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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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Salihiya, Lebanon | February 6, 2023
Lord, have mercy on your people and save us from the horrors of earthquake!
With sorrowful hearts, tearful eyes, and supplicatory hands, we accompany the horrific news of the earthquake that struck our region, especially Syria, as well as the north and south of Turkey and Iskenderun, home of the city of Antioch, the Great City of God.
We are consoled by the co-operation, solidarity, love, assistance, fraternity, patriotism, humanity, and fellowship manifesting themselves at their finest on the streets of Aleppo, Lattakia, Hama, Tartous, Idlib, Damascus and Beirut.
These are our religious and national values. This is our heritage and history. This is the path we taking for the sake of our future generations.
We are proud of our people and our country, our president, ministers, deputies, governors, army, hospitals, doctors, nurses, the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, civil defence, humanitarian institutions and the citizens of all affected areas.
So we feel both compassion for the victims and the missing and gratitude for all citizens standing together. We mourn the departed and console the bereaved and those who are still to learn the fate of their loved ones.
From our sanctuary, we pray for all regions and citizens. May the mercy of God, who loves mankind and watches over his people, embrace us. May he hear and answer our prayers.
We appeal to the United Nations, the United States of America and the countries of the European Union to lift the sanctions on the Syrian people afflicted by war and natural disasters.
We are grateful to all those countries and international organizations that have shown solidarity with our people, and promised to help all those afflicted by this devastating earthquake.
Let us all work together as brothers and sisters in this suffering world, so that we may be as the Lord Jesus Christ called us to be, and so that life may be better, more beautiful and peaceful, for all of us.
This cataclysm of earthquake, devastation and tragedies invites us to this global solidarity. Let us build together the civilization of God, the Saviour of mankind - a civilization of love, a civilization of peace, a civilization for a better future for us all.
Gregorios III (Laham)
Patriarch Emeritus
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Let us pray and implore God's mercy, according to the teachings of the Church:
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For, at a loss for any answer, we sinners offer unto Thee, as to our Master, this supplication: Have mercy on us!
O Lord, have mercy on us, for in Thee have we placed our hope. Be Thou not exceeding wroth with us, neither be Thou mindful of our iniquities; but look down now, in that Thou art compassionate, and deliver us from our enemies. For Thou art our God, and we are Thy people. We are all the works of Thy hands, and we call upon Thy name.
Open unto us the portals of thy lovingkindness, O blessed Mother of God, that we who place our trust in thee may not perish, but may be delivered by thee from misfortunes. For thou art the salvation of Christians.
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www.vaticannews.va - The Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has decided to move away from the Julian Calendar which will involve changing the dates of several fixed liturgical feasts. For the time being, however, Greek Catholics will continue to celebrate Easter on a later date according to the old calendar.
By Lisa Zengarini
As from this year, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) will be celebrating Christmas on the 25 December, and not on January 7, and the Epiphany on 6 January instead of the 19th.
The switch of dates is part of a major change decided last week by the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, moving away from the Julian Calendar which is presently used almost exclusively by the Russian Orthodox Church and other Eastern Churches under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow.
The governing body of the UGCC meeting in Lviv-Bryukhovychi on February 1–2, decided that the changeover will take effect on September 1, but allowed for parishes to transition gradually with permission from their respective bishops.
90 per cent of Ukrainian Greek Catholics in favour of the reform
The decision was officially announced in a live broadcast of “Live TV” on Monday, 6 February, by the head of the UGCC, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who explained that it was adopted after a vast consultation, involving clergy, religious and Church leaders, which indicated a shift of opinion in favour of the change.
Until the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, 2022, Ukrainian Greek Catholics, including those of the diaspora, were divided on the issue. Instead, said Archbishop Shevchuk, the survey showed that now more than 90% of Ukrainian Greek Catholics are supporting the move from the Julian calendar, which many Ukrainians associate with the Russian occupiers.
