Byzantine Catholic World - Volume 60 - No. 7 - May 2015

Special expanded issue!

the official newspaper of the archeparchy of pittsburgh

ties that bind

Inside

100 years strong

Pope, faith leaders, Pre-Cana participants reconfirm marriage as a life commitment Pages 4 & 5

faithful-ly yours

Keeping their members blissfully busy, parishes report on a number of recent events Pages 10 & 11

sunday, may 24, 2015

groundbreaking The Sisters of St. Basil the Great ‘dig into’ new project on grounds of Mount St. Macrina Page 13

Shouts of ‘Axios!’ echo through Cathedral father don bolls first married man to be ordained in over 70 years

100 years continued on page 8

Axios! continued on page 3

Spiritually refreshing

Fifty years a priest

very rev. archpriest eugene p. yackanich celebrates milestone anniversary with classmates, family, friends, faithful

by Darlene Fejka

What simply began for Very Reverend Archpriest Eugene P. Yackanich as modestly planning a day dedicated to giving thanks for his many blessings over a 50-year career as a priest of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church, eventually blossomed into a much grander celebration.

Originally scheduled to be held at St. Elias Church and Social Hall in Munhall, Pa., where he serves as pastor, the observance of Father Eugene’s 50th anniversary of priesthood drew such a great number of responses that it could not be contained in the parish where he has served since 1994. So, move it did - just a few miles

Nick Havrilla, Sr.

Deacons of the Archeparchy and their spouses gather with Archbishop William and Retreat Master Father Christiaan Kappes to enjoy the calm of their annual retreat at Antiochian Village near Latrobe, Pa. April 10.

Story, photos on page 9

Nick Havrilla, Sr.

St. George the Great-Martyr Byzantine Catholic Church in Aliquippa, Pa. joyfully celebrated its Centennial Anniversary on April 19, 2015. Founded

by Ruthenian immigrants in Aliquippa (present-day West Aliquippa), the church has faithfully served the people of God for over 100 years.

A hierarchical Divine Liturgy began the day of festivity with with Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla, D.D. as the main celebrant. Archbishop William was welcomed by St. George’s Spiritual Father, Rev. James D. Hess, O.Carm. The customary gifts of hospitality - bread, salt, and a key were presented by John and Peggy Duker Chabala and Prudence Peya on behalf on the congregation. Assisting the Archbishop at the altar

In the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla, clergy, religious, family, faithful and friends, Deacon Donald Bolls was ordained to the Holy Presbyterate on Sunday, May 10, 2015 at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral in Munhall, Pa. The liturgical celebration began at 4:00 p.m. with the entrance of the Archbishop and concelebrants Very Rev. Archpriest Dennis M. Bogda, Rector of the Cathedral; Very Rev. Robert M. Pipta, Rector of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary; Very Rev. Archpriest Eugene P. Yackanich and Monsignor Russell A. Duker, with Deacon Joseph Wargacki and Deacon Stephen Casmus of the Eparchy of Phoenix.

Masters of Ceremonies were Protosyncellus of the Archeparchy Very Rev. Andrew J. Deskevich and Reverend Valerian M. Michlik.

Cathedral assistentia included

aliquippa parish adds to illustrious history

vol. 60 no. 7

away - to the facilities of St. John the Baptist Cathedral and Center, where Cathedral Rector Father Dennis Bogda and parishioners were more than happy to accommodate Father Eugene and his milestone event.

Fifty years continued on page 6

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

In line with Vatican II: new rules on Eastern married clergy

UPS 081500 ISSN 07442289

by Archbishop Cyril Vasil’ SJ with Father George D. Gallaro

Official publication of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh Serving parish communities in central and western Pennsylvania, Louisiana, eastern Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia Published every third Sunday (17 issues) by: Byzantine Catholic Press Associates 66 Riverview Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15214 Tel: 412.231.4000 Fax: 412.231.1697 E-mail: bcw@archpitt.org Web site: www.archpitt.org Archbishop William C. Skurla President Sister Elaine Kisinko, OSBM Copy Editor Darlene Fejka Layout / Graphics Donna Obsincs Subscription/Circulation Manager Gregory S. Popivchak Business Manager Annual Subscription Rates US $12 Canadian $14 International $16 Periodicals Postage Paid at Pittsburgh, PA

Postmaster: send address changes to: The Byzantine Catholic World ATTN: Donna 66 Riverview Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15214 Please allow 2-3 weeks for address changes to take effect.

Submissions deadline: 2nd Tuesday before publication date (12 days prior).

The Byzantine Catholic World is a member of the Catholic Press Association.

mission The mission of The Byzantine

Catholic World is to spread the Gospel message in the rich tradition of the Byzantine Catholic Church; to encourage faithful to reflect the image of Christ in everyday activities of life; to offer spiritual formation through changing times; and to celebrate community among Byzantine Catholics in the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, throughout the Metropolitan Church in America, and around the world.

introduction

Until recently it seemed that the presence and ministry of Eastern Catholic married clergy in the so-called diaspora (places outside of the traditional territories) was a closed question. In fact, not much could have been added to its historical or canonical viewpoint that had not already been studiously examined. The issue is summarized by the 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches: “The particular law of each Church sui iuris or special norms established by the Holy See are to be followed in admitting married men to sacred orders.” (Canon 758, paragraph 3) Following ancient discipline, all Eastern Catholic Churches – with the exception of the SyroMalabar and Syro-Malankara Churches – admit married men not only to the diaconate but also to the priesthood. Later on, special norms were established by the Holy See for married clergy living and ministering their faithful residing outside of the traditional Eastern territories. A recent important development of this legislation gives us the chance to recall the main points of the question in its historical perspective and to understand the newly enacted set of norms.

Since 1890 the Roman Apostolic See issued some directives whereby priests of the Eastern Catholic Churches ministering to their faithful outside of the traditional territories were bound to celibacy like the Latin clergy.

Isolated cases of dispensation were granted by Rome.

The November 2013 Plenary Session of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, among other things, adequately dealt with this issue and reached the wide-ranging consent of the members present. As a consequence, the Prefect of the Eastern Congregation submitted to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, the request to grant, under certain conditions, to the respective ecclesiastical authorities the faculty to allow Eastern Catholic married clergy to minister even outside of their traditional territories.

The Holy Father, at the audience granted to the Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, on December 23, 2013, favorably received this request, notwithstanding

the least things to the contrary (contrariis quibuslibet minime obstantibus) and the text of the new norms was published on June 14, 2014. [Acta Apostolicae Sedis 106 (2014) n. 6, pp. 496-499] In order to better understand the importance of these new rules, it seems opportune to briefly present here the history of the legislation, from its beginnings to the present-day situation.

origin of the restrictive norm

Towards the end of the 19th century, the influx of Eastern Catholic faithful to America, mainly from Slavic countries (Ukrainians, Ruthenians, Slovaks, and so on), caught the local Latin hierarchy off guard, particularly on how to meet the pastoral and spiritual needs of the newcomers.

The initial idea of combining all Catholics under the Latin jurisdiction found its support in the prevailing mentality of the superiority of the Latin rite (praestantia ritus Latini) and the supposed inferiority of Eastern Catholic practices.1 The thenAmerican hierarchy, with Irish or German backgrounds, was not entirely familiar or even open to an Eastern Catholic married clergy. It was foreign to them and practically inadmissible in their dioceses. As a consequence, the Latin bishops insistently requested the Roman Apostolic See to issue restrictive norms that would eliminate such disciplinary difference in their territories and among the faithful entrusted to their pastoral care.

The then Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide (somehow reluctantly) on October 1, 1890, issued a decree forbidding married Ruthenian clergy from residing in United States. In 1913 the Holy See established that only celibate men could be ordained priests in the United States and Canada. Later on, the Sacred Congregation for the Eastern Church published three decrees: Cum data fuerit on March 1, 1929, forbidding the priestly ministry of married Ruthenian clergy in North America; Qua sollerti on December 23, 1929,

extending the same prohibition to all the Eastern Catholic married clergy in North and South America, in Canada, and Australia; and Graeci-Rutheni on May 24, 1930, establishing that only celibate men could be admitted to a seminary as candidates for holy orders.

These decrees, which initially pertained to the Eastern Catholic clergy in the United States and Canada, required for the first time the general obligation of celibacy from Eastern Catholic clerics and constituted a frame of legal precedence that was then extended to other nonEastern territories. The norm was motivated by the difficulty - and perhaps also by weak will - to explain to the Latin faithful that obligatory clerical celibacy binds the Latin Church only.

