Fasts & Feasts

February

2 - Meeting of Our Lord with Simeon and Anna
6 - First All Souls Saturday
7 - Sunday of the Last Judgement (Meatfare)
14 - Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesfare)

February 15 - March 26

The Holy and Great Fast

Latest Forum Discussions

Byzantine Catholic Church in America

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Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia to Lecture in Washington, DC & New Jersey February 9-17

Thursday, 04 February 2010 05:22

Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia Note! The prayer service, reception and Ecumenism Lecture by Metropolitan Kallistos at The Catholic University of America scheduled for Tuesday, February 9, has been postponed one week until Tuesday, February 16 because of weather conditions in Washington, DC. The same schedule -- prayer at 4:30, reception at 5:30, lecture at 6:30 -- will be followed starting in the Chapel in Caldwell Hall. Please pass the word to anyone who was planning to attend.

Fairfax, Virginia – February 1, 2010. Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (Timothy Ware) will be visiting the US East Coast for a series of free lectures open to the public during the week of February 9-17, 2010. The topics of his lectures will begin with the Orthodox-Catholic Dialoge at Catholic University in Washington, and then cover various spiritual subjects at local parish churches in preparation for Lent, which both Catholics and Orthodox will begin during his visit.

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New Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Suggests Worldwide Ecumenical Encounter

Thursday, 28 January 2010 15:34

CWNews.com - Serbia’s newly enthroned Orthodox Patriarch Irinej has suggested a worldwide ecumenical encounter in 2013, to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan. He suggested that the event could take place in Nis, the Serbian birthplace of the Emperor Constantine, and expressed the hope that Pope Benedict XVI would attend—in what would be the first visit ever by a Roman Pontiff to Serbia.

Patriarch Irinej did not explicitly suggest that the meeting in Nis could provide the opportunity for a “summit meeting” between the Pope and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. But in light of the close ties between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Moscow patriarchate, the Russian prelate would surely be expected to attend.

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Serbia's new patriarch urges Christian dialogue (Washington Post)

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Byzantines at the March for Life in Washington, DC

Saturday, 23 January 2010 19:42

WASHINGTON, DC - Byzantine Catholic faithful from across the United States joined in the annual 400,000 strong March for Life on Friday, January 22^nd to protest the 1973 Supreme Court decision allowing the murder of children in the womb via abortion. We pray that the merciful Lord will touch the hearts of our political leaders with respect for life from conception to natural death.

Here are a few photos:

	ByzanTEENs for Life and the seminarians from SS Cyril & Methodius Seminary in Pittsburgh. In the foreground (gray hair, light blue scarf and purple hat) is His Grace, Bishop JOHN of Parma.

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Meatfare Sunday

February 7, 2010

Sunday of the Last Judgment

Matthew 25:31-46 - "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The Cross brings Life – The Lord does not say that the coming kingdom is compared to this or that, as He has been speaking previously, but now openly shows Himself to be the Son of man, who “shall come in his glory.” If He has up to now appeared in a condition of dishonor, now he appears in a different role. He reproaches. He confronts. He sits upon his throne of glory. And he continually mentions glory. For his cross was drawing near, a thing that seemed to be a matter of reproach. So he lifts his hearers up and brings before their sight the judgment seat, with all the world gathered around him. (St. John Chrysostom)

Scripture

Matins - Mark 16:9-20
Divine Liturgy - 1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2, Matthew 25:36-41

The icon is a detail of the Last Judgement. By custom, Meatfare Sunday is the last week meat is allowed as we prepare for the Holy Forty Days Fast.

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Patriarch Lubomyr: Year of Chirstian Life Will Accent the Conscerated Life

Monday, 11 January 2010 18:57

The year 2010 according to the decisions of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, which was held on November 29 through December 5, 2009, in Lviv, will again be the Year of Christian vocation, but with an accent on the vocation to a consecrated life. As we reported before, in 2008 the Church emphasized Christian vocation in general. “Everybody has some vocation from the Lord, and each has to cherish this vocation, to respect, to develop, and to use the possibly for one’s good and for the good of people,” His Beatitude Lubomyr, the head of the UGCC, explained in an interview for listeners of radio Voskresinnya (Resurrection). In 2009 an accent was placed on the vocation to priesthood. The Church aimed to help the people with a vocation to priesthood execute their ministry. As an example of a good pastor the holy martyr Omelyan Kovch was selected, and on April 24, 2009, in Kyiv he was solemnly proclaimed the Promoter of Pastors of the UGCC.