Catholics and Orthodocx Churches still discussing a common date for Easter
The switch to the Gregorian calendar will involve changing the dates of several fixed liturgical feasts, but for the time being Greek Catholics will continue to celebrate Easter on a later date than most Christian Churches. The reason for this, according to an UGCC statement, is that Catholics and the Orthodox Churches under the Patriarchate of Constantinople (which currently use the Julian calendar to determine the date of Easter, but do not otherwise adhere to) are still discussing about finding a common date for Easter.
They hope to reach an agreement by 2025, during the celebrations of 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, the first general council in the history of the Church, in 325 A.D..
Orthodox Church of Ukraine (separated from Moscow) expected to change too
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which obtained autocephaly from Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in 2019 against the will of the Patriarchate of Moscow, is also considering the idea of switching to the Gregorian Calendar , and Archbishop Shevchuk said on Monday that he hopes it will make the move very soon.
“We are moving towards the same goal. However, we may be moving towards it in different ways. We decided to switch, leaving the possibility to remain on the old calendar for those who aren't ready”, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said.
The OCU, is expected to discuss the issue when its bishops gather in May this year.
Link to full story: Ukrainian Greek Catholics to celebrate Christmas on December 25 - Vatican News
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Fairfax, VA - The fourth Light of the East pilgrimage will be held July 10-24, 2023 to Constantinople and the Holy Land with Bishop John Michael Botean as Spiritual Director. We have confirmed a private audience with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on July 14. We will visit major Byzantine churches in Istanbul and have a boat tour of the Bosphorous. We will see the sites where Jesus lived and preached in Galilee, have a short voyage on the Sea of Galilee, travel along the Jordan River, and finish in Jerusalem. In addition to visiting sites we hear of in the Gospels, we will pray an Akathist to the Tomb of Christ in the Tomb itself. The entire trip is only $5999 per person, double occupancy and includes airfare from Washington, DC, breakfast and dinner each day, local transportation, entrance fees and tour guides. You can find more details and register with a deposit of $800 online here:
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Fairfax, VA - The 27th annual OL Conference will be held in-person on June 19-22, 2023 at the Washington Retreat House in Washington, DC on the theme "Teachings of Kallistos of Diokleia". It will be a tribute to His Grace, who fell asleep in the Lord last August. The plenary sessions will consist of a video lecture in his own words followed by a live panel discussion of leading theologians and ecumenists, some joining virtually. See the attached flier for more details. Register online here:
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Washington, DC - The 2023 Ecumenism Award of the Washington Theological Consortium, a group of theological schools and seminaries around Washington, will be given to Archdeacon John Chryssavgis on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7:00 pm in Caldwell Hall of the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He will give the Figel Lecture titled "Toward an Ecumenical Outlook: Reviving Foundational Principles of Ecumenism" followed by a reception. Deacon John is an advisor to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, especially on environmental issues. The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required at the Consortium website. Lector Jack Figel, of Epiphany of Our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church in Annandale, VA, and a longtime member of this forum, sponsors this lecture every year and is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Consortium. When you register online, you can select a virtual option for livestreaming. Register online here:
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ugcc.ua - On January 23–24, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia, funeral services were held for the retired Auxiliary bishop of the Philadelphia Archeparchy, John Bura, who passed away on January 17, in Washington, DC. Funeral services were led by Metropolitan Borys Gudziak with Bishops Paul Chomnycky (Stamford Eparchy), Bohdan Danylo (St. Josaphat Eparchy in Parma), Bryan Bayda (Toronto and Eastern Canada Eparchy), as well as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Greensburg Larry Kulick concelebrating.
Close to 40 priests — clergy of the Philadelphia Archeparchy, Stamford and Parma Eparchies, representatives of the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church in the USA, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox priests joined the prayer.
The Head and Father of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church Sviatoslav Shevchuk and the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin sent their letters of condolences. Cardinal Parolin behalf of Pope Francis thanked God for the years of priestly and episcopal service of Bishop Bura, who died in the 52nd year of the priesthood and the 17th year of the episcopacy.
