Official Publication of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia

VOL. 77 - No. 16
ENGLISH VERSION
AUGUST 28, 2016

+Bishop Richard
Seminack Reposes in the Lord

March 3, 1942 - August 16, 2016

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62nd Holy Dormition Pilgrimage

The 62nd Holy Dormition Pilgrimage, hosted by the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in Sloatsburg, NY on August 13-14, was truly a blessed experience for the 3,111 pilgrims who journeyed from near and far as well as for the Sisters Servants. The theme of the pilgrimage was “Jesus –the Face of Mercy; Mary – the Mother of Mercy. For more information on the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, please visit their website at http://ssmi-us.org/.

Watch videos from the Pilgrimage on our YouTube Channel.

https://www.youtube.com/user/ thewayukrainian/videos

Carrying the image of the “Door of Mercy” icon during the procession for the Moleben.

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OBITUARY OF
THE MOST REVEREND RICHARD STEPHEN SEMINACK BISHOP OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC EPARCHY OF
ST. NICHOLAS IN CHICAGO
March 3, 1942-August 16, 2016

The Most Richard
Reverend Stephen
Seminack, fell asleep in the Lord, August 16, 2016 after a prolonged illness. At the time of his death, Bishop Seminack was serving as the fourth bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago.

Bishop Seminack was born on March 3, 1942 to Raymond and Anna

• Cwiek
• Seminack
• in

Philadelphia, PA. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Ternopil, Ukrainewhilehismaternal grandparents came from Peremyshil, Ukraine. The oldest of seven children, he attended St. Martin of ToursCatholicElementary School and Father Judge Catholic High School in Philadelphia, PA.

May 25, 1967 priestly ordination of Deacon Richard Seminack at the hands of Metropolitan Ambrose Senyshyn.

Rome and received a parish, Lansdale; St. baccalaureate degree in Anne parish, Warrington;
University of America, both in Washington, D.C.
Responding to a call to the Holy Priesthood, he received a B.A. degree in Philosophy from St. Basil’s College Seminary, Stamford, Conn. in 1963. He continued his priestly formationasaseminarian at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary and continued his theological studies at The Catholic
Canon Law in 1969. In the Philadelphia ordination and Sacred Heart parish in Philadelphia.

• After
• his

Archeparchy, he served He also served as the faithful in the chaplain for the Sisters following Pennsylvania of St. Basil the Great in on May 25, 1967 by Metropolitan Archbishop Ambrose Senyshyn for

• parishes:
• Immaculate Philadelphia, as campus

Conception Cathedral, minister at Manor
Holy College in Jenkintown,

• the
• Archeparchy
• of

Philadelphia, he pursued
Philadelphia,

• graduate
• studies
• at

Ghost parish, Chester;

Presentation of Our Lord (continued on next page)

the Pontifical Institute for Oriental Studies in

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AUGUST 28, 2016

OBITUARY OF
THE MOST REVEREND RICHARD STEPHEN SEMINACK

(continued from previous page)

Holiness St. John Paul II on October 5, 1984.
Pa. and as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy.

Within the Eparchy of St. Josaphat, he held many eparchial positions including director of
When the Philadelphia Archeparchy was divided in 1983, he was serving as pastor of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Miami, Fla. and he became incardinated into the newly erected Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio, in which the Miami parish is located. religious diocesan education, consultor, member of the executive board of the priests’

• pension
• program,

chairman of the diocesan priests’ personnel board, chairman of the diocesan presbyteral council and staffmemberoftheoffices of pastoral ministry and of examiners for junior clergy.

Bishop Richard’s Coat of Arms

On June 8, 1984, he

• was
• appointed
• by

Richard plunged fully into

the life of the Eparchy of St Nicholas. of Chicago on March 25, 2003. He was ordained to the episcopacy by Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, then Major Archbishop of Lviv on June 4, 2003. The principal
Bishop Robert Moskal as pastor to the Holy Trinity Church, Carnegie PA.
Pope St. John Paul II named him as the bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas
With the image of Christ “Not Made By Human
He was elevated to the rank of Reverend

• Hands”
• prominently

• Monsignor
• by
• His

displayed above an Early

Christian sketch of a fish inscribed with the Greek co-consecrators Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka of were

• acronym
• ICHTHYS,
• Philadelphia and Bishop

Robert Michael Moskal of Parma.
Bishop Richard strove to exemplify the simple, yet complex role of bishop.

