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Cathedral Parish Mission 2012

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:46:47 -0500

Chili Cookoff

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:58:09 -0500

The Cathedral Parish Mission Statement 2012

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:39:36 -0500

We begin with a question: Why did God make you? God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.

We know God as:

-a Significant Other “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”[Gal 2:20]

-in A Relationship of True Communion and Love having the power to comprehend the breadth, the length, the height, and depth, to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, so that they may be filled with all the fullness of God.[Eph 3:18-19]

-Sharing in the Wholeness of the Truth “I count every-thing a loss because of the surpassing worth of the knowledge of Christ.”[Phil 3:8]

-Overcoming the Dichotomy Between Individual and Society If we really know Jesus we become a whole person integrating in the best sense individualism and commitment to others

-Growing in the Grace and Knowledge of Christ [2 Peter 3:18] Growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ ultimately means to become a Christ-like person

Vision of Melkite Bishop Nicholas

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:18:51 -0500

I offer a vision for this third Christian millennium. We need to live it today:

We need a stronger and direct role of the laity. Through Baptism and Christmation each is a part of the royal priesthood; you share in the work of evangelizing and spreading Christianity. You need to live the Liturgy that is celebrated in church and in the world after you leave the church. We need to evangelize those we have within our parishes and welcome others into our communities.
We need to recognize our gifts and talents for the building up of the body of Christ.
We need to emphasize stewardship, the proper use of our God-given gifts, for the life and growth of the Church,. I speak of our gifts of Time, Talent and Treasure. Stewardship is not a program but a way of life.
We need to re-focus on religious education, especially for the adults from whom the youth learn. In this area our Church is almost sterile; we have good people but they are very poorly formed spiritually.
We need to emphasize spiritual leadership; our churches are not businesses like IBM or General Motors – they are houses of God and need to be run in a businesslike manner but never become businesses. How can we expect laity to lead without formation programs?
We need to use language as a medium of communication – whether it be Arabic, English, Spanish or others. We must pray in the language of the people and not use foreign language because we like its sound or because of its antiquity or history with in our Church. The Russian and Slavic peoples would not be Christian today if Cyril and Methodius forced Greek upon them. The largest Eastern Catholic Church is the Ukrainian, with 5 million people. Following them is the Syro-Malabar, with nearly 4 million. These people are Christian because they were evangelized in their own languages. Arabic is important for those who need it and properly understand it. One of the reasons for losing so many young people is the language. If they do not understand Arabic they will filter way from our communities and go where they can understand. English is the language of our country and should be the major focus.
We need to worry less about haflis and tabooli – it is not the task of our churches to propagate Arab culture. The Church’s task is to propagate Christ.
We need to return to financial stewardship, or God’s plan of giving. We call this plan tithing. We must reeducate our people about this biblical system blessed by God. As soon as possible we need to delete the gambling and drinking fund raising techniques and teach our people to put God first. He is our hope and trust. This task is awesome and probably the most difficult, but without it we are heading towards financial and spiritual bankruptcy.
We need to keep and maintain our proper traditions that are based in the East, and are so needed by our diverse communities today.
We need to break the bonds of animosity, jealousy and competitions with our Orthodox brothers and sisters. We need to work on a grass roots level to prepare for our full unity.
We need to say “yes” once again to the man who has a genuine vocation to the priesthood and yet is married. If God calls a person to service and we say no – how damned we shall be for rejecting what God wants.

REGULATIONS FOR THE SEASON OF THE GREAT FAST - 2012

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:06:48 -0500

The fasts of the liturgical year are to be kept in accordance with the Norms of Parficular Law of the Byzantine

Metropolitan Church sui iuris of Pittsburgh.

Metropolitan Church sui iuris of Pittsburgh.

ABSTINENCE

The law of simple abstinence forbids the use of meat, permitting the use of eggs and dairy products. All the faithful of the Archeparchy who receive the Eucharist are bound to abstain. Abstinence is obligatory on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the Great Fast.

