Ss. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church /Assumption B.V.M. Church131 North Beech Street, Mount Carmel, Pa. 17851Very Reverend Archpriest Michael Hutsko, PastorRectory 570-339-0650 Church Hall 570- 339-4333

Web Site- sspeterandpaulmc.org - E-Mail: stsppmc@ptd.net - Fax 570-339-2715Prayer Line: Louise Cuff 339-3660 – Eleanor Stebila 339-2353 – Louise Troyan 339-1565

Please notify the rectory office if you or a loved one is hospitalized or admitted to a nursing home.Office Hours: Mon. Tues. Fri. - 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Wed. Thurs. 9:00 AM -12:00 Noon

1st Collection: Candles 2nd Collection: Regular Offering

Sunday of CheeseFare March 2, 2014 Saturday 03-01-143:15 PM Confessions4:00 PM + George Feddock req. byMike & Barb Shannon Sunday 03-02-14Sunday of CheeseFare8:15 AM Confessions9:15 AM – For the Parishioners11:00 AM at Assumption B.V.M. Church +Helen Powell – 40th Day – req. by Joseph Liptock3:00 PM Forgiveness Vespers – Protection of the Mother of God, McAdooMonday 03-03-14First day of the Great Fast - Strict Fast6:00 PM Stations of the CrossTuesday 03-04-148:00 AM Lenten HoursWednesday 03-05-146:00 PM Divine Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts+ Michael Merikas requested by Wife, AnnaThursday 03-06-14No ServicesFriday 03-07-146:00 PM Divine Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts+ Ardan Family req. by Jeanne & Juls ArdanSaturday 03-08-148:00 AM – Divine Liturgy - For the Deceased of Our Parish - Followed by Prayers for the Deceased11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon Confessions3:15 PM Confessions4:00 PM For the Parishioners5:00 PM 1st Pysanky Class at 5:00 PMSunday 03-09-141 st Sunday of the Great Fast 8:15 AM Confessions9:15 AM + Catherine M. (Simunek) TeevanBirthday Remembrance for Mother req. by Ed & Michele Teevan 11:00 AM at Assumption B.V.M. Church + John Polites – 40th Day –req. by Joseph Liptock

Followed by Prayers for the Deceased3:00 PM – Stations of the Cross – Patronage of the Mother of God – Marion HeightsWelcome: We the people of SS. Peter & Paul/Assumption Churches, are a catholic community that worships God, spreads the Good News of Christ, and serves those in need. Come into the house. Bring all you are, no need to check your failures at the door. There are no perfect people here. You are invited: come. Come in seeking, come in wondering, come in hurting. Come into this house of companionship and compassion. Come in. You are welcome here. SS. Peter & Paul/Assumption Churches open their doors to youUpcoming Events: Mark your calendars and plan to support the following events…..March: March 2 – Altar Rosary Society Sunday3:00 PM Forgiveness Vespers, Protection of the Mother of God, McAdooMarch 3 – First day of the Great Fast – Strict fastMarch 8 – 1st Pysanky Class – 5:00 PMMarch 9 – Holy Name Society Sunday March 9 – Ss. Peter & Paul Church Spaghetti Dinner – 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM – Church HallMarch 15 – 2nd Pysanky Class – 5:00 PMMarch 19 – Pyrohy SaleMarch 20 – Pyrohy SaleMarch 22 – 9:00 AM - Second Annual Friendship Breakfast3rd Pysanky Class – 5:00 PM March 24 – 6:00 PM Vigil of the Annunciation of the Theotokos – Ss. Peter & Paul Church- Solemn Holy DayMarch 25 – 9:00 AM at Assumption B.V.M. Church - Annunciation of the Theotokos – Solemn Holy DayMarch 29 – Halupki Sale Pick-up 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon – Ss. Peter & Paul Church Hall4th Pysanky Class – 5:00 PM

March 30 -3:00 PM Stations of the Cross –Beginning of Lenten MissionSs. Peter & Paul Church - Social to follow