Over the years, Bishop was
Bishop Richard relied

• upon
• Richard
• earlier
• invited
• his

to observe milestone anniversaries, bless new buildings, baptize new Christians, and bless weddings. He came to honor patronal feast day celebrations, or to be a experiences in church life to help him exemplify the motto of his episcopal coat of arms. Insofar as the episcopal state is an embodiment of Christ— as Teacher, Shepherd, King, Priest, and even sacrificial Lamb, Bishop

Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka,
Bishop Paul Chomnycky, OSBM, Bishop John
Bura, and Bishop Richard Seminack

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AUGUST 28, 2016

OBITUARY OF
THE MOST REVEREND RICHARD STEPHEN SEMINACK

(continued from previous page)

visible sign of support to a struggling pastor or congregation.
Protection of the Mother of God.

A tall man, Bishop Richard could easily “oversee” almost every element of eparchial life. A gentle man, he was not overbearing in fulfilling his role.
During his episcopacy, St Nicholas Eparchy observed anniversary.

• its
• fiftieth

The event solemnized with was an opening celebration in the easternmost part of the eparchy—and a yearlong step by step, parish by parish participation in an ongoing process of prayer as each parish had the honor and responsibility to host a specially commissioned Jubilee Icon of the
His simple four-word motto inscribed in his heraldry do not form a sentence. They are individual notions that express qualities of the

Schedule of Funeral Services for the late
Bishop Seminack:

• priesthood
• of
• Jesus

Christ, not only in the God-made-man model

Chicago, Illinois

• He
• proffered—but

attributes every priest— or bishop—can strive to emulate. Taken – Blessed – Broken – Given are four terms that accurately describe the life and mission of Christ.
Monday, August 22 4 - 9 PM Lying In Repose at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral 2238 West Rice Street, Chicago, IL 60622

7 PM Parastas for a Hierarch Tuesday, August 23 10 AM Divine Liturgy and Funeral Service
Bishop survived by brothers:

• Seminack
• is

Raymond Seminack,

• P.
• (Carol)

Robert

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

W. (Janis) Seminack, Gregory J. (Bernadette) Seminack, Stephen J. (Ave) Seminack, Thomas J. (Valerie) Seminack and sister Joanne (Kevin) McCartney, nieces and nephews.
Friday, August 26 9-10:30 AM LyingInReposeatUkrainianCatholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

830 N. Franklin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123 10:30 AM Divine Liturgy and Funeral Service Interment at St. Mary’s Cemetery 438 Cedar Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027

Bishop Seminack

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AUGUST 28, 2016

Obituary: Bishop Richard S. Seminack / Longtime pastor at
Ukrainian Catholic parish in Carnegie, Pa.
March 3, 1942 - Aug. 16, 2016

• August 22, 2016
• Bishop Seminack died

Tuesday at age 74 after
/ long struggles with heart ailments. He was 74.
By Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

• Peter
• Smith

By the time he arrived “He was an exceptional in Carnegie in 1984, the pastor,” said Stefan Rev. Richard Seminack Soroka of the Ukrainian already had a busy Archeparchy ministerial career, Philadelphia. “He was of working as a Navy loved by his people.” chaplain and pastor to numerous Ukrainian BishopSeminackoversaw

• Catholic congregations.
• a small flock of about

10,000 in 46 parishes
And during his nearly 20 and missions in a territory years as a pastor at Holy stretching from Michigan Trinity Ukrainian Catholic to the Pacific. Ukrainian Church in Carnegie, Catholics follow the he became known for Byzantine rites used by a common touch and Orthodox Christians but for working hard in the are also loyal to papal wider church, serving on authority and Catholic numerous commissions dogma. dealing with areas such as religious education.

Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka and Bishop Richard Seminack at the Cathedral in
Philadelphia in 2014.

