730 Washington Avenue + Carnegie + PA + 15106 E-mail: Rectory: holytrinitycarnegie 412-279-4652 @gmail.com Office Hours: Website: M-W-F 9:00 a.m www.htucc.com to 12:00 p.m. Fax: Facebook: @Holy Trinity 412-279-5109 Ukrainian Catholic Pyrohy: Church 412-276-9897 Instagram: @holytrinitycarnegie Fr. Jason Charron, Pastor Fr. Ivan Smereka Fr. Deacon Myron Spak Confessions 3:00 to 3:45 on Saturday or by appointment Divine Liturgy Saturday 4:00 p.m. (Eng.) 8:30 a.m. (Ukr.) and 11:00 a.m. (Eng.) Diocese of St. Josaphat stjosaphateparchy.com March 2020 vember 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1st Sunday of Bible study Presanctified Pyrohy Pyrohy Catechetical the Great 7:30 pm Liturgy 7pm Women’s Presanctified Conference Fast night 7 pm Liturgy 6pm Ambridge 10 am Dinner @9:30am Choir afterward Vespers practice 6 pm 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 2nd Sunday Bible study Presanctified Pyrohy Pyrohy 3rd All of the Great 7:30 pm Liturgy 7pm Presanctified Souls Fast Liturgy 6pm 9am 10 am Dinner Vespers and Choir afterward Apologetic practice class 6 pm 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Veneration Bible study Presanctified Pyrohy Pyrohy 4th All of the Cross 7:30 pm Liturgy 7pm Presanctified Souls 10 am Liturgy 6pm 9am Choir Dinner Vespers and practice afterward Apologetics class 6 pm 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 4th Sunday Bible study Annunciation Pyrohy Pyrohy Akafist Great Canon of Saturday – of the 7:30 pm St. Andrew of Vesperal Men’s night Presanctified Divine Liturgy 7:30 pm Liturgy 6pm Akafist 9am Great Fast Crete Vespers and 10 am 7pm 7pm Dinner Apologetics Choir afterward class 6 pm practice 29 30 31 5th Sunday Pyrohy Pyrohy of the 8am 8am Great Fast Bible study 10 am 7:30 pm Choir March 8th, 2020 2nd Sunday of the Great Fast From the Desk of the Pastor… Dear Friends, Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever! In light of a number of conversations I’ve had over the past week with people, I thought it good timing to discuss the topics of Communion and the Coronavirus. First, we should always approach the holy chalice with great caution. We hear this advice in Holy Scripture itself: “Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (1 Corinthians 11:28-30). Out of primary concern for our soul, we should be mindful of our state before we come to Holy Communion. Have I confessed my sins? Have I confessed them within the past two months? Am I prepared to receive the Eucharist? Surely, nobody sins by deferring the reception of Communion until such a time as he/she is better disposed. St. Paul in the above passage says that many of his audience are weak and ill because they approach so great a mystery without first discerning. That having been said, it’s an odd facet of human nature that the moment the possibility of bodily illness is linked to receiving communion then people pause their desire to approach the chalice. We have even had churches in different corners of the world cancel all Sunday services for fear of spreading this virus. Now, I’ll be the first to say that we do have to be vigilant and take extra precautions, especially in washing our hands and covering our coughs and sneezes. But, receiving Holy Communion is not at the top of the list of ways to contract a deadly disease. Currently the US Center for Disease Control states that “a theoretic risk of transmitting infectious diseases by using a common communion cup exists, but that the risk is so small that it is undetectable” (emphasis mine). Interestingly, there have been no documented cases of outbreaks of infectious diseases allegedly linked to the use of a common communion cup, despite inquiries made into this possibility since 1903 in both the US and Britain. Nevertheless, people are quick to highlight Holy Communion as a source of contagion. Where is faith to be found these days? I thought we believed the Eucharist was the “medicine of immortality” as we say in our prayers, yet how is it that it’s the first thing to go in time of illness! What would these people say to Jesus when he healed a man of his blindness by using a bit of spit and rubbing it in the poor guy’s eyes? Has their fear of disease caused them to stop touching money, elevator buttons, cell phones, office coffee pots too? How about attending restaurants, sports events and cafeterias? The truth is that we need the Eucharist more than we need money, phones and sports. As such, let us live with that priority in mind. If people are serious about their devotion to the Eucharist and equally serious about avoiding illness, then should be most impressed with the Greek Catholic and Orthodox churches. When people receive “properly” in our rite there is no chance of contagion. Here is how to receive communion: You approach with fear and love, reverently making the sign of the cross. Tilt your head back. Widely open your mouth like you are at the dentist. Let the sunshine in! Keep your tongue in your mouth, (you need it more than I do) and then let the priest and the spoon do all the work. The priest drops the Holy Eucharist into your open mouth like a mother bird drops food into the gaping mouth of her little hatchling. There is no contact between the spoon and your teeth, tongue or lips. You are happy, the spoon is happy and so is the next person in line. Voila! I cannot help but close out this topic with a quote from the Melkite Greek Catholic Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim. I guess his parents really liked the name Ibrahim. Here is what he wrote: “We will not close our churches, we will not stop our masses, we will not suspend our activities and we will not yield to the virus of fear. We are for prevention, but we refuse to harm the Sacraments and to distort the faith and to flee in times of distress instead of resorting to the fortress of the church, sanctuary of the believers ... Salvation is not to isolate oneself but to approach the sacrament of Holy Communion, the fountain of life.” We are Christians. That means we are prudent, but never fearful. Sincerely, Fr. Jason, priest and sinner PS: Next week I will have the financial statement for the last fiscal year prepared and printed in the church vestibule. I replaced the old computer and old Quickbooks program in March 2019, and have had difficulty getting the information for Jan-Feb. 2019. PSS: Soul Saturday services are at 9am next week followed by Panakhyda. Sunday Gospel Reading Gospel According to St. Mark 2:1-12 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question thus in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” Євангеліє від Святого Mapka 1:43-51 Коли ж Він по кількох днях прийшов знов до Капернауму, то чутка пішла, що Він удома.2 І зібралось багато, аж вони не вміщалися навіть при дверях. А Він їм виголошував слово.3 І прийшли ось до Нього, несучи розслабленого, якого несли четверо.4 А що через народ до Нього наблизитися не могли, то стелю розкрили, де Він був, і пробравши, звісили ложе, що на ньому лежав розслаблений.5 А Ісус, віру їхню побачивши, каже розслабленому: Відпускаються, сину, гріхи тобі!6 Там же сиділи дехто з книжників, і в серцях своїх думали:7 Чого Він говорить отак? Зневажає Він Бога... Хто може прощати гріхи, окрім Бога Самого?8 І зараз Ісус відчув Духом Своїм, що вони так міркують собі, і сказав їм: Що таке ви в серцях своїх думаєте?9 Що легше: сказати розслабленому: Гріхи відпускаються тобі, чи сказати: Уставай, візьми ложе своє та й ходи?10 Але щоб ви знали, що Син Людський має владу прощати гріхи на землі, каже розслабленому:11 Тобі Я наказую: Уставай, візьми ложе своє, та й іди у свій дім!12 І той устав, і негайно взяв ложе, і вийшов перед усіма, так що всі дивувались і славили Бога, й казали: Ніколи такого не бачили ми! Events at Holy Trinity ☛ Please remember in your prayers the soul of Helen Moskal (96).