In Your Prayers: Please remember to pray for the sick and the infirm of our Parishes.Please Remember: To pray for vocations to the Holy Priesthood and religious life.Rosary Intention: For the week of March 2, 2014, for an end to the violence in the Ukraine.Ss. Peter & Paul Replenish Fund Donations as of February 23, 2014 : $250.00 – Dr. Lawrence & Lorraine Palko$ 50.00 – Martha GrabowskiTotal To Date Replenishing Fund Donations: $ 41, 519.80Ss. Peter & Paul Church 50/50 Winner:# 216 – Amy Lapointe - $ 46.00 –Donated back to the ChurchAssumption B.V.M. Church 50/50 Winner:# 32 – Thomas Oakum - $ 11.00 –Donated back to the ChurchAssumption B.V.M. Church Building Fund Donations:$ 100.00 – Matthew Kenenitz Pyrohy for Sale: Ss. Peter & Paul/Assumption B.V.M. Churches have extra pyrohy for sale. Please see any pyrohy worker or call the office at 570-339-0650 during normal office hours if you wish to purchase pyrohy.January Pyrohy Sale:Additional 87 dozen sold – profit $609.00 + $4.00 extraPyrohy Report for February Pyrohy Sale:524 x 7 = $3, 668.00Total income - $ 3, 668.00Supply expenses - $ 1, 023.00Utilities- $ 400.00Total Profit $ 2, 245.00

Next Pyrohy Sale: The SS. Peter & Paul/Assumption Pyrohy Sale will be held on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 starting at 9:00 AM, and on Thursday, March 20, 2014 starting at 8:00 AM. Deadline for ordering is March 13, 2014.We are still in need of help in all aspects of this project please try to devote some of your time and talents to this project. All are welcome. Thank you.Altar Rosary Society Sunday: Sunday, March 2, 2014 is Altar Rosary Society Sunday. All members are asked to join in praying the rosary before liturgy, receive the Eucharist as a group and attend a short meeting

immediately after liturgy. New members are being accepted into the Society dues are $5.00, which are due now.

An Urgent Plea for Ss. Peter & Paul Church and Assumption B.V.M. Church Parishioners:This has been an extremely difficult winter for everyone. It’s been unseasonable cold, and there’s been more snow than usual. Heating bills and snow removal costs have stressed all of us. Snow removal costs for Ss. Peter & Paul Church from November 2013 to the present date is $3,180.00. The cost for snow removal at Assumption B.V.M. Church is $1,225.00 from November 2013 to the present date. The weather has challenged our parish finances as well. Many of you have not been able to attend services because of the weather. As a result our collections have dropped precipitously and we are faced with not being able to pay our utility bills this month. I realize many of you are in the same predicament so I’m not asking for any additional donations from anyone. All I’m asking is that each of you try to “make-up” any of your regular offerings that you were prevented from making because of the weather keeping you from attending liturgy. Every little bit helps and every little sacrifice you make is greatly appreciated. Thank You!

Ss. Peter & Paul Church Lector Schedule: Sat. March 1- 4:00 PMBrock BridySun. March 2 - 9:15 AM Justina EisenhartSat. March 8 - 4:00 PMEd CuffSun. March 9 - 9:15 AMChristine BognerAssumption B.V.M. Church Lector Schedule:Sun. March 2 - 11:00 AMBryce FiamonciniSun. March 9 - 11:00 AMBryce Fiamoncini

Holy Name Society: Sunday, March 9, 2014 is Holy Name Society Sunday. All members are asked to pray together, receive the Holy Eucharist as a group and attend a short meeting immediately after liturgy. New members are always welcome to join this society.

Altar Flowers: Altar flowers can be sponsored weekly for $30.00 per arrangement. Parishioners can sponsor these flowers in Memory of a loved one, or for any occasion. Anyone interested in sponsoring flowers may call 570 - 339-0650.

Sunday of CheeseFareTroparion: You came down from on high, O Merciful One, and accepted three days of burial to free us from our sufferings. O Lord, our life and our resurrection, glory be to You.Kontakion: Glory be to the Father, Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Now and ever and forever: Amen.O Guide to Wisdom, O Giver of Understanding, * O Instructor of the Ignorant, and Helper of the Poor, * strengthen and enlighten my heart, O Master, * Give the word to me, O Word of the Father, * that I may not refrain from crying out to You: * “O Merciful Lord, have mercy on me, a fallen one.”Prokimenon:Make vows to the Lord your God * and fulfill them.V. God is known in Judah; in Israel His name is great.Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!V. It is good to give thanks to the Lord; and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High.V. To proclaim Your mercy in the morning, and Your faithfulness throughout the night.Alleluia (3x)Communion Hymn:Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the highest. Alleluia! (3x)Epistle: Rom. 13-11-14:4Gospel: Mt. 6-14-21Great Fast Antiphons: During our journey of the Great Fast, the Psalm of Typica and the Beatitudes will be sung instead of the regular Sunday Antiphons.Thoughts for the Day………….God Himself has given you mind and muscle; use them for Him.If a person does not believe in the heavenly Father; he will no doubt believe in anything.

