WELCOME TO ST. IRENE BYZANTINE CATHOLIC CHURCH 4630 N. Maryland Ave, Portland OR 97217

Our Parish Family is indeed honored and pleased to have you share in this celebration of the (Mass). As we raise our minds, heart, bodies, our entire being in joyful praise to God, we reflect with the psalmist on how good it is for sister and brothers to raise their voices as one.

WHO ARE WE?

Yes, we are Catholic in union with the Bishop of Rome who we recognize as the visible Head of the Catholic Church. We are recognized as being “Catholics”, by the local Roman Bishops of the United State and the whole world.

Having said that we are “Catholics’, we must now state that we are NOT Roman Catholics, but Catholics who are identified as being Eastern Catholics. As Catholics, we Eastern and Roman Catholics share the same faith and have the same seven . The difference is that we Eastern Catholics have a different way or rite of expressing our faith in regard to Liturgy and customs. At the Last Supper after Jesus change bread and wine into His own Body and Blood, He told his disciples to “Do this in Memory of Me.” This they did. As the disciples brought the Gospel to different parts of the world, they adapted ceremonies of the Liturgy to the customs and music of the people. In the end four great centers of Christianity emerged with distinctive Christian customs, but the same faith. These centers were located in the great cities of Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, and Alexandria, A couple of centuries later when the capital of the Roman Empire was moved to the Eastern city of Byzantium and renamed Constantinople, an adaption of the Antioch way of celebrating the Liturgy was made. Thus a new center of Christianity arose in Constantinople the Slavic peoples of Easter Europe were converted by Sts. Cyril and Methodius and naturally followed the . Today the Byzantine Rite is subdivided into ecclesiastical jurisdictions based on ethnic groupings, such as Greek, Ukrainian, Ruthenian, Russian, etc. Our jurisdiction is that of the Ruthenians, a group of people who live at the base of the Carpathian Mountains (east of Czechoslovakia, south of Poland and north of Rumania. Many came to the United States and settled in the mining town of the East. After World War II, some came to the Western United States and settle here. In the West we are few in number and quite scattered. In spite of this, our Holy Father Pope John Paul II established the Byzantine Catholic Diocese of Van Nuys in 1982 to care for the Byzantine Catholic of the Western United States. The Van Nuys Diocese is part of the Metropolitan Providence of Pittsburgh which also includes the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh and the Dioceses of Passaic and Parma.

HINTS FOR PARTICIPATING IN OUR LITURGY

As we have already mentioned, we celebrate the Divine Liturgy according to the Ruthenian tradition of the Byzantine Rite. This morning’s Liturgy will have recognizable parts—Scripture reading, Eucharistic Prayer, and Holy Communion—but the ceremonies surrounding them will be different. The following are some comments that may helpful in participating in today’s Liturgy.

ICONS: Icons are religious paintings. In front of the Church you see two icons flanking the . The icon of Mary with the Child Jesus in her arms reminds us of the first coming of Jesus the God man. The icon of Jesus by Himself represents His second coming at the end of time. The altar between beckons us to enter into God’s presence in the Kingdom and put aside all earthly cares and distractions.

INCENSE: We use incense as a sign of reverence for the sacred place and the sacredness of the people who are made in God’s image and as a sign of preparing for something important about to happen. It is our prayer ascending like the smoke of incense before the throne of God.

GOSPEL BOOK: A gold-covered Gospel Book is resting on the altar as a sign of God’s special presence in His message through the teachings of His Son Jesus. This message is God’s wisdom speaking to us. We need to be attentive.

BOWS AND BLESSINGS: We bow and make the sign of the cross many times during Liturgy as a sign of our faith and the receiving and accepting of God’s blessings. As a rule we bow slightly and bless ourselves every time we mention the persons of the Trinity by name or the priest blesses the congregation. We also bow and sign ourselves whenever we enter or leave the Church.

SINGING: Almost our entire Liturgy is sung as a sign of our joyfulness in God’s presence.

ALTAR BREAD: Our altar bread is made with yeast and therefore has a thickness to it. At the beginning of the Liturgy, the priest will cut a loaf of specially baked altar bread and prepare cubed particles that will be use for the distribution of Holy Communion.

HOLY COMMUNION: The consecrated particles are paced in the just before communion time. A small cubed particle is placed on a spoon and given to the communicant. If you wish to receive Holy Communion, and are free of serious sin, come forward to the priest and quietly state you first name. Then open your mouth wide, tilt your head back slightly and do Not extend your tongue. DO NOT say “Amen”. The priest will bring the spoon to your mouth and gently place the into it. Wait for the priest to bring his hand away from your face. Then close your mouth and return to your place.

HOLY ANOINTING: On the Sunday following a great feast, the priest will anoint the congregation with holy oil as a sign of our joy. Unconsecrated, blessed bread is the distributed. An offering for the poor or special need is mad as a sign of our concern for the needs of all.

THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US

Once again, thank you for joining us this morning. Your presence has brought our community great joy. Please join us for coffee social at the hall so that we may come to know each other better. Please join us again and bring a friend. May God bless you!

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A SPIRITUAL HOME

If you are looking for a spiritual home, consider our parish community which is founded on Scripture, Liturgy and Tradition. Our Community is opened to any Catholic and to anyone

1, who is interested in seeking the Lord through His Word and ;

2. Who accepts or is willing to accept the teachings of the Catholic Church;

3. who will help form a community based on the Lord’s love;

4. who is willing to grow as a Christian with the legitimate traditions of our Byzantine Catholic Church within our American context;

5. who acknowledges the legitimate authority of the Pope, Bishop and Pastor;

6. and who is willing to support the growth of the Church by sharing of his/her Time, Talent and Treasure (financial support - tithing).

If this is the type of Spiritual home that you seek, please speak to our Pastor. [email protected]