The local hierarchy was terribly worried that the presence of married Eastern Catholic clergy would have harmed the respect the lay faithful had for Catholic clergy and, moreover, it would have put in danger the celibacy of the Latin clergy. All things considered, then, the reasons that motivated the restrictive norm seem to be of a practical and pastoral character rather than of a theological and ecclesiological nature.

The introduction of obligatory clerical celibacy for Eastern Catholics had some traumatic results. On one side, the uniformity of discipline was reached, but, on the other, the Eastern Catholic communities were divided, often splitting families into pro-and anti-Latin camps. In fact, the first decades following the introduction of the restrictive norms on married clergy, saw approximately two hundred thousand Ruthenian faithful, who fearing for being deprived of their own ritual priests, passed to Orthodoxy.2 The faithful and clergy who remained in the Catholic Church reluctantly submitted to the new norm. In fact, the faithful had not been consulted nor had their rights or spiritual needs been taken into account.3 Therefore, the new set of rules New rules continued on page 12

1 Latin hierarchs in America also objected to the use of languages other than Latin in the liturgy and Confirmation being conferred by a priest in a single ceremony with Baptism.

After 1890 thousands of Ruthenians entered the Russian Orthodox Church. After 1930 thousands more, after a period of autonomy, were accepted as an eparchy under the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

2

3 Latin hierarchy reacted by attempting to persuade Rome to curtail Greek Catholic practices in America, particularly the married clergy. It is, they said, “a constant menace to the chastity of our unmarried clergy … The sooner this point of discipline is abolished before these evils obtain large proportions, the better for religion, because the possible loss of a few souls of the Greek Rite bears no proportion to the blessings resulting from the uniformity of discipline.”

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

PAGE 3

Axios!

continued from page 1 Martin Bovee Sr., Samuel Tima and Stephen Pavasko. Reader was Jeffrey Mierzejewski (Metropolitan Cantor Institute); liturgical responses were led by the Archieparchial Choir, directed by Darlene Fejka.

Archbishop William in his homily noted that this was an “historic day,” in that candidates for priesthood in the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church now have a choice as to whether they will or will not marry - a reference to the Vatican decree announced in November 2014 easing the ban on married priesthood in the Eastern Churches.

“When our Lord called Peter, Peter felt that he was not worthy, yet he responded to the call and was faithful until death,” the Archbishop said, adding that Deacon Donald’s ordination to the priesthood is a sign of his being a recipient of the special gifts of the Holy Spirit. “He will forgive sins, change bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus, and perform weddings between a man and a woman.”

Archbishop William concluded with advice to his newest priest: This special moment is a gift to the people you serve - listen to them. The special gift of the Holy Spirit is in you ‘til the end of time. Continue to grow in it every day.”

Archbishop William also officiated at the Divine Liturgy with Ordination to the Holy Diaconate when thenSubdeacon Donald Bolls was ordained a deacon on Nov. 20, 2014 at the Cathedral.

Father Don transitioned into Byzantine Catholicism after 20 years of study and prayer in part because of a lifetime love of the great liturgical traditions of the Eastern Church. He related during his post-ordination address to the crowd gathered at St. John Cathedral Center for a celebratory dinner that he had spent the past ten of those years both studying and sharing his knowledge at the Seminary of SS. Cyril and Methodius in preparation for this day, “guided by the Holy Spirit.”

A former Presbyterian minister whose love for God, his church, and his people have led him on a journey of prayer and service for over 35 years, the Archeparchy’s newest priest was born and raised in Virginia, and a member of the Presbyterian Church. Father

Server Stephen Pavasko, Monsignor Russell A. Duker, Archpriest Eugene P. Yackanich, Archbishop William, newly ordained Father Donald Bolls, Archpriest Dennis M. Bogda, Very Rev. Robert M. Pipta, Server Samuel Tima. photos: Nick Havrilla, Sr.

Co-Master of Ceremonies Father Valerian Michlik gives altar servers Stephen Pavasko and Sam Tima last-minute instructions before the May 10 ordination with Divine Liturgy.

more photos on page 7

Don’s father and maternal grandfather were ministers as well. He received a BS in Mathematics from Virginia Tech in 1975, a D. Min. from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia in 1979, and a Masters in Eastern Studies through the Antiochian House of Studies in 2003. Father Don credits his wife Barbara (whom he married in 1986), and their son with being “extremely understanding and supportive” of his journey to the Byzantine Catholic presbyterate.

Clergy in attendance at the ordination included Bishop-designate George D. Gallaro; Father John Cuccaro; Monsignor Lawrence Dominik; Father Frank A. Firko; Father James D. Hess, O.Carm; Father Michael Huszti; Father Robert J. Karl; Very Rev. Ronald P. Larko; Father Thomas Miller; Father Robert Oravetz; Very Rev. Archpriest John G. Petro; Father Vasyl Polyak; Father James A. Ragan; Father Joseph Raptosh; Very Rev. James A. Spontak; Father Donald Voss; Subdeacon Rafael Ruggerio. n May God grant to his servant the priest Donald peace, health, and happiness for many blessed years!

Advice to new priests “Dispense to all the word of God, that you yourselves received with joy. Read and meditate assiduously on the Word of the Lord to believe what you read, to teach what you have learned in faith, and to live what you have taught.

“And this is the nourishment of the People of God; that your sermons are not boring; that your own homilies reach people’s hearts because they come from your heart, because what you are saying is truly what you have in your heart. So give the Word of God, and thus your doctrine will be joy and support for the faithful of Christ; the scent of your life will be the testimony, because the example builds, but the words without example are empty words, and will never arrive at the heart and even do harm: They do no good! You will continue the sanctifying work of Christ. Through your ministry, the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is made perfect - because joined to the sacrifice of Christ, through your hands, in the name of the whole Church - [and is] is offered, in a bloodless manner, on the altar in the celebration of the Holy Mysteries . . .

“Aware of being chosen from among men and being favored among them to attend to the things of God, exercise in joy and sincere charity the priestly work of Christ, intent only on pleasing God and not yourselves. It is a bad priest who lives to please himself, who “does [acts like] the peacock!”

“Finally, participating in the mission of Christ, the Head and Shepherd, in son-like communion with your bishop, strive to unite the faithful in one family - Be ministers of unity in the Church, in family - leading them to God the Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit. And always keep in mind the example of the Good Shepherd, who came not to be served but to serve; not to stay in his comfort, but to go out and seek and save what was lost.” n from Pope Francis’ address to newly ordained priests April 26 at St. Peter’s Basilica

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

Faith leaders reaffirm commitment to marriage and religious liberty ‘one man, one woman’

from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

WASHINGTON — A few days before the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the rights of states to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, more than 30 religious leaders representing diverse faith communities throughout the United States have reaffirmed their shared commitment to marriage and religious freedom.

An open letter entitled “The Defense of Marriage and the Right of Religious Freedom: Reaffirming a Shared Witness” was issued to all in positions of public service on April 23.

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), signed the open letter and was joined by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage; Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty; and Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, New York, chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

“We hope this letter serves as an encouragement to all of us, especially those dedicated to public service, to continue to promote both marriage and religious freedom as integral to a healthy and free society,” said Archbishop Kurtz. “Marriage

as the union of one man and one woman provides the best context for the birth and rearing of children and should be specially protected by law.

The law, when it upholds the unique meaning of marriage, is simply recognizing an objective reality, not constructing one: children always have a mother and a father and deserve to be loved and raised by both of them. Society should work to strengthen the unique bond between husband and wife, knowing that strong marriages build stronger communities.”

The religious leaders stressed the need for civility and mutual respect, writing, “Government should protect the rights of those with differing views of marriage to express their beliefs and convictions without fear of intimidation, marginalization or unwarranted charges that their values imply hostility, animosity, or hatred of others.”

The leaders close with a statement of their duty and love towards all: “In this and in all that we do, we are motivated by our duty to love God and neighbor. This love extends to all those who disagree with us on this issue. The well-being of men, women, and the children they conceive compels us to stand for marriage as between one man and one woman.”

The letter is available at: http://www.usccb.org/issuesand-action/marriage-andfamily/marriage/promotionand-defense-of-marriage/ n

usccb president comments on supreme court’s oral arguments on marriage WA S H I N G T O N — T h e U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments April 28, on the constitutionality of states defining and recognizing marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Commenting on the oral arguments before the Court, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), said, “Today is a moment of great consequence. Marriage is a perennial institution, with deep roots in who we are and in our nation’s culture and laws.