Spaghetti Dinner: A Spaghetti Dinner will be held at Ss. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church Hall, 131 N. Beech Street, Mount Carmel, Pa. on March 9, 2014 at 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.Dinner includes - Salad, Spaghetti, Homemade sauce and Meatballs, & Dessert.Take outs available – bring your own containersAdults - $8.00 Children under 12 - $4.00Advance ticket sale is appreciated – call the church office at 570-339-0650 or Louise Cuff at570- 339-3660.

Prayer for RenewalAlmighty Lord, we bow our heads in prayerAnd beseech You to rebuild our House of God.The psalmist reminds us,Unless the Lord builds the house,the builders labor in vain.Dear Lord, rebuild this house and guide the hands of the architects, the contractors, the laborers;May they perfect the imperfections, as they recreate and renew this church, our Heaven on earth, where we gather to lay aside all cares of life.Almighty Lord, we are also reminded that we too are temples, living temples of the Holy Spirit.During this time of re-creation and renewalMay our imperfections also be perfected.May the gifts of the Holy Spirit renew in each of us our faith and our love of God and each other.May we spiritually become the children of God we are called to be Christian faithful who are forgiving and caring, and welcoming. And may our patrons, Saints Peter and Paul, always inspire us through their courage and example to faithfully hear the Word of God and live it.

Religion Classes: Religion classes are held at SS. Peter & Paul Church on Monday evenings from 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM. All children from pre-school age to 8th grade are encouraged to attend. Children receiving the Sacrament of Penance/Holy Communion in Calendar Year 2013-2014 must attend these classes. Registration forms are available. If you have any questions please contact Christine Bogner at 570-847-4385.

Pysanky Classes: Classes in traditional Pysanky decorating will be held Saturday, March 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th at 5:00 PM in the hall at Ss. Peter & Paul Church. These classes will be taught and demonstrated by Rose Demsko, a locally renowned pysanky artist and instructor. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn and continue our very beautiful tradition of decorating eggs for Easter.Classes are free of charge, through the generosity of Mrs. Demsko. She will provide all instructional materials, including dyes and styluses. Those attending are asked to bring several of your uncooked eggs to decorate Any questions please call the church office at (570) 339-0650.

Deanery Stations of the Cross: SS. Peter & Paul Church, March 30, 2014 at 3:00 PM - Social will follow. We are in need of home-made baked goods and desserts for this social. All donations are appreciated.

Lenten Services: The Holy Season of Lent (Great Fast) will begin on Monday, March 3, 2014. This is a privileged time during which we are all encouraged to “put aside all earthly cares” and focus upon those things that are eternal and everlasting. During this time we are encouraged to focus upon the salvation of our souls, each one looking inwardly in order to measure ourselves in the light of Jesus Christ. During this time we are encouraged to “pray, fast and do good works” each according to their own ability. As such, our church provides additional opportunities to encounter the Lord. A special liturgical schedule has been prepared to enable us to make the best use of this forty-day period. Lenten Hours are prayed at 8:00 AM on Tuesday, Thursday. Stations of the Cross is celebrated at 6:00 PM on Monday evenings. The Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts is sung on Wednesday and Friday evenings at 6:00 PM. Our deceased loved ones are remembered at Sorokousty Services on Saturday mornings immediately after 8:00 AM liturgy in Mt. Carmel and on Sunday mornings immediately after 11:00 AM liturgy in Centralia. Also, please remember our Deanery prays the Stations of the Cross in a different parish each Sunday afternoon at 3:00 PM. Please do your best to attend and pray the additional services during our journey through the Great Fast so that we will be able to joyfully proclaim the Resurrection of Our Lord as newly created people on Easter Sunday.

