September At St. Elias

For your calendar:

September 5 – Baptismal Liturgy 9:45; Labour Day Cornroast and Picnic? TBA

September 11 (Saturday) Feast of Beheading of St. John the Baptist)

September 12 Blessing of School Children (and Teachers) & Baptismal Liturgy – Cian Michael Duffy 9:45

September 14 – Church New Year

September 17  - St. Elias Heritage School

September 17-19 – Bloor Village Ukrainian Festival

September 21 – Feast of Nativity of the Mother of God

September 27 – Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Pope Sends Message for Ukrainian Independence Day

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 26, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI sent a message of congratulations for the 19th anniversary of Ukrainian Independence Day.

The Pope sent a telegram to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych for the anniversary, celebrated Tuesday, reported the apostolic nunciature in Kiev.

In Rome, Ukrainian representatives from the embassy laid flowers at a monument to Taras Shevchenko in the St. Sophia Greek Catholic Cathedral, reported the Religious Information Service of Ukraine.


The ambassador of that country to the Holy See, Tatiana Izhevska, stated that "the restoration of Ukrainian statehood is proof of the triumph of historical truth and justice, it crowned our people for freedom and independence."

Izhevska told Vatican Radio: "This joyous holiday shows not only an important historical stage of life of our homeland, but the strengthening of its spiritual foundations.

"An important prerequisite for the material and social welfare is moral development based on Christian values. I believe that together we will achieve a high level of development of our society for the benefit of all Ukrainians."

Source:  Zenit 

The Biblical Story of the Mass

Although this series will likely concentrate on Roman Catholicism, it will undoubtedly be of interest to all Christians.

Do You Know ‘The Biblical Story of the Mass?’

Find Out In EWTN’s Exclusive Fall Series

Irondale, AL (EWTN) – As a Catholic, do you ever wonder why Jesus is referred to as “the lamb of God” or why the “body and blood” of our Lord distributed at communion still look and taste like ordinary bread and wine? If the biblical story of the Mass did not begin at the Last Supper, where did it begin? Answers to these and many more questions will be provided in EWTN’s exclusive new 13-part series, “The Biblical Story of the Mass,” which will air 5 p.m. ET Sundays (with a re-air at 2:30 a.m. ET Fridays), beginning Sept. 5.

If you really want to understand what’s happening at Mass, why the priest and people have distinct liturgical roles, why the Eucharist is the best path to a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the Trinity – and a whole lot more -- tune into this challenging new series.

Hosted by EWTN Theologian Tom Nash and Fr. Wade Menezes, this lively, conversational program is partially based on Nash’s book, “Worthy is the Lamb: The Biblical Roots of the Mass,” http://bit.ly/dAqnPu. Nash is also co-author of “Catholic for a Reason III: Scripture and the Mystery of the Mass,” Fr. Wade Menezes is the well-known host of numerous EWTN series, including “The Ten Commandments of Catholic Family Life," and “Gospel of Life vs. Culture of Death”.

“When St. Paul mentions the Lord’s Supper, most Protestant Christians view the ritual as simply a symbolic meal, which recalls Christ’s redemptive work that they believe began and ended on the Cross,” says Nash. “Wouldn’t you like to be able to defend the Catholic belief with biblical and historical evidence?”

Tune in this fall and learn what really happens on the altar each Sunday!

Fr. Jason and Presbytera Halyna Charron--Welcome home!

 WELCOME HOME! – Fr. Jason and Presbytera Halyna Charron, with their children: Sophia, Maria, Kateryna, Daria and Marta.  They are back from two years in North Carolina to take up residence in Walkerton.  Fr. Jason will teach there.   St. Elias will be their parish and he has been blessed by Bishop Stephen to serve at the altar here, for which we are grateful.  

ВІТАЄМО НАЗАД – о. Джейсон і добродійка Галина Шарон, з дітьми: Софія, Марія, Катерина, Дарія і Марта!  Вернулися до нас після 2 років служби в Америці.  о. Джейсон буде вчити  у Walkerton і там будуть жити, а до церкви, у нас!  Владика Стефан поблагословив його тут у нас служити. Привітайтеся з ними на зустірічі після літургії. – може їм щось треба?

