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On the feast day of Theophany, following the Divine Liturgy, the Great Blessing of the water took place at Assumption Catholic Church in Perth Amboy, NJ. This year, the faithful celebrated this holy day outside the church and in front of the Cross that was carved from solid ice. Fr. Ivan dipped ceremonial candles, then his right hand, and then the cross into the frigid waters and called upon the power of the Holy Spirit to bless the water. Following the blessing of water, all the faithful were invited to the parish hall to enjoy the parish hospitality, a diecious wine and a yummy shish kebab prepared by the dedicated parishioners.  The area around the church smelled with the enticing smell of shish kebab and the event attracted many people from all over. At the luncheon, after all expenses, almost six thousand dollars were raised for the humanitarian aid and medical treatment of Ukrainians injured in the war. It was a great event of Our Lord’s Baptism Solidarity and a day of Prayers for Ukraine. At the conclusion of the celebration, all tired volunteers’ and faithful heard in their hearts the Lord’s voice, “You are my beloved sons and daughters, in you I am well pleased”.

On Sunday, November 12, 2023, on the occasion of the commemoration of the  400th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saint Josaphat Kuncewycz, the Assumption Catholic Church parishioners gathered in the parish hall for the homemade varenyky and borsch sponsored by the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (Branch 135).  Funds were raised to provide moral and financial support for the wounded soldier Vasyl Kurylovych and to support military efforts in the ongoing war in Ukraine . Andriy Zhyvachivskyi, a historian from Ukraine, presented a very informative and moving presentation about the Crimean Peninsula, a territory annexed by Russian troops.

“Getting to know Jesus Christ is a great adventure”, that was the topic of discussion with the youth of our parish this Sunday, following the Morning Liturgy. And after that, our own adventure began – a journey to our own New Jersey Saint, Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich. She is a native of Bayonne, N.J. who died in 1927 and was declared Blessed in 2014.
We were warmly welcomed at the convent by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, and we were all inspired by the example of the holy life of this blessed 26-year-old nun. Under the leadership of Father Ivan, Sisters Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, our group of the young adults prayed for the personal intentions, Ukraine, our country, and especially for the parishioners of  the Assumption church. On the way home, we stopped at the Starbucks for some coffee and sweets. We enjoyed this trip so much that we were already planning the next one on the way back. The adventures are just beginning!

«Пізнати Ісуса Христа»-це велика пригода. Цієї Неділі, такою була тема зустрічі і обговорення з старшою групою молоді нашої парафії. А після цього почалася і наша пригода – мандрівка до єдиної блаженної, проголошеною Католицькою Церквою у штаті Нью Джерсі, Сестри Марія Тереза Дем’янович. Нас радо прийняли Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth , і всі ми надихнулися прикладом святого життя 26-річної монахині. Під проводом отця Івана, наших сестер Воплоченого Слова, усі молилися за особисті намірення, Україну, і особливо за парафіян Успенської Церкви. По дорозі додому почастувати каву і тістечка у Старбаксі.  Усім так сподобалася ця духовно пізнавальна поїздка, що по дорозі назад вже планувалася наступна. Пригоди тільки починаються!

«Молодість покликана до героїзму»- у цьому сьогодні впевнилися підлітки нашої парафії, слухаючи науку на черговій зустрічі. Дивлячись на багато прикладів героїв минулого і сучасності, зрозуміли, що героєм покликаний бути кожен  і кожного дня, живучи Заповідями Ісуса Христа. Доброзичливої атмосфери надало спільне приготування суш, активна участь у іграх та веселе спілкування. Чекаємо наступного разу!

“Youth is called to heroism” – this is what the teenagers of our parish realized while listening to the talk at today’s gathering. Looking at many examples of heroes of the past and present, they realized that everyone is called to be a hero by following and living the Commandments of Jesus Christ. The friendly atmosphere was even increased by the joint preparation of sushi, active participation in games and cheerful communication. We are looking forward for the next time!

