Official Publication of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia VOL. 78 - No. 07 APRIL 16, 2017 ENGLISH VERSION EASTER PASTORAL OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY OF THE U.S.A. TO OUR CLERGY, You won’t find Him here. HIEROMONKS AND He is Risen!” (Lk 24:5-6). BROTHERS, RELIGIOUS Love is the victor. Death SISTERS, SEMINARIANS is not the end. The AND BELOVED end is life, His life and FAITHFUL our lives through Him, in Him. Our existence has depths of beauty, Христос Bockpec! mystery, and blessings Christ is Risen! more than the wildest visionary had ever We joyfully sing, “Christ dared to dream. Christ is Risen from the dead, our Lord has Risen! trampling death by death, and to those in The Risen Christ told the tombs giving life”. the two disciples on the Our joyful proclamation road to Emmaus to have fills us with hope! courage assuring them that Jesus Christ had Grasp in awe the overcome the world. significance of the words We should not be spoken by the angel afraid of surpassing our to the myrrh-bearing barriers of seeking and women who went to the living the Good News. tomb early on Easter We are called to be life- morning to anoint Jesus’ giving. We are called to body: “Why look for the living among the dead? (continued on next page) Highlights inside this issue: EASTER PASTORAL LETTER OF HIS BEATITUDE SVIATOSLAV - pg. 3 AN EASTER SHARING OF HOPE FOR THE ‘CONFRONT THE DEFICIT PROGRAM’ - pg. 6 EASTER PASTORAL OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY OF THE U.S.A. (continued from previous page) live as Easter people – The Risen Christ is with your zealous service of +Paul Chomnycky, people of hope. Hope us as we gather in our Him. OSBM calls us to go beyond churches to give praise, Eparch of Stamford ourselves, to go broke glory and thanksgiving God grant you much with our personalities as to God, and where we joy and contentment, + Bohdan J. Danylo followers and believers receive the blessing, abundance of good Eparch of St. Josaphat in the Risen Christ! “Peace be with you” (Jn health, and the assurance in Parma Christ’s resurrection 20:19). of new life in Him as we is mirrored in our life together proclaim that +John Bura when we courageously We, your hierarchs of Christ is Risen! Auxiliary Bishop of work for our salvation our Ukrainian Catholic Philadelphia and for the salvation Church in USA, pray that Christ is Risen! of others because we you may enjoy a holy, Indeed He is Risen! Very Rev. Richard desire everyone to be hope-filled, joyful and Janowicz, Apostolic with God. The peace of blessed Easter. May Administrator the Risen Christ will be our Lord’s victory over +Stefan Soroka (author) St. Nicholas Ukrainian with us. sin and death, and His Archbishop of Catholic Eparchy in promise of peace and Philadelphia for Chicago The Risen Christ eternal life be yours! Ukrainians instructed the myrrh- May you know the bearing women to tell peace extended to all Metropolitan of Easter 2017 his apostles to gather by the Risen Christ. May Ukrainian Catholics in at Galilee where He you grow in your love the United States will see them (Mt 28:10). for the Risen Christ and On the occasion of the Feast of Feasts, the Resurrection of Our Lord, the Staff of “The Way,” wishes Metropolitan Stefan, all the clergy, religious, and all the faithful a Blessed Easter. Christ is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen! APRIL 16, 2017 2 EASTER PASTORAL LETTER OF HIS BEATITUDE SVIATOSLAV Most Reverend because of our faith that Archbishops and we become Christians, Bishops, Very Reverend that is, partakers in and Reverend Fathers, the eternal life of our Venerable Brothers and Divine Savior, who today Sisters in Monastic and emerges from the sealed Religious Life, tomb in glory. It is for this reason that St Paul the Dearly Beloved Laity in Apostle affirms: “if you Christ of the Ukrainian confess with your mouth Greek-Catholic Church that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that Christ is Risen! God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Like a yearling lamb, our For with the heart one blessed crown, Christ, believes and is justified, was sacrificed of his and with the mouth one own will for all, a Pasch confesses and is saved of cleansing. And from (Rom 10:9-10). We his tomb he shines on us celebrate an event to again, the splendid Sun which the holy apostles of righteousness. From bore witness. Through the Ode 4, Paschal Canon grace of the Holy Spirit in our paschal services Beloved in Christ! we can experience that which was experienced Today throughout the by