you have found my articles helpful. But as
I contemplate my journey on the path of life, I know
it's time to take a break from a regular monthly column and to pay attention to some other things that
need doing. I thank Bishop Richard and Fr. John for
having given me the opportunity to write for the
New Star and I look forward to writing special
pieces from time to time.
Blessings to all as we celebrate the Nativity of
Our Lord, Jesus Christ!
Have a happy and holy New Year and a glorious Theophany!

his image is a detail taken from a Fifteenth

Century icon of the Nativity of Christ, from
the lower left-hand corner. St Joseph sits-confused--how did his young virgin bride get
pregnant and give birth? Should he avenge this
sacrilege by killing her as tribal custom demanded
or should he quietly divorce her and send her
away?
He receives bad advice from a raggedy, cracked

+JURIJ
Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church in Canada
+Archbishop ANTONY
+ILARION; +ANDRIJ; +DANIEL
+STEFAN
Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic
Church in the USA
+RICHARD; +PAUL; + JOHN
+LAWRENCE
Metropolitan of the Ukrainian
Catholic Church in Canada
+ STEPHEN; +DAVID; +KENNETH; +BRYAN

little old man (the Devil).

Christ's Incarnation wasn't all angelic choruses
and wise men with exotic, extravagant gifts.
These were REAL people with mundane concerns and the bad advice of the Prince of this
World ringing in their ears.
Two thousand years, and nothing has changed.
Another Monk
of the Eastern Church

NEW
NEW STAR
STAR

December, 2010

19

St Michael Parish, Milwaukee, Celebrates Feast Day--with Bishop Richard

n Sunday, November 7,
2010, the parishioners of
St. Michael's Ukrainian
Catholic Church, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, celebrated the feast of St. Michael the
Archangel and all the Bodiless Powers. Parishioners and friends attended the Divine Liturgy with
Bishop RICHARD (Seminack) with Fathers Philaret
Littlefield and Volodymyr Zaiats as concelebrants,
and Father Deacon Nicholas Chabin. Immediately
following the Liturgy the congregation enjoyed a
delicious dinner of Ukrainian foods and an assortment of desserts prepared by some of the women of
the parish and coordinated by Ms. Melania
Stupnyckyj.
Before dinner, various congratulatory and welcoming speeches in honor of the Feast Day were
offered. Bishop Richard Stephen was pleased to

receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Andriy

Ovod, who regularly attends the Divine Liturgy
with his parents Oksana and Vasyl, his grandparents, and his younger brother, Dennis.
Everyone sang Mnohiya L'ita for individuals
named Michael.
Father Volodymyr Zaiats (Pastor) and Deacon
Nicholas Chabin extended a special thank you to
the choir, to the women who prepared and
served the dinner, to those who set-up for the
dinner, and to all in attendance, who made
this Feast of St. Michael a very holy, happy,
and blessed occasion.
Left to Right: Mrs. Olga Zaiats,
Father Volodymyr Zaiats, Andriy Ovod,
and Bishop RICHARD (Seminack).

rNews@aol.com (subject line: BB).

sent by mail, or e-mail: NewSta

Items for Bulletin Board may be

Cathedral
Parishioner Honored
Classroom named for
Orest Danyluk

eteran's Day was a special day for Orest

Danyluk, parishioner of St. Nicholas
Cathedral. Orest was honored for his service in the Vietnam War.
Orest was born on November 26, 1946 in a
refugee camp in Germany, immigrated with his parents to America in 1950, and settled in Chicago's
Ukrainian Village. In September of 1965, Orest
joined the Marines. He went through boot camp at
Camp Pendleton and became an ammunitions technician. In August of 1967 he was deployed to Da
Nang, then assigned to Dang Ho, Quang Tri LZ
Stud, temporarily moved to a DMZ called Camp

Vanderbilt then back to Dang Ho. In the tenth

month of his 13-month tour of duty, his
squad was ambushed returning from
a patrol near his base camp. His
squad fell under heavy mortar attack.
Orest was severely injured, four men
were wounded and three were killed. He
was evacuated to a hospital ship for
emergency surgery and finally to Great
Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago. In
August of 1969 he received the Purple
Heart.
In September of 1971 he married Christine
Jurewycz and raised five children. After his return
to American soil he underwent many surgeries to
remove shrapnel form his body, much of which is
still in him today. Through all the pain and suffering
he has endured, Orest has led a good life and has
never been bitter.

For his service to his country, unwavering

leadership during his tour of duty in
Vietnam and because of his unselfish patriotism, a classroom was dedicated to Orest
at the UNO Veterans Memorial School
Campus located in Chicago's Archer
Heights community. There were six
other veterans who were also honored.
These classrooms were dedicated in
the hopes that they will nurture the
minds of future leaders and allow
the memory and legacy of all veterans
to live on for eternity.
Thank you all servicemen for their heroism, sacrifices and suffering they endured so that we may
continue to enjoy the freedom and rights we have as
Americans. To Orest, a proud member of our
Ukrainian community, a man proud of his services
to his country and a proud Marine Semper Fi!
Phyllis Muryn Zaparaniuk

New Documents about Andrey Sheptytsky Exhibited in Lviv

archivists worked.
The archive, compiled by the metropolitan during his life, underwent ruinous trials three times:
during WWI when the family archives in
Prylbychi was destroyed, including the coat of
arms, old manuscripts, the library, pictures, icons.
From 1918, the family
sought to renew the
archives but it was also
destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1939.
After the death of the
metropolitan, the archive
documents, which have
been preserved thanks to
his efforts, were dumped
by the Soviet authorities
into the yard of St.
George's Cathedral and
then transported somewhere for recycling.
However, some official
understood that they
should not be destroyed and the archive workers
rescued the documents at the last moment. Part of
them were passed to the Historical Archives in
Lviv and the other part went to Kyiv. The family
materials are also kept in St. Petersburg as they
were moved there during WWI.