2014 Deanery Lenten Services: All services begin at 3:00 PMSunday, March 2-- Forgiveness Vespers-Protection of the Mother of God, McAdooSunday, March 9—Stations of the Cross –Patronage of the Mother of God, Marion HeightsSunday, March 16—Stations of the Cross –St. Nicholas’s, St. ClairSunday, March 23 – Stations of the Cross-St. John’s, MaizevilleSunday, March 30 – Stations of the Cross –Ss. Peter and Paul, Mt. Carmel Sunday, April 6 – Stations of the Cross –St. Michael’s, HazeltonSunday, April 13 – Stations of the Cross –St. Nicholas, MinersvilleEveryone is welcome to attend these services. Please join us.

Lenten Confession Schedule:Listed below is the schedule for Lenten confessions. Confessions are heard from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM in each church. Monday, April 7 – Assumption B.V.M. Church – Fr. FesniakSs. Peter & Paul Church, Mt. Carmel - Msgr. Melnic – Msgr. GrabowskyPlease take advantage of this opportunity to receive the Mystery of Forgiveness prior to the Celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord.

Fasting Regulations: Lent begins Monday, March 3, 2014 and is a strict fast. We are to refrain from eating meat that day and every Friday of Lent and are encouraged to fast from meat on all Wednesdays of the Lenten season. All are asked to do their best to keep this discipline of the church.

Confession: Every catholic is required to receive the Sacrament of Penance during the Lenten/Easter season. In order to give you ample opportunity to fulfill this obligation I will hear confessions every Saturday during lent from 11:00 AM to Noon at Ss. Peter & Paul Church, beginning on March 8, 2014. Also, visiting priests will be in SS. Peter & Paul Parish and Assumption B.V.M. Church for confessions on Monday, April 7th from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Please avail yourself of these opportunities as early as possible in the Lenten season.

Easter Offering: Please begin now putting aside a couple of dollars a week so that you can make an extra special offering to our churches on Easter Sunday. We ask each parishioner to consider making an Easter donation of at least $25.00. Gifts of $50.00, $75.00, $100.00 or more would be greatly appreciated. When we stop to consider the great gift of Jesus himself, the Son of God, it is easy for us to respond generously as we celebrate His resurrection.

Lenten Mission: A Lenten Mission will be presented to our parish community by Father John Szada, Jr. beginning on Sunday, March 30th

through Wednesday April 2nd. Please join us for this Lenten Mission.

Halupki/Pigeon Sale: Our Lenten pigeon sale will be held on Saturday, March 29th. Our pigeons make a great addition to your Easter Sunday Dinner or for a quick anytime meal. They are delicious and nutritious. Order forms are available in the bulletin, in the vestibule of our churches, and in the parish office. Pigeons can be ordered baked or unbaked (either can be easily frozen). Prices are: $18.00 a dozen, $9.00 a half-dozen or $1.50 each. For more information, or to place an order please call the rectory office at 570-339-0650 during business hours. Pre-orders only please.

Take-out orders only. Please complete the order form below and return it to the Church office or deposit in collection basket on or before March 21 st . Thank you for your support of this project .

SS. Peter & Paul Church131 N. Beech Street

Mt. Carmel, Pa. 17851

Halupki/Pigeon Sale Order Form

Please specify baked or unbaked

Name: _________________________________

Address: ________________________________

Phone Number: ___________________________

Baked or UnbakedDozen Halupki$18.00__________________________________

Baked or unbaked1/2 Dozen Halupki $9.00___________________________________

Baked or unbaked One Halupki $1.50 ___________________________________

Additional juice_________________________

Friendship Breakfast: Our Second Annual Friendship Breakfast will be held on Saturday, March 22nd, 2014. We begin with Divine Liturgy celebrated at 9:00 AM with breakfast immediately following. All parishioners and friends are invited to join us… and bring along a friend….to begin this Lenten Saturday in communal prayer and then share a delicious hot breakfast with friends. Our guest speaker this year will be Sr. Thomas Hrynewich SSMI. Sr. Thomas is currently Principal of St. Nicholas School in Minersville. She has also served her community and our church in various and interesting assignments through the years. Her experiences include: Superior of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, Chancellor of the Ukrainian Archeparchy of Philadelphia, Member of the Marriage Tribunal, Superior /Director of St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged, Educator and Catechist in various parishes throughout our Archeparchy. Sr. Thomas has also addressed various professional groups, has given number retreats and days of recollection and assisted in the seminary formation of dozens of priests who serve in our parishes. There is no charge for the breakfast, all we ask is that you call the office at 570-339-0650 and let us know if you’re planning to come so we can make adequate preparations. Be a friend…bring a friend…make a friend on that day. See you there!

