VOL. LXX - No. 6 April 12, 2009 ENGLISH VERSION

Official Publication of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia

PASTORAL MESSAGE OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLICHIERARCHY OF THE U.S.A. TO OUR CLERGY, HIEROMONKSAND BROTHERS, RELIGIOUS SISTERS, SEMINARIANS AND

BELOVED FAITHFUL

CHRIST IS RISEN!

“Now that veryday two of them weregoing to a village sevenmiles from Jerusalemcalled Emmaus…” Luke24:13

The highlight ofEaster morning for eachof us is undoubtedly themoment we first hear thetr iumphant Paschaltroparion ringing out at thebeginning of the Matins ofthe Resurrection: “Christ isrisen from the dead,trampling death by death,and to those in the tombsgiving life!” When werepeat these joyful words,as we will many times onEaster Sunday and for thenext forty days, all ourearthly cares seem to meltaway, things that troubleus fade into thebackground and becomesomehow lessburdensome. A heavyweight – the weight of sin

and eternal death – hasbeen l i f ted from ourshoulders with the gloriousResurrection of Christ.

These feelings ofjoy were not shared by at

least two of Jesus’ disciples,however. In one of themost memorable andevocative scenes from theGospel accounts of theResurrection, we see

Cleopas and his namelesscompanion, hurrying awayfrom Jerusalem as the sunsets on that momentousday.

They aredistressed, disappointedand fearful. As they walkthey speak in hushed andagitated tones to oneanother about what hasjust taken place beforetheir eyes: the seizure, trial,scourging and death bycrucifixion of their leaderupon whom they hadpinned all their aspirationsof national liberation, Jesusof Nazareth. Their hopesare dashed; they areconvinced that everythingis finished. And then, itseems out of nowhere astranger joins them on theroad and begins toconverse with them…

We are all familiarwith this marvelous scene,how Jesus gradually liftsthe veil from the eyes ofCleopas and his(continued on next page)

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PASTORAL MESSAGE OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY OF THEU.S.A. TO OUR CLERGY, HIEROMONKS AND BROTHERS, RELIGIOUS SISTERS,

SEMINARIANS AND BELOVED FAITHFUL

companion so that they areable to recognize him, howhe transforms their fearand doubt into rekindledhope and a zealous faithin the real i ty of hisResurrection. How doeshe do this; how does heconvince them? Throughhis word and through thebreaking of the bread.

As he walks withthem Jesus does notperform a miracle thatwould instantaneouslyconvince Cleopas and hiscompanion of his identity.Instead, he teaches them.He speaks to them fromHoly Scripture and allowseverything that Moses andthe prophets said aboutthe coming of the Messiahto gradually reveal to themwho he really is. And later,at table at the inn inEmmaus, when Jesus takesthe bread, invokes ablessing, breaks it andshares it with them, thefinal obstacle is removedfrom their mind, the veil iscompletely lifted from theireyes. The light floods inand they recognize him.It is the Lord! And in thisjubilant realization theydrop everything and raceback to Jerusalem, evennow in the dead of night,to share with the others,this astonishingappearance of theresurrected Jesus.

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It is no accidentthat the name of Cleopas’companion on the roadto Emmaus is neverrevealed. He is namelessbecause he is us. And theroad that links Jerusalemto Emmaus and backagain is a symbol of theroad along which each ofus is a traveler. In fact allhumanity moves along thispath – the path of life –an immense caravan ofpeople who aresometimes happy andcontent, but oftendistrustful and disillusioned,sometimes sure andsteady, but often uncertainand disoriented, but whoare always searching orwaiting.

We, like Cleopas’companion along the road,are naïve, filled with ficklehopes and worldlyaspirations. We are blindto God’s Providence andhave been brought low bythe circumstances of lifeand our own sinfulnessand pride. Who canrestore our equilibrium?Who can save us?

Who indeed, butthe Resurrected Lord, whocomes to us of his ownfree will. It is he who joinsus as we journey every dayalong our road of life. Itis he who teaches andcomforts us. It is he whoshares a meal with us, as

he did with Cleopas andhis companion. In otherwords he enlightens usthrough Holy Scripture andhe nourishes us with hisBody and Blood in theHoly Eucharist. And oureyes are opened and ourhearts are warmed andwe gain strength for thejourney.

Our prayer for youon this glorious Feast ofthe Resurrection of ourLord and Savior JesusChrist is that our ears mayalways be attuned to hearthe voice of the Lord ashe speaks to us in manyways but especial lythrough the inspiredwritings of Holy Scripture.May also our eyes beopened to truly recognizeour Lord in the breakingof the bread so that wemay worthily receive himin the Holy Eucharist. And,along with Cleopas andhis companion, may ourhearts also ‘burn within us’with the love of God andneighbor.

God grant to youand to your loved ones,and to our brothers andsisters in our belovedUkraine and scatteredthroughout the world,good health, joy, peaceand contentment. Ablessed Pascha!

CHRIST IS RISEN!GLORIFY HIM!

+StefanMetropolitan-Archbishop

of Philadelphia

+RobertEparch of St. Josaphat

in Parma

+RichardEparch of St. Nicholas in

Chicago

+PaulEparch of Stamford

+JohnAuxiliary Bishop to the

Metropolitan

Easter, 2009

April 12, 2009

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Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus ChristIn the beginning was theWord, and the Word waswith God, and the Wordwas God. He was withGod in the beginning.Through him all things weremade; without him nothingwas made that has beenmade. In him was life, andthat life was the light ofmen. The light shines in thedarkness, but the darknesshas not understood it.There came a man whowas sent from God; hisname was John. He cameas a witness to testifyconcerning that light, sothat through him all menmight believe. He himselfwas not the light; he cameonly as a witness to thelight. The true light thatgives light to every manwas coming into the world.He was in the world, and

though the world wasmade through him, theworld did not recognizehim. He came to that whichwas his own, but his owndid not receive him. Yet toall who received him, tothose who believed in hisname, he gave the rightto become children of God— children born not ofnatural descent, nor ofhuman decision or ahusband’s will, but bornof God. The Wordbecame flesh and madehis dwelling among us. Wehave seen his glory, theglory of the One and Only,who came from the Father,full of grace and truth.John testifies concerninghim. He cries out, saying,“This was he of whom Isaid, ‘He who comes afterme has surpassed me

because he was beforeme.’ “From the fullness ofhis grace we have allreceived one blessing afteranother. For the law was

given through Moses;grace and truth camethrough Jesus Christ.