Marriage is and always will be the union between one man and one woman. This truth is

inseparable from the duty to honor the God-given dignity of every human person. We pray that the justices will uphold the responsibility of states to protect the beautiful truth of marriage, which concerns the essential well-being of the nation, especially children.

Children have a basic right, wherever possible, to know and be loved by their mother and father together. The Church will always defend this right and looks to people of good will to continue this debate with charity and civility.”

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling by the end of June. n

Pope Francis: our vocation is to care for the covenant of marriage ‘a challenging and exciting vocation’ (Vatican Radio) At his general audience on Wednesday [April 22], Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the family, focusing again on the complementarity of men and women.

Pope Francis commented on the second account of the creation of man in Genesis (following his commentary at the previous audience on the first account of man’s creation.

The first man, Adam, is created “alone” – and God determines to make for him “a helper suited to him.” When the first woman is presented to the man, he recognizes in her “bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh.”

Finally there is a mirroring, a reciprocity,” the Pope said.

“The woman is not a ‘replica’ of the man; she comes directly from the creative act of God. The image of the ‘rib’ does not in any way express inferiority or subordination, but on the contrary, that man and woman are of the same substance and are complementary.”

God is generous to the man and the woman, confiding the care of the earth to them.

But, the Pope said, the “evil one” introduced “suspicion, disbelief, and mistrust” in their minds – and ultimately led them into the first sin.

“The sin generates distrust and division between the man and the woman,” Pope Francis said. “Their relationship will be undermined by a thousand kinds of abuse and subjugation, of deceitful seduction and demeaning humiliations, up to the most dramatic and violent.” He spoke about “the negative excesses of patriarchal cultures … the multiple forms of ‘machismo’… the instrumentalization and commodification of the female body in the current media culture.” But he also warned about “the recent epidemic of distrust, of skepticism, and even of hostility that is spreading throughout our culture – in particular stemming from an understandable diffidence on the part of women – regarding a covenant between man and woman at once of achieving the intimacy of communion and of safeguarding the dignity of difference.”

If we cannot generate sympathy for the covenant between men and women,

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Pope Francis said, children will be increasingly uprooted. “The social devaluation of the stable and generative covenant of the man and of the woman is certainly a loss for everyone,” he said. “We must recover the honour of marriage and the family.” Pope Francis continued, “the safekeeping of this covenant between man and woman, is therefore for us believers a challenging and exciting vocation” in today’s world.

The Pope concluded his catechesis with the image, from Genesis, of God clothing Adam and Eve after their sin. “It is an image of tenderness towards the sinful couple that leaves us open-mouthed with wonder.

It is an image of paternal safeguarding of the human couple. God Himself cures and protects His masterpiece.” n Below is the English language summary of the Pope’s catechesis during the April 22 General Audience: Dear Brothers and Sisters: Continuing our catechesis on the family, we recall God’s creation of man from the ground. He is placed in the garden, where he is to care for creation. Yet God sees that man is alone, and so he creates woman, someone complementary with whom man can share his life. Man and woman are created to live a life of reciprocity, to enter into a covenant together. Yet sin introduces discord into their relationship, lack of trust and suspicion. We see throughout history the fruit of this sin, especially towards women – oppression, violence and exploitation. Most recently, this mistrust and skepticism has led our culture to disregard the marriage covenant between a man and a woman, that covenant which deepens communion and safeguards the dignity of their uniqueness.

When the stable and fruitful covenant between a man and a woman is devalued by society, it is a loss for everyone, especially the young. For all our sins and weaknesses, our vocation is to care for the covenant of marriage. It is a vital and energizing vocation, through which we cooperate with our heavenly Father, who himself always cares for and protects this great gift.

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

PAGE 5

A lifetime of knowledge in two intense sessions

eleven couples benefit from office of religious education’s pre-cana program

by Lori Downey

Pope Francis addressed a large crowd of people on the topic of marriage back on April 2, 2014. He told them, “It’s true that in married life there are many difficulties, with work, with not having enough money, problems with children.

Many difficulties and often the husband and wife get irritated and they fight with each other.

Sometimes even plates fly. We shouldn’t be sad about this, this is human nature.” Pope Francis continued by offering married couples this advice: “Love is stronger than any argument.

Don’t end your day without making peace. Go forward with the courage to want to live together.”

This message from Pope Francis is consistent with the topics addressed at the Office of Religious Education’s 2015 PreCana program. Eleven engaged couples from the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh gathered at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Munhall, Pa. to take part in the program which is sponsored by the ORE. Part I of the Program began Saturday, March 7 with ORE Director Sister Marion Dobos, OSB welcoming the couples and thanking them for attending this important program, especially during such a busy time of their lives.

The first presentation began with Father Thomas Dansak addressing the topic “Communication, Forgiveness & Intimacy.” Father Thomas, a pastoral minister of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh who also has bi-ritual faculties within the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, explained that the first time each couple learned about being a husband/wife and a dad/mom was from watching their own parents, and learning from them. Often couples see how different their own family relationships were compared to that of their future spouse. He emphasized the importance of communication to decide which way is best to handle their own decisions and situations. When addressing “Forgiveness,” Father Thomas pointed out that if you are still talking about “it,” you haven’t “let go” and forgiven.

Professor Mark Collins addressed the topic “Gender Differences & Family Life.” In his PowerPoint presentation, Professor Collins helped the couples reflect on the beauty of marriage and family, consisting

of hopes, struggles and even sufferings, as is the whole of life. Often the couples laughed out loud at the stories which Mark shared about being the only male in a house with his wife and three daughters.

The topic “Finance and Budgeting” was presented by retired CPA Marian Mignogna.

Marian provided each couple with a very thorough packet of information titled “Strategies for Budgeting & Saving.” Within in her presentation, Marian made the following suggestions:

photos by Lori Downey

• Access what you currently have •Know what your debts are •As a couple, agree on your goals •Know the difference between good debt vs. bad debt •Have an emergency fund

Part II of the Pre-Cana program continued on Saturday, March 21 with the topic “Elements of a Healthy Marriage,” presented by Cathedral parishioners Chris and Amanda Singel.

Their very thought-provoking and often comical PowerPoint presentation touched on some serious as well as lighthearted aspects of marriage. Amanda talked about “becoming we” and Chris complemented that topic by addressing the difference between growing old together and maturing together.

Chris ended the presentation by making several suggestions on how married couples can create a “Domestic Church” in their lives.

Professor Mark Collins returned to address the topic “Why a Church Wedding?”

The presentation began with Mark talking about the many reasons couples often give for “not wanting” a church wedding. This topic flowed rather quickly into discussing the many reasons “to have” a church wedding. He posed this question to the couples, “What symbols do you plan on having in your home to remind yourself and others that God is very much a part of your married life?”

“Prayer Ideas for Married Couples” was the topic of the presentation by Father Christiaan Kappes.

Father Christiaan, professor of Liturgy and Patristics at SS. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Seminary in Pittsburgh, began his presentation by talking about ways in which we can prepare ourself to be psychologically open to prayer. One way in

which he described prayer was the lifting up of the mind to God. He also explained affirmations such as petitions, contrition and thanksgiving to help guide us in prayer. Father Christiaan told the couples that the best way to be dynamic in marriage is to be dynamic with God. Finally, Archpriest Dennis Bogda, Rector of St. John the Baptist Cathedral, presented “The Theology of Marriage/ Crowning Ceremony.” As the couples listened attentively, Father Dennis explained the meaning of the Mystery of Crowning. To help the couples better understand what

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they will experience on their wedding day, one couple was chosen to participate in a mock marriage ceremony.

Each couple participating in the Pre-Cana Program received a certificate of completion signed by Archbishop William C. Skurla.

ORE Director Sister Marion Dobos OSB advises couples of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh planning on getting married in 2016 to check the Office of Religious Education page on the Archeparchy’s website www.archpitt.org for the upcoming 2016 Pre-Cana program dates. n

PAGE 6

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

Fifty years continued from page 1

Sunday April 26 also was the observance of World Day of Prayer for Vocations, so it was only natural that this day had been selected to honor Father Eugene, who as a young man of 25 chose to serve the Lord and was ordained March 25, 1965 in McKeesport, Pa. Father Eugene also wanted the occasion to be a celebration of the golden anniversaries of his priestly classmates, most of whom traveled to Pittsburgh to join in the festivity. Also honored from the Class of ‘65 were Rev. Frank Eles, Rev. John Kovach, Rev. Joseph Radvansky and Rev. John Zeyack, who concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with principal celebrant and homilist Most Rev. Gerald N. Dino, Bishop of the Eparchy of Phoenix, also an esteemed classmate and fellow 50-year jubilarian.