Going from a beloved parish priest to taking
Then came a 2003 on the administrative appointment as bishop of duties of a bishop was the Eparchy (diocese) of challenging at times, St. Nicholas in Chicago Archbishop Soroka said.
“Someone’s going to be andearneddegreesfrom

upset.” But “if somebody the Catholic University of

criticized him, he just
AmericaandthePontifical

• for Ukrainians.
• He had to navigate

• questions of how much
• listened. He didn’t hold

malice.”
Oriental Institute for Eastern Christian Studies
“He was thinking about to maintain Ukrainian retirement, but he said language and culture when the pope calls, you in the parishes and how do what you have to much to use English, in Rome, studying canon law in both places.
RichardStephenSeminack was born in Philadelphia

• on March 3, 1942, the
• American

He served at numerous

• do,” recalled Russ Zorey, adapt
• to

• son of Raymond and
• a longtime member of culture and reach out to

Holy Trinity who was the wider public. among the parishioners traveling to Chicago that “You’re never going year to see their pastor to win on that one,” parishes settings Pennsylvania and Florida and in other eastern
Anna Seminack and the grandson of immigrants from Ukraine. The oldest of seven children, he attendedCatholicschools

(continued on next page)

• ordained as bishop.
• Archbishop Soroka said.

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AUGUST 28, 2016

Obituary: Bishop Richard S. Seminack / Longtime pastor at
Ukrainian Catholic parish in Carnegie, Pa.

(continued from previous page)

before serving at Holy Trinity in Carnegie from 1984 to 2003. bishop, Rev. Seminack told the Post-Gazette: “My ministry has always been one of openness andaccountability. Ihave saidfromthefirstdaythat IwasordainedthatIhave lived in Macy’s window.
Archbishop Soroka said. He said Bishop Seminack challenged “priests and the people to have a mission mentality” and reach out beyond the church’s traditional hub around Chicago. of his job, “he had to rely on God’s grace,” Archbishop Soroka said. “Evenwiththechallenges, they never seemed to take him over.”
“He was just a nice man, a down-to-earth gentleman,” Mr. Zorey said.
Funeral liturgies are

scheduled at Ukrainian Catholic cathedrals in Chicago on Tuesday

• Everybody’s
• problem

Mr. Zorey recalled that at events such as his daughter’s wedding and was my problem and my problem was everybody else’s problem.”
In later years, with his health failing, Bishop Seminack relied more on assistants but continued to fulfill his duties and even made an arduous annual trip to a synod of bishops in Ukraine.

• morning
• and
• in

father-in-law’s

then-Rev. funeral,
Seminack
Philadelphia on Friday morning.
The eparchy includes not only historic immigrant parishes but also more recent Ukrainian arrivals in places such as California, where they are assimilating quickly, listened closely to learn about those involved and worked those details into his homilies. http://www.post-gazette. com/…/Obituary…/ stories/201608190254
When facing physical ailmentsorthechallenges
After being appointed as

Pope Benedict XVI poses with U.S. leaders of Eastern Catholic churches May 18, 2012 during their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican. (Bishop Richard is pictured at right.)

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AUGUST 28, 2016

Condolence Letter of His Beatitude Sviatoslav on occasion of death of Bishop Richard Seminak

Wednesday, 17 August 2016 it. A lot of eparchial priests through bishop’s hands were pleased to receive the greatest gift – holy orders. Bishop Richard tried to be kind, open and attentive to people’s needs. He was a real spiritual father to the faithful of the eparchy who undertook many efforts for their strengthening in faith. The latewasopentomaintain relationships with Church
To the most reverend Metropolitan Soroka,
Stefan priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful in sorrow of Chicago eparchy Glory to Jesus Christ!

Your Excellency! Dear priests consecrated and persons,

• in
• Ukraine,
• helping

Photo of the American Bishops with His Beatitude Sviatoslav in 2011. Photo (l to r): Bishop-emeritus Basil Losten, Metropolitan- Archbishop Stefan Soroka, His Beatitude SviatoslavShevchuk,BishopPaulChomnycky, OSBM, Bishop John Bura, and Bishop Richard Seminack.

lay faithful of Chicago eparchy! to restore temples of human’s souls as well as temples destroyed after totalitarian regime. He was an active participant of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC.
Peace be with you! With a deep sorrow news bishop
Iconcerning accepted inexpressible glory to the newly departed where those who rejoice dwell and where the Voice of pure joy is heard”.