A positive sign in relations between the Fanar and the Turkish State

TURKEY
Bartholomew I celebrates first Mass at Our Lady of Sumela after 88 years


The monastery, called the "Monte Cassino of the East”, was destroyed by the Neo-Turks in 1922 and converted into a museum. Attended by 15,000 people from around the world, Christians and Muslims. The Ecumenical Patriarch stresses Christians and Muslims devotion to Our Lady. Experts point out that it was Ataturk who purged the Christian presence with pre-Nazi methods, forcing Islam on survivors. A positive sign in relations between the Fanar and the Turkish State.

Trabzon (AsiaNews) - After 88 years the first Mass was celebrated in the ancient monastery of Our Lady of Sumela, 50 km from the city of Trabzon (ancient Trebizond on the Black Sea, the land of myths and great visions). 

Sumela Monastery, called the "Monte Cassino of the East" has a long history. Founded in the fourth century, it was destroyed by the fury of the Neo-Turks in 1922, transformed into a museum and finally partly restored with the assistance of UNESCO in the early 90s. An ecumenical mass, primarily due to the arrival of pilgrims from around the world (Greeks, Georgians, Bulgarians, Russians, Romanians, Ukrainians, Albanians, Arabs, ...). 

At least 15 000 climbed the mountain where the monastery stands, perched on a cliff, putting serious strain on its limited structure. Those who were unable to climb the mountain due to lack of space, followed the ceremony on two giant screens at the foot the valley. 

Mass was celebrated by Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, assisted by Metropolitan Tychon, representing Kiril, Patriarch of Moscow. The celebration took place on the day of the Dormition of the Virgin (the eastern feast of the Assumption) and during Ramadan, opening spaces for dialogue with Islam. 

In the days running up to the celebration it was feared that something would happen – riots or fights, if not worse - because of protests from some sections of Turkish society that Christians were “permitted” to celebrate mass in this museum. Instead, everything went peacefully, with a large participation of Christians and not only.

Bartholomew, a convinced advocate of dialogue, for years has emphasized that the Christian message is a source of true freedom for mankind and is therefore the bearer of respect and forgiveness towards others. His homily - of great depth and with important and meaningful messages for those who want to understand - was read in a voice hoarse with emotion and sometimes interrupted by sobs, thanking the Lord for having gifted him this historic moment. 

"Today - he exclaimed at the beginning - believers in God celebrate.   Those who believe in Christ, who worship the Virgin as the Theotokos, are celebrating today. Because even though today we celebrate the Dormition of the Virgin, she has never abandoned the world, but intercedes for us with the Lord, for the entire world". 

"Dear friends  - he continued - now is a great moment for the church of Constantinople (the Mother Church of that world to which it made known the Christian faith). Thanks to the courtesy of the Turkish government, to which we are grateful, after 88 years of lethargy we can all celebrate together, coming from Russia, Georgia Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and the rest of the world, the Dormition of our Lady. " 

"Today with us - continued the Ecumenical Patriarch - the founders of the monastery, Varnavas and Sofronios, and benefactors of the monastery, the great Comnenus, celebrate. But today, with them, we believe that the souls of the Ottoman sultans such as the Beyazit II, Selim I and II, Murat II, Ibrahim I Mehmed IV, Suleiman II Mustafa II and Ahmet III participate in this feast, because in various ways, they cared for this monastery and over the centuries helped the monastery of Our Lady of Sumela”. 

"A special welcome address to the representatives of the Turkish government and local authorities for allowing us to celebrate Mass in this holy place. And we say to the people of these lands that the multitude of Christian people who have flocked here from all parts of the world like angels of peace. On the other hand, the Virgin unites us all, because as is well known, Our Lady of Sumela has always blessed Christians and Muslims, regardless of their ethnicity. When in Adelaide (Australia), a few years ago they painted a blasphemous picture of the Virgin, the first to protest was the representative of Muslim communities in the city. " 

"Let us pray - concluded Bartholomew – that Our Lady of Sumela become the guarantor of the peaceful coexistence of the two peoples, Christians and Muslims who now gather on this sacred place. . A place of pilgrimage for Christians and Turks. And this our pilgrimage to become a bridge between the two peoples. Today we can truly say that the Black Sea is once again the Good Sea”. 

