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Here you will find news and general information about the Byzantine Catholic (Greek Cath- olic) and other Eastern Christian Churches.

Fasts & Feasts

January

1 - Circumcision / St. Basil
6 - Theophany
30 - Three Holy Hierarchs

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The Meeting of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple with Simeon and Anna

February 2, 2012

Luke 2:22-40 - And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel."

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed."

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan'u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. (RSV)

Come, Receive Christ - the True Light – The mystery of Christ had been prepared even before the very foundation of the world but was manifested in the last ages of time. It became a light for those who in darkness and error had fallen under the devil’s hand. These were they “who serve the creature instead of the Creator” (Rom 1:25) worshiping moreover the dragon, the author of evil, and the impure throng of devils, to whom they attach the honor due to God. Yet God the Father called them to the acknowledgement of the Son who is the true Light….

Christ therefore became the Gentiles’ light for revelation, but also for the glory of Israel. For even granting that some of them proved insolent and disobedient, and with minds that did not understand, yet there is a remnant there, saved and admitted to glory through Christ. The first fruits of these were the divine disciples, the brightness of whose renown lightens the whole world.

In another sense, Christ is the glory of Israel, for he came out of Israel according to the flesh, though he is God over all, and blessed forevermore. Amen. (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

Scripture

Vespers - 1) Exodus 12:51, 13:1-3,10-12,14-16, 22:29, Leviticus 12:1-4,6-8, Numbers 8:17 (Composite) 2) Isaiah 6:1-12, 3) Isaiah 19:1-5,12,16,19-21
Matins - Luke 2:25-32
Divine Liturgy - Hebrews 7:7-17, Luke 2:22-40

The icon is a detail of the Meeting of our Lord with Simeon (cf Luke 2:22-40).

Back from Cairo, Gregorios III says, “We are living God’s today

Wednesday, 01 February 2012 18:55

Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem

N./Ref. : CP/nhc/2012-0001

Back from Cairo, Gregorios III says, “We are living God’s today.”

H.B. Gregorios III, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem, is back from Cairo, where, as usual, he spent the Feasts of the Nativity and Epiphany. Asked about the current state of affairs in Egypt just one year after the start of the Tahrir Square uprising, the Patriarch remarked that the situation seems calm, with “enough security to allow more or less normal life to go on, though there is still a sense of unease.”

“Life goes on in our schools, institutions, parish centres, but we have to realise and accept that a new wave of departures is hitting our Egyptian Melkite Greek Catholic community. We really deplore the departure of some twenty families, according to the testimony of our parish priests, as this is a significant number for a community already reduced to barely five thousand people,” added Gregorios III, before explaining, “This wave of departure is also hitting Coptic Catholic and Orthodox communities, and it would seem that there have been Muslims leaving too. But it is impossible to be sure and difficult to know how many. They have numbers on their side, so leavers don’t create such a void as among Christian communities.”

Bishop William Skurla named to head Archeparchy of Pittsburgh

Thursday, 19 January 2012 17:31

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has named Bishop William C. Skurla of the Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic, N.J., as archbishop of the Byzantine Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. Archbishop Skurla, 55, will succeed Archbishop Basil M. Schott, who died in June 2010. The appointment was announced Jan. 19 in Washington by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States. His enthronement -- as the Eastern Catholic installation ceremony is known -- will take place April 18 in Pittsburgh. The Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh is the only self-governing Eastern Catholic Church in the United States, meaning it is directly under the authority of the pope rather than a Catholic patriarch in Eastern Europe or the Middle East. It stretches from Erie, Pa., to Texas and has 58,000 parishioners and 65 priests in 78 parishes. William Charles Skurla was born in Duluth, Minn., June 1, 1956, and attended local Catholic and public elementary schools. He graduated in 1974 from Chisholm High School, Chisholm, Minn. He attended Deerfield Academy postgraduate program in Deerfield, Mass., from 1974 to 1975. He then attended Columbia University in New York, graduating in 1981 with a concentration in philosophy in 1981. He entered the Byzantine Franciscan community in Sybertsville, Pa., in 1981 and studied for the priesthood at Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, Pa., receiving master's degrees in divinity in 1986 and theology in 1987. Ordained a Franciscan priest in 1987, he was incardinated nine years later into the Eparchy of Van Nuys, Calif., where he served as pastoral administrator at St. Melany Byzantine Catholic Church in Tucson, Ariz., from 1993 until 2002. The eparchy is now known as the Holy Protection of Mary Eparchy of Phoenix.

Byzantine Catholic Church in America