In our Church, there is thecustom for a single loaf ofblessed bread (Artos inGreek), to lie before theIconostasis throughoutBright Week in memory ofthe Risen Lord, Jesus Christ,before it is shared amongthe whole congregation.Depicted on the top of theArtos are either the symbolof Christ’s victory overdeath – the Cross,surmounted by a crown ofthorns, or the icon of theResurrection of Christ. Onthe first day of Pascha,during the Holy and DivineLiturgy, after the PrayerBefore the Ambo, the Artos continued on next page

The Meaning of Artos

is blessed by a specialprayer and sprinkling withthe Holy Water. On theSaturday of Bright Weekit is distributed as a blessingof the Arch-Pastor (that isto say Christ ) to the

congregation (sometimesafter Sunday Holy andDivine Liturgy, on SaintThomas Sunday).The significance of theArtos is that it serves toremind all Christians of the

events connected with theResurrection of Our LordGod and Saviour JesusChrist. While still living onearth, the Lord calledHimself the Bread of Life,saying: I am the bread oflife; he who comes to Meshall not hunger, and hewho believes in Me shallnever thirst (John 6:35).After His Resurrection,more than once Jesusappeared to His disciples,ate before them, andblessed their own food. Forexample, as evening fellon the first day of His

Manor College wishes all a Happy and Blessed Easter!

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The Meaning of Artos(continued from previous page)

resurrection, He wasrecognized in Emmaus bytwo of His disciples as Heblessed and broke bread(Luke 24:13-35).On the 40th day after HisResurrection, the Lordascended into heaven,and His disciples andfollowers found comfort intheir memories of the Lord:they recalled His everyword, His every step andHis every action. Whenthey met for commonprayer, they would partakeof the Most Holy Body andMost Precious Blood ofChrist, remembering theLast Supper. When theysay down to an ordinary

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meal, they would leave aplace at the head of thetable empty, for the invisiblypresent Lord and wouldlay bread on that place.Remembering this customof the Apostles’, theFathers of the Churchmade it their custom to putout the Artos at thePaschal Feast in memoryof the appearances of theRisen Lord to His disciples,and also in memory of thefact that the Lord Whosuffered and wasresurrected for ourjustification has madeHimself the true Bread ofLife and is invisible presentin His Church always, to

the close of the ages(Matthew 28:20).Whereas special Paschalbreads are broken andeaten on the first day ofPascha, the Artos is keptwhole throughout thewhole of Bright Week asa reminder of the presenceof the Risen Savior in themidst of those who believein Him and is only dividedand distributed on the endof the Bright Week. In thisway, the Bright Weekbegins and ends with theeating of especially bakedand blessed bread.The Artos may also becompared to theunleavened bread of the

Old Testament, of whichancient Israel, deliveredfrom their captivity in theland of Egypt, ate duringthe week of the Passover(Exodus 12:15-20).It is a custom among ourpeople to this very day, tokeep the Artos throughoutthe year and with duereverence and faith to eatof it in time of illness ordistress. This is eaten, oftentogether with a drink ofHoly Water, which hadbeen blessed at the Feastof the Theophany of OurLord.

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Among the Slavs thecustom of bringing anEaster Basket to Churchon Easter Sunday is an ageold tradition. It stems fromthe desire of the Christiancommunity to ask God’sblessing on the foods thatwill break the Great Fast(Lent) and from which theyhave abstained fromduring this period. Therel igious signif icanceattached to the foodseaten are symbolic ofChrist Himself, our truePassover. Foodstraditionally blessed forEaster, the feast of theLord’s Passover from deathto life, are the foods whichGod prescribed for theancient Passover meal:lamb, bread, wine, andbitter herbs. Children’sbaskets of candy and eggsmay be included in theblessing service.

EGGS - Brightly decoratedeggs are a symbol of theNew Life that is ours inChrist. Eggs are a sign ofhope and resurrection.Jesus comes forth from thetomb as the chick breaksthe shell at birth. Becauseof the special meaning, itis fitting that the eggs tobe blessed be decoratedwith symbols of Easter,Alleluia, and so forth.

PASCHA - The EasterBread - A sweet, yeastbread rich in eggs, butter,etc. Symbolic of ChristHimself who is our True

EASTER BASKET SYMBOLISMBread. Usually a roundloaf baked with a goldencrust decorated with asymbol indicative of Christ.Sometimes a cross (+) ofdough is placed on topen-circled by a plait givingit a crowned effect orGreek abbreviations forthe name of Christ. Theletters XB indicate theSlavonic for Christ is Risen.

SAUSAGE - A spicy,garlicky sausage of porkproducts, indicative ofGod’s favor andgenerosity. Sausage is anethnic addition to enhancethe celebration; its linksremind us of the chains ofdeath which were brokenwhen Jesus arose.

BACON - A piece ofuncooked bacon curedwith spices. Symbolic ofthe overabundance ofGod’s mercy to us.

HAM - Ham celebratesthe freedom of the NewLaw which came into effectthrough Jesus’resurrection, in distinctionto the Old Law whichforbade certain meats. Theflesh meat is popular withthe Slavs as the main dishbecause of its richness andsymbolic of the great joyand abundance of Easter.Some may prefer lamb orveal. This is usually wellroasted or cooked aheadof time as well as othermeats, so that the festivityof the day will not be

burdened withprepara t ionand all mayenjoy the feast.

CHEESE – Acustard-type ofegg cheeseshaped into aball having arather blandbut sweet tasteindicat ive of themoderation that Christiansshould have in all things.Also, creamed cheese isplaced in a small dish andboth are decorated withsymbols made out ofcloves or pepper balls.

HORSERADISH -Represents the bitter herbsprescribed in the originalPassover meal as areminder of the bitternessand harshness of life inEgypt. It reminds us of thebitterness and suffering ofChrist which culminated inthe Resurrection.

SALT - Reminds us toflavor our dealings withothers by the example ofChrist.

BUTTER (LAMB) - Thisfavorite dairy product isshaped into a figure of aLamb. The lamb is theancient Passover food bywhose blood the Israeliteswere saved. Jesus is ourPaschal (Passover) Lambby whose blood we aresaved. It also reminds usof the goodness of Christ

that we should havetoward all things.

