Eastern Catholic Life Official Publication of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic VOL. LIV, NO. 9 SEPTEMBER 2018 This2018 article appears ByzanTeen courtesy of the Byzantine Catholic Rally World ighty-nine teens and 22 chaper- tide of this worldwide problem, and the Popular music played which motivated ones from Arizona to New Jersey role the teens would play during their the teens to the point that towards the end participated in the July 5 to 8 Byz- participation in the service project the fol- of the service project they broke out into antineE Youth Rally 2018 at Saint Vincent lowing morning. spontaneous line dancing. College, Latrobe, PA. Following lunch, the afternoon was In the end, our teens filled 20,000 meal The theme for this year’s rally wasWho is spent either swimming, playing basketball, packets which will be sent to various coun- My Neighbor?, taken from the parable of the visiting the on-campus planetarium, or us- tries throughout the world. Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37). ing their vocal skills for choir practice in preparation for the Divine Liturgy Saturday Before the pallets of boxes were loaded In addition, this theme was chosen evening. on the truck, Bishop John of the Eparchy of to reflect the popular song,Won’t You Be Phoenix and Bishop Milan of the Eparchy My Neighbor?, from the public television Following dinner, the teens listened to a of Parma blessed the meals. Mr. Smith and program “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” presentation by Father Peter Borza of the his assistants commented that our Byzan- because the archives of Fred Rogers are Archeparchy of Presov, Slovakia, about Teens were among the finest they have seen Father Boniface Hicks, OSB housed at Saint Vincent College in the Fred our martyred Greek Catholic bishops of participate in such an event. Rogers Center, where many of the Rally Europe. The evening concluded with the your own banana split” treat. Following events took place. celebration of the Mystery of After lunch, the teens enjoyed another breakfast and morning prayer, the teens Reconciliation and the praying of the Pana- afternoon of sports, choir practice or na- gathered for an evaluation of the week- The Rally began on the evening of July chida, remembering their deceased loved ture walk. end, and the announcement that the next 5 with the keynote address presented by ones, and an evening social. ByzanTeen Rally 2020 will take place in San Father Boniface Hicks, OSB, a Benedictine Following a break, the teens par- Diego. monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey, direc- Saturday began with breakfast and morn- ticipated in the celebration of the tor of spiritual formation at Saint Vincent ing prayer. At the conclusion of morning Vigil Divine Liturgy. Metropolitan The teens returned to their Seminary, and general manager, program- prayer, the teens walked to the Fred Rogers William was the main celebrant, with respective eparchies with new friends and ming manager and on-air host of We Are Center where they would put their faith into Bishop John (Pazak), Bishop Kurt, Bishop fond memories. One Body (WAOB) Catholic radio. action and package meals for the Milan, and Bishop John (Kudrick) concel- organization Rise Against Hunger. ebrating along with priest members of the Father Boniface’s remarks cen- Intereparchial Youth Commission. tered on the theme of Who is My Work stations were set up in a Neighbor? massive space where the teens would work The evening concluded with din- together to assemble the food packets. ner and dancing, concluding in a “build The teens began their first full day of the Rally on July 6 with breakfast and morning prayer, using the Third Hour. Following prayer, Father Boni- face addressed the teens again about the spiritual aspect of service, particularly relating it to the service project the teens would be working on the next day. Following this conference, Mr. Brady Smith from the local office ofRise Against Hunger, spoke to the teens about the his- tory and mission of his organization. Mr. Smith engaged the teens in a presentation that outlined the problem of hunger in our world, the steps this organization is taking to stem the Continued on page 6 Basilian Anniversaries—p3 Parish News—pp4-5 Safe Environment Message—p7 Reflection on the Diaconate—p10 Page 2 Eastern Catholic Life SEPTEMBER 2018 I Lift Up My Eyes... Pastoral Reflections of Bishop Kurt New Beginnings place where Marxism-Leninism is still re- some popular upheaval in our culture when God says, “I will give you a new heart and spected is among university professors and the years went from 1999 to 