Presiding at the Divine Liturgy were Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla (Archeparchy of Pittsburgh), Bishop John M. Kudrick (Eparchy of Parma) and Bishop Kurt Burnette (Eparchy of Passaic).

Deacon Timothy Corbett and Deacon Donald Bolls fulfilled diaconal responsibilities for the liturgy; altar servers from the Cathedral and St. Elias Church assisted. Reader was Jeffrey Mierzejewski, and liturgical responses were led by the Archieparchial Choir, directed

by Darlene Fejka.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, guests proceeded to the Cathedral Center, where a celebratory dinner was held, with music by the Continental Dukes. The banquet program began with the invocation by Bishop John and continued with introduction of special guests

by Toastmaster Mrs. Karen Repasi Hromanik, a member of St. Elias Advisory Council.

Among those introduced were Father Eugene’s sister Dorothy, who proudly read a proclamation from Pope Francis congratulating her brother on his 50 years as a priest. Mayor of Munhall Raymond Bodnar presented a proclamation from the city, declaring April 26, 2015 as “Very Reverend Eugene P. Yackanich Day” in the City of Munhall.

The main address was delivered by Metropolitan William, who then graciously turned the microphone over to Father Eugene, as the Toastmaster offered a brief biography of the guest of honor. “I sincerely thank you all - everyone ... for bring here

Procession to the Cathedral.

today,” beamed Father Eugene.

“My classmates and I sincerely thank you!” Characteristically happy for the accomplishments of others, Father Eugene also called fellow clergyman Father George Gallaro to the microphone to explain to the audience his recent appointment by the Holy Father as Bishop of Piana in Palermo, Italy.

The event’s end was signaled by a benediction given by Bishop Kurt, who also remarked, “I count 400 years of priestly service among our jubilarians in Father Eugene’s class,” a statement which drew hearty applause.

Father Eugene celebrated his first solemn Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Church, Brownsville, Pa., where his father, Rev. Demetrius Yackanich was pastor. One of eight children born to Father Demetrius and Pani Pauline in Trauger, Westmoreland County, Pa., Father Eugene has had 10 assignments over his 50-year career in the priesthood: St. Nicholas Church, Youngstown, Ohio (1965-66); SS. Peter and Paul Church, Braddock, Pa. (1966); SS. Peter and Paul, Chicago, Ill. (1966-67); Byzantine Catholic Seminary, Pittsburgh, Pa. (1967-69); Oriental Institute, Rome, Italy (1969-70); St. George Church, Youngstown, Ohio (1970-76); SS. Peter and Paul Church, Patton, Pa. and St. Ann Church, Clymer, Pa. (1976-79); St. John the Baptist Church, Uniontown, Pa. (1979-94); St. Elias Church, Munhall, Pa. (1994 to present) and St. Mary Church, Duquesne, Pa. (1997-2008). He also acted in many capacities within the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, most notably as Protosyncellus and Temporary Administrator. n

May God grant to his servant the Archpriest Eugene peace, health and happiness for many blessed years!

photos by Nick Havrilla, Sr.

Father Eugene (left) processes with classmate Father John Zeyack and fellow members of the presbyterate.

Bishop Gerald delivers the homily.

front row: Father John Zeyack, Father Frank Eles, Father Eugene Yackanich, Father John Kovach, Father Joseph Radvansky. center row: Deacon Donald Bolls, Bishop Gerald Dino, Bishop-designate George Gallaro. back row: Bishop Kurt Burnette, Bishop John Kudrick, Metropolitan William Skurla, Deacon Timothy Corbett.

Hierarchs of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church with honoree Very Rev. Archpriest Eugene Yackanich and members of the Yackanich family.

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Father Don Bolls

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7

continued from page 3

Deacon Donald greets Metropolitan William as the Divine Liturgy commences.

Deacon Donald Bolls (left) processes into the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Members of the candidate’s family join in singing responses at the Divine Liturgy.

Seminary Rector Father Robert Pipta leads the presbyteral candidate to the Metropolitan Archbishop.

A tender moment at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy with Ordination as the newly ordained Father Don is congratulated by his wife, Barbara.

Metropolitan Archbishop William ordains Deacon Donald Bolls to the Presbyterate.

Barbara Bolls and Father Don

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Father Don imparts his blessing upon Sister Susan Sisko, OSBM photos by Nick Havrilla, Sr.

Father Don offers words of thanks.

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

100 years continued from page 1

were St. George’s parish son, Monsignor Russell A. Duker; Very Rev. Andrew J. Deskevich, Protosyncellus of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh; Father Kevin Marks, former pastor of St. George; Father James Hess; Deacon Michael George; Deacon Thomas Klacik, Parish Administrator; and a number of priests, deacons, and seminarians. The Archieparchial Choir, under the direction of Darlene Fejka, led the congregational singing.

A banquet attended by 250 people followed in the church’s spacious social center, where images of the history of St. George Church were projected on opposite walls of the facility. Deacon Michael George served as toastmaster for the evening. The banquet began with a welcome by Mrs. Joanne Hodovanich Fatato.

Father Andrew offered the invocation and parish cantor David Klacik gave the toast and led the singing of “God Bless America.” Other notable speakers were George Juba, President/CEO of the Greek Catholic Union and Aliquippa Mayor Dwan B. Walker, who presented the congregation with a proclamation commemorating the 100th anniversary. Mary Mudron, the oldest parishioner (97) was acknowledged and presented with an icon of St. George.

After dinner, former pastor Father Kevin Marks reflected on his time at St. George’s and upon the spiritual life of the parish over the past 100 years. Metropolitan William offered his most sincere congratulations and heartfelt best wishes on this auspicious occasion, commending the church founders for their vision, determination, conviction, and leadership. The children of the parish, under the direction of Eastern Christian Formation (ECF) Director Jo Ann Klacik Hersh, presented the Metropolitan with an icon of St. George the Great Martyr and offered an enactment of what it means to be Byzantine and a member of St. George parish. The ECF program also provided to each banquet attendee packets of information about their program and their special “Prayer Path” project, as well as an artwork memento created by the youngsters for the 100th anniversary celebration.

The principal address was given by parish son and first priestly vocation of St. George

above: Father James Hess, OCarm, John Chabala, Prudence Peya, and Peggy Duker Chabala greet Metropolitan William with traditional gifts

Deacon Thomas Klacik and Deacon Michael George at the iconostas.

Church, Monsignor Russell A. Duker, S.E.O.D., pastor of Holy Spirit Church, Pittsburgh and Administrator of St. Pius X Church, Carrick. Monsignor Russell is the youngest of seven children born to the late Stephen D. and Mary Varhola Duker.

In his remarks, he offered a special tribute to his mentor, Monsignor Michael Simodejka of blessed memory and pastor of St. George Church for over 50 years (1947-1997). It was under Monsignor Simodejka’s leadership that during the 1960s the parish was able to fund the building of a new church complex at its present location on Clinton Street, Aliquippa, and thereby move from West Aliquippa. Monsignor Duker spoke of the character and the faith which our founders brought to America over 100 years ago. He said that it was important to these Ruthenian immigrants to build their own church in which to worship God. Today, he continued, we must transmit our faith to the future generations. “We must renew our faith, be people of prayer, be committed to the Mystical Body of Christ, and rejoice because Christ conquered death!” At the conclusion of his address, Monsignor Duker was presented with a plaque honoring his faithful dedication to the priesthood for the past 45 years.

The evening concluded with a parochial response by Deacon Thomas Klacik and benediction

by Father James Hess. n

Metropolitan William begins the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy photos by John Karchinsky

Metropolitan William with concelebrants and assistentia.

Several St. George parishioners contributed to this story. the byzantine catholic world

left: Monsignor Russell A. Duker. above: GCU President George Juba with Aliquippa Mayor Dwan B. Walker. below: Deacon Tom Klacik addresses the gathering at St. George Center.

