News

The Ukrainian Assumption Seniors held their monthly meeting on Thursday, April 14, 2016. A successful trip to Atlantic City was held on April 3, 2016. The Seniors will donate two gifts to the basket raffle for the Ukrainian Festival to be held June 25, 2016. Three Graduation Awards for the Class of 2016 will be sponsored by the Seniors: two for Community Service and One for Religion. An informative program was presented by Carolyn Maxwell: Owner/Editor/Publisher/Advertising Manager of the Amboy Guardian and Katherine Massopust Asst. Editor/Writer/Layout of the Amboy Guardian. The Amboy Guardian is a local weekly newspaper in Perth Amboy. A Luncheon followed arranged by Eleanor Kataryniak.

On Sunday, April 10th, 2016 at the conclusion of Divine Liturgy Fr. Ivan Turyk presented to his parishioners a blue and yellow flag which was signed as a gift to the parish from Ukrainian soldiers in the war zone. It is very sad that there is no peace in Ukraine and many people are still dying, losing their loved ones and being forced to flee their homes. As Christians we are called to pray and help people in such difficult circumstances.

Assumption Parish in Perth Amboy, NJ held it’s annual Easter Egg Hunt on Palm Sunday, March 20, 2016. Over 60 children from the church joined in to find a reported 600 eggs that were prepared by men from the Holy Name Society. It was a blast! The children had a great time hunting for eggs filled with goodies such as coins and candies. From the looks of things, everyone had a great time, and not just the kids either, the parents and grandparents and families had fun just watching. Many thanks goes also to Fr. Yuriy Banga, C.Ss.R., a Redemptorist Father from Lviv, Ukraine for conducting the very moving and spiritual Lenten Mission this year.

On Saturday, March 12th, 2016 at their Annual Shield Awards ceremony the Knights of Columbus, San Salvador Council No. 299 in Perth Amboy, NJ have honored ACS teacher Mrs. Mariya Derevenska with the Teacher of the Year Award. Mrs. Derevenska has been teaching at Assumption Catholic School for for almost ten years and in these years she developed an exciting, yet, rigorous reading and writing curriculum that has the majo…rity of her Kindergarten class reading and writing by the end of January. She also created a contagious passion for learning math and counting everything – even the ceiling tiles. If you thought she was Super Woman in the classroom she proved to Wonder Woman in the kitchen! She started the Annual ACS Thanksgiving Feast where she cooked and prepared over 12 turkeys and all the fixings with the help of parents. It gave our entire school a time to be thankful for their second family at Assumption Catholic. Mrs. D, as her students lovingly call her, is truly loved by our administrators, our parents and the entire student body for her energy, dedication, passion for Catholic Education and love that she has for our school and for all of our students. Congratulations and thank you Mrs. D for a job well done!

"A time to Heal, to Help, to Forgive" –  Pope Francis
 
On Sunday February 28, 2016, the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Assumption of the BVM in Perth Amboy, NJ became an official pilgrimage site for Holy Year of Mercy.  This is one of three parishes in New Jersey that have been designated by Pope Francis and Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan for the clergy, religious, and faithful of our Archeparchy to visit during this Jubilee Year of Mercy and receive a plenary Jubilee Indulgence.
Nearly  300 people, including clergy, religious and laity participated at  the official opening of the Jubilee Year of Mercy at Assumption parish.  The ceremony began with a procession of the clergy from the rectory to the main entrance of the church.  Rev. Taras Lonchyna, pastor of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Trenton, NJ and Dean of the NJ Deanery, along with Rev. Ivan Turyk, pastor of the Assumption parish in Perth Amboy, NJ  and visiting priests performed the rite of opening the two main doors of the church.  Fr. Taras  knocked on the Holy Door with the cross and the blessing of holy water followed, a reminder of our Baptism and our commitment to share God’s message of mercy and reconciliation. After the ceremony, the doors that were decorated by a banner and beautiful floral arrangement, were  opened and altar servers, priests and the congregation entered.
Fr. Taras Lonchyna together with concelebrating priests and the faithful (pilgrims) began to celebrate the "Akathist to the Divine Passion of Christ."  The church was filled to capacity.  Confessions were also being heard during this time.  At the conclusion of the Akathist service a very moving homily was delivered by Fr. Taras Lonchyna.  He emphasized the importance of Mercy and Forgiveness.  Echoing Pope Francis – "It is a favorable time to heal wounds, a time to offer everyone the way of Forgiveness and Reconciliation".  A gathering followed afterwards in the Church Hall with refreshments.  This has been truly a very blessed and special day in the history of the Assumption parish.

On Sunday, February 21st, 2016  we had our annual Bingo workers appreciation dinner. It was another fine dining experience, well worth the price of helping out with our parish Bingo. We are very appreciative of the selfless dedication of our loyal Bingo workers. The weekly Bingo fundraiser is a HUGE benefit to Assumption Catholic School. This collaborative effort between the church and the school funds a big portion of our school budget. Bingo is every Wednesday and Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Bring the family and enjoy a fun evening together.

The two sets of new priest’s vestments were recently blessed at Assumption church. Thank you to the generous donors.

Just as Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and at St. John Lateran, Rome, so too His Grace Metropolitan Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy (Archdiocese) chose certain church doors in His Archeparchy as Holy Doors to mark the Holy Year. The faithful can receive special graces by walking through the Holy Door, receiving Communion, going to confession and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father.
The Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in Perth Amboy, NJ was designated as a special pilgrimage site for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis. This honor and blessing for our parish will take place on Sunday, February 28th, 2016 at 5:00 pm with celebration of “Akathist to The Divine Passion of Christ”. The main celebrant and homilist will be Rev. Taras Lonchyna, Dean for the New Jersey parishes and pastor of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church, Trenton, NJ. The Sacrament of confession will be available before and during the service. All faithful are welcome to come to pray with us and to seek special blessings during the Jubilee Year of Mercy by walking through the main door of Assumption Church – our Door of Mercy.…

The St. Ann’s Society sponsored Gift Auction will be held on Sunday, March 6, 2014 at Assumption Catholic School Auditorium, 380 Meredith St., Perth Amboy, NJ. Doors open at 12:00 p.m. and auction starts at 2:00 p.m. Admission is $8. Cake and coffee are included. Several large prizes including a 40" Smart TV, Theme baskets, raffles, 50-50 money raffle and more. The kitchen will be open for lunch. No outside food please. Tickets are available in advance by calling the church’s rectory (732) 826-0767 or at the door.