aving just moved to town, a woman decided that the

first Sunday, she'd visit the church nearest to her new
apartment.
She found herself in a pretty sanctuary, and as the service
began, she enjoyed the music offered by the choir. But when
the sermon began, it went on and on and on. In fact, it seemed
interminable, and not at all interesting.
Surreptitiously glancing around, she noticed that many in the
congregation were nodding off, and not even trying to stay
awake. Finally it was over, though, and people stood up for the
final hymn.
After the service, to be sociable, she turned to the still
sleepy-looking gentleman next to her, extended her hand in
greeting, and said, "Hello, I'm Gladys Dunn."
The gentleman replied, "You and me both!"

True or False?
Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on the same day of
the week in a given year.
False:
Look at the calendar. Christmas is Saturday, December 25.
New Year's Day is Saturday, January 1--the same day of the
week. The difference is that Christmas, 2010 is the last
Saturday of this year--while New Year's Day 2011, is on next
year's first Saturday. The "same day/year" stipulation works
for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, however.

umerous documents regarding the life and

activity of Metropolitan ANDREY (Sheptytsky) were presented at the Lviv
Historical Archives in an exhibition dedicated to
the 145th anniversary of the birth and 66th
anniversary of the death of the metropolitan. The
materials include the coat of arms
and installation letters of the
Sheptytsky family, photos, diplomatic passports, letters of orphan
children to the metropolitan, and
numerous other archive documents.
The exposition is divided into
chronological-thematic headings:
family life of the Sheptytskys; the
metropolitan's calling; his church
activity; renewal of monastic
orders by him; elevation of the status of seminaries and establishment of the Theological Academy
in Lviv; educational and cultural
activity; his activity as a sponsor;
pastoral and theological activity; and the last
years of life.
Metropolitan Andrey paid great attention in his
life to documents and their preservation for history. He established an archive at the metropolitanate of UGCC, where known historians and

You might catch someone with this tidbit of trivia!

20

NEW STAR

December, 2010

Nicholas:
Wonder-worker, Bishop

:
,

, , ,
aint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, Wonder-Worker, is the Patron of our cathedral and

. , SEparchy. Who was this man that most of us associate with gifts and children?
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Nicholas was born in the province of Lycia, in the city of Patara, to Theophanes and
Nonna, a pious and virtuous couple who, in their time, were considered to be wealthy. It
has been said that from birth it was known that their child would be a "wonder-worker".
He began a life of fasting from infancy, not accepting his mother's milk on Wednesdays
and Fridays until after evening prayers. He began studying sacred books at the age five.
He was orphaned at a very young age and decided to dedicate himself to serving Christ.
After his parents' death, he distributed all of their possessions among the poor and
resolved to use the money they left him for works of charity.
In the city of Patara lived a man with three daughters. They
were a poor family and he could not afford dowries so that they
could marry properly. This man had resolved to sell his daughters to slavery as they became of age. When St. Nicholas heard
this, he knew he could not let this happen. Just before the first
daughter became of age, he dropped a bag of gold coins through
the window of the man's house, thereby providing her dowry and
freeing her form a life of slavery. He did the same for the second
daughter; when it came to the third daughter, the father watched
by the window to see who had been so generous. As St. Nicholas
dropped the bag, the father overwhelmed him with gratitude. In
bestowing charity, St. Nicholas always strove to do this secretly
and to conceal his good deeds.
As a young man, St. Nicholas was traveling by sea to the Holy
Land and a violent storm arose. The entire crew thought that
they were doomed, but through the prayers of St. Nicholas, the
water was calmed and a sailor who had fallen from the mast was
restored to health.
St. Nicholas is most famous for his love of children. Remembering his own past as an orphan, he held a special place in his
heart for them as well as all children. He always gave small gifts to children as well as
gold coins to those who were poor. As immigrants from the Germanic and Nordic lands
settled in the United States the image of St. Nicholas, or "Sinterklaas," as he known
among the Dutch, was transformed by folklore into "Santa Claus" with little tie to the
spirituality of Christianity.
St. Nicholas was a participant in the first Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325 which,
during a heated moment, he slapped the face of the heretic Arius, who denied the Divinity
of Christ and whose false teachings threatened the souls of Christians. For this act he was
ejected, deprived of his Episcopal insignia and imprisoned. Only after several of the holy
Fathers had the same vision of the Lord Himself and the Most Holy Theotokos returning
to St. Nicholas the Gospel and omophor, was he released and reinstated to the office of
Bishop.
In many icons he is depicted holding a towel and Gospel book. This reference signifies
his life of humble service to our Lord. Could it be that St. Nicholas was chosen by our
forefathers to be the patron of our cathedral and Eparchy so we would have some one to
look up to and follow in his likeness?
"Your works for justice showed you to your congregation a canon of faith, the likeness
of humility, a teacher of abstinence. O Father, Bishop Nicholas. Wherefore, by
humility you achieved exaltation, and by meekness, richness. Intercede, therefore, with Christ to save our souls." [Tropar, Feast of St Nicholas]
Why, do you think, there are images of Christ and the Mother of God over the
shoulders of St Nicholas?
Phyllis Muryn Zaparaniuk

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

Bishops Chancery
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Central Time Zone

The Office is closed on all

major Church Holy Days
and National Civil Holidays

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EDITORIAL BOARD AND CONTRIBUTORS:

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