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

PAGE

A ‘five-star’ parish anniversary book

aliquippa parish history a fine example

by John Schweich

Anyone contemplating compiling a parish history would do well to use as a model the superbly and imaginatively constructed centennial history commemorative book of St. George Byzantine Catholic Church of Aliquippa, Pa. The 176-page, 8.5”x11” softcover book contains a listing and photos of the parish founders (Andrew Kovacs, Mike Malinich, Maxwell Opsatnik, Joseph Merges, Mikael Poiarkoff, and John Chapes), a list of current and past clergy who have served the parish, and the names and dates of service of all of the parish cantors from 1917 to the present.

Truly stunning is the wealth of photographs depicting life then and now at St. George’s. The volume also includes a history of Greek Catholic Union Lodge 10 (F:1908).

9

Deacons, wives attend annual spiritual refresher retreat master father christiaan kappes centers on holy theotokos

by Sandy Simko

The founders of St. George the Great Martyr parish can rest assured that their labors and legacy have been admirably chronicled. n John Schweich is a longtime collector of Greek Catholic and Orthodox immigrant parish histories. He may be contacted at jtschweich@gmail.com.

Summertime is near, and that means it’s time for

A group of 27 deacons and wives representing the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh and the Eparchy of Parma, Ohio headed “up the mountain” to the Antiochian Village Complex located in Bolivar, Pa. in the idyllic countryside near the city of Latrobe for their annual retreat April 10.

Long distance travelers were Lawrence and Mary Hendricks from Michigan and Gregory Haddad from Louisiana.

Father Christiaan W. Kappes, full professor of Liturgy and Patristics at SS. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Seminary in Pittsburgh, served as Retreat Master. Also in attendance were Metropolitan William Skurla and Very Reverend Archpriest Dennis Bogda.

The theme of the weekend retreat was centered on blessed Mary, The Theotokos. Father Christiaan gave insights into Mary’s role as the Theotokos and how these insights permeate into many aspects of our prayer life, and our liturgical, spiritual and sacramental life.

Presenting a selection of

The Byzantine Catholic World once again will promote the Archeparchy’s 2015 Parish Picnics & Festivals throughout the summer beginning with the June 14 issue.

Hard-copy forms to submit information will be distributed to all pastors/administrators. PDF form also will be available online at www.archpitt.org. All information received must be authorized by pastor/administrator.

Submissions will be printed in The BCW and listed online.

NOTE BCW submission deadlines: for June 14 issue - June 2 for July 5 issue - June 23 for July 26 issue - July 14 for August 16 issue - August 4 Submissions for inclusion in the Calendar of Events on the Archeparchy’s web site may be submitted at any time with proper pastoral approval to web@archpitt.org.

BYZANTINE DIVINE LITURGY view liturgical services (various times) streamed LIVE online at: St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Munhall, Pa. www.stjohnsbyzantinecathedral.com Holy Ghost Church, McKees Rocks www.holyghost-byzantinecatholic.org St. John Chrysostom Church, Pittsburgh, Pa. www.sjcbcc.com

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prayers from the Divine Liturgy, Father Christiaan traced them from the fulfillment in the New Testament back through their origins in the Old Testament, explaining how these prayers relate to the Theotokos - she who gave birth to God and to the faithful who are called to be Christ-Bearers.

Father Christiaan also made a connection between liturgical terms such as dwelling, tent and overshadowing and their relationship with the Annunciation, Transfiguration and the Words of Institution.

The role of the Holy Spirit in salvation history also was presented, beginning with the Holy Spirit’s overshadowing of Mary, the overshadowing of the bread and wine and concluding with the Holy Spirit being asked to overshadow us.

As in past years, the attendees of this annual spiritual refresher enjoyed the peace and serenity of the surroundings at Antiochian Village as well as the joy and comfort of being in the company of fellow deacons and spouses. n

parish news PAGE 10

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

St. Stephen parishioners know their Bible

Wholly holy celebrations

pray, reflect, socialize. learn, grow

St. Michael Parish, Hermitage, Pa. celebrated a spiritual milestone in the lives of three young parishioners. On Sunday May 3, Mary Catherine Sieracki, Jane Sieracki, and Nicole Campbell (pictured above with ECF catechist Monica Walls, Father Kevin E. Marks and parish altar servers) received the Holy Mystery of Reconciliation for the first time.

Then during the Sunday Divine Liturgy which followed, the girls renewed their baptismal promises and received Holy Eucharist together.

In his homily, pastor Father Kevin related the story of Moses being a prefiguration of Jesus: just as Moses delivered the chosen people from slavery, so Jesus Christ delivers us from sin through Reconciliation (Confession) and receiving Holy Communion. At the conclusion of his homily, Father Kevin presented each of the students with an icon, a certificate, and other commemorative gifts. Following The Divine Liturgy, a social was held in the church narthex. n

by Archpriest John G. Petro

http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/

WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES 2015 PHILADELPHIA

“We don’t know enough about the Bible!” . . .“I sure would like to know more about the Bible!” . . . “When my friends talk about the Bible, I feel as if I really don’t know very much!”

These are all comments that we hear so often in our parishes. Even though we read the Scriptures in most of the liturgical services of our Byzantine Catholic Church, and even though most of the hymns and prayers are taken from the Bible, most of us feel inadequate to talk about the Bible.

So, in our parish of St Stephen in North Huntingdon, we gathered each week during the Great Fast and beyond to do something about this. We came together first for prayer, the chanting of the Third Lenten Hour, and we followed with a short break for coffee

and bagels. Then we began to look at the Bible and reflect on the various accounts that point us eventually to the Eucharist. There are many stories that revolve around meals. We read the account in the Old Testament of Abraham and Sarah inviting the three strangers for a meal; we also reflected on the Exodus and the Passover, the loaves and the fish, Jesus’ supper with his disciples, the meal at Emmaus as well as other meals in the Scriptures.

As we studied these stories, we also saw the connections with our liturgical services, with the iconography and with our daily life. Thus we came together, we prayed, we reflected, we learned, we socialized, and hopefully we are all growing in our faith, our life and our spiritual understanding. n

first reconciliation in hermitage, campbell parishes reason to rejoice

photo by Michael J. Vasil

St. Michael Parish in Campbell, Ohio celebrated joyously as two of their young parishioners received the Holy Mystery of Reconciliation (Confession) for the first time. At the Sunday Divine Liturgy on May 17, Father Kevin E. Marks presented Katie Morris and Arianna Flauto (second and third from left in above photo) with a holy icon, a certificate, a children’s bible and other commemorative gifts to mark the occasion of their first reception of this holy mystery of the Byzantine Catholic Church. Following the Divine Liturgy, for which Katie and Arianna dressed in beautiful and festive attire and received Holy Eucharist together, a breakfast in their honor was held at the parish social hall. Pictured with the honorees and their fellow ECF students are Sister Leocadia Sevachko, OSBM (left) and ECF instructor Sister Bernarda Sevachko, OSBM (right), who prepared the children for their special day. n photo by Rudinec & Associates the byzantine catholic world

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

parish news

USC ‘Springing’ into action

by Father Valerian Michlik

clean-up time With perfect weather in the forecast, parishioners of St. Gregory Byzantine Catholic Church in Upper St. Clair, Pa. came together on Saturday May 2 for the annual parish Spring Clean-up Day. Everyone was excited to get to work beautifying the church property and cleaning up the Prayer Trail, which has been a wonderful area of meditation for all our parishioners. Not only did we have faithful working outside, but we also were blessed with parishioners who worked hard cleaning the interior of our church. At the end of the day, everyone was excited to see the “fruits of their labor.” To all of our dedicated faithful: a big THANK YOU for all your hard work! n photo: Jennifer T. Kehm

first reconciliation

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Something’s kind of fishy near Lyndora . . . the ‘big one’ didn’t get away!

The 7.5-pound, 22-inch rainbow trout was a challenge, but John Homa, longtime parishioner from St. John the Baptist Church in Lyndora, Pa. was up to the difficult hour-long challenge. Setting up shop at Little Connoquenessing Creek on private property, in a spot he’s been fishing for decades, Homa felt the familiar tug on his line and figured it was a big one.

Thanks to the o c t o g e n a r i a n ’s tenacity and sheer patience, the big fish wore out before he did. This one didn’t get away!

Since age six, John, who will celebrate his 88th birthday in July, has been a fisherman.