On Sunday, September 24, 2023 we joyfully celebrated the 20th  Anniversary of Fr. Ivan Turyk’s Ordination to the Holy Priesthood.  The Church was packed with well-wishers and Fr. Ivan was joined at the Holy Altar by his  longtime friend Fr.  Mykola Buryadnyk from St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicago, IL who offered an outstanding sermon, and  Rev. Robert Hitchens, Rector of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Washington DC, who was the main speaker at the banquet and who read the greeting letter from Fr. Ivan’s ordaining bishop, + Stefan Soroka, Metropolitan-Archbishop Emeritus.
After the Liturgy, the beautiful Anniversary Banquet, followed at the packed hall, with almost four hundred guests.  The banquet included a delightful meal prepared by the parish volunteers and very nice program. Following the dinner, the parish children, altar servers, choir “Boyan”, Assumption Catholic School, Sodality girls and Sisters Servants of the Lord the Virgin of Matará  entertained the guests with a beautiful concert. The highlight of the Banquet (and there were many) was Fr. Ivan’s parents Vasyl and Olga Turyk, who arrived from Ukraine, addressing the parish with a special greeting.  Looking out on the crowd, you could see the tearful expression on many faces that showed the love and appreciation they have for their son.
Vitaliy Kutnyy, President/CEO from Chicago and representatives of Selfreliance Federal Credit Union’s New Jersey branch office joined the parishioners at the Liturgy and the banquet and presented a check of $5,000 for the Assumption Parish on the occasion of their Pastor’s celebration.
Fr. Ivan then came to the podium and thanked those who organized the event and his brother priests for their continued friendship and priestly fraternity. He continued with humble comments including knowing that even though all parish gathered to celebrate his anniversary, but it is really Jesus the Great High Priest who was honored, for he is the  one who called Father to the Holy Priesthood and brought all together.

As you can see, there is no stop in our parish calendar this summer. Just two weeks ago we completed 4 weeks school camp and now started the parish Bible Summer Camp and that is good thing. The first day started out at our school hall with Fr. Ivan leading twenty-eight children in prayer to Almighty God. Then a day was filled with variety of fun activities that included a visit to Assumption Church where our parishioner Mrs. Melanie Fedynyshyn gave a church tour to our campers who were eager to learn about their faith and strengthen relationships with one another. Sisters Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará taught three groups of children about the Holy Eucharist, St. Tarcisius the patron saint of all altar servers, played Bingo and various games outside.   The students made crafts, played soccer with Father, made bracelets and had snacks/ lunch together. Culinary groups 1 and 2 had a delicious time making and eating dirt today. Of course the dirt was made of pudding and oreos with a little whipped cream. Everyone topped off their dirt with a gummy worm. The 3rd group ventured into the world of baking funfetti cake. This amazing spiritual experience is an incredible gift to the children of our parish and it could not be given without the help our parish volunteers, the Assumption Catholic School teachers, Sisters and Father. Our parish continues to grow and deepen in our commitment to make disciples of Jesus, increase our prayer, build community, and reflect genuine love to one another.

Congratulation to 30 youngsters, who have come to the Divine Liturgy this Sunday morning to receive Jesus’ body and blood in their lives in a very special way. As your Pastor, I am very proud of you for studying and learning about Jesus to prepare for this day and that you have said yes to Jesus’ sacramental grace and love. Thanks to Sr. Veronica, Sr. Trijtsi, Sr. Svitanku for preparing parish children and Mrs. Kukuruza, 2nd  grade teacher for preparing ACS school students for this joyful day. May God bless you always.

It’s been over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Perth Amboy, NJ of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia,  has all this time been trying to  help those who are wounded, bleeding and injured by Russian bombs and bullets.
A few months ago, after making a report to the parish about an ambulance purchased in March, Fr. Ivan Turyk  was approached by  parishioners Bohdan and Halyna Jasinski (Medical Career Institute, NY) who offered a donation of $15,000  to purchase another ambulance. The vehicle was purchased in Italy by the their charitable donation and recently handed over to the Ukrainian Military Brigade A4576.
The ambulance is already being used in the front lines, transporting wounded to the military hospital in Dnipro and saving the lives of those who are giving their all to save the lives behind them.
The purchase of the ambulance was a collaborative effort of people from three countries – the USA, Italy and Ukraine. We are very grateful to Bishop Hryhoriy Komar, Auxiliary Bishop of Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy in Ukraine, for the logistics of the process and for providing a driver. We are especially thankful to Fr. Vasyl Verbitskyy from Ferrara, Italy for the actual purchase and a smooth transfer of the vehicle from Italy to Ukraine.
Thanks to all volunteers in Italy and in Ukraine who packed the ambulance with medical supplies and additional critical equipment before it was sent to the front line.  The recently purchased ambulance is literally a lifeline for many defenders of Ukraine.
Thank you all, for your solidarity, and may God bless you and your families for standing up with Ukraine.