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On Sunday, December 1, 2013.about 65 parishioners gathered for a festive and incisive catechetical program to ready the parish for the great celebration of the Nativity of Christ In the church hall which was decorated with the nativity Icon and tables decorated with poinsettias, the parishioners enjoyed a wonderful lunch as they conversed about their preparations for the holiday as well as their Thanksgiving celebration.

The program then began when our pastor Father Ivan Turyk asked the participants to recall the following: As you enter the church of Assumption Ukrainian Catholic Church in Perth Amboy, N.J. you see in the Nave of the Church surrounding the altar in a half circle on the left the various prophets from the Old Testament. On the opposite side of the half circle on the right, are pictured the saints of the New Testament. The center of these half circles is God the Father, then streaming from Him, a dove, the Holy Spirit, radiating to the Blessed Mother and then Christ and His apostles.

Once the participants of this Generations of Faith program titled “God is with Us” were immersed in the setting, Mrs. Helen Cheloc began the presentation in English with translations by Mrs. Alla Korostil in Ukrainian. The presentation centered on how the world was changed on that first Holy Night; and yet, the foundations for that change were set for thousands of years prior to that event. The theme of trust, humility and love were explored as they related to the world changing event 2013 years ago. The large Nativity Icon was featured and the writings of it were incorporated into the program.

As has been the custom of the previous GOF gatherings, parishioners had questions at their tables to discuss. The following five questions were decided upon by the GOF committee.
1.    How do you keep the true meaning of Christmas alive in your home and how does it compare with the ways in which society tries to commercialize and secularize the meaning of Christmas?
2.    What can we as Catholics do to keep the true meaning of Christmas alive?
3.    Has saying “yes” to Christ transformed your life?
4.    What role does the Christmas Eve Supper and caroling play in your family? Why are the traditions still kept in your family?
5.    If you were with the Magi what would you bring to the baby Jesus on that first Christmas night?

After table discussions, a spokesperson from every table presented a short synopsis of their discussion with translations presented so everyone could benefit from the insights. The group was ready for two of the youngest parishioners that Sister Yosaphata prepared to explain the nativity story by putting together a crèche while the story of the First Christmas was read.  The concluding remarks were summarized with good recommendations by the participants. A young lady recently from Ukraine shared with the participants the need for extra prayer and fasting as well more acts of charity during this Advent season, while a Senior citizen that has been a parishioner for over 65 years stated that the elderly, the shut in, the neglected and the military should be remembered especially during this season. The program was ended with the singing by everyone of the verse from the Nativity vespers “God is with us”- Z Namu Boh.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav in his pastoral letter “The Vibrant Parish” reflects on the importance of the Word of God by saying “Permanent and continuous formation for various age groups-children, youth, adults and the elderly is an essential component of the vibrant parish”. The Generation of Faith presentations at Assumption Ukrainian Catholic Church address all age groups that are represented and it provides an opportunity for a deeper knowledge of the faith.

Likewise, in accordance with the same pastoral letter encouraging serving one’s neighbor, the Parish raised over $1,600.00, for the victims of the hurricane in the Philippines, and the women’s group of the Parish, St. Ann’s Society have donated $500.00 to the building of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Spain. Both of these causes are continents apart from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, but the parishioners are trying to adhere to the teaching of the pastoral letter “This service to our neighbor flows from our rootedness in Christ”.

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Christmas is a time of year when people’s thoughts turn to God. There seems to be more of an openness to conversion for those who have been away from the Church. That’s why on December 14-15th  Assumption Ukrainian Catholic Church in Perth Amboy, NJ   is having a “Bring a Friend to Liturgy” at all of our Saturday evening and Sunday Liturgies. Divine Liturgy schedule is Saturday 5:00 PM Liturgy in English and  on Sunday  9:00 AM – Liturgy  is sung in Ukrainian by the church choir "Boyan"  and 11:30 AM – Liturgy in  English. The goal is for everyone to invite someone they know, who may not be attending Liturgy regularly or who may feel alienated from the Church, to come to our church for the Liturgy. If we do our part and invite people, the Holy Spirit will do the rest and hearts will be touched.  There will be hospitality afterwards after each Liturgy to make them feel welcome. Fr. Ivan and Deacon Paul will be at hand afterwards to answer any questions your friends might have. Start thinking about who you will invite. Being Catholic is a wonderful gift. Let’s show the rest of the world!

A commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Holodomor Famine-Genocide of Ukrainians was held Sunday at the Assumption Ukrainian Catholic Church in Perth Amboy, NJ. After the Liturgy, the parishioners took part in “Panachyda” for the Holodomor victims and then a requiem concert followed in the church's hall. Many of the audience members were moved to tears by the afternoon's performance of the church’s choir “Boyan” under the direction of Mrs. Alla Korostil.

The Ukrainian Famine was dreadful famine premeditated by the Soviet Union, headed by Joseph Stalin during 1932-1933, as a means to undermine the nationalistic pride of the Ukrainian people. It served to control and further oppress the Ukrainian people by denying them the basic vital essentials they needed to survive.  The Holodomor, meaning “death by hunger.” killed as many as 5 million people. The White House calls the sad occasion an example of the worst in mankind and an opportunity to reflect on the evil that men can do. But it also says the Ukrainian people showed tremendous resilience and courage, and never gave up hopes of independence. May God grant rest to the souls of all victims of the Holodomor.

The parish Senior Organization provides physical and spiritual support to our senior community through activities and prayer. Fellowship consists of monthly gatherings at which the president makes  presentations that  inform seniors about relevant issues such as: health, finances and estate planning. The Ukrainian Assumption Seniors also offer prayers at our meetings for sick and shut-in members.  They send birthday cards and visit our members in nursing homes. At  the November meeting, our seniors celebrated Thanksgiving together with a luncheon arranged by Eleanor Kataryniak. The organization would like to thank the Sodality of Assumption Catholic School for the lanterns with candy that  they made and were given to members and guests at the  luncheon.

Praise be Jesus Christ!

“O Christ, what shall we offer you for your coming on earth in our humanity for our sake?  The angels offer hymns of praise, the heavens give a star; the Magi present their gifts and the shepherds, their wonder; the earth provides a cave and the desert a manger….O God who are from all eternity, have mercy on us.” – from Vespers for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord

In these days the world stands in anticipation once again, for the celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ as a human child on earth.  The season of Advent, or ‘Pylypivka’ commences with the Feast of St. Philip, the Apostle on November 14 (Gregorian calendar) or November 27 (Julian calendar).  This period of 40 days culminating with the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, is meant to be a time of spiritual renewal and preparation for the celebration of this momentous event in human history.

Of course, for many of us, preparations for the Christmas season are already in full swing.  Christmas presents are being purchased, festive cards and greetings are being sent, pantries are being stocked in preparation for the joyous holiday onslaught of family and friends upon our homes, and winter vacation plans are being laid.  Certainly, we, as a consumer society, are well schooled in how to ‘prepare for the holidays’ and how to entertain ourselves and our family and friends.

But how are we ‘preparing for the holidays’ at a personal and spiritual level?  What can we offer of ourselves to the Christ child when we come to church in a few weeks time for the celebration of his Nativity?

The author – probably a holy monk – of the verse cited above, which was taken from the vespers service for the Nativity of Christ, seriously pondered this question and calls upon us, who are living so many hundreds of years after him, to ponder this question as well.  From our reading of the Holy Gospels concerning the Nativity of Christ, we know indeed that on the night when Christ was born, the angels offered their songs of praise which filled the sky, that the heavens offered a star to light the path of those who would come to give homage to the Child, that the earth offered a cave as a shelter for him from the wind and cold, that the shepherds offered their innocent wonder at the glorious sight, and that the Magi offered their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh in homage to his greatness and destiny.

In other words, each offered that which lay closest to the heart, each presented a valuable and irreplaceable treasure from within for the newborn Son of God.  What then, of us?  Are we not also called to offer something that lays close to our hearts, something valuable, a treasure from within for the newborn Infant?  What could be better to offer than us ourselves, spiritually renewed?

