NNeeww HHooвваа SSttaarr ЗЗоорряя Official publication of the Eparchy of St Nicholas in Chicago Volume LIII, No. 3 March, 2018 New Bishop Faces New Challenges—and Raises Funds to Meet Them! ur new bishop arrived in Chicago ten months after his ”Jubilee of Gratitude and Unity” program, open to the public. predecesso r, Bishop R iChaRd (Seminack), died after a that January event began with a hierarchical divine Liturgy Olong illness. in St. nicholas Cathedral concelebrated by clergy from surround - Bishop B enediCt (aleksiychuk), formerly auxiliary bishop in ing parishes with responses sung by a combined choir. then fol - Lviv, Ukraine, assumed the reins of the largest eparchy (geograph - lowed a sold-out banquet at the Ukrainian Cultural Center ically) in the Ukrainian Catholic Church. his flock of 12,000 souls attended by some 360 guests. worshiping in thirty-three parishes, ten missions and two monas - the entertainment consisted of performances by 80 young teries, is now in need of his ministry and attention. members of Chicago area parishes. St. nicholas Cathedral’s con - diving into his new environment, Bishop Benedict embarked tribution included instrumental performances by students from on an intense schedule of services, commemorations, celebrations the School of art. the St. nicholas Cathedral Choir sang “Oh and visits. a wedding at the cathedral? he offered to officiate. God, What Beauty.” Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Parish featured its a baptism? Glad to do it. an art auction, a parish festival, a “Cherubic Voices” ensemble holodomor commemoration? the bishop was there, as were and a violin solo composed by his predecessors. Myroslav Skoryk. immaculate as in the past, people on the neighborhood streets—and Conception Parish offered two around the eparchy—have an opportunity to form a first im - pieces by its Kobzaryk School pression upon encountering their new leader, and a chance of Bandura and Song. St. to respond to his approach, his sense of humor and his hu - Joseph the Betrothed Parish manity. fielded their “nadiya” choir While organizing the eparchy’s attributes, he noted a par - hoisting a spinning nativity car - ticularly serious challenge: the iconic St. nicholas Cathe - oling star. the grand finale fea - dral needed attention. Listed as one of the most beautiful tured the combined choral buildings in Chicago, 167 feet tall, it is a magnificent exam - groups singing “Joy to the ple of Byzantine Baroque architecture. its sky-blue and gold World” in Ukrainian. as a sur - interior is breathtaking. however, it is showing signs of nor - prise, the children rolled out a mal damage of 102 years of wear—a leaking roof, rusting birthday cake for the bishop. window frames, and peeling frescoes. the three-month drive was a the monetary figures cited for remediation are daunting. But great success. Contributions came from parishes all around the the problem also presented an opportunity for team-building and eparchy. Many not able to attend sent in donations, and totaled spiritual development for the entire wide-ranging eparchy. $310,000. this signals a bright future for the restoration of the ar - Bishop Benedict has already assembled a financial council, a cat - chitectural integrity and soundness of the Mother Church, ensur - echetical leadership group, a development advisory group and a ing its continued mission as a religious shelter for future pastoral team to bolster his administration. he has the basic struc - generations of the faithful. ture for moving forward. But lacks funds to launch the cathedral Bishop Benedict is taking a long-range view on his assignment. project. he told a reporter that he planned to establish a department in the the solution: his 50th birthday in January could be an opportu - eparchy that would be responsible for missions and strategy, not - nity to raise seed money for the campaign. in three short months, ing “this department will not deal with the routine challenges, an ad hoc banquet committee organized, promoted and executed a continue on next page One parish has submitted a testimony to their vibrancy. Certainly this is not the only “Vibrant Parish” in the Eparchy of St Nicholas. Do you think people meet Christ in your parish? List a few reasons you think so, and send them in. (See “Bulletin Board” on page 15 for instructions.) 