WINE - Wine is the drinkof the Passover meal andthe Last Supper. Its sparklereminds us of the glory ofEaster. Wine gladdens ourhearts and helps us enterin-to the joy of theResurrection.Everything for the Eastermeal may be blessed. Thecustom is to reserve theeating of the blessed fooduntil after the Resurrectionservices. These articles areplaced in a wicker basketand a ribbon or bow istied to the handle. Adecorated candle is placedin the basket and is lit atthe time of the blessing. Al inen cover, usual lyembroidered with apicture of the Risen Christor symbol with the words“Christ is Risen,” is placedover the food when it isbrought to the Church.

“Jednota”

Easter marks thecelebration of Christ’sResurrection. This gloriousResurrectiondemonstrates an entirelynew idea to the world, oneso important that it hasbeen celebrated for almosttwo thousand years.Christ’s victory over all,even death, inspires usand provides the impetusby which we canovercome our ownovercomings. In examiningthe works and wonders ofChrist’s life, we find thatHe meant for us to takeHis words and actions anduse them in our daily lives.He said in John 14:12; “Hewho believes in Me, theworks that I do he will doalso; and greater worksthan these he will do,because I go to MyFather.”Easter is a spir i tualcelebration like no other.At Christmas, we celebrateChrist’s birth. It is the timemany of us let the child inus come forth in fullmeasure to express andexperience the joy andwonder of life.Easter, however, carries adifferent message, one thatspeaks to the adult in us.Who of us has not metwith rejection, suffering andpain? Who of us has notsearched for theunderstanding of thechange called death? AtEaster, we overcome eventhe most intense ofexperiences, for Easterreminds us that there is

TRIUMPH AND VICTORYneither condition norcircumstance that cannotbe transformed intosomething greater. Itcelebrates the miracle ofthe resurrecting power oflife.Jesus celebrated thispower of life in His everythought, word and action,and He taught others to

do the same, saying” “Ihave come that they mayhave life, and that theymay have i t moreabundantly.” (John 10:10).Easter provides the perfectopportunity for us tocelebrate the promisegiven in the Resurrectionof Christ and to make Histeachings our own.

The message of Christ isone on tr iumph andvictory. He said: “I am theresurrection and the life.”Encouraged by this, we,too, know that we carrythe seeds of overcomingwithin us, that Christ is ourresurrection and our life.Easter is a celebration ofresurrected life.

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On March 28, 2009approximately 130women and religious sistersgathered together atImmaculate ConceptionCathedral Hall inPhi ladelphia, PA topart ic ipate in aCelebration of Women’sSpirit. Also in attendancewere Metropol i tan-Archbishop Stefan Sorokaand Auxiliary Bishop JohnBura. This was the fourthyear that the UkrainianCatholic Archeparchy ofPhi ladelphia held i tsannual “Women’s Day”sponsored by: The Sistersof the Order of St. Basilthe Great, The SistersServants of MaryImmaculate, and theMissionary Sisters of theMother of God.

The theme for this year’s“Women’s Day” was“From Grief to Grace.” Sr.Dorothy Ann Busowski,OSBM, led the introductionby saying grief is the mostsacred and humanexperience you will everdo. Whether it is grievingthe loss of a loved one,the loss of a job…the painyou feel is real and willultimately bring you to anew place.

Sr. Laura Palka, OSBM,and Mother NadiaBaranick, MSMG, led thegroup in prayer. After TheLord’s Prayer, the groupresponded to the followingpetitions by singing “Lord

Women’s Day 2009 – “From Grief to Grace”

The Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia held its annual "Women'sDay" on March 28, 2009. The featured speaker was Kimberly Hashin, MDwho spoke on the theme "From Grief to Grace." (Photos: Teresa Siwak)

have mercy” three times.The petitions prayed for:departed loved ones,mending of shatteredrelationships within ourfamily and among friends,unreal ized dreams,suffering as a consequenceof the faltering economy,those who have lost theirjobs, and the changeswithin our bodies andminds caused by disease,aging or accidents.

Following the openingprayer, Sr. MicheleYakymovitch, SSMI,introduced the guestspeaker, Kimberly Hashin,MD. Sr. Michele spoke ofhow Dr. Hashin is knownand respected among hercolleagues and among themedical field throughoutthe state of Pennsylvania.

Taught by the SistersServants of MaryImmaculate, sheexempli f ied wisdom,courage and strength atan early age. Dr. Kim, asshe is known, is a livingwitness of self discipline,determination anddedication, and it gavegreat pleasure and honorfor Sr. Michele to introduceDr. Kimberly Hashin.

Dr. Kimberly Hashin spokeon the topic “From Griefto Grace” and recognizedthat each person has theirown unique and personalexperiences which causedthem to attend “Women’sDay.”

As a physician, Dr. Hashinsaid there is a principle anda prayer that guide her

everyday. The principle isthe “Hippocratic Oath”that instructs all physiciansattempt to heal and curepatients and avoid doingwrong. The prayer thatguides her is the“Physician’s Prayer” OLord, I pray that you willl ight my mind withthorough knowledge ofremedies for my patients’ills and touch my heartwith deep compassion fortheir sufferings. Let me healthem with a portion of Yourwisdom and power. Andwhen they are not able tobe healed, let me help thento a deeper faith andresignation of Your love.

The principle and prayerare two separate entitiesthat heal sick on earth,(continued on next page)

9April 12, 2009

explained Dr. Hashin. First,the scientific power ofmedicine involves thehealing and curing ofdisease. Second is thepower of the DivinePhysician, Our Lord JesusChrist. Dr. Hashin said“Please remember thatGod is more powerful thanany one test, any medicine,or any treatment that couldbe given.”

Often Dr. Hashin’s patientsthank her for saving theirlives, but she responds thather role is to administerthe medicine to treat theirinfirmity and it’s God whoguides her and ultimatelycontrols our faith.

Dr. Hashin explained thatlife can change in aninstant. Death of a lovedone occurs, tragicaccidents occur, diagnosisof a terminal illness, lossof a friend, an unexpected

financial burden, and thelist can continue. We hearbad news everyday andwe are reminded howprecious life is. Bad newscauses us to feel a loss orgrief.

What is Grief?

Dr. Hashin explained thatgrief is defined as areaction to a major loss.It is often a very unhappyor very painful emotion.Dr. Hashin then explainedthat there are stages of a“Grief Cycle.”

