News

On Sunday February 22, 2015 despite bad weather parishioners of Assumption Church in Perth Amboy, NJ had gathered to commemorate the heroes of Heavenly Hundred who sacrificed their lives in the course of the Revolution of Dignity. Special candlelight service dedicated to the Heavenly Hundred was held after the Liturgy.

The St. Ann Society of Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Assumption is sponsoring a Pot O’ Gold Tricky Tray and Gift Auction on Sunday, March 1, at Assumption Catholic School Auditorium, 380 Meredith St., Perth Amboy, NJ. Doors open at 12 noon and the drawings begin at 2:00pm. Admission is $8.00. There are hundreds of prizes at the end of this rainbow, including electronic and tech super-prizes, an “It’s Your Lucky Day!” birth  date raffle, “Beautiful Baskets” raffle, 50-50 Money Raffle, and more. Complimentary cake, coffee, and tea will be served. The kitchen will be open for an international lunch featuring hot dogs, cabbage and noodles, kielbasa and kraut, empanadas, Irish potato soup, soda, water, and snacks. Tickets are available in advance for this St. Patty’s themed event from members of St. Ann Society or at the door. For more information call the rectory, (732) 826-0767

Show your school spirit in and out of the classroom AND support the Performing Arts Department when you purchase Assumption Catholic School Spirit Wear!!   Not only is spirit wear a great way to wear your school proud wherever you go, most of the items have also been approved to be worn for gym class, to class outings and on future spirit days!!

Don’t wait!! The Assumption Catholic School Online Store is now open! Hurry, sale closes Sunday, February 8th at noon. Should you have any questions, please contact Kathy Gorski at 201.412.2832 or Mrs. Bernstein via email at acspatriciabernstein@gmail.com

Visit the online store at – http://www.goballisticsports.com

Assumption Catholic School is the recipient of twenty-five iPads through an educational-technology grant. With assistance from Perth Amboy High School and the Perth Amboy Board of Education, the iPads are ready for classroom use!

Coinciding with lessons on Expository Writing, a Scholastic News Article, “Are You Afraid of Spiders?”, and two reading stories, Spiders at Work and Web Wonders, the third grade students were given the opportunity to use iPads to “surf” the web and create a report on spiders. The Brown Recluse, Tarantula, Wolf, and Daddy Long Legs are just some of the spiders students chose to write about.

Written by Miss Anna Lawrence.
 

The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ –  Home to NHL's New Jersey Devils, the Seton Hall Pirates and, for one night only, Assumption Catholic School's Ukrainian Dance Group, Reechka.

Under the direction of their instructor Yarko Dobriansky, the oldest dancers, from grades 3 through 7, had been hard at work perfecting a new hutsul dance and Saturday, December 6, as part of Ukrainian Heritage Night at the Devils' game versus the Washington Capitals was their time to shine.

Some of our students have been dancing with this group for as long as they've been old enough to.  Some of them only started dancing this year.  However, all the students gave a performance to be proud of with their bright smiles and fast and fancy footwork.  The boys wore the brightly colored vests of the hutsul region of western Ukraine.  The girls wore braided head pieces with poppies and sequins.  The dance, choreographed by Pan Yarko, featured circle and partner moves, typical of the hutsul style, and a new and daring combination where the boys jump over one another. 

This was the second annual Ukrainian Heritage Night held at the Prudential Center.  The evening featured other dancers in addition to our own, older students and professionals from Iskra Ukrainian Dance Ensemble in Whippany, NJ.  Pre-game entertainment included strolling accordion players, face painting (Ukrainian flags or tryzubs), and a face in the hole.  For the students, pre-game entertainment also included the rush and excitement of being "backstage" at the Prudential Center.  The students and their parents arrived at the Center by 4:30 – over an hour before the doors officially opened to the public – and were led to their dressing room down a long hall somewhere underneath the stadium.  Later, they were led up to the performance area, and were allowed a run through of the dance to feel out the size of the "stage," a roped off area of the main promenade.  This was where they were to perform in just a few short moments, as thousands of Devils fans and Ukrainians streamed through the area on the way to their seats.