According to many experts, the Patriarch’s homily was rich in content. First, thanks to various historical references, Bartholomew stressed respect for the figure of the Virgin, which nourishes Muslims, meaning that religion is not and should not be a battleground between peoples. 

Instead, everyone remembers the responsibilities of Mustafa Kemal, later hailed as Ataturk. He, was sent to that area in 1919, in order to protect Christian minorities, which then counted 1.65 million people and were rooted in the social fabric, against fury of nationalist neo-Turks. Ataturk, however, has took steps to purge them, using methods which anticipated those Nazis. With the pretext of establishing a secular neo-Turk state, he did not hesitate to eliminate the majority of them and to order the forced Islamisation of those who resisted, finding an ally - an irony of history – in the Bolshevik regime. 

As if to redeem the past history, Bartholomew thanked the Patriarch Kyrill for having sent a large representation and invited him to participate in a future celebration of Mass at the monastery of Sumela. 

Some historians have pointed out yesterday an even more painful fact, highlighted by the words of the last Metropolitan of these lands, Chryssanthos. Indeed, it was reported that the purge and massacre of Christians on these lands took place with the complicit tolerance of so-called Christian countries [of the West]. The "sick Ottoman Empire," according Cryssanthos could not venture alone and without the tolerance of large so-called Christian, countries to purge Christians. Economic interests, in short, prevailed over the cultural and religious ones.

Yesterday's celebration and historical considerations are also a warning for those who think a new model of development of neo-Ottoman oppression, in which the subordination of humans prevails, rather than respect. 

The Greek Metropolitan Messinias, a great visionary figure, interviewed by AsiaNews on the importance of this extraordinary event, said: "This event has the significance of a pilgrimage. The relationship between the Fanar and the Turkish state have entered a new phase and in the end Turkey is showing that it intends to be integrated into the European Union with the recognition of the rights of minorities. " 

In short, many things have begun to change in Turkey because as evidenced by Theodosis Kyriakidis, a young scholar who descended from these lands, "the younger generation in Turkey no longer trust the information that the State has so far served up to them and are looking for new sources to know about its past. " 

Source:  AsiaNews.it

August Feasts in Ukraine

Every Orthodox church was filled on Aug. 14 with religious people who came to pray for the seven holy Maccabee martyrs and their mother Solomonia, who died for their faith. 

Volodymyrsky Cathedral, the main Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchy, was crowded with those who wanted to bless poppy, honey and get sprinkled with holy water.

Traditionally this day is called Honey Spas ("spas" means salvation). This day people started harvesting poppyseeds and honey. Also it was the day when all new wells and ponds were consecrated, which earned the tradition another name - Wet Spas.

Spas signifies the end of harvest time. Every farmer ties a bundle of grain to honour God and to get a good crop the next year. This bundle was called "the beard of Spas".

Before going to church, girls dressed up and prepared beautiful and rich trusses of flowers and grass,including thyme, absinthe, mint, poppy and marigolds.

For more, see Kyiv Post

Russian and Ukrainian Catholic Nuns in Rome?

Father Serge Keleher in today's Byzantine Catholic Form writes:  "In May of this year the founding Superior, Mother Catherine, fell asleep in the Lord, after an illness of some length, during which Sister Elena cared for her with great devotion.

For the moment, that leaves Sister Elena as the only remaining nun in the monastery. We pray that the ranks will soon be replenished. One possibility, which many of us are hoping may be accomplished, is the suggestion that a group of Studite nuns might be brought from Ukraine (their life style and prayer life are substantially the same, and most of the nuns in Ukraine also speak Russian, so there would be no particular difficulty). I ask everyone's prayers that the monastery may remain, prosper, and flourish with new apostolic vigor."

