News

Fr. Ivan and more then 30 parishioners of the Assumption Parish  attended the Solodka Darusia [Sweet Darusia] performance based on Maria Matios’s novel of the same name. The Ivan Franko Theater of Ivano-Frankivsk oblast. Ukraine, in conjunction with Meest America Inc., presented the play at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Whippany, NJ.   Sweet Darusia is Ukrainian story set in the 1930s-1970s in Bukovyna and Halychyna. “A drama in three lives,” as the author defined her novel’s genre, is a moral warning that the history and every human being in all times, under all regimes are closely connected, while sin and atonement are material, almost palpable phenomena. The Sweet Darusia performance was possible because hard work and dedication of our parishioner and Meest America Inc Corporate Director  Mrs.  Natalia Brandafi

Sunday, November 13th , 2011
CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
Philadelphia, PA at 2:30PM
RECEPTION AT INDEPENDENCE CENTER
LIBERTY VIEW BALLROOM
Philadelphia, PA
6:00PM – 9:00PM
Tickets are $100.00
All proceeds go to the Resurrection Sobor in Kyiv
Round-trip transportation provided
No tickets will be sold at the door.
Tickets are available by mail from the Chancery or by Paypal on the Archeparchy website: www.ukrarcheparchy.us
Deadline is November 7th
Come and spend time visiting the Leader of Our Church…

A photographic portrait of our Choir Boyan was donated to the parish.  The portrait was presented to the pastor, Father Ivan Turyk, and Choir Director Alla Korostil following the 20th Anniversary of Freedom for Ukraine Concert held on September 4.  The photograph was taken in August 2010, depicting Choir Boyan near the retirement of the former pastor, Father Roman Dubitsky.The 20×24 inch hi-resolution portrait is held in a richly decorated gold frame.  Thanks go to our parishioner donor, Charles Patulak, who took the photograph and did the custom framing. The portrait will be hung in the church hall for all to enjoy.

Ten years ago today our world changed forever. In 2 or 3 short hours terrorists killed over 3000 innocent and unsuspecting people and devastated the lives of all who loved them. The vast majority perished at the World Trade Center in New York City,  others in Washington DC, and still others in a field in Pennsylvania.

9-11, just three numbers, 9-1-1, the numbers that mark the greatest emergency in the history of our nation, for they mark a day that America was attacked on its own soil.

• On this day, we remember the victims, the thousands who died in the attack.
• On this day, we remember survivors, those who still suffer the effects of 9/11, widows who are raising children alone and parents who will never hold their children again.
• On this day, we pray that the hearts of those who wish us evil may be converted — and we hope to have the power and the will to forgive them.

Dearly beloved, we are living in a post 9/11 world. We have seen the evil that people can do, and we have seen the spirit of sacrifice and service in ordinary people.

As a priest, on 9/11 and after, I saw the Greatness of America in the Bravery of Victims;

• in the heroism of first responders who laid down their lives to save others;
• in the compassion of people who stepped forward to help those they had never met;
• and in the generosity of millions of Americans who enriched our country with acts of service and kindness.

Since then, we all have seen the Greatness of America further demonstrated in the courage of our brave men and women in uniform who serve and sacrifice in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and around the world to advance freedom and prevent terrorist attacks on America.

The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington prompted millions to ask:  Where was God on September 11?  Why didn't He act to prevent such an evil?

Well, I know where my God was the morning of September 11, 2001, and He was very busy.

• He was in the acts of countless people who that day lived those words of St. Paul to the Romans 14:7  "None of us lives for himself; none of us dies for himself. For if we live, we live for the Lord and, if we die, we die for the Lord”.
• He was on four commercial flights giving terrified passengers the ability to stay calm. Not one of the family members who were called by a loved one on one of the hijacked planes said that passengers were screaming in the background.
• He was busy trying to create obstacles for employees at the World Trade Center. After all, only around 20,000 were at the towers when the first jet hit. Since the buildings held more than 50,000 workers, this was a miracle in itself.
• He was holding up two 110-story buildings so that two-thirds of the workers could get out.  And when the buildings went down, my God picked up 2,753 of his children from the World Trade Center and 184 at the Pentagon and carried them home with Him — reassuring his frightened children that the worst was over and the best was yet to come.

That is where God was on Sept. 11

• He sent His children who are best trained for this disaster and had them save the few that were still alive, but unable to help themselves.
• God was in the more than 300 New York fire fighters who entered the burning buildings of the New York Trade Center and were never seen again – or who came out in body bags.

One of them was the Catholic Priest,  Fr. Michael Judge. The picture of his lifeless body being carried out by four of the firemen, is now referred to as the American Pieta, a variation of the Michelangelo sculpture of the Blessed Mother cradling her son, Jesus.

God was busy of helping people on September 11 and He  still isn't finished.

• Every day He comforts those who lost loved ones.
• He is encouraging others to reach out to those who don't know Him or believe in Him.
• He is giving the leaders of our great nation the strength and conviction to do the right thing, to follow His will, not a popular poll.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, when anyone asks you this weekend, "Where was your God on September 11th? You can say "Everywhere!", because God's miracles can be seen in every bit of it.