1) Shock Stage: The firststage is the shock stagewhere your body is in aninitial paralysis. Your bodycan’t move upon hearingthe bad news. You are inshock; you don’t want tohear it.2) Denial Stage: Thesecond stage is the denialstage, trying to avoid the

Sr. Dorothy Ann Busowski, OSBM, said theintroduction at "Women's Day."

inevitable. You say toyourself, this can not behappening; this must be abad dream.3) Anger Stage: Thethird stage is the angerstage. You are veryfrustrated, and there is anoutpouring of bottledemotion. You are angrywith life, angry with God.You question yourself, whyis this happening to me.4) Bargaining Stage: Inthe bargaining stage, weare seeking a way in vainto get out of the situation.You often plead to Godto take away the situation.For example, just let melive long enough to seemy children graduate.5) Depression Stage: Inthe depression stage, thisis the final realization ofthe inevitable. We oftensay to ourselves: I am sosad; I don’t have anyreason to live; I can’t getthru this.6) Testing Stage: In thetesting stage, we try toseek realistic solutions andtry to take action.7) Acceptance Stage:Finally is an acceptancestage, where we tel lourselves, it’s going to beOK, and we find the wayto move forward.

Dr. Hashin explained thattwo common problemshappen in the “GriefCycle”. The first is thatpeople get stuck in onephase and never move

onto acceptance. Thesecond problem is that aperson moves onto thenext stage, and didn’t finishand complete the stagebefore, so they constantlycycle back and forthbetween the stages.

The stages of the GriefCycle are real, and theyare a normal part ofhuman emotion thateveryone experiences. Dr.Hashin stressed that thereis no timetable; everysituation is unique just asevery person is unique.The timetable is your own,and we have to keepreaching out to try to getthat acceptance to moveforward.

Dr. Hashin also spoke ofhow patients suffer withdif ferent problemseveryday, and she feelsthat having a strong faithand having a positiveattitude is clearly going tohelp the patient. Dr.Hashin also said besideshaving faith and a positiveattitude, you need to havefaith in your doctor.

During the presentation,Dr. Hashin also focusedon the topic of MajorDepression . MajorDepression Symptoms are:sleeplessness; lack ofinterest (you don’t want toget back to church or goout); lack or change in(continued on next page)

Women’s Day 2009 – “From Grief to Grace”(continued from previous page)

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Women’s Day 2009 – “From Grief to Grace”(continued from previous page)

energy (you have no driveto do anything); poorconcentration; appetitechanges (some peoplewhen depressed eat all thetime or sometimes not eatat all); and thoughts ofsuicide. Dr. Hashinexplained if you ever feelthat any of thesesymptoms are consumingyour life and not allowingyou to move forward, youneed to present those toyour family physician.

As a closing comment tothe presentation, Dr.Hashin said “Pleaseremember, God is Mercifuland a Divine Healer andif we have our faith, ourfaith can help heal us.”

Following Dr. Hashin’sPresentat ion whichincluded answeringquest ions from theaudience, there were smallgroup discussions, aguided reflection session,anointing, and a DivineLiturgy at the ImmaculateConception Cathedral withmain celebrant andhomilist Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka.

Women’s Day was apeaceful, prayerful, and

moving experience for allwho participated in theday. In summary of theGuided Reflection Sessionwith Dr. Hashin, we musttrust God, He answers ourprayers, He is all knowing,and all loving. Rememberno prayer is left unheard,so we need to pray. Weneed to continue to putour trust in God and Hewill grant us the Grace tomove forward. Listen forthe whispering sounds;things don’t happen as acoincidence. God doesspeak to us daily; we needto listen to the words fromGod. Miracles arehappening every minute,whether we believe it ornot, tiny miracles thathappen on a daily basisor miracles that mostpeople recognize like the“Miracle on the HudsonRiver.” We need toremember the Grief Cycle,and the stages we mustgo thru, negative energywil l not change thesituation that occurred andwill not allow you toobtain the grace to moveforward.

-Teresa Siwak, "The Way"

Watch videos and see additional photosfrom Women’s Day at

www.thewayukrainian.blogspot.com

Kimberly Hashin, MD was the featured speaker atWomen's Day.

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We heard, in today’sGospel reading, how Jesuswas telling his apostles ofwhat was about to occurin Jerusalem - foretellinghis own scourging andbeing put to death, andthen after three days, thatthe Son of Man will rise.But the apostles are in theirown world of thought. Twoof them, James and John,approach Jesus asking afavor. They ask to beseated at the right and atthe left of Jesus when hecomes into his glory. Theapostles were still relatingon the level of ambition.Jesus took the occasion tocall them to understandgreatness in terms of beingservants of all, as opposedto occupying places orpositions of authority.

Jesus was asking hisapostles to die to the waythey were used toregarding life. He wasasking them to strip awaytheir old selves and toembrace a new way ofthinking. Jesus was askingthem to TRUST in the Lord’splan for them and for theworld. He was asking themto dedicate their life in theservice of others. It wasnot easy for the apostles.It is not easy for us tounderstand God’s ways.

Today, the three women’sreligious communitieswithin our archeparchy, the

Metropolitan Stefan’s Homily for Women’s Day 2009 - “From Grief to Grace”

Bishop John Bura and Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka also attendedWomen's Day on March 28, 2009. The Metropolitan also offered the Homilyfor Women's Day at the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the ImmaculateConception, Philadelphia, PA. (Photos: Teresa Siwak)

Sisters of the Order ofSaint Basil the Great, theSister Servants of MaryImmaculate, and theMissionary Sisters of theMother of God, togetherwith the Archeparchy ofPhiladelphia organized aday of reflection forwomen on the theme,“From Grief to Grace”. Themain speaker, Dr. KimberlyHashin, directed theparticipants in a journeyof trying to make sense ofloss experienced in our life.She helped theparticipants to understandhow they can workthrough the experience ofloss, with the convictionthat we can overcome thefeelings of emptiness andwork toward wholeness. It

was an enl ighteningjourney which provided thepart ic ipants greaterunderstanding of theeffects of loss and givingpart ic ipants hope toovercome the disablingeffects of loss. I am sograteful for the input of Dr.Kimberly Hashin, and tothe inspir ing anddedicated religious Sistersof our archeparchy fortheir commitment tominister to women in suchan important area of need.

An understanding whichhas helped me a lotpersonally in dealing withloss, hurts,d i s a p p o i n t m e n t s ,unexpected moments ofcrisis, and sufferings - is

that of not dwelling onasking the quest ion“WHY?” Frankly, I havecome to believe that it is awaste of time and energyto dwell on trying tounderstand why someparticular suffering, loss ortragedy has occurred. I donot ask God in prayer tohelp me understand WHYsomething bad or difficulthas occurred. I believe thatwhenever we use our finiteintelligence in an effort tounderstand our infiniteGod, we are simply goingto collide with the deadend of mystery. God’sthoughts simply are not ourthoughts. God’s ways arejust not our ways. In the

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end, I hear the Psalmistmessage, “Be still andknow that I am God!”(Psalm 46:10).

