God blless you duriing tthiis ttiime of Phiilliip’s Fastt.. OFFIICIIAL PUBLIICATIION OF THE UKRAIINIIAN CATHOLIIC EPARCHY OF STAMFORD ССіівваачч SSoowweerr VOL XXXIIII; No.. 11 STAMFORD,, CONNECTIICUT 06902 NOVEMBER 29,, 2015 www..stamforddiio..org www..stamforddiio..org PYLYPIVKAPYLYPIVKA (ADVENT)(ADVENT) PASTORALPASTORAL OFOF THETHE UKRAINIANUKRAINIAN CATHOLICCATHOLIC HIERARCHYHIERARCHY OFOF THETHE U.S.A.U.S.A. TO OUR CLERGY, HIEROMONKS AND BROTHERS, RELIGIOUS SISTERS, SEMINARIANS AND BELOVED FAITHFUL Praise Be Jesus Christ! Depending on which calen- all these fasts is simple: they are times of steps to alleviate the hunger which is visible free, the wretched refuse of your team- dar is designated for your parish, you spiritual preparation for the feasts which all around us. ing shores”. In our own day, urban pro- need to circle one of two dates: they precede. In a sense, it is the spiritual As we move toward Christmas, fessionals step over the homeless Gregorian calendar folks need to circle equivalent of what wise people likely do we think of the Holy Family and their own whose makeshift beds block their way, November 14th, while the Julian cal- before Thanksgiving Dinner: they limit preparations. They were homeless, wander- while shelters and food banks struggle endar folks get to wait thirteen days, their food intake in the hours and days ing through Bethlehem seeking a place for to care for misfits in a relenlessly con- focusing rather on the 27th. In either beforehand so as to take the birth of the One Who sumer-driven society. As Christmas casem the red-letter day marks a dou- full advantage of the rich would later remake that parties all around us merrily entice us ble commemoration: on the one hand, abundance of the feast “Foxes have dens and to forget our problems and theirs, the thus appropriately referred to as the itself; our four fasts are birds have nests, but the Philip’s Fast urges us rather to follow Philip’s Fast. Some of you, especially similar. Son of Man has no place the example of Pope Francis, paying those born before the Second Vatican Obviously, this to lay his head.” (Matthew attention and tending to those seeds Council, may not have grown up with fast has a dietary compo- 8:20, Luke 9:58). Their age- which God has planted in our con- this tradition; nevertheless, faithful to nent which is not an end old story is reflected in sciences, urging us to follow the exam- Vatican II which called us to retern to in itself, but rather could tragedies which some- ple of the Samaritan who, unlike the our genuine tradition, we bishops seek serve as a meditation for times make the head- ostensibly righteous, proved himself to recover this richness, and we urge everyone, especially for lines but which, alas, truly to be the neighbor of the wound- all our people to embrace it. Ukrainians. After all, it is often do not: refugees ed man lying by th side of the road. If all are to do this, we need not during the month of from war-torn Ukraine Obviously, the dietary consid- first to understand what the Philip’s November that we gen- have been joined by oth- erations are not the only ones which the Fast is. In fact, it is one of four periods erally commemorate the ers from Syria, from the Philip’s Fast places before us. In mak- of fast which precede four great feasts Holodomor when mil- Fertile Crescent, and ing our daily food and drink more spar- of our liturgical calendar. Like the lions of our brothers and from Africa; their num- ing, we might also consider what other Great Fast which precedes the Great sisters in Ukraine starved to death? An bers are swelled by many in our own hemi- daily habits we would do well to Paschal Feast of Easter, the Philip’s experience of hunger might make us more sphere fleeing grinding poverty and hope- encourage us to take our own spiritual Fast lasts forty days; other, shorter appreciative of the overabundance which is lessness. It is due to the welcome once inventory! fasts precede the feasts of SS. Peter available to us in the United States, a wealth offered to such as these that the words of As we prepare to celebrate the and Paul (June 29th / July 12th) and which both the fast and Thanksgiving Day Emma Lazarus now grace the Statue of first coming of Christ at His birth in the Dormition of the Mother of God seek to prevent us from taking for granted; Liberty “Give me your tired, your poor, (August 15th / 28th). The idea behind they micht even inspire us to take positive your huddled masses yearning to breathe CONTINUED ON P. 3. EPARCHIALEPARCHIAL MEETINGMEETING OFOF FAMILIESFAMILIES HELDHELD OCTOBEROCTOBER 1717 The Stamford Eparchy Meeting of Families was held on