2000, and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from their naïve sycophants in western universi- there was even more upheaval when the you your heart of stone and give you a heart ties. years went from 999 to 1000. Interestingly of flesh.” enough there was popular upheaval, called When I think of a new beginning, I usu- millennialist movements, in the Russian In our tradition, we remember a power- ally think of the season of spring, as do Empire in the year 1492 because it was the ful ally at the beginning of the new year. At many people. It’s the season to fall in love. beginning of the year 7000 on the calendar the beginning of September we celebrate On the other hand, many people make the birthday of the Mother of God. At veryone says, “Turn over a new leaf.” of both the government and the Orthodox resolutions to start over on New Year’s Day, the beginning of October we celebrate the Unfortunately, some of the leaves Church. I wonder if they called it the Y7K that is January 1. Did you know that the an- Protection of the Mother of God. In No- outsideE my house are starting to turn yel- bug? cient Romans, whose calendar we adopted, low. It means the trees are already preparing originally began their year with March, not for fall and winter. The expression, “Turn January? That’s why September, Octo- over a new leaf,” doesn’t refer to leaves on a ber, November, and December have their tree, but to the leaves of a note book. “Turn names, which mean seventh, eighth, ninth, over a new leaf” means “Start a fresh page and tenth. The old Roman calendar only in your life”. Speaking of the season of fall, had ten months. Numa Pompilius added I learned something entertaining when I January and February about 700 years be- was trying to study in Eastern Europe last fore Christ. It may have replaced March as year. While the Russians began using the the first month about three hundred years western names for months, the Ukrainians later, but the ancient historians don’t agree and Poles have retained the older names on when or why they moved the beginning from pre-Christian times. Slovak also uses of the year to January. the western names, like English. In Ukrai- nian, the name for November is “Listopad,” As I mentioned, people often think of which means “leaf fall.” I don’t have to ex- new beginnings in the Spring, or on Janu- plain why November is called “leaf fall,” do ary 1, but in the eastern Roman empire, I? The amusing thing that I learned is that from where our Church takes its traditions, when the Ukrainians, as did the Russians, the official new year began on September rejected Marxism-Leninism with the col- 1. So every year, we begin our calendar lapse of the Soviet Union, they toppled the of feast days on September 1. That day is statues of Lenin that populated the entire called “the Indiction”. This year, on the day landscape. When I was in Russia in 1996, I September 1, 2018, we will begin the year saw a statue of Lenin in Kronstadt, and the 7527 Anno Mundi of the calendar of the tour guide told us that it was one of only eastern Roman Empire. The ancient Ro- three left in Russia! The Ukrainians began mans counted the years from the founda- calling the movement “Leninopad” instead tion of the City of Rome, and the Christian of “Listopad”—in other words, “Lenin fall” eastern Roman empire counted the years instead of “leaf fall.” Some men in history from when they believed the world was cre- were so important, in worldly terms, that ated, that is, the year beginning September they have a month named after them: for 1, 5509 BC. The Russians and Ukrainians example, Julius Caesar and Augustus Cae- adopted this calendar when they accepted sar. It takes a special level of incompetence Christianity from Constantinople, and they to have a month renamed after your fall in- continued to use this calendar until Peter stead of your accomplishments. The only the Great. As you might recall, there was The Kazan Mother of God God tells us, through the prophet Zecha- vember we celebrate the Entrance of the riah, “Return to me, declares the Lord of Mother of God into the temple. And at the Sabaoth, that I may return to you.” In the beginning of December, we celebrate the prophet Job, He says, “Rend you heart, not Conception of the Mother of God by Saint your garments. Now return to the Lord Ann. What better way is there to celebrate your God, for He is gracious and compas- new beginnings than with the one who gave sionate, slow to anger, and abounding in birth to the Messiah? loving kindness.” In the prophet Malachi, God says, “Return to Me, and I will return In our Church, we truly love the Mother to you.” In the New Testament, Saint James of God and we also love her many icons.