I have come tounderstand that sufferingasks me to live with andto love the mystery of aGod whom I cannot fullyunderstand. Suffering asksme to make a submissionof faith to a God whourges me to TRUST Him.All of us have learned inlife that sometimes, we cansee that our suffering inthe past turned out to befor our own good.Sometimes we can see thatif things had worked outas WE wanted them towork out, the result wouldhave been disaster.

Recall my brothers andsisters in Christ, the figureJOB in the Old Testament.When Job asked God totell him the reasons for hissufferings, God’s replyseemed strange. God’sreply was not a loftyexplanation on thereasons for Job’sdif f icul t ies nor anexplanation of the motivesof God for allowing forJob to be tested. This iswhat Job seemed to beasking for - to understandWHY he had to experienceso much suffering. It’sprobably what you and Iwould be searching for

from God. However,God’s reply gives apersonal manifestation ofGod - a kind of vision ofGod and his infinitenessthat is overpowering. Themagnificence and themajesty of God arespelled out in a longdescription of the wondersof God in the creation ofthis world. (Job 42:2-6)

There is an old proverbwhich says, “When thepupil is ready, the teacherwill appear”. God seemsto be saying to Job andto all of us who demandcomplete and satisfactoryanswers that this is not yetthe time for answers. Thisis rather a time for TRUST.God is telling us that it mayhelp you and me to TRUSTin his goodness and poweras we journey through oursuffering. He asks us toseek his goodness andgreatness in the stunningworld of creation allaround us. God has theanswers which we seek,but we may not be readyto hear them. When weare ready, rest assuredthat God will give us theanswers. “When the pupilis ready, the teacher willappear”. Meanwhile, let usbe patient. Let us pray andlive with TRUST in God.

Jesus also reminds theapostles, and you and me,

with a very basic truth intoday’s Gospel lesson, atruth which can help us indealing with sufferings andloss experienced in life.Jesus is telling us that thecycle of life begins withdeath. As much as we maywant it to be otherwise,death is essential to life.For example, there is noway for wheat to multiplybut to go through this cycle.A kernel of wheatundergoes a rott ingprocess wherein its coatdrops off. Without that, thegerm of life will die. Butthrough this destructiveprocess of stripping off theexterior shell, the journeyof reproduction begins.That germ, when exposedto soil, extracts from its newenvironment what it needsto grow. More than that,it is called on to grow.Jesus said that “Unless akernel of wheat falls to the

Metropolitan Stefan’s Homily for Women’s Day 2009 - “From Grief to Grace”

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ground and dies, it remainsonly a single seed. But if itdies, it produces manyseeds” (John 12:24).

Hurt occurs when ourexternal protection isstr ipped away. Theexperience of loss in ourlife has that impact on us.Our security is gone. Theinterior is exposed todeath. However, ourchallenge is whether thisstripping away will be thebeginning of a newjourney or the end. Withineach of us there is aresilience to overcomeinner injury and hurt. Wecan come to value thispain when we understandthat, just as the grain “dies”to create new growth, theloss of our own protectiveshell is the beginning ofthe next part of life. As

Small Group Discussions at Women's Day.

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Metropolitan Stefan’s Homily for Women’s Day 2009 - “From Grief to Grace”

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difficult it is to see beyondour hurt from loss, deathbrings opportunity fornewness. The self can bemultiplied beyond what itwould have ever been. Thishappens as our interiorgerm reaches out to newsources of life.

Jesus was inviting theapostles, and you and me,to a new journey with him.This journey involvesstripping ourselves of our

old selves, including themanner in which weunderstand suffering andloss. This opens us to riskand uncertainty. Yet, itpromises us new growthin Jesus Christ, our Lordand Savior, and the DivineHealer. Rather thandwelling inordinately ontrying to understand theWHY of what has occurredin our life, let us focus ongrowing in our TRUST inour Lord. We are placing

our lives in the hands ofthe great physician. Jesusis there. He is not silent.He understands thefeelings of our infirmities.His healing reaches insideand transforms us frombrokenness to wholenessin HIS ways. Be patient andlive with TRUST in Jesus.Be assured that the DivineHealer will help lead youto new sources of life asyou shed yourpreoccupation with the

impact of hurt and loss inyour life. You will embarkon a new journeycharacterized by a closerrelationship with JesusChrist.

Let us continue to preparefor the reception of Jesusin the Holy Eucharist,receiving His divinetransforming presenceleading us to new life!

Sr. Laura Palka, OSBM, and Mother Nadia Baranick, MSMG, led the group in prayer at Women's Day.

One night a man had adream. He dreamed hewas walking along thebeach with the LORD.Across the sky flashedscenes from his life. Foreach scene, he noticedtwo sets of footprints in thesand; one belonging tohim, and the other to theLORD.

FootprintsWhen the last scene of hislife flashed before him, helooked back at the footprintsin the sand. He noticed thatmany times along the pathof his life there was onlyone set of footprints. Healso not iced that i thappened at the verylowest and saddest times inhis life.

This really bothered himand he questioned theLORD about it. “LORD, yousaid that once I decided tofollow you, you’d walk withme all the way. But I havenoticed that during the mosttroublesome times in mylife, there is only one set offootprints . I don’tunderstand why when I

needed you most youwould leave me.”The LORD replied, “Myprecious, precious child, Ilove you and I wouldnever leave you. Duringyour times of trial andsuffering, when you seeonly one set of footprints,it was then that I carriedyou.” Author unknown

St. Stephen Ukrainian Catholic Church

1344 White Oak Bottom Road, Toms River, New Jersey 08755

REV. IVAN TURYK Phone 732-505-6053

aphinagor@hotmail.com www.ststephenchurch.us

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Dear Sisters in Christ,

Our Rosarians have planned a very special day and invite you to share in this experience. We have carved four-to-five hours

from busy schedules for a Day of Recollection for our Catholic sisters, scheduled on Saturday, May 2nd

, 2009, from 10:00 am

- 2:00 pm.

Consider this:

Visitation of St. Stephen Church, an Eastern Rite Catholic Church in full

communion with the Pope of Rome.

Inspiring talks given by the Religious Sister, as well as the opportunity for

reflection and spiritual direction.

Time with other women to grow in friendship and faith.