During this time, the students were able to relax a little bit.  There was a paparazzi moment with the students, Pan Yarko and Miss Lawrence (who has been assisting with the dance group), a Ukrainian flag and a beautiful Christmas tree.  Then Pan Yarko led the students over on "official business" to the far side of the promenade.  The official business?  Taking pictures with the "face in the hole" – a large stand up picture of a boy and girl in traditional Ukrainian folk costumes where their faces are actually holes for you to stick your own head in.  The children had a lot of fun taking turns.  Even Pan Yarko and Miss Lawrence posed for a quick picture!

Finally, it was time to perform.  The students waited patiently for their turn and were dazzled to watch the professional dancers as they jumped impossibly high or spun around at dizzying speeds.  It was truly inspiring to watch.  When it was their turn to perform, they ran to their spots and waited nervously for the music to start.  As the familiar tune started to play, they jumped into their dance, skipping and spinning around the stage.  They were a real hit with the audience!  When they finished, there was much applause.  It was almost time for the game but they actually had to perform again!  The program was designed to be repeated.  As Andrij Cybyk, the director and choreographer of Iskra explained to all the dancers before the show, the point wasn't just to perform for our moms and dads and friends, it was to help spread the beauty of Ukrainian dance to some unsuspecting Devils fans, too!  Performing twice before the game would expose the lively music and beautiful moves to more of the public.

Funnily enough, the game was not nearly as exciting as the dancing.  The Devils actually lost, despite the cheers coming from the dancers section of the arena (If magnitude of cheering really did affect the outcome of a game, it is this writer's opinion that the third grade dancers alone could have inspired the Devils on to victory, but alas, this is not how hockey works).  The game aside, the students still had one more chance to perform, inbetween the second and third period.  As the second period drew to a close, the dancers made their way back to the stage area for one last hutsul dance.  As expected, they performed flawlessly. 

Now that they were finally finished, the students returned to the dressing room to change out of their costumes.  The last ten minutes of the game were relatively uneventful, but that's only because the main event happened not on the ice, but on the promenade, with Reechka Dance Ensemble's stellar debut!  Thanks to the students for all their hard work, and thanks to Yarko Dobriansky for his guidance and faith in the students' abilities.

On Sunday December 7th, 2014 following the 9:00 AM and the 11:30 AM Liturgy, St. Nicholas made his annual visit to the children of the Assumption Parish in Perth Amboy, NJ. The event was held at the church hall, which was filled 65 excited youngsters with their families and friends. Prior to the St. Nicholas arrival, the children and their families participated at the Divine Liturgy. Before distributing his gifts, St. Nicholas encouraged all the children to be good, to obey their parents, to remember to say their prayers and to come to church on Sundays. The event was sponsored by the men from the Holy Name Society. We thank St. Nicholas for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit the children.

Курси англійської мови у нашій парафії проводяться кожної Суботи   з 6:15-7:30 вечора у церковній залі і провидять  їх Меланія Феденишин та о.Іван.  Усіх початківців і тих хто уже трохи володіє  мовою але хоче її покращити просимо приходити.  Уроки є безкоштовні,  потрібне тільки ваше бажання учитися.

On Saturday November 8, after the 5:00 p.m. Liturgy, a new Holy Name Society banner was blessed. The banner was purchased at Byzantine Church Supplies in Philadelphia,  and will be used mainly for processions, both inside and outside of the church building. The Holy Name Society  of the Assumption Ukrainian Catholic Church in Perth Amboy, NJ is a fraternal organization dedicated to the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month to plan various activities and events. Every member brings his own unique talent or skill to the group.  Fundraisers are conducted and most of the profits are spent on Assumption Parish needs. Over the years the Holy Name Society has sponsored children’s events such as St. Nicholas programs, Halloween parties, and Easter Egg Hunts. The Holy Name has also organized parish picnics, baseball outings and family bowling. Work projects include decorating the church for the Christmas season, working at the Parish Festival, readying the cemetery for Memorial Day, moving tables and chairs in the school auditorium before dances, and various repair and odd jobs done at no cost to the church.  The members enjoy social events twice a year: the Christmas party and Holy Name Picnic. Members also pray together, and support members in times of personal tragedy.  If you would like to join the Holy Name Society, contact Fr. Ivan at 732-827-0767, any member, or just come to the next meeting!