October 17 at St. Basil Seminary, led by Rev. & Mrs. Bohdan and Tanya Cholij from St. Catharine’s, ON, Canada. The theme of their thought-provoking presentation was: "From Cana to Your Home - a walk towards happiness". About 150 faithful of the Stamford Eparchy - men & women along with teens and chil- dren - took part. While adults had a chance to listen to presentations on the role of faith in the family and other issues concerning daily life in the family, Sister Natalya Stoczanyn, SSMI facilitated a day of presentations, discussion and crafts for the nearly 50 youth and children who attended the day with their parents. As their day ended, the young people prayed for the needs of thier families and families in Ukraine and throughout the world symbolically sending their prayers to heaven with a balloon lift. The day concluded with a Divine Liturgy concelebrated by Bishop Paul Chomnycky,OSBM and Bishop Bohdan Danylo, Eparch of St. Josaphat Eparchy, Parma, OH. Participants were given a special blessing during the Divine Liturgy. Also present were 15 wives of priests who serve in the Stamford and Parma Eparchies who participated as part a retreat/seminar weekend, facilitated by Bishop Bohdan Danylo. Nataliya Pistun, Director of the Family Life Office for the Stamford Eparchy organized the Family Day to correspond with the World Meeting of Families that was held in Philadelphia in September. More photos on page 3. 22 NOVEMBER 29,, 2015 SOWER ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER LLIIGGHHTT OONNEE CCAANNDDLLEE INTERRELIGIOUS MEETING Tony Rossi, Director of Communications, and PRAYER OF REMEMBRANCE for The Christophers Ground Zero Memorial, New York PAYING IT FORwARD THIS Friday, September 25, 2015 ADvENT Advent is the season during which we prepare for the I feel many different emotions standing here at Ground Zero, light of Christ to enter our world on Christmas day, the season where thousands of lives were taken in a senseless act of destruc- when we serve as a reflection of that light to other people by, for tion. Here grief is palpable. The water we see flowing towards that empty pit reminds us of all those lives instance, donating presents for the giving trees in our churches. which fell prey to those who think that destruction, tearing down, is the only way to settle conflicts. It is the But sometimes there are unique ways to reflect God’s love dur- silent cry of those who were victims of a mindset which knows only violence, hatred and revenge. A mind- ing these holy days of anticipation. They may require a little set which can only cause pain, suffering, destruction and tears. more effort, but they can be life-changing. Just ask Joanne Huist The flowing water is also a symbol of our tears. Tears at so much devastation and ruin, past and pres- Smith. ent. This is a place where we shed tears, we weep out of a sense of helplessness in the face of injustice, mur- In 1999, Smith’s husband Rick died after putting off der, and the failure to settle conflicts through dialogue. Here we mourn the wrongful and senseless loss of surgery on a leaky heart valve, leaving her a distraught widow innocent lives because of the inability to find solutions which respect the common good. This flowing water to raise their kids—10-year-old Megan, 12-year-old Nick, and reminds us of yesterday’s tears, but also of all the tears still being shed today. 17-year-old Ben. A few moments ago I met some of the families of the fallen first responders. Meeting them made During an interview on “Christopher Closeup” about me see once again how acts of destruction are never impersonal, abstract or merely material. They always her book “The 13th Gift,” Smith recalled that she had grown up have a face, a concrete story, names. In those family members, we see the face of pain, a pain which still touch- Catholic and gone to Mass six days a week as a child. As she es us and cries out to heaven. got older, though, she usually turned to God only in times of At the same time, those family members showed me the other face of this attack, the other face of trouble. “Most times, God answered in a positive way,” she their grief: the power of love and remembrance. A remembrance that does not leave us empty and withdrawn. said, “but this time I felt let down. I was in a very dark place.” The name of so many loved ones are written around the towers’ footprints. We can see them, we can touch The road to healing began the morning of December them, and we can never forget them. 13th as Smith rushed out of her Bellbrook, Ohio house to warm Here, amid pain and grief, we also have a palpable sense of the heroic goodness which people are up her car.