Source:  Byzantine Catholic Forum

Thousands rally in Warsaw to demand cross be moved

Years ago, the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote, "Have you noticed that as men lose faith in God, they become selfish, immoral and cruel? On a cosmic scale, as religion decreases, tyranny increases; as men lose faith in Divinity, they lose faith in humanity. Where God is outlawed, there man is subjugated."  If this can happen in Catholic Poland, then the world is in for a very dangerous ride.

Associated Press

Thousands of people held a midnight rally in Poland's capital to demand that a wooden cross erected in memory of the late President Lech Kaczynski be moved from in front of the presidential palace.

The cross was erected after Kaczynski was killed in a plane crash in Russia in April, and has become a site of mourning for a small group of elderly supporters of the late leader and his brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of a conservative pro-Catholic party who made an unsuccessful run for the presidency this summer.

It has also become a source of friction with their political rivals.

Those at the rally late Monday said they want the cross moved to a nearby church, arguing that it has no place in front of the presidential palace of a nation constitutionally defined as secular.

While church and state are technically separated in staunchly Catholic Poland, the church wields some influence in political life.

Authorities tried to move it last week but were prevented from doing so by praying demonstrators, raising the stakes on a cultural battle that pits a deeply conservative, often older constituency against an increasingly secular and younger population.

The protesters on Monday, many of them young people who were mobilized on Facebook, said they object to what they see as a small, ultra-religious minority defying the country's authorities and laws.

"If this happened in Germany or France, the police would just remove the cross. But here you have blackmail," said Michal Buczynski, a 28-year-old economist.

One banner said "Poland is a country of the rule of law" — a reference to the their view that the defenders of the cross are defying the country's laws and that authorities are powerless to implement them.

A small group of supporters of the cross held rosaries and prayed. They were separated by police from the thousands of protesters, some of whom mocked them, laughing and chanting that the cross should be moved "to the church."

A 32-year-old woman in the group said she came out just to observe the protest and that she was embarrassed by both sides.

"I am a Catholic and for me the cross is important. The people defending it have no right to do this because it's a public space, and they are hypocrites," said the woman, who would only give her first name, Dorota, because she works for a government office. "I don't understand why our authorities didn't move the cross a long time ago. But the behavior of the young people is bad too because they are saying bad things about the cross."

Scouting groups erected the simple wooden cross in the days after the April 10 plane crash. After authorities said they planned to move the cross to the nearby church of St. Anne's in Warsaw's historic center, the defenders of the cross have kept a nightly vigil aimed at preventing its removal. Recently even priests supporting the removal have been rebuffed by the cross's defenders.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski placed a wreath at the cross on Tuesday morning, exactly four months after the plane crash. Those holding vigil chanted "Jaroslaw! Jaroslaw!" Kaczynski was defeated in an presidential race in July by Bronislaw Komorowski, a moderate and pro-European member of the governing Civic Platform party. Kom

SOURCE:  Kyiv Post 

"I saw Satan laughing with delight"

Ukrainian church for sale--only $85000! Suitable for use as a restaurant, garbage dump or brew-pub! See "Ukrainian Church for Sale".

 For more brew-pub churches, see http://www.churchbrew.com/

John the Baptist's Bones Found in Bulgaria?

(Aug. 4) -- Archaeologists in Bulgaria claimed to have located a sarcophagus containing the bones of John the Baptist, drawing enthusiasm from politicians but doubts from some experts.

An ancient alabaster reliquary, a box for relics, was found embedded in an altar at the ruins of a fifth-century monastery on the tiny Black Sea island of Sveti Ivan. On Sunday, the excavation's leader, Kazimir Popkonstantinov, carefully pried open the miniature casket at a ceremony attended by local government figures and an Eastern Orthodox bishop in the nearby coastal town of Sozopol.

Inside, researchers found parts of a cranium, tooth and arm bone, according to Bulgarian news agency Novinite. Further tests are now being carried out on the remains, and the country's culture minister, Vezhdi Rashidov, declared that people should wait for results before making "emotional statements" about the identity of the bones' original owner.