As you are aware, our Ukrainian Catholic Church has recently embarked upon an ambitious path of spiritual renewal and revitalization for our parishes and our faithful under the banner: “The Vibrant Parish – A Place to Encounter the Living Christ”.  In his pastoral letter to all the faithful, the spiritual father of our Church, His Beatitude, Sviatoslav Shevchuk emphasized six key elements essential to making our parishes more Christ-centered places of worship, service and gathering, among them The Word of God, Prayer and Serving One’s Neighbor (Diakonia).

As we enter the blessed time of Pylypivka, we encourage you to take these first three key elements and begin your own personal journey of spiritual rebirth, repentance and return to the Lord.  Resolve to make it a priority for a few minutes every day, during the time of Pylypivka, to pick up the Holy Bible and read and meditate upon the inspired Word of God you will find there.  Make it also a practice to find a comfortable nook for yourself at home and set aside a few minutes every day for a one-on-one conversation with the Lord through private prayer.  And try to attend liturgical services offered in your parish church more often, even on a daily basis, if possible.  And finally, during this time, make а point of reaching out in a concrete way to those in need, whether within your parish community or outside of it, striving always to see Christ in our neighbor.

It we try to follow this path during the time of Pylypivka, we will find that on Christmas Day, when we kneel finally at the crib of the newborn King, we will not have come to him empty-handed.  For along with the heavens and the earth that have offered a star and a cave, and along with the angels, who have offered their song, the shepherds who brought their wonder, and the Magi their gifts of gold and fragrant spices, we will have brought the most precious gift of all – ourselves, with our hearts and souls renewed and filled with love for Him.

May the blessings of the Lord Jesus, whose birth in a cave in Bethlehem we joyfully await, descend upon all of you.  

+Stefan Soroka
Metropolitan-Archbishop of Philadelphia

+Richard Seminack
Eparch of St. Nicholas in Chicago

+Paul Chomnycky, OSBM (author)
Eparch of Stamford

+John Bura
Apostolic Administrator of St. Josaphat in Parma

November 2013…

Assumption Catholic School’s students, facility and parishioners celebrate the 50th anniversary of the  school on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013. The parishioners,  faculty members and staff joined together with alumni  for the 4:30  p.m. Liturgy  (Mass)  celebrated by Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Philadelphia Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy, the  Most Rev. Bishop Bootkowski of the Metuchen Roman Catholic Diocese, the Archbishop Emeritus Stephen Sulyk, the former Pastor Rev. Roman Dubitsky, the Rev. Paul J. Makar and a current pastor and the school administrator Rev. Ivan Turyk. Among the honored guests present for the Liturgy were  Hon. Wilda Diaz, Mayor of Perth Amboy, NJ, the Superintendent of Schools Mrs. Ellen F. Ayoub and members of the Missionary Sisters of the Mother of God, who have staffed ACS  from its founding to the present day. Over the past 50 years, the school has thrived and expanded and now has an enrollment of 191 students and 10 full-time teachers. Many thanks to everyone who helped make the Assumption School’s 50th anniversary celebration so memorable. For more pictures from the 50th Anniversary Liturgy  and Banquet Celebration, please view pictures on our school’s website  at http://assumptioncatholicschool.net/azcms/gallery.php

I would like to extend my deepest and most heartfelt thanks, to all parishioners, students and faculty of the ACS for the role you played in such a wonderful celebration, honoring the ten years of my priesthood. For those of you  who came and celebrated with my parents and me, I am most indebted to your continued prayers, generosity, support, and friendship. Your expressions of support and love are much appreciated.

Last year, each church family in the Philadelphia Archdiocese received a pastoral letter from His Beatitude Sviatoslav entitled “The Vibrant Parish – a place to encounter the living Christ.”  Copies of the letters can be found on the vestibule table, and one is currently on the bulletin board.  In the letter, His Beatitude Sviatoslav outlined the Church’s vision to “help its Faithful to grow in holiness and unity in Christ Jesus.”   The idea is that if every parish works toward the goal of becoming a stronger church community, then we will automatically grow in unity with Jesus.  Starting with the Sunday July 14, Fr. Ivan will preach on the seven paragraphs of the letter:

Introduction
The Word Of God
Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) and Prayer
Serving One’s Neighbour
Leadership
Fostering and Serving Unity
Missionary Spirit of the Parish Community
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