Halupki Work Schedule: The schedule for preparing Halupki for Ss. Peter & Paul Church Halupki Sale is as follows: Coring of Cabbage, March 25- starting at 9:00 AMBoiling of Cabbage, March 26- starting at 9:00 AMPrepare Halupki, March 27 & 28 - starting at 9:00 AMHalupki can be picked up on March 29, 2014 between 10:00 to 12:00 Noon in the Church Hall. We are in need of people to help with this project. Please lend some of your time to make this fundraiser a huge success. Thank you in advance for your support.

Ss. Peter & Paul/Assumption B.V.M. Churches Collecting Food Donations: Ss. Peter & Paul/Assumption B.V.M. Churches are continuing to collect food items to be donated to the Mount Carmel Area Food Bank. Please continue to donate to the less fortunate in our community. Thank You!

Sunday, March 2 , 2014

The Fourth Sunday of the Triodion: Sunday of Forgiveness (Cheesefare Sunday)

Introduction

The Sunday of Forgiveness is the last Sunday prior to the commencement of Great Lent. During the pre-Lenten period, the services of the Church include hymns from the Triodion, a liturgical book that contains the services from the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the tenth before Pascha (Easter), through Great and Holy Saturday. On the Sunday of Forgiveness focus is placed on the exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, an event that shows us how far we have fallen in sin and separated ourselves from God. At the onset of Great Lent and a period of intense fasting, this Sunday reminds us of our need for God’s forgiveness and guides our hearts, minds, and spiritual efforts on returning to Him in repentance.

At the onset of Great Lent and a period of intense fasting, this Sunday reminds us of our need for God’s forgiveness and guides our hearts, minds, and spiritual efforts on returning to Him in repentance

Biblical StoryThe Sunday of Forgiveness, the last of the preparatory Sundays before Great Lent, has two themes: it commemorates Adam’s expulsion from Paradise, and it accentuates our need for forgiveness. There are obvious reasons why these two things should be brought to ourattention as we stand on the threshold of Great Lent. One of the primary images in the Triodion is that of the return to Paradise. Lent is a time when we weep with Adam and Eve before the closed gate of Eden, repenting with them for the sins that have deprived us of our free communion with God. But Lent is also a time when we are preparing to celebrate the

saving event of Christ’s death and rising, which has reopened Paradise to us once more (Luke 23:43). So sorrow for our exile in sin is tempered by hope of our re-entry into Paradise.

The second theme, that of forgiveness, is emphasized in the Gospel reading for this Sunday (Matthew 6:14-21) and in the special ceremony of mutual forgiveness at the end of the Vespers on Sunday evening. Before we enter the Lenten fast, we are

reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, no reconciliation with God, unless we are at the same time reconciled with one another. A fast without mutual love is the fast of demons. We do not travel the road of Lent as isolated individuals but as members of a family. Our asceticism and fasting should not separate us from others, but should link us to them with ever-stronger bonds.

The Sunday of Forgiveness also directs us to see that Great Lent is a journey of liberation from our enslavement to sin. The Gospel lesson sets the conditions for this liberation. The first one is fasting—the refusal to accept the desires and urges of our fallen nature as normal, the effort to free ourselves from the dictatorship of the flesh and matter over the spirit. To be effective, however, our fast must not be hypocritical, a “showing off.” We must “appear not unto men to fast but to our Father who is in secret” (vv. 16-18).

The second condition is forgiveness—“If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you” (vv. 14-15). The triumph of sin, the main sign of its rule over the world, is division, opposition, separation, hatred. Therefore, the first break through this fortress of sin is forgiveness—the return to unity, solidarity and love. To forgive is to put between me and my “enemy” the radiant forgiveness of God Himself. To forgive is to reject the hopeless “dead-ends” of human relations and to refer them to Christ. Forgiveness is truly a “breakthrough” of the Kingdom into this sinful and fallen world.

On Cheesefare Sunday, all the clergy and faithful have been asked to conduct the Forgiveness Service after the homily during the Divine Liturgy. While this service has been traditionally part of Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday evening, by observing this rite of humility and love at the Divine Liturgy, more of the faithful will experience this moving service as the Christian community prepares to begin the journey through the Great Fast. The following article, written by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, explains the significance of the services of Cheesefare Sunday.)