• believe in Jesus Christ.
• of Chicago Eparchy

Richard Seminak who passed away after a long and severe disease. The Synod of Bishops of the UGCC and I with all people of a goodwill extend our sympathy and assure in our prayers for a newly departed.
Today bishop Richard say his last homily citing the words of apostle Paul: “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance”, 2 Tim 4, 7-8. With these words he is calling all of us to make efforts in our serving and spiritual life, so to be pleased and be worthy reward in heaven prepared to all of us who
The death of bishop Richard filled us with sorrow and brought emptiness into our hearts, for to lots of you he was very close, sharing life anxieties and joys. But let faith in getting one more benefactor in heaven and intercessor before God’s altar console all of us.
+ Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

http://news.ugcc.ua/ en/articles/condolence_ letter_of_his_beatitude_ sviatoslav_on_occasion _of_death_of_bishop_ richard_seminak_77346. html

• Today
• priests,

consecrated persons and all faithful of Chicago Eparchy say goodbye to their spiritual leader who could show all of us a real image of a merciful Father in accordance with his life and service throughout
We devote the soul of newly departed Bishop to the hands of our God’s boundless mercy and say in faith: “O Christ our God, grant Your

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AUGUST 28, 2016

This Weekend

Call to Prayer

Beseeching God's Mercy Praying for the Intercession of the Mother of God

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Ukrainian Catholic Church

N. Paxton Street, 2 Blocks North of Route 42

Centralia, Pennsylvania

Noon: Divine Liturgy Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka, main celebrant; Father Wasyl Kharuk-homilist

2:00 – 3:30 PM: Confessions Available 2:30 PM: Living Rosary with Reflection by Father John Szada 4:00 PM: Candlelight Procession with:
●Blessing of Water for the Jubilee Year of Mercy ●Blessing of Religious Articles ●Moleben to the Mother of God Celebrated by Metropolitan- Archbishop Stefan Soroka and Area Clergy
●Jubilee Year Prayer of Mercy ●Prayers for Healing and Anointing of the Faithful ●Veneration of the Icon of Our Lady of Pochaiv

During his historic visit in 2015, His Beatitude Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Primate of the world-wide Ukrainian Catholic Church, marveled at the continuing presence of the church in Centralia and the sense of true holiness which pervades the entire property. His desire is for all people of faith to come and experience this holiness, sanctity and serenity as pilgrims to this holy place on the mountain. During this Jubilee Year of Mercy all pilgrims are invited to walk through the Holy Door of Mercy for special blessings.

All are Welcome!

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AUGUST 28, 2016

Centralia church named as ‘holy’ pilgrimage site

Though the town is a
Published: 8/11/2016

memory, the church still

serves a thriving parish family, with congregants gathering on Sundays and holy days from communities throughout the area.
CENTRALIA -- In this borough destroyed by an underground mine fire that resulted in the relocation of all but a handful of residents and the demotion of all but a few buildings, a white church capped by three onion-shaped blue domes still sits on a hilltop overlooking the once-thriving town. The stately Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church has towered over Centralia since the first services were held there in 1912.
During his historic visit in November, His Beatitude Major-Archbishop Sviatoslav primate of the worldwide Ukrainian Catholic
Shevchuk,
Church, marveled at the continuingpresenceofthe church in Centralia. He also noted how the coal region parish fostered four priestly vocations and three sisters to the religious life.
Soroka and clergy for a day of prayer and spiritual blessings.
Sviatoslav felt a sense of true holiness, which

• pervades
• the
• entire

church property. His desire is for all people of faith to come and experience this holiness, sanctity and serenity as pilgrims to this holy place on the mountain.
The theme of the pilgrimageis“Beseeching God’s Mercy--Praying for the Intercession of the Mother of God.” This date is the Feast of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God.
From