“My buddies always said I could catch a fish in a bathtub if I wanted to.” n

Slavjane gears up for 39th annual concert

june 13 at our lady of the sacred heart On May, 3 - the Fifth Paschal Sunday 2015 - the parish family of St. Gregory Church celebrated the First Reconciliation of four parish children: Ava Marie Cerny, Kyra Rose Delahanty, Grace Olimbia Ferency and Juliana Alena Uhrlen. These children have reached what is regarded as “the age of discretion,” that is, they know the difference between right and wrong, and are deemed able to take responsibility for their actions. Thanks to the parents of our newly reconciled children and all of the wonderful teachers of our Eastern Christian Formation Program for teaching and preparing them for this special day in their lives. n photo: Jennifer T. Kehm

serving at ‘the table’ once again

The 39th Annual Slavjane Folk Ensemble Concert will be held Saturday, June 13 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School Auditorium, 1504 Woodcrest Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Curtain time is 1:30 p.m., followed by a reception at Holy Ghost Social Center, 1430 Superior Avenue (North Side), Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

Slavjane consists of 35 students ages 4 to 18 from all over the Greater Pittsburgh area. Featured in the group’s 2015 program are songs, dances, and musical selections from Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, and signature pieces from Carpatho-Rus’.

photo: Kathy Ali

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Debra Novotnak

On Tuesday May 5, ECF Teens from St. Gregory Church were back at the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community in Pittsburgh’s Southside.

Our teens were happy to be back to prepare and serve at this local kitchen, which assists many in this area. Following the dinner there was time for fellowship and to help with the clean-up. This outreach ministry is important for all as we continue the Table’s mission, which is to be a bridge between the kingdom of God and those we serve by creating community, building relationships and loving one another. n

Following the concert, the dancing and singing continues at Holy Ghost Social Center on Pittsburgh’s North Side, right off of Pa. Route 65. Delicious homemade ethnic foods and pastries will be available for purchase along with a sprawling “Rusyn” (Chinese) Auction.

Entertainment will be provided by the popular and versatile Orkestar Zabava. Tickets are available in advance and also at the door. Adults $10, students $5, children 5 and under are free. Reception-only admission is $5. Contact Jackie Righetti at 412-749-0675 or Dean Poloka at 412-877-9351 to order tickets or for further information. n

PAGE 12

New rules

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

continued from page 1

was perceived as an imposition rather than an organic development correspondent to their traditions.

post-council period

Following the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), in the light of the affirmations of the Decree on the Eastern Churches, Orientalium ecclesiarum, about respect for the Eastern traditions everywhere in the world (ubique terrarum), the heads of certain Eastern Catholic Churches and other hierarchs requested the Roman Apostolic See to abrogate the restrictive norm.

In fact, the Council Fathers “solemnly declared that the Churches of both east and west enjoy the right, and are bound by duty, to govern themselves in accordance with their own particular rules, seeing that they are recommended by venerable antiquity, are more suited to the customs of their faithful and seem more suitable for assuring the good of souls.” (OE n. 5) Nevertheless, several letters of Paul VI (+ 1978) and John Paul II (+ 2005) to Melkite and Ukrainian hierarchs restated the restrictive norm for the socalled diaspora married clergy.

The given reasons called the Eastern hierarchy to consider the stability/wellbeing of the Church universal (… au sens de l’Eglise universelle) and to the need of considering eventual ripples through other rites within the Catholic Church (… des répercussions que peuvent provoquer chez d’ autres rites de l’Eglise Catholique). Thus, the January 30, 1980 letter of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches drew attention to “those repercussions that the existence of Eastern Catholic married priests presents certain delicate issues to the Latin communities (… que la présence de prêtres orientaux mariés, … pose des problèmes délicates aux communautés de rite latin).

How should we interpret such a request to keep in mind the stability/well-being of the universal Church? And what were the “delicate issues” linked with the presence of Eastern married clergy in Latin rite dioceses? In all probability one could see the shadow of the serious crisis of priestly celibacy within the post-Vatican II Church, especially in the Latin West of the seventies. The many defections of priests and the wide public challenge of the Latin norm of celibacy were a phenomenon that seriously hurt the Catholic Church.

From this perspective one can understand the fear that the revocation of the restriction on

Eastern married clergy, requested

by Eastern hierarchs, could have then been most likely interpreted as dissension against the celibacy of the Latin clergy and a sign of weakness of the Church before undue pressures, or even could have been looked upon with a kind of hidden envy by protesting groups of Latin clergy dissatisfied with the traditional norm of the Latin Church.

Several decades have come and gone since that post-conciliar crisis on clerical celibacy in the Latin Church. Moreover, it goes without saying that presently in the Latin West there are dozens of priests coming from Anglicanism who, although married, exercise pastoral ministry in Latin parishes. This relatively new situation does not seem to minimally disturb the faithful or the celibate clergy.

a new situation

Today, there are de facto Eastern ecclesial communities in all continents, and therefore the situation of the Eastern Catholics is completely different from that that existed in North America at the end of the nineteenth century, when the restrictive legislation for the Eastern married clergy appeared, or in the seventies of last century, when the Latin Church had to face the critical identity of priests and the stormy challenge of celibacy.

The last few decades also saw visible shifts in the general opinion of the Latin episcopate with regard to the possibility and/or opportunity of the presence of Eastern married clergy in western countries.

This is also corroborated by the various episcopal conferences in countries with a significant presence of Eastern Catholics, which have expressed their support in restoring the traditional Eastern praxis, even though some episcopal conferences wish/prefer to see the newcomers served by celibate clergy. Moreover, it should be noted that in these very nations, not a few members of the hierarchy often approach the Congregation for the Eastern Churches to regularize the presence of individual married priests who, with the support of the local people, were successfully working for the Eastern faithful in their dioceses.

These considerations constitute the context of the new norm which foresees three ways of dealing with the pastoral presence of Eastern Catholic married clergy. In some places Eastern Catholics lack their own hierarchical administrative structures and therefore the

papal norms offer a way of proceeding with regard to the admission of Eastern married clergy in these situations.

Within the territories where Eastern faithful lack a hierarchical structure and are entrusted to the care of the Latin bishops of the place, the faculty for allowing the pastoral service of Eastern married clergy is reserved to the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, which will exercise it in concrete specific cases after hearing the opinion of the respective episcopal conferences. In this last specific case, one shall follow the norm given by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on February 20, 2008, which bound all the Eastern Catholic married clergy residing outside of their traditional Eastern territories.

In some countries Eastern Catholics lacking their own hierarch are entrusted to the care of a single local hierarch, usually a Latin bishop. In these so-called Ordinariates for the Eastern faithful said faculty is vested in the Ordinaries, who will exercise it informing in concrete cases the respective episcopal conference and the Congregation for the Eastern Churches.

Within the Eastern administrative districts (metropolias, eparchies, exarchates) established outside the traditional territories, this faculty of allowing the pastoral service of Eastern married clergy is vested in the Eastern hierarchs, who will exercise it according to the traditions/norms of their respective Churches. Also, they have the faculty to ordain Eastern married candidates coming from the respective administrative district/territory with the obligation to inform beforehand in writing the Latin bishop of the candidate’s residence, in order to have his opinion and any useful/relevant information.

Therefore, this faculty foresees the possibility of inviting married clergy from the socalled traditional Eastern territories and/or of ordaining married men (viri probati) from other territories. This last case obviously implies the same standard formation of candidates for priesthood: human formation, spiritual formation, intellectual formation, and pastoral formation.

Indeed, this praxis is followed by the same Churches in their own territories which foresee a common formation for all candidates, celibates or married, before the reception of holy orders. The only procedural difference for married candidates

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to priesthood is the stipulation that the Eastern bishop inform beforehand the Latin bishop of the candidate’s residence, in order to have his opinion or any useful information. This stipulation is nothing else than a specification implied in the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium: “The authority who admits a candidate to sacred ordination should obtain testimonial letters, if it is considered expedient (si id expedire iudicat).” [Canon 769, paragraph 1, number 6] Due to prudential reasons, Pope Francis decided to make this possibility obligatory for bishops when ordaining married candidates outside of the traditional Eastern territories.

The possibility/potentiality of satisfying pastoral needs with newcomer married clergy from traditional territories does not dispense the relative Eastern hierarchs outside from the duty to promote local vocations. It rather increases their pastoral work for promoting both celibate and married candidates to sacred orders.

The new directives on pastoral service of the Eastern Catholic married clergy outside of the traditional Eastern territories constitutes an eloquent sign of the confidence the supreme legislator has in the Eastern Catholic hierarchs and of the reconfirmed respect regarding the disciplinary diversity among the Eastern Churches sui iuris and the Latin Church.