All adult women are welcome to come and spend a bit of time 'away' with Christ and with one another. This

renewal/retreat with the theme: Who? What? Where? Am I? will be led by Sister Thomas Hrynewich, a member of the order

of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate and who has extensive experience leading retreats.

Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m, then three talks will be given: at 10:00 a.m. on St. Paul’s relationship to Jesus Christ, at

10: 45 a.m. on My relationship with Jesus Christ, 11:30 a.m. on Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska, SSMI and Mary the

Blessed Virgin. The Lunch will be served at 12:15 p.m followed by the Moleben (a service of supplication) to our Blessed

Mother at 1:00 p.m. and we plan that our day will close at approximately 2:00 p.m.

Our parish center is fully handicapped accessible; located between New Hampshire and Old Freehold Roads, two streets

north of Church Road. We must know how many ladies will be with us, and we must ask for a nominal $5.00 to cover the

light lunch (homemade soup and sandwich) that will be enjoyed. We ask that your organization leader inform us the

number of ladies that will be with us, before April 26th. The luncheon payment may be made at registration.

We look forward to having you with us. You may reply to our Secretary,

Helen Chernego at 732-286-0985 or Fr. Ivan Turyk at the Rectory, 732-505-6053

Sincerely,

Rev. Ivan Turyk - Parish Administrator

Mrs. Dolores Dzubaty - President of the Altar Rosary Society

1 4April 12, 2009

Day of Recollection for Women in Toms River, NJwith Sister Thomas Hrynewich, SSMI

will be held May 2, 2009

1 5April 12, 2009

CHILDREN HELPING CHILDREN

Transfiguration School inShamokin, PA. spent theirtime collecting moneyalong with gloves, scarvesand hats for the childrenof Ukraine in theorphanage in Zolochey.School principal, DoreenKuchnir with grade sevenand eight present Sr.Michele Yakymovitch,SSMI, Provincial Superiorwith a $200.00 check toforward to theorphanage.

Sr. Bernitta Dub, SSMIand Sr. Juliette Chicorli,SSMI stand with pre-K indergar ten andKindergarten schoolchildren. They collectedthousands of soda captops to help disabledchildren obtain medicalequipment. They alreadyhelped raise enough capsto get a wheel chair.

1 6April 12, 2009

One of the biggestthreats to children using theInternet today, saysKenneth Lanning, is theirparents’ outdatedunderstanding oftechnology.

Just as problematicis the fact that the “children”who are meeting sexualoffenders online are oftenteenagers, willing victimswho believe they havedeveloped a relationshipwith the offender.

“The use of theword ‘predator’ is a wasteof time, because these kidsalmost never perceive theperson as a sexualpredator, but as a ‘BFF’[Best Friend Forever],”asserts Lanning, a retiredFBI agent now headingCAC Consul tants, aVirginia-based consultingfirm specializing in crimesagainst children.

The acronym “BFF”is just one example of theways technology haspassed many parents by,according to both Lanningand Robert Farley of RHFConsultants in Chicago.

Farley is aconsultant for INTERPOLand other agencies on childabuse invest igat ivetechniques, as well as theauthor of the Vir tusprograms used in manyU.S. Catholic dioceses toprotect children from sexualpredators. He notes that“the biggest problem rightnow is that you have atechnology gap.”

Lanning givesfurther examples: “PAW”

Protecting Youth on the InternetBy Kate Blain

and “PIR,” used by childrenand teens in text-messaging, respectivelymean “Parents AreWatching” and “Parents inRoom.” The acronyms arequick ways to endconversat ions so thatparents don’t catch on toinappropriate exchanges.

Tex t -messag ing ,Farley explains, “ is acompletely di f ferentlanguage. People arecontacting kids [via cellphones and other handhelddevices] with a textmessage claiming to be afriend, then encouragingthe kid to move to acomputer so they can doreal- t ime instant-messaging.”

The experts saythat, while most parentsknow enough to keepcomputers in commonareas at home so they canbe monitored, childrenknow how to sendmessages their parents willnot understand – andtechnology has movedbeyond the need to usehome computers to makecontacts.

“Cell phones arethe big problem now,”Farley states.

While the expertsagree that parentalmonitoring of computer usehas its place, as doessoftware limiting access toWeb sites, they note thatthe keys to protect ingchi ldren from sexualoffenders are love andcommunication.

“It’s about personalrelat ionships, being

involved in your child’s life,”Lanning states. “It increasesthe odds” against beinglured by a sexual offender.

Farley refers to thecommon claim childrenmake that “everyone’sdoing” some activity. In thecase of social networking,he says, “Everybody isreally doing it, so sit downand say, ‘What’s the mostpopular social networkingsite in your school? Let mesee one of your friends’sites.’”

Then a parent cantalk about what informationthe child’s friends might beposting that’s inappropriate,set boundaries around whata child can post and explainhow to beware of offenders.

Above al l , sayLanning and Farley, parentsshould not demand thatchildren have no access tothe Internet or ban socialnetworking sites, since thatmakes kids more likely togo online at friends’ housesor other unmonitoredlocations.

Farley also advisesthat parents learn how touse today’s technologythemselves.

“Parents have tolearn how to text-message,” he states – andthe best teachers are theirchildren.

If parents discoverthat their chi ldren areinvolved in risky Internetbehavior, Lanning stressesthey should not react withanger: “A typical parent isgoing to say, ‘What areyou doing, going to thosesites?’ But if that’s your

attitude, is your son goingto come to you?”

Instead, he said,parents should talk aboutthe r isks of sharinginformation onl ine orlooking at pornographicWeb sites: encounteringpredators, cyber-bullying,compromising one’scomputer and identity theft.

To go further instopping Internet contacts,the experts offer severaloptions: changing emailaddresses, taking the childto a therapist to workthrough the issues thatcaused them to bevictimized, or making apolice report.

However, Farleycautions that many localpolice departments are notequipped to pursue onlinepredators. He suggests thatparents with ser iousconcerns call the NationalCenter for Missing andExploited Children’s cybertipline at 1-800-843-5678.

Kenneth Lanning,CAC Consultants

Robert Farley,RHF Consultants

1 7April 12, 2009

Participants in “Ukrainian Days” held in Washington, D.C. on March 25th and 26th, 2009. Organized by theUkrainian National Information Service (UNIS) to promote closer relations between the Ukrainian communityand their Members of Congress. Participants gather on site of the future Holodomor/Genocide in Ukrainemonument. Gratitude is due to Mr. Michael Sawkiw, Jr., Director of UNIS for an exceptional program ofevents advocating Ukrainian American issues in Washington, D.C.