the women myrrh- we find risen from the the exodus of the chosen whole Universe the joyful bearers at the tomb and grave? First of all, He people from slavery good news resounds by the apostles who is the incarnate God to freedom. The risen with one voice: “Christ personally encountered who conquered death Lord Jesus Christ is our is risen!” In these words the risen Savior and and whom the gates of true paschal Lamb, as are found the power were His witnesses to Hades could not contain. St. John the Theologian and profession of the the ends of the earth. Our Paschal Matins attests when in the words central truth of the Today, on this light-filled service likens Jesus of the Baptizer already Christian faith. “Truly He feast, let us once again Christ to the paschal at the beginning of the is risen” is the response unite ourselves to Him lamb, offered in sacrifice Gospel he bears witness of those who believed and proclaim to Him in for the liberation and to Jesus: “Behold, the in the resurrection of the words of the Apostle salvation of the chosen Lamb of God, who our Savior and in His Thomas: “My Lord and people. On that first takes away the sin of the victory over hell and my God” (Jn 20:28). paschal night, the death- world!” (Jn 1:29). Indeed, death. Our faith in the bringing angel in Egypt He is the One, who Risen One is our faith in Like a yearling lamb, our passed by those whose this night with His light that resurrection which blessed crown, Christ house was marked by dispelled the darkness we all can personally the blood of the paschal experience. Indeed, it is Who is this Christ, whom lamb, and then began (continued on next page) APRIL 16, 2017 3 EASTER PASTORAL LETTER OF HIS BEATITUDE SVIATOSLAV (continued from previous page) of the slavery of sin and of one’s people, their from sin, from addiction, pilgrim on the paschal leads behind Him all of freedom, and a better from circumstances, path. Let us not seek to us from death to life and future. Gazing at the temptations and avoid toil and personal from earth to heaven. faces of our Ukrainian manipulations of a small sacrifice on this path to soldiers-heroes, who group, whose members victory. We often are If in our Holy baptism gave up their lives for consider themselves the tempted to distance we have mystically died their people, we can stewards of this world. ourselves from the reality and risen with Christ, if rest assured that the He cleanses us from all that surrounds us, shift we partake of His Body Heavenly Father accepts that imprisons us and responsibility on others, and Blood, that is, if we their sacrifices in the takes away our life. are quick to see evil consume the Pascha of name of His Son. Indeed, He, the risen Lord, is rather than good, seek the New Covenant, and in them through the risen our exodus from our a “victim” upon which are signed by the blood Christ we already have historical circumstances: we might transfer all of Christ, then death victory over evil and a in Him we will find victory our burdens. We select bypasses us, “passes healing of spiritual and in the war and overcome for ourselves not a pure over,” and the doors bodily wounds. those who instigate and Lamb who calls us to of heaven are opened support it. Christ is also personal participation before us. Each time we To celebrate the our gateway, our door in the victory over evil, pray the Divine Liturgy Christian Pascha for us (see Jn 10:7, 9). He is but a scapegoat upon we become partakers of today means to carry the our way, truth and life which we place all our the resurrection, that is, victory of life to where (see Jn 14:6). He grants sins, weaknesses, fears, of that life which today death rules. To sincerely us freedom for the our unwillingness to shines upon us from the confess that Christ is fullness of life, of love of take upon ourselves empty tomb. And this “truly risen” means to God and neighbor, of responsibility for the fate life of the Risen One believe that through our building our own future of our people. We would is a blessed crown for personal commitment in our God-given land. like for someone to do us, children of God, a and effort it is truly In the light of Christ’s everything for us, look sign of our dignity and possible to overcome resurrection let us not for “someone” who will our vocation to be His corruption and untruth in allow ourselves to be take our difficulties upon witnesses in the world our society, that the kind fooled by empty words himself and who will pay and proclaimers of His of country we will have and false promises, nor the price for our welfare, Gospel.