Fifty years after the Decree on the Eastern Catholic Churches, it is once again confirmed the journey undertaken by the Second Vatican Council: one Church with two codes for the varietas ecclesiarum, different disciplinary, liturgical, spiritual and theological approaches in order to express the same principles of faith. This eagerly awaited gesture of confidence entails a responsible application of the new rules and should not constitute, even minimally, a prejudice before the celibate clergy, Eastern or Latin, nor an occasion for claims or undue inferences/speculations with regard to Latin praxis on celibacy and of the high esteem that celibacy enjoys among the Eastern Catholic Churches. n Archbishop Cyril Vasil’ SJ is Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches at the Vatican.

Father George Gallaro, bishopdesignate for the Eparchy of Piana in Palermo, Italy, is a priest of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton and former Professor of Canon Law and Ecumenism at SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pa.

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

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13

Ground-breaking news!

mount macrina manor to get ‘facelift’ from the Sisters of St. Basil the Great

Papal Mass Pilgrimage philadelphia, pa. september 26-27

PILGRIMAGE INCLUDES: •Luxury Round-trip Motorcoach Transportation •1 night Hotel lodging at Country Inn of Lancaster •One Breakfast (hotel) and One Dinner (Good ‘n’ Plenty) (All other meals on your own) •Performance of “Joseph” at Sight and Sound Theater •Additional Transport to Philadelphia for Papal Liturgy

UNIONTOWN, PA. — On April 14, 2015 special groundbreaking ceremonies took place on the grounds of Mount St. Macrina, home of Mount Macrina Manor. The Manor is on the verge of renovation and refurbishment of the entire facility, which will further enhance the excellent level of care given at the long-term facility, which is sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great.

Mount Macrina Manor was built on the grounds of Mount St. Macrina in 1971. Expanded and enhanced through the years, today Mount Macrina Manor provides skilled and intermediate levels of nursing

care for the elderly and infirm.

The 139-bed licensed and certified facility features a Hospice Care Unit and a stateof-the-art Alzheimer Unit.

The holistic person-centered approach to caring includes clinical, rehabilitation, and support services such as respite care, physical, occupational and speech therapies, and pastoral/spiritual care. As a sponsor, the Sisters of St. Basil embrace the Manor’s mission to be an integral expression of their commitment to God and His people.

For further information on Mount Macrina Manor and its programs, call 724-437-1400. n left: Archbishop William Skurla of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh blesses the ground during the ceremonies.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: JUNE 1, 2015! Please note: Reservations are limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

We have secured a limited number of rooms for our pilgrimage based on bus capacity of 50. Once all spaces are filled, a waitng list will be started. Hard-copy Reservation Form (below) and non-refundable payment in full are due at time of registration.

No phone or e-mail reservations will be accepted.

below: Attorney Carmine V. Molinaro, Jr., Mount Macrina Manor Board Member, Archbishop William C. Skurla, and Very Rev. Lawrence DiNardo, VG, JCL of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and Mount Macrina Manor Board President, share some light moments following the groundbreaking ceremony.

PAPAL PILGRIMAGE TO PHILADELPHIA • REGISTRATION FORM •

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

NOTE: A registration form is required for EACH person in your party.

Payment in full is due with registration.

DEADLINE: JUNE 1, 2015

Name ___________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________ City ______________________________________ State________________Zip Code ______________ Parish ____________________________________________ Phone (home) ______________________________ (cell) _______________________________ Email ___________________________________________ Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy): ______/______/_______ Gender: ___M ____F HOTEL RESERVATIONS - TRAVELING ALONE

If you are traveling alone and do not wish to pay for a single occupancy room, but do not have companion(s) with whom you would prefer to stay, then your hotel room and roommates (of the same gender) will be assigned based on your occupancy preference.

Single person room occupancy preference prices are per person: _____Single $425 _____Double $315 _____Triple $295 HOTEL - TRAVELING WITH COMPANION(S) Room occupancy preference: (price per person) _____Double $315 _____Triple $295

"

Name(s) of those with whom you wish to stay: 1)________________________________________________ 2)________________________________________________ MAIL THIS FORM AND PAYMENT IN FULL TO:

Papal Visit Pilgrimage c/o 66 Riverview Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15214 Make check payable to “Archeparcy of Pittsburgh”

Pictured at the groundbreaking are: JoLynn Meyers, Mount Macrina Manor Nursing Home Administrator; Sister Seraphim Olsafsky, Provincial, Sisters of St. Basil the Great; Very Rev. Lawrence A. DiNardo, VG, JCL, Board President; Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla, Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh; Sister Susan Sisko, OSBM, Board Member; Sister Carol Petrasovich, Board Member; Eric McRoberts, Architect, RPLS, Carmine Molinaro, Jr., Esq. (partially hidden from view); Martin Saunders, Esq., Board Member; Sister Ruth Plante, Board Member; Richard Dropik, Project Manager/Engineer, RPLS; Ted Stefancin, Sisters of St. Basil Project Representative; Sister Barbara Jean Mihalchick, Board Member; Sister Margaret Ann Andrako, Board Member; and Joseph Massaro III, Contractor.

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PAGE 14

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

thoughts for our day

by Archpriest David M. Petras

WHO IS GOD? Recent surveys have shown that the number of atheists and agnostics has nearly doubled, while the number of Christians has dropped drastically. This is all around us, and probably most of us know a friend or relative who has lost faith.

This is important also for our faith in resurrection, for if there is no God, there is certainly no resurrection.

I am reminded of the verse from the psalms: “The fool has said in his heart: ‘There is no God above.’” (Psalm 13:1) The Jesuit poet from the nineteenth century made a powerful statement about God’s presence in creation and echoed the foolishness of not believing: “The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; it gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod? [“reck his rod” means “recognize his scepter”] The Acts of the Apostles tells us, “The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.

Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything. He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’ as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’”

(Acts 17:24-28)

As Christians, however, our faith is in God, and at every Liturgy we begin our profession of faith with the words, “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and of all things, visible and invisible.”

The teachers of the Church tried to say who God is. St. Gregory the Theologian write,

“God is ineffable and incomprehensible ... but he has not left us in absolute ignorance ...

He has implanted the knowledge of his existence in everyone by nature.”

— St. John Damascene “As far as we can tell, “he who is” and “God” are the special names of his divine essence, particularly “He who is,” because this is the name that he revealed to Moses . . . and also the one that is most appropriate . . . Here we are inquiring into a nature whose being is absolute and not into a being that is bound up with something else. In its proper sense, being is peculiar to God and belongs entirely to him.

It is not limited to before and after, because in him there is no past or future.” (On the Son, Theological Oration 4 (30).18) The sixth-century Syrian writer who called himself Dionysius gave, in my opinion, the best description of God, “Nor can any words come up

to the inexpressible Good, this One, this Source of all unity, this supra-existent Being, Mind beyond mind, word beyond speech, it is gathered up by no discourse, by no intuition, by no name. It is and it is as no other being is.

Cause of all existence, and therefore itself transcending existence, it alone could give an authoritative account of what it really is.” (The Divine Names, 1,1) Resurrection has no meaning or basis of faith unless there is God. Many theologians have offered rational arguments for why there is God, but not to force minds to believe, but for the support of the faithful, to show that faith in God is reasonable and sound.

Generally, people are not convinced by argumentation, and, at any rate, God, in whom we are interested, is God who revealed himself and his plan of salvation to us. Since there is existence, it is reasonable to presuppose a “principle of existence,” but for our purposes, some abstract, unconscious “principle” is not sufficient, God is a dynamic, creating, conscious Creator of all, who loves us and reveals himself to us.

Today, the attack upon the concept of God’s existence continues; it is nothing new.

Most prominent and popular today are Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, the late Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett.

These four are sometimes called “the Four Horsemen” of the New Atheist Movement. They often label believers as fools or children. They champion scientific knowledge and hold that faith is incompatible with it.

Actually, many famous scientists were believers. Werner von Heisenberg, who formulated Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, which some atheists hold disproves the existence of God, was himself a pious Lutheran.

Gregor Mendel, who pioneered

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the field of genetics, was a Catholic monk. The Big Bang theory for the beginning of the universe, was first formulated by a Catholic priest, Msgr.