The monument to Victims of Communism,located one block from the site dedicated forthe Holodomor in Ukraine monument.

"Ukrainian Days"

Metropolitan Stefan poses with Representative MarcyKaptur (Ohio), Co-Chair of the Congressional UkrainianCaucus, following a breakfast meeting betweenUkrainian Days participants and various members ofthe Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, an officiallyregistered group of the U.S. House of Representativesthat is interested in enhancing relations between Ukraineand the United States.

1 8April 12, 2009

On March 30, 2009, thePhiladelphia Branch of the NewUkrainian Wave (NUW) met withHis Grace, the Most ReverendStefan Soroka in the Archbishop’sChancery. Representing the NewUkrainian Wave were VolodymyrBodnar, Daria Opalinska, NadyaPetryk and Lubomyr Pyrih.

Nadya Petryk, Branch President,thanked the Metropolitan forproviding the opportunity for thismeeting and summarized thehistory of the founding of NUWand its mission. The need toestablish this organization resultedfrom the immigration of Ukrainiansto the United States over the last20 years. These recent immigrants took advantage of the churches, centers, clubs and other facilitiesprovide by earlier Ukrainian immigrants but only a very small percentage of them joined existing Ukrainianorganizations. A group of recent Ukrainian immigrants, who were concerned about this situation, met onMarch 3, 2006, in the Ukrainian Consulate in New York City and founded the American communityorganization named the New Ukrainian Wave. This organization was incorporated in Albany, NY onFebruary 21, 2007, and currently has eight branches, located in Pittsburgh, Stamford, Minneapolis,Philadelphia, Detroit, Passaic, Baltimore, and Cleveland.

The Philadelphia Branch was established on November 16, 2008. And currently has 36 members. Whatare the goals of NUW? First and foremost, to unite the new Ukrainian immigrants in an organizedcommunity life in order to preserve our culture and traditions for future generations; to cooperate withall existing Ukrainian organizations in Diaspora, to work with Ukrainian and US governments for thewelfare of our fatherland and the preservation of the rights of Ukrainians living outside Ukraine.

Nadya Petryk presented the bylaws of NUW to the Metropolitan. Lubomyr Pyrih, who is an earlierimmigrant from Ukraine, stated that he joined NUW because he was interested in providing a bridgebetween the two waves of Ukrainian immigrants and to support its goals which are shared by allUkrainian immigrants.

Currently the NUW is a member of SKU ( Ukrainian World Congress), and the Philadelphia branch hasjoined the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center.

Volodymyr Bodnar brought up some of the difficulties the organization faces and asked the Metropolitanfor support. NUW representatives showed the Metropolitan photographs of carvings by Yuriy Kostiv,a member of NUW, whose carvings reflect biblical and religious themes, and offered to exhibit his worksat the Cathedral Hall. The Metropolitan graciously accepted this offer .In ending the meeting theMetropolitan expressed his appreciation for the information presented by NUW and promised his supportfor this organization.

Philadelphia Branch of the New Ukrainian Wave

On Sunday, March 22,2009, children and adultsgathered after the 10:45amLiturgy at ImmaculateConception UkrainianCatholic Church in Hillside,NJ to write Pysanky andenjoy an Easter Egg Hunt.

Odarka Polanskyj Stockertgave valuable and insightfulinstructions to the group asthey began to create theirpysanky works of art. Manyin the audience had never

Pysanky Workshop & Easter Egg Hunt at Hillside, NJ Parish

Odarka Polanskyj Stockertprovides instructions as thechildren and adults learn

to write pysanky.

Examples ofthe pysankyworks of art.

The children eagerly waitthe beginning of the

Easter Egg Hunt.

written pysanky before.Their excitement was clearlyevident as they began tolearn and experiment withthis beautiful symbol ofEaster.

The children also enjoyed afun filled Easter Egg Hunt onthe church property.

Additional photos can befound on the parish websitewww . b y z a n t i n e s . n e t /immaculateconception

1 9April 12, 2009

2 0April 12, 2009

BLESSING OF NEW BRANCHOF SELF-RELIANCE UKRAINIAN CREDIT UNION

On Sunday, March 29th, before the Annual Meeting of the Self-Reliance Ukrainian Credit Union ofPhiladelphia, Metropolitan Stefan Soroka blessed their new branch office located in the Ukrainian Educationaland Cultural Center in Philadelphia. The blessing was preceded by a prayer and meditation offered by PastorYaroslav Prystachkyj of the Evangelical Pentecostal Church. Metropolitan Stefan congratulated the Board ofDirectors of the Self-Reliance Ukrainian Credit Union for this bold initiative for the benefit of the Ukrainiancommunity. The following is what Metropolitan said to the participants present for the blessing.

What a pleasure and honor for usto participate in the formal blessing andopening of this new branch office of theSelf-Reliance Ukrainian Credit Union herein the Ukrainian Educational and CulturalCenter in Philadelphia. I am confident thatGod’s blessings will abundantly shower thisendeavor. Why? Your initiative to openthis branch reflects a desire to unite withothers in a common purpose. Your actionswill offer convenience for your clientele.More importantly, you are placing emphasison the importance of living as one family,as united Ukrainians in a common desire. Ibelieve that this pleases God, in the sameway when His servants and His peoplegather together in prayer.

“Where two or three aregathered in my name, I am withyou”. Know that God is withyou in this positive and buildinginitiative, because you aregathering the Name of JesusChrist our Lord and Savior. Knowof our love for you and of ourheartfelt support for your goodworks for the people of God.

God grant to all thosewho will work in this location andall those who will avail themselvesof the services of Self-RelianceUkrainian Credit Union, manyblessed and happy years, “NaMnohaya lita”!

continued on next page

EASTER GREETING OFHIS BEATITUDE LUBOMYR

ARCHBISHOP MAJOR OF KYIV AND HALYCHUKRAINIAN GREEK-CATHOLIC CHURCH

(unofficial translation from Ukrainian from the Eparchy of New Westminster)

To the Most Reverend Archbishops and Bishops,

Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy, Monastics and Religious,

Dearly-Beloved Sisters and Brothers in Christ –

To the Faithful of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church

And to all people of good will

Today is Palm Sunday – a day when we commemorate the triumphal entry of Christ the King into the city of

Jerusalem. According to our ancient church and folk custom, on this day we greet one other by lightly touching

one’s shoulder with a blessed pussy-willow branch and saying: “From today in a week – it will be Easter!” I too

would like to greet each of you wherever you may be: whether in Ukraine, or in settlements abroad, where

Eparchies and Exarchates have been established, or in those countries where we do not have our own church

structure. Today I wish to greet all who recognize their spiritual and national origin and their membership in the

Ukrainian Catholic Church. Today’s traditional greeting, this Feast, this Holy Week we begin tomorrow with all its

spiritual treasures, and finally, Easter – the great feast of Christ’s Resurrection – are this unites us and makes us

brothers and sisters in the Lord (regardless of who we are, where we live and where our immediate roots may lie),

children of one great family we call the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. My cordial greetings to all of you!