Forgiveness Service on Cheesefare Sunday

In the Orthodox (and Eastern Catholic) Church, the last Sunday before Great Lent – the day on which, at Vespers, Lent is liturgically announced and inaugurated – is called Forgiveness Sunday. On the morning of that Sunday, (also known as Cheesefare Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ:

"If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses..." (Mark 6:14-15)

Then after Lenten Vespers – after hearing the announcement of Lent in the Great Prokeimen: "Turn not away Thy face from Thy child for I am afflicted! Hear me speedily! Draw near unto my soul and deliver it!", after making our entrance into Lenten worship, with its special memories, with the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, with its prostrations – we ask forgiveness from each other, we perform the rite of forgiveness and reconciliation. And as we approach each other with words of reconciliation, the choir intones the Paschal hymns, filling the church with the anticipation of Paschal joy.

What is the meaning of this rite? Why is it that the Church wants us to begin the Lenten season with forgiveness and reconciliation? These questions are in order because for too many people Lent means primarily, and almost exclusively, a change of diet, the compliance with ecclesiastical regulations concerning fasting. They understand fasting as an end in itself, as a "good deed" required by God and carrying in itself its merit and its reward. But, the Church spares no effort in revealing to us that fasting is but a means, one among many, towards a higher goal: the spiritual renewal of man, his return to God, true repentance and, therefore, true reconciliation. The Church spares no effort in warning us against a hypocritical and pharisaic fasting, against the reduction of religion to mere external obligations. As a Lenten hymn says:

In vain do you rejoice in no eating, O soul!For you abstain from food,But from passions you are not purified.If you persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast.

2

Now, forgiveness stands at the very center of Christian faith and of Christian life because Christianity itself is, above all, the religion of forgiveness. God forgives us, and His forgiveness is in Christ, His Son, Whom He sends to us, so that by sharing in His humanity we may share in His love and be truly reconciled with God. Indeed, Christianity has no other content but love. And it is primarily the renewal of that love, a return to it, a growth in it, that we seek in Great Lent, in fasting and prayer, in the entire spirit and the entire effort of that season. Thus, truly forgiveness is both the beginning of, and the proper condition for the Lenten season.

One may ask, however: Why should I perform this rite when I have no "enemies"? Why should I ask forgiveness from people who have done nothing to me, and whom I hardly know? To ask these questions, is to misunderstand the Church teaching concerning forgiveness. It is true, that open enmity, personal hatred, real animosity may be absent from our life, though if we experience them, it may be easier for us to repent, for these feelings openly contradict Divine commandments. But, the Church reveals to us that there are much subtler ways of offending Divine Love. These are indifference, selfishness, lack of interest in other people, of any real concern for them -- in short, that wall which we usually erect around ourselves, thinking that by being "polite" and "friendly" we fulfill God’s commandments. The rite of forgiveness is so important precisely because it makes us realize – be it only for one minute – that our entire relationship to other men is wrong, makes us experience that encounter of one child of God with another, of one person created by God with another, makes us feel that mutual "recognition" which is so terribly lacking in our cold and dehumanized world.

On that unique evening, listening to the joyful Paschal hymns we are called to make a spiritual discovery: to taste of another mode of life and relationship with people, of life whose essence is love. We can discover that always and everywhere Christ, the Divine Love Himself, stands in the midst of us, transforming our mutual alienation into brotherhood. As l advance towards the other, as the other comes to me – we begin to realize that it is Christ Who brings us together by His love for both of us.

And because we make this discovery – and because this discovery is that of the Kingdom of God itself: the Kingdom of Peace and Love, of reconciliation with God and, in Him, with all that exists – we hear the hymns of that Feast, which once a year, "opens to us the doors of Paradise." We know why we shall fast and pray, what we shall seek during the long Lenten pilgrimage. Forgiveness Sunday: the day on which we acquire the power to make our fasting – true fasting; our effort – true effort; our reconciliation with God – true reconciliation.

METROPOLITAN ARCHEPARCHY OF PHILADELPHIAUkrainian Catholic

827 North Franklin StreetPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania 19123-2097

Phone (215) 627-0143 Fax (215) 627-0377 ukrmet@catholic.org

No. 80/2013 O

This Number Should be Prefixed to Your Reply Office of the Metropolitan

February 25, 2014

My Brother Clergy and Faithful of our Archeparchy,

Praise Be Jesus Christ!