Those examples of selfless love are partial answers only to the question: Where was God on 9/11.  Beyond such partial answers Our Faith gives us the strength to go on despite evil, injustice, suffering and tragedy.

Yes, our world changed forever on this day ten years ago. We live today in a society of constant change: in the world, in the Church, in our own personal lives.  None of us can know from day to day or from year to year What Is Coming –  But­ – We do know  – Who is Coming.

 His name we have all received in Baptism. His Body and Blood we receive in the Eucharist at today’s Liturgy. His uniform I wear with pride and joy, though unworthy.  And about Him I joyfully proclaim to you today, because in a world of constant change there is One who never changes: “Jesus  Christ, the same yesterday, today, yes, and  forever”.

God Bless you all. And God bless America!…

This is an excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title "C"ntarea Americii, meaning "Ode To America" on September 24, 2002 in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentulzilei ("The Daily Event" ").

Why are Americans so united?

They would not resemble one another even if you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs. Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, and the secret services that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape about. The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand.

After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing. On every occasion, they started singing their traditional song: "God Bless America!" I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the California hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people.

How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.

What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their galloping history? Their economic Power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace.

I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion…Only freedom can work such miracles.…

After the Divine Liturgy on August 28, 2011 a new set of Festive Gold Priestly Vestments were blessed at the Assumption Catholic Church in Perth Amboy, NJ.  The new Vestments were donated to the church  by  the Senior Citizens Club in honor and  memory of their  long time Associate Pastor + Rev. Augustine Molodowitz.

Visitors to the Eastern Catholic Church Services  may ask why it is that our clergy wear such seemingly peculiar garments. This is a commonly asked question that Catholics ask because they do not know what to call the clothing that is being worn by the clergy. The purpose of this short article  is to educate the faithful in the area of priest’s vestments.

The word "Vestment" comes from the Latin. It simply means clothing. Now, vestments are a sacramental. That means they are set apart and blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion in those who see and those who use them. They are the uniform of the priest when he is "on duty," while he is exercising the functions of his ministry and using the sacred powers which he received at his ordination. The clothing that is worn by the priest while he is not "on duty," it is not called vestments.  Priest’s  vestments serve to hide and submerge the personality of the priest so that worshippers, seeing Christ through the vestments, may know that it is He, Jesus, who teaches and sanctifies through the priest.

Sticharion – all orders of the clergy wear a special outer garment a robe called a sticharion. This white robe represent  the baptismal garment  in which every Christian is clothed on his day of baptism. It also signifies the white robe of the angel who announced to the myrrh bearing women the glad tidings of the Lord's Resurrection (Mark 16:5). The clergyman recites the following prayer when he puts on the sticharion: "My soul shall rejoice in the Lord, for He has clothed me with the garment of righteousness and has covered me with a robe of gladness…." (Isaiah 61:10)

Stole or Epitrachelion -the second fundamental vestment for clergy is the stole or epitrachelion which goes around the neck and shoulders. It is the sign of the pastoral office. This vestment symbolizes the grace of the Holy Spirit that flows down abundantly upon the officiating clergy. Adorning the Epitrachelion are two set of tassels; the set on top represents the souls of the living which the priest is responsible for and the set on the bottom represents the souls of those who have fallen asleep in the Lord. The following prayer is recited when this vestment is put on: "Blessed is God who pours out His grace upon His priests, as myrrh upon the head that ran down the beard of Aaron, which ran down to the helm of his garment." (Psalm 133:2)

Cuffs – are worn around the wrists of the priest. Symbolically they represent the creative power of God. The clergyman recites the  following prayer when he puts the cuff on his right hand: Your right hand, “ O Lord, is glorified in strength. Your right hand, has crushed the enemies. In the fullness of Your glory You have shattered the adversaries." (Exodus 15: 6-7) While he places the cuff on his left hand he prays: "Your hands have made me and have fashioned me. Grant me understanding and I shall learn from Your commandments." (Psalm 119:73)

Belt – was added as well to hold the vestments in place. This is a belt worn around the waist over the Sticharion and Epitrachelion. It is a sign of the strength given to the priest by the Holy Spirit to lead the community in prayer. The symbolism of the belt is signified by the following biblical passage which the celebrant recites while he fastens it over the Sticharion  and the Epitrachelion: "Blessed is God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless." (Psalm 18: 32-33)

Phelonion – This is a type of sleeveless cloak in the shape of a cone with an opening for the head. It represents the red tunic with which the Romans dressed the Savior before his Crucifixion, and denotes that the priests are invested with truth and should be ministers of the truth. The prayer that the priest says as he puts on the Phelonion is: "Your priests, O Lord, shall clothe themselves with righteousness, and Your saints shall rejoice with joy…." (Psalm 132:9)

The Pectoral Cross – is worn by both priests and bishops as a reminder that they should not merely carry Christ in their hearts, but also confess Him in the face of all men.

Our Pastor,  Fr. Ivan away on vacation in Ukraine,  celebrated Divine Liturgies in his village church in Sniatynka and in his grandmother church in the village of Rychtuchi. His grndmother Olena turned 90t years old in July 31st  of this year.  It was a big gathering of family and friends. Ninety years is an amazing milestone worth celebrating.