Georges Lemaître. One of the most prominent Christian scientists, Francis Collins, head of the National Institute of Health said, “most importantly to my Christian faith is the literal and historical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which is the absolute cornerstone of what I believe.” St. John Damascene observed, “God is ineffable and incomprehensible ... but he has not left us in absolute ignorance ... He has implanted the knowledge of his existence in everyone by nature.” [“The world is charged with the grandeur of God ...” ] (On the Orthodox Faith 1.1) God is truly unity. This is why it is so crucial to confess the oneness of God. God is not “dispersed” in space and time, but is the one ground from which all being exists, explaining our hope for “being in God.” Jesus taught: “I pray not only for them (the disciples), but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. ” (John 17:20-23) This helps also to explain the nature of our consciousness, the possibility of deification, and the hope of resurrection.

We find our center in the one God, who is closer to us than we are to ourselves. n

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

PAGE 15

HAPPY ARE THE ONES YOU HAVE CHOSEN AND RECEIVED, O LORD; THEY ARE REMEMBERED FOREVER. ALLELUIA! Commemorating the 5th Anniversary of the repose in the Lord of

In Blessed Memory

His Eminence Metropolitan Archbishop

Basil M. Schott Born: July 21, 1939 Ordained: Aug. 29, 1965 Episcopal Ordination: July 11, 1996 Enthroned Metropolitan Archbishop: July 9, 2002 Fell asleep in the Lord: June 10, 2010

Charter members of Archeparchial Choir fallen asleep in the Lord barbara a. timo

thomas m. karolcik

Barbara Ann Timo, 63, of Bentleyville, Pa. fell asleep in the Lord Monday, May 18, 2015 in her home. A lifelong member of St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church in Donora, and charter member of the Pittsburgh Byzantine Catholic Archeparchial Choir (PBCAC), Barbara was born Nov. 4, 1951 in Charleroi, Pa., a daughter of John Edward Timo, Sr. of Bentleyville and the late Helen Warholic Timo.

Barbara was a 1970 graduate of Bentworth High School, and worked for Cooper Industries for many years until her retirement in 2013. A member of the Greek Catholic Union, the Carpatho-Rusyn Society, the and the Girl Scouts of America, Barbara also enjoyed volunteering at Mount St. Macrina in Uniontown, helping the Sisters of St. Basil throughout the year, especially during the Annual Pilgrimage as a Gift Shop sales associate.

Barbara was an excellent human being, loving and kind.

She will be greatly missed, especially by her fellow PBCAC members, who remember Barbara as a loyal and dedicated soprano singer, and a thoughtful and considerate friend. Remembering birthdays, anniversaries with a greeting card, as well as getwell wishes was one of Barb’s many kindnesses, always punctuated with her signature “sparkles,” which surprised and delighted the recipient when they came cascading

A lifelong member of St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church of Perryopolis, Pa., where he also was a proud lifelong resident, Thomas Michael Karolcik Sr., 87, fell asleep in the Lord peacefully at home with his family by his side on Saturday, April 25, 2015. Born Sept. 5, 1927, in Star Junction, Pa., he was the son of the late Michael and Anna (Timosko) Karolcik. Tom graduated from Perry High School, spent two years in Japan with the repatriation forces then graduated from Penn State University. He worked with his father at Karolcik’s Food Market, and ran the Perry Theater and bowling alley until he went into business for himself in January 1969 at the Bentleyville Foodland. He was co-owner of Mt. Pleasant Foodland, Mitchel’s Corner Foodland and Fort Couch Foodland in the South Hills.

He was a proud member of the Perryopolis Knights of Columbus, Bentleyville and Perryopolis Lions Clubs, Perryopolis VFW and Belle Vernon American Legion where he enjoyed serving ravioli and spaghetti at their dinners. A dedicated, loving and involved son, husband, father and grandfather, Tom was an affable and talented charter member (10 years) of the Pittsburgh Byzantine Catholic Archeparchial Choir’s

+Barbara A. Timo

from the card.

Surviving in addition to her father is a brother, John Timo, Jr. (Carmen) of Daisytown, Pa.; two sisters, Cathy Silvestri of Pittsburgh, and Peggy Bell (Ross) of Meadville; a nephew, Phillip Timo, a niece Maria Silvestri, and a most special and beloved Aunt, Nell Warholic.

In addition to her mother, preceding her in death is a sister, Susan Timo, who passed away Nov. 9, 2014.

Friends were received Tuesday and Wednesday at the Greenlee Funeral Home in Bentleyville, where a Panachida was held at 10 a.m. Thursday May 21; Funeral Divine Liturgy followed at 11 a.m. at St. Michael Church with Father Stephen Wahal and Father Jerome Botsko concelebrating. Responses were led by the Archeparchial Choir.

Interment followed at the parish cemetery. n

May God grant to his servant Barbara Eternal Memory and Blessed Repose!

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+Thomas M. Karolcik

bass section until retiring from singing in 2008. Tom is survived by loving wife Barbara (Romzy), his partner in all things for nearly 60 years. Also surviving are his mother-in-law, Anna Romza (age 107); sister, Irene (Stanley) Kokuba of Saint Clair Shores, Mich.; sister-inlaw, Helen Romzy of West Mifflin, Pa.; children, Thomas Jr. (Carrie) of Finleyville, Anna (Tom) Kovalcik of Barrington, N.H. and John (Amanda) of Morgantown, W.Va.; eight grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Friends were received in the Blair-Lowther Funeral Home, Perryopolis.

Funeral Divine Liturgy was celebrated Thursday morning April 30 at St. Nicholas Church, Perryopolis, by Father Robert Halus. Interment was in the parish cemetery. n

May God grant to his servant Thomas Eternal Memory and Blessed Repose!

PAGE 16

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015

We remember . . .

a history of memorial day On May 5, 1868 - three years after the Civil War ended - the head of an organization of Union veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.

The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies.

After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.

Today, cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Ga. claim the title, as well as Richmond, Va. The village of Boalsburg, Pa. claims it began there two years earlier.

In 1966, however, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day. There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff.

Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say that earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or just onetime events.

It was not until after World War I that the day was expanded to honor those who died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.

Gen. Logan’s order for his posts to decorate graves in 1868 “with the choicest flowers of springtime” urged: “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance . . . Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

The crowd attending the first Memorial Day ceremony at

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Byzantine Catholic Press Associates 66 Riverview Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15214 Tel: 412.231.4000 Fax: 412.231.1697 E-mail: bcw@archpitt.org Web site: www.archpitt.org

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Arlington National Cemetery was approximately the same size as those that attend today’s observance, about 5,000 people.

Then, as now, small American flags were placed on each grave — a tradition followed at many national cemeteries today.

In recent years, the custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.

To ensure the sacrifices of America’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance.

The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance. The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. n source: www.va.gov

around the archeparchy FLEA MARKET - Saturday, June 6 at St. John the Baptist Cathedral Center, 210 Greentree Road, Munhall, Pa. Along with hundreds of flea market finds, famous CAMEO Club hoagies as well as homemade baked goods will be avaiable for purchase. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information call Carol 412-464-1666.

ALL YOU CAN EAT BREAKFAST BUFFET sponsored by St. Mary’s Youth Group, St. Mary’s Center, Route 981 in Trauger, Pa. Sunday, June 14 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Adults $6; Children (ages 5-10) $3; ages 4 & under FREE. SLOVAK CHILDREN’S CHOIR Tuesday, June 30, the Western PA Slovak Cultural Association brings to Pittsburgh the 38-voice Slovak children’s choir, Pro Musica-Magnolia, one of the best and most famous choirs in Slovakia. Their repertoire includes classical and popular music as well as traditional folk songs and dances of the Zemplin region. Presented at Synod Hall, 125 N. Craig Street adjoining St. Paul Cathedral in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Concert time is 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: adults $20; children 12 and under $7. Discount pricing ($17/adults, $5 children) available for groups of 10 or more adults or 10 or more children.

Make checks payable to WPSCA and send to: Manor Oak Two, Suite 500, 1910 Cochran Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15220. For more information, call Joe at 412- 531-2990 or 412-956-6000.

dates to remember may 24 Feast of Pentecost may 25 Memorial Day - national observance CHANCERY CLOSED may 26-27 Presbyteral Days - Conference for Clergy of the Archeparchy St. John the Baptist Cathedral and Center may 29-31 Young Adult Retreat Weekend Mount St. Macrina - Uniontown, Pa. june 13 Slavjane Annual Concert Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Theatre - Coraopolis, Pa. june 14 - national observance Flag Day june 21 - national observance Father’s Day See more upcoming events at www.archpitt.org

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