2 New Star Volume LIII, No. 3 March, 2018 continued from previous page You may follow Bishop Benedict on Facebook (under “Bene - but will look to the future, will keep its hand on the pulse and will dict Aleskiychuk”) , both on the Ukrainian and English sites for be constantly looking for new ways to talk to people about God— his daily homilies and his posts describing his Chicago activities the God they seek, sometimes unconsciously.” and his pastoral travels. See videos by visiting the eparchial By Maria Kulczycky website, esnucc.org and clicking on the YouTube link. a steel sheet on the outside of a side en - thieves turn to Church trance, exposing a long-ago-covered-up window. they reached through the open - simple regular matter of checking ered the tabernacle gone. With it the chal - ing and unlocked the mechanism that had the status of the eternal Lamp in ice and other vessels for the liturgy—and been used to secure the door. athe church turned into a chore of the gold cup that held the holy eucharist. Several items were damaged, though major proportions on Friday, February 23. also missing were the seven-branch can - not taken—a small statue of St Volodymyr, Upon unlocking the building at the back delabra and the cross on the table of prepa - several globes for the large candles, a door door, nothing seemed out of place to Fr ration. too, in the other sacristy the censer closer and some glass votive candle hold - John Lucas—until he entered the sacristy. along with the stand that held it, even the ers. doors usually kept closed were open, cab - tongs used to light the charcoal were miss - hours were spent the following few inet doors and drawers were open, and the ing. every wall- or standing cross, every days with police, detectives, plumbers, se - floor was littered with service books, some candlestick had vanished. curity people and others. linens and the chairs along the wall were a call to 911 was made, and the police Compiling an inventory for the police misaligned. One step into the nave brought were quick to respond to make a run- report, one detective asked: “besides the a strange realization that some unwanted through check of the basement before Fr missing items, was anything broken?” intruders had been there: the John was allowed after mentioning the statue and candle - side tables were moved from to go further. Odd ware, Father added “...and the 7th and 10th against the wall, the tetrapod things were miss - Commandments.” was strangely devoid of its huge ing—trash cans in While the building was later secured, cross and the processional cross the restrooms, the the missing water meter was not able to be on the front pew was tilted at a hardware on all replaced in time for the weekend’s liturgi - strange angle, except that the the fixtures in cal schedule—which was able to be cele - cross was missing. them, including brated through a loan of minimal liturgical Further glances around made the door closers items from the cathedral parish. it evident that someone had bro - and brass kick Over the course of time the materials ken in, perhaps the day before, plates at the bot - taken will be replaced as circumstances as he was out tending to the tom of each door. and resources allow. Our prayers will con - business of having his car serv - Some un - tinue to sustain those spiritual gifts which iced and other errands that had known persons cannot be destroyed, as we profess: “Christ him return after dark. This cross is among had taken the is among us.” Checking further, he discov - the items taken. time to peel away Fr Demetrius Wysochansky, OSBM, Reposed in the Lord asilian Father Demetrius Wysochansk y, 87, died Febru - His extensive publications in both ary 15. His most recent assignment within St Nicholas Ukrainian and English consisted of BEparchy began in 1994 at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin books, pamphlets and numerous arti - in Palos Park, Illinois. Born in Peckville, Pennsylvania in 1930, cles which contained not only the he entered the Basilian Order in 1948. Ordained in 1959, he was texts of Matins, Vespers and the Di - assigned soon to St Nicholas in Chicago. From 1962-1983 he vine Liturgy, but explanatory com - served Immaculate Conception, Hamtramck, Michigan, and until mentaries on these services, and other topics about our Church. 1994, St Josaphat in Warren, Michigan. His funeral was conducted in several places—part was cele - A student of liturgy, Fr Demetrius was instrumental in compil - brated in Nativity Parish in Palos Park, February 18; part in War - ing, translating and producing useful texts of various services for ren, Michigan, February 20; and burial February 24 in Holy Spirit use by the clergy and faithful. For many years his works were the Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery, Chapel Hall, New York . standard by which the Holy Mysteries were performed. May his memory be eternal! New Star Volume LIII, No. 3 March, 2018 3 Patriarch Tells Touching Story of Six-Year-Old Boy Who Invited Pope to Ukraine atriarch SViatOSLaV (Shevchuk) told a moving story of a “and, when i witnessed the meeting between danylko and the little Ukrainian and his communication with Pope Francis Pope," said his Beatitude Sviatoslav, “the boy said to him the fol - Pon Saturday, February 17, during the live lowing words: ‘i broadcast of the Open Church program on thank you for Zhyve tV.