Already in one week, on Easter Sunday, we will greet each other with the words: “Christ is Risen! Indeed He is

Risen!” These few words are not merely a form of greeting; they are a profession of our Christian faith. In them we

find the foundation of our faith, the very substance of our relationship with God..

As I offer to you the words of this Christian salutation, I would also like to make them the subject of my cordial

greeting to you on the occasion of Easter. We may wish other people many things, as we indeed do on many an

occasion, but when we reflect on the meaning of the words “Christ is Risen!” we realize that they contain all that

is essential for us. What Christ did and is still doing for us – this I would like to see as the substance of my

greetings, and anything else I might express to you or wish you from myself should take second place, and

completely yield before that, which God himself does and wishes for us in this festive time.

Dearly Beloved in Christ, does not our heart fill with warmth when we hear the words of the Paschal greeting?

Before the eyes of our soul and spirit do not all earthly goods grow pale, and indeed, do not all earthly lures lose

their power? Fear disappears. Anxiety vanishes. We begin to feel in our hearts some extraordinary power. The Lord

God is with us. He is Risen. He overcame all evil and there is nothing in the world today that could substitute Him,

or could be better and more fulfilling than He.

On this festive and great day let us pause for a moment, let us take a break from the swirl of daily life, and let us

reflect on the meaning of the Christian greeting, this basic truth of our life – and we will see all that we know and

2 1April 12, 2009

all that is happening inside and around us in a different light. Where turmoil was – peace will appear, and where

there were lies and injustice – truth and justice will reign. Where there was death, seemingly the end of all – there

will be life.

Dearly Beloved in Christ, Holy Week lies before us, the most significant week of the liturgical year. We will recall

the last days and hours of Jesus Christ’s life, and in particular we will commemorate two most important events: His

death on the cross on Good Friday and His glorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The first, are first glance,

appears to be a total failure, but in essence, it is the victorious and complete handing-over by Christ of self and the

entire world into the hand of our loving Heavenly Father. The second event a final victory over death and over

everything that could estrange us from the Lord God.

During these great days of celebration we see the incarnate Son of God, who gave himself completely to his

Heavenly Father. This is how, Dearly Beloved in Christ, the world should also see us, as a sign of infinite trust in

God. The world must be able to see us as participants in Christ’s victory. This is of crucial importance. For we are

Christians and our duty is to continue Jesus Christ’s

work of salvation. As the Church of Christ, we are

called to evangelize, that is to bring to the world the

Good News of Christ’s victory over sin and death, by

which victory He freed us from the greatest of evils.

We are called not only to speak of that, which happened

in the past, but to be a visible sign of this reality and be

its living witnesses for today.

Dearly Beloved in Christ, Christ is Risen!

+LUBOMYR

Given in Kyiv,

at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of

Christ,

Palm Sunday, April 5/12, 2009

We entrust this Greeting to our Reverend Parish Clergy,that it be read to the faithful on Palm Sunday, and we

ask the honorable editors of our eparchial publications

to publish the Greeting in their Easter issues.

EASTER GREETING OFHIS BEATITUDE LUBOMYR

ARCHBISHOP MAJOR OF KYIV AND HALYCHUKRAINIAN GREEK-CATHOLIC CHURCH

(continued from previous page)

2 2April 12, 2009

Editorial and Business Office:827 N. Franklin St.

Philadelphia, PA 19123Tel.: (215) 627-0143

Online: www.ukrarcheparchy.usE-MAIL: theway@ukrarcheparchy.us

Established 1939The Way Staff

Msgr. Peter Waslo, Teresa Siwak, Fr. Ihor Royik

The Way is published bi-weekly by the Apostolate, Inc.,827 N. Franklin St., Philadelphia, PA.

Articles and photos proposed for publication MUST BE SIGNEDBY THE WRITER and should be in the Editor's office at leastfifteen days before requested date of publication. For advance

notice of the upcoming events, kindly send one month inadvance. All articles must be submitted in both English and

Ukrainian languages, THE WAY will not translate proposed articles.All materials submitted to THE WAY become the property ofTHE WAY. Photos should be identified on the reverse and be

accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

On the occasion of theFeast of Feasts - the

Resurrection of Our Lord,the Staff of “The Way,”

wishes Metropolitan Stefan,Bishop John, all the clergy,

religious, and all the faithfula Blessed Easter.

We wish all, God’s choicestblessings here on earth and

salvation in heaven.

Christ Is Risen!Indeed He Is Risen!

May 2, 2009: Day of Recollection for Women at St.Stephen Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1344 White OakBottom Road, Toms River, NJ 08755. Sister ThomasHrynewich, SSMI, will be the speaker. (9:30 a.m. toapproximately 2:00 p.m.) For more information pleasecontact Helen Chernego at 732-286-0985 or Fr. IvanTuryk at the Rectory 732-505-6053. (Toms River, NJ)

May 30, 2009: Youth Group of SS Peter & Paul Ukr.Catholic Church, Ambridge, PA, sponsoring a 5K walk/runfor The United Cerebral Palsy Foundation. For moreinformation visit www.sspeter-paul.org

September 26 & 27, 2009: Ukrainian American Citizen'sAssociation: Philadelphia Ukrainian Festival. 847 N. FranklinStreet, Philadelphia, PA. (Details to come)

2 3April 12, 2009

"A Safe Place for OurChildren" Workshops

The Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphiawill be sponsoring two workshops and invites all

teachers, volunteers, and all who are interested toattend. The workshops will be led by

Sr. Natalya Stoczanyn, SSMI.

April 18, 2009: 684 Alta Vista Pl.,Perth Amboy, NJ at 10 a.m.

orApril 25, 2009: 1564 Allentown Rd.,

Lansdale, PA at 10 a.m.

For more information please contact Fr. AndriyRabiy at 215-627-0143 or e-mailukrchildprotection@catholic.org