Bishop Bohdan Danylo, during the Parastas on January 23, said that the life of Bishop John was one link in the chain of the history of salvation and compared him to Zacchaeus, whom the Church remembers at this time of the liturgical year. “Bishop John was not the tallest member of our Synod, but like Zacchaeus, throughout his life, he always was searching for God. He wanted to feel God’s mercy and God’s love and then share this gift with others,” emphasized the Parma bishop, who succeeded Bishop John in this seat in 2015. He also noted that the last sermon of the deceased is in the wonderful deep texts of the funeral services.
During the Parastas, Metropolitan Borys thanked Father Robert Hitchens, rector of St. Josaphat Seminary in Washington, DC, where Bishop Bura lived in recent years, for his devotion and care, especially at the time when Bishop’s health deteriorated significantly.
In his remarks, Fr. Robert shared several stories illustrating the character and style of the late Bishop Bura, whom he met upon entering the seminary. “In his office, which is now my office, he made my mother cry because he said I wouldn’t always be able to be home for the holidays. He was teaching about the seriousness of this vocation to be a priest. It is about the service to the people. Not taking the place of problems, but rather being a server and going until you are dead tired, to offer whatever care and consolation and celebration that might be part of the priestly life and serve the people,” shared Fr. Robert. “One of the most important things that he has taught me during our time together is to be humble and to serve the people of God,” said Fr. Robert, recalling a detail that struck him — already seriously ill, unable to perform pastoral ministry, Bishop John kept his emergency sick call kit at the entrance to his apartment in case he had to leave urgently.
In his sermon at the funeral liturgy on January 24, Metropolitan Borys drew attention to the fact that the Church accompanies Bishop John on his last journey at a time when many Ukrainians have the feeling that they are surrounded by death: “Death is a daily painful experience of our people and our Church. The world is talking about death in Ukraine. And Ukrainians say that it is not only about death but about life, about eternity.”
“From his Baptism, having accepted the gift of eternity, being nourished by the Sacraments, he [Bishop John] accepted Christ’s invitation to share this gift — to baptize, to celebrate the Eucharist, to absolve, to wed, to help people understand death, to understand that they are called to live eternally,” said Metropolitan Borys. On behalf of the clergy and the faithful, he thanked the late bishop for the fact that he fully devoted himself to his service, for his modesty and kindness.
In his letter, which was read by Bishop Paul Chomnycky, Metropolitan Emeritus Stefan Soroka, who worked with Bishop Bura who was his auxiliary, also thanked him for his service and support.
“I am most grateful to Our Lord for giving me the opportunity to have shared in a portion of Bishop John’s journey of life, and for his invaluable assistance and guidance. Perhaps the most joyful times for me while living in the Archbishop’s residence in Philadelphia were when Bishop John Bura, Bishop Walter Paska, and I resided together at the residence. A joyful and trusting bond of fraternity was our gift to one another,” wrote the retired Metropolitan Soroka, who was unable come to the funeral.
Toronto Eparch Bryan Bayda in his brief address focused on the art of presence, which Bishop Bura had mastered. He recalled that Bishop John did not speak much during the Synods of Bishops of the UGCC, but he said it best when he said nothing at all. “We give thanks today for times when John was present. For that opportunity to really sense an encounter with the Trinity, an encounter with the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is speaking to you when you have that encounter, when you recognize and underline the presence of somebody else.”
The Auxiliary Bishop-Emeritus of the Philadelphia Archeparchy of the Ukrainian Catholic Church was buried at the St Andrew’s cemetery in Bound Brook, New Jersey, which belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA. “Through this symbol, Bishop John will testify to the end of history about the unity in Christ, about the fact that human sin, discord, and the walls that exist on this earth do not reach the heaven,” said Metropolitan Borys Gudziak.
The need for unity in today’s polarized world was also emphasized by Larry Kulick in his short speech on behalf of the Roman Catholic bishops: “Today, as we commend our brother to the Lord, we know that he sees and understands the fullness of that unity represented in being united with God his creator, with Christ who died for him, and with the Holy Spirit who in this world gave him the breath of life.”
During the burial ceremony, Metropolitan Antony Scharba, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA, joined in prayer. He expressed his condolences to the clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the USA and shared several memories about Bishop John, whom he called a man of few words, but who knew how to be close to his faithful.
Click here for story at ugcc.ua with photos and links to videos.