For rest of article, see  AOL News

Participants of Bicycle Expedition Bring Attention to Massive Destruction of Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in the Second Polish Republic

In order to inform the general public about the mass destruction in 1938 of Orthodox churches in the Kholm region and southern Pidlyashya, which were populated mostly by Ukrainians, members of the Homo Faber association organized a bicycle expedition from July 30 to August 10. According to the organizers of the event, the purpose of the expedition is to “bring attention to one of the most hidden pages of the history of the Second Polish Republic, to share history that is not found in any books.” In addition, the participants of the event will collect testimonies, photographs, and memoirs. The collected materials will be published on the internet.
As informs Gazeta Wyborcza, although some of the people who lived through these events were deported as part of Operation Vistula, some eyewitnesses are still alive and in the regions live their relatives.
“We are contacting pastors that know about these events. We want to remember one of the most hidden pages of the history of the Second Polish Republic, which is practically unknown by the society,” said Oleksandra Hulinska from Homo Faber.

 For more see  RISU


Also see http://www.kholm1938.net/index.html Incredible images!

New Bishop of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv

The appointment of an auxiliary Bishop of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv was announced in Rome and Ukraine today, August 3, 2010.

The Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church has elected Hieromonk Venedykt (in the world Valeriy Aleksiychuk) of the Dormition Monastery in Univ as auxiliary Bishop of the Archeparchy of Lviv, Ukraine. Pope Benedict XVI has given his blessing to the election and has given the Bishop-elect the title of Bishop of Germaniciana.

Bishop-elect Venedykt, 42, has worked in Belarus, Canada (St. Catharines, ON) and Ukraine, and holds a doctorate from the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. He will assist Archbishop Ihor (Voznyak), who turns 58 today, in the governance of the 750,000-member Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv, western Ukraine.

Ad multos annos! AXIOS!

Sources:  Holy See Press Office

(RISU) The Synod of bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church appointed the hieromonk Benedict (Valeriy Aleksiychuk) from Dormition Univ Lavra (monastery) as bishop coadjutor of Lviv eparchy. Pope Benedict XVI affirmed the choice and the hirotony (ordination) will be held on 5^th of September. Future bishop receives the Titular See of Germaniciana.


Newly appointed bishop was born in 1968 in Rivne region. He finished medical school and worked in ambulance team. In 1990 entered the seminary in Drohobych (Western Ukraine). After ordination, entered the Studite monastery. Fr. Benedict served as a priest in Belarus, later in Canada and in 1999 was elected as hegumen at Univ Lavra (reelected twice). Fr. Benedict is the doctor of theology and engaged in different ministries in Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

As RISU reported previously, fr. Benedict was recently replaced as Hegumen of Univ Lavra by fr. Theodore (Martyniuk).

Source:  RISU

Greek Catholics And Orthodox To Build Church TOGETHER To Celebrate Baptism Of Rus

The construction of a new church of Saint Panteleimon began on July 29 in Kolomyia on the premises of the oncology hospital. Bishop of the Kolomyia-Chernivtsi Eparchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) Mykola Simkaylo and Bishop of the Kolomyia-Kosovo Eparchy of the UOC-Kyivan Patriarchate Ivan Boychuk blessed the building of the new church. The building of the church is dedicated to the 1022^nd anniversary of the baptism of Kyivan Rus, reports the Information Department of the UGCC.

“Since the time of the foundation of our eparchy the relationship with the bishops of the UGCC in Kolomyja has been very friendly. We have a joint purpose – to build a unique church in Ukraine. By holding joint events we unite our faithful in one Christian family. Bishop Mykola and I call our priests to hold joint divine services and events that we can lead and conduct together in order to strengthen the unity between people,” stated Bishop Boychuk.

“Going down the road of Christ’s teaching and united rite, we see the fundamental bases of the unity between churches of Volodymyr’s baptism. To witness this unity and Christian love, actions that testify our intentions to fulfil the divine appeal to consent are necessary. The new church, where the priests of two eparchies will celebrate in turn, will become a salutary example. With united prayers for patients, for the church will be next to the oncology hospital, and through other services we will ask for benediction for our nation, for the unity of our church in Ukraine,” stressed Bishop Simkaylo.

Source:  RISU