Soon, the Great Fast will begin. I ask the clergy and faithful of our Ukrainian Catholic Church to participate in celebrating forgiveness during the Sunday Divine Liturgies on Cheese-Fare Sunday, the night before the Great Fast begins. This Forgiveness Service is part of our spiritual heritage and tradition. While this is normally done during the evening Vespers Service, I ask that the entire Church celebrate it during the Divine Liturgy immediately following the Homily. The pastor is asked to give a reflection of sincere forgiveness in his homily, and then proceed with the prayers for forgiveness in the language of the Divine Liturgy. It is important to invite all of the faithful to participate by offering the prayers in a calm and meaningful manner.

We all stand in need of forgiveness from God and from one another. It is uncomfortable to admit our sinfulness to ourselves and to others. Heartfelt participation in the forgiveness service during the Divine Liturgy allows us to humble ourselves. We face one another with sorrow, admitting our failings with one another, and asking forgiveness. Any delusions of superiority are challenged as we humble ourselves before one another, priest to his faithful, faithful to the priest and to one another. Healing comes not only to the person who says the painful words, “I’m sorry”, but also to the one who receives them. Healing comes not only to the one who hears the words, “I forgive you”, but also to the one who offers them. We prepare ourselves to enter the Great Fast. I too beg the forgiveness of my brother hierarchs, clergy, religious and faithful for my failings. I forgive and pray for all who have failed or offended me.

I thank the reverend clergy and faithful for your anticipated heartfelt embracing of this forgiveness service within the Divine Liturgy. It is a time when the entire parish family gathers. The entire parish family is encouraged to participate in mutual forgiveness for the benefit of our spiritual growth and well-being. God bless you!

Metropolitan-Archbishop of Philadelphia

+Stefan SorokaMetropolitan-Archbishop of Philadelphia

The Forgiveness Service

After the homily, the priest, facing the people says:

Priest: My brothers and sisters, at this time let us try to remember all of our sins which we have committed throughout the course of our life, and with which we have offended God.

All: Lord, we have sinned against You in thought, word and action. We have been wrong and we have done wrong. Forgive us.

Priest: Let us try to remember if we harbor any ill-feelings towards God for anything that happened in our life.

All: Lord, help us to accept your will in our lives, to try to understand your ways, and not to feel angry with You or blame You for anything that might happen to us or go wrong for us in our lives.

Priest: Let us try to remember all of those people who have offended us, hurt us, angered us; all those people against whom, for whatever reason, we bear grudges, feel hatred, and whom we find hard to forgive.

All: From the bottom of my heart, I truly and sincerely forgive those who hate me, who have offended or hurt me, and against whom I carry a grudge or nourish ill-feelings.

Priest: Let us try to remember all of those people whom we ourselves have hurt or offended, knowingly or unknowingly, in word or in deed; and all those whom we, for whatever reason, hate and who bear grudges against us.

All: From the bottom of my heart, I truly and sincerely ask forgiveness and pardon of all those whom I hate, whom I have offended and hurt, and who hold a grudge against me because of this.

Priest: My brothers and sisters, if I have sinned against you, hurt you, or offended you in thought, word or action, knowingly or unknowingly, in any possible way, please forgive me, a sinner, and pray to God for me.

All: May God Himself forgive you and pardon your sins and transgressions, and we also forgive and pardon you. Father, bless us and forgive us our sins and offenses and transgressions, committed voluntarily or perhaps unwittingly, against you.

Priest: May the Lord God, through His grace and loving kindness, forgive you. And I also pardon and forgive you.

And now, let us ask forgiveness of one another by saying: Forgive me my brother/sister. And let the other answer: May God forgive you, and I also forgive you.

METROPOLITAN ARCHEPARCHY OF PHILADELPHIAUkrainian Catholic

827 North Franklin StreetPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania 19123-2097

Phone (215) 627-0143 Fax (215) 627-0377 ukrmet@catholic.org

No. 106/2014 O Office of the Metropolitan

This Number Should be Prefixed to Your Reply

GREAT LENT PASTORAL OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY OF THE U.S.A. TO OUR CLERGY, HIEROMONKS AND BROTHERS, RELIGIOUS SISTERS,

SEMINARIANS AND BELOVED FAITHFUL

“Open to me the doors of repentance, O Giver of life. As we worship in your temple this morning, teach us how to purify the temples of our bodies, and in your compassion, purify me by the goodness of your mercies.”

