THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHEPARCHY OF PITTSBURGH
great blessing of water
Inside
Archbishop William Skurla celebrates Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom Page 7
VOL. 63 NO. 2
scenes from a snowscape
Sisters of St. Basil share photos of a snow-blanketed Mount St. Macrina Page 11
From Ukraine to Pittsburgh
FEBRUARY 2018
“achieving a safe environment” The Church’s pledge to protect children Page 12
Seminarians attend March for Life in Washington, D.C. 45th annual event promotes dignity of human life by Seminarian Eugene Yeo Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS. Cyril and Methodius
Father Vitalii Stashkevych (left) was ordained to the Holy Order of the Presbyterate for the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh Jan. 14 by Archbishop William Skurla at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Munhall, Pa. Photo by Nick Havrilla Sr. More photos on page 3.
father vitalii stashkevych ordained to the priesthood by David Mayernik Jr. Editor
Surrounded by family, friends, priests, and relatives in Ukraine participating by livestream video, Father Vitalii Stashkevych was ordained to the Holy Order of the Presbyterate for the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh by Archbishop William Skurla Jan. 14 at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Munhall, Pa. As a Subdeacon from the Eparchy of Mukachevo in Ukraine, Father Vitalii was accepted by Archbishop Wiliam to serve in the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. He was ordained a Deacon for the Archeparchy Nov. 8, 2017 at Holy Ghost Church in McKees Rocks, Pa. Concelebrants for the Jan. 14 Divine Liturgy were Monsignor Russell A. Duker, Very Revs. Andrew J. Deskevich and
Frank A. Firko. The Master of Ceremonies was Father Valerian M. Michlik. Seminarians served and Martin Bovee assisted. The Archeparchial Choir, under the direction of Darlene Fejka, sang the responses to the Liturgy. Protosyncellus Very Rev. Andrew presented Deacon Vitalii for ordination. In his homily, Archbishop William spoke of the years of preparation and of the path that brought Deacon Vitalii to this day of priestly ordination in Pittsburgh from Uzhgorod, Ukraine, where he was born to Nicholas and Olga Stashkevych on April 2, 1990. Archbishop William mentioned that Deacon Vitalii was initiated a child of God at Baptism. Now, at the moment of ordination, though he, as the bishop, will place his hand on Deacon Vitalii’s head, it is ac-
tually the Holy Spirit through grace that confers this Mystery. Following the Divine Liturgy, a dinner and reception followed at the Cathedral Center. After completing his studies at the Theological Academy (Seminary) of Uzhgorod, Father Vitalii was ordained to the Subdiaconate on March 1, 2015 by Most Rev. Milan Sasik, CM, Bishop of Mukachevo. He then studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome where he earned the licentiate degree in dogmatic theology. Father Vitalii has a sister, Oksana, who lives in Uzhgorod. Archbishop William appointed Father Vitalii to assist Very Rev. Andrew in the celebration of liturgical services and pastoral concerns of St. John the Baptist Cathedral and St. Elias, both in Munhall, Pa. n
Every year I join 250,000 people to march in our national capital in support of the cause of life. A population larger than the majority of our state capitals descends on the streets of Washington, D.C., marching from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court. The main cause is well-known: an end to abortion and an end to the funding of agencies and companies which thrive in the Culture of Death. Along with this, groups march for an end to euthanasia, the death penalty, human trafficking and other causes which violate the dignity of the human person. I attended this year with three of my fellow seminarians, joined by Bishop Milan Lach of the Eparchy of Parma and Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Eparchy of Passaic, and the young men and women of Eastern Catholic March for Life. In turn, we were joined by friars, monks, nuns, Orthodox clergy, muslims, Jews, and at least one banner which read “Secular Pro-Life.” I was delighted to find that the crowd was dominated by the young people rallying behind banners proclaiming them to be students at Catholic high schools and universities. At the end of the march many of us, friends, family, shepherds, sheep, brothers and sisters in Christ, gathered across from the steps of the Supreme Court building to pray the Akathist. Media outlets may ignore the Story continued on page 5