- from the Matins for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

In teaching the faithful about the cycle of feasts and commemorations contained in the liturgical year of the Byzantine church, the church Fathers often used the symbol of a door, as we see in the above citation from the service of matins. Indeed, as a pilgrim community journeying towards the heavenly Jerusalem, we can say that we have only just recently passed through the door symbolizing the culmination of the celebrations surrounding the birth and baptism of Our Lord. And having closed it behind us, we have travelled only a few steps along the journey, and have come upon another door along our path: the door that crosses the threshold into the time of Great Lent. Great Lent is a blessed time of cleansing, renewal and conversion that encompasses the totality of our being: physical, psychological and above all, spiritual – all in preparation for the great commemoration of the death, burial and Resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Every year at this time we ask ourselves the question: How are we to effectively use this time of Lent so that we can be truly transformed, in mind, body and spirit? Thankfully, the Church in her wisdom has shown us the answer through the Gospel lessons contained in the Sundays immediately before the beginning of Great Lent. We find in them, concrete means of preparing for Lent so that we can embark upon these 40 holy days, sure of our victory in the end.

In the Gospel of the Sunday of Zaccheus (Lk. 19:1-10) we learn that a personal and indomitable desire for conversion is necessary if we are to profit from the time of Great Lent. The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee (Lk. 18:10-14) demonstrates that a humble recognition of our personal sinfulness is also a prerequisite. The Sunday of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15: 11-32) contains many lessons for us, one of them being that God will cover us with his boundless forgiveness and mercy if we take but one tiny step towards him in repentance. Meatfare Sunday (Mt.

25: 31-46) presents us with a terrifying picture of the Last Judgment and Christ’s admonition that only through acts of corporal mercy towards our brothers and sisters in need, will we escape the sentence of eternal damnation. Finally, when we at last stand on the threshold of Great Lent, the Gospel of Cheesefare Sunday (Mt. 6: 14-21) teaches us that our sincere forgiveness of those who have offended us is the key that ensures God’s mercy and forgiveness for our own transgressions.

During the time of Great Lent we urge you to return often to the Gospel lessons of these preparatory Sundays, to meditate upon them and plumb their depths for the golden nuggets of God’s grace, wisdom and love that are found within them in abundance.

If we do this, then we will discover that, at the end of our Lenten journey, yet another door will be opened for us: a door that leads to the celebration of the indescribable joy of Our Lord’s glorious Resurrection from the dead; a door that leads to a faith in Christ that is stronger, deeper, more courageous and resilient, shining brightly for all to see. Indeed, gathered together in our parish churches on Easter Sunday we can become modern examples of those ancient communities where Saint Paul preached so long ago, communities for which ‘God had opened the door of faith’. (Acts 14:27)

Of course, the gift of faith is not something to be hoarded and hidden from sight. We are called to put it on display for all the world to see, to ‘set it on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house’. (Mt. 5:15) To paraphrase the words that were pronounced at our baptism we are to ‘take the lighted candle and strive throughout our lifetime to shine brightly with the light of faith and of good deeds…’

When our entire being is filled with the joy of faith, then our natural desire should be to share this joy and this faith with others. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis has emphasized this noble privilege and responsibility of Christians in his brilliant Apostolic Exhortation ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ – ‘The Joy of the Gospel’ in which he writes that the Good News of our faith is ‘a joy ever new, a joy which is shared’. This is also reflected in the resolution of the Synod of Bishops of our Ukrainian Catholic Church last year, which, under the banner of the program of parish spiritual renewal entitled ‘The Vibrant Parish – a Place to Encounter the Living Christ’, has dedicated 2014 to the development of a Missionary Spirit in our Ukrainian Church.

The very nature and mission of the Church means that we are called to bear witness to Christ and to share the Good News with others. May the journey through Great Lent upon which we are embarking, be a time of true spiritual conversion and renewal for all of us. And may all those who yearn to walk through the door that leads to an encounter with Christ and the Church, be guided through the light of our good example.

+Stefan SorokaMetropolitan-Archbishop of Philadelphia

+Richard SeminackEparch of St. Nicholas in Chicago

+Paul Chomnycky, OSBM (author)Eparch of Stamford

+John BuraApostolic Administratorof St. Josaphat in Parma

Great Lent, 2014