STRICT ABSTINENCE

The law of strict abstinence (last) forbids the use of meat,"eggs and dairy products. While they are permitted, facsimiles, substitutes, and synthetic derivatives violate the intention and spirit of the law of strict abstinence.

All the faithful of the Archeparchy who receive the Eucharist are bound to observe strict abstain.

Strict abstinence (fast) is to be observed on Pure Monday, February 20, (the first day of the Great Fast) and on Great and Holy Friday, April 6, 2012.

DISPENSATIONS

Priests and parents are to see to it that minors are educated in the authentic sense of penance. Pastors and administrators, because of a just cause and taking into account acceptable reasons due to personal circumstances, may grant to the individual faithful as well as to individual families, dispensations, transferals, or commutations of abstinence and strict fast into other pious practices. Superiors of religious houses or clerical institutions enjoy these same faculties relative to their subjects.

LITURGICAL SERVICES

The Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts takes precedence over all other Lenten Devotions.

The Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts only is to be celebrated on Wednesdays and/or Friday evenings ofthe Great Fast and also on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week.

Other services are encouraged during the season of the Great Fast, but only those in keeping with the traditions of the Byzantine Church, namely, Lenten Vespers, Lenten Hours, Akathist to the Passion, and Lenten Devotions

On Wednesday of Holy Week, the Office of the Holy Anointing may be incorporated into the Presanctified Liturgy.

Byzantine Daily Prayer

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:52:06 -0500

Eastern Christian Publications is pleased to announce a FREE trial of an electronic Byzantine Daily Office! It is distributed by e-mail each evening as a PDF file for the following day. It contains the texts for Morning and Evening prayer, and the First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours, along with the changeable parts as per the Byzantine Ruthenian Typicon. You can use it on your desktop, laptop, or any other portable device where you get e-mail. It is complete and contains all the prayers you need to pray on the bus, subway, at lunch, at a soccer game, dance class, or anywhere/anytime! This electronic edition does all the work to figure out what prayers to say based on the season, day of the week, and saint of the day, and which normally requires several complicated books. Just send an e-mail to: mfo@ecpubs .corn to request the Free Trial and indicate the name of your parish. At the end of the trial period, and if there is enough interest, this will become a permanent monthly subscription service for just 25 cents/day, or $7.50/monfh. The Byzantine Daily Office is equivalent to the Roman Breviary of daily prayers for both lay persons and clergy. This would be a great new devotion to start during the upcoming Great Fast.

Parish Picnic 2011

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:52:56 -0500

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Media

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:40:38 -0500

Spaghetti Diner (click me)

Christmas Talent Show (click me)

Parish Picnic 2011

Pre-Lent Chili Cookoff

Cathedral Parish Mission 2012

Spaghetti Diner January 2012

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:37:27 -0500

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Clean Monday

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:42:22 -0500

New Calendar February 20, 2012

Old Calendar February 27, 2012

Clean Monday (Greek: Καθαρά Δευτέρα), also known as Pure Monday, Ash Monday, Monday of Lent or Green Monday, is the first day of the Eastern Orthodox Christian and Eastern Catholic Great Lent. It is a movable feast that occurs at the beginning of the 7th week before Orthodox Easter Sunday.

The common term for this day, "Clean Monday", refers to the leaving behind of sinful attitudes and non-fasting foods. It is sometimes called "Ash Monday," by analogy withAsh Wednesday (the day when the Western Churches begin Lent). The term is often a misnomer, as only a small subset of Eastern Catholic Churches practice the Imposition of Ashes. The Maronite Catholic Church is a notable Eastern rite that employs the use of Ashes on this day.

Liturgically, Clean Monday—and thus Lent itself—begins on the preceding (Sunday) night,^[1] at a special service called Forgiveness Vespers, which culminates with the Ceremony of Mutual Forgiveness, at which all present will bow down before one another and ask forgiveness. In this way, the faithful begin Lent with a clean conscience, with forgiveness, and with renewed Christian love. The entire first week of Great Lent is often referred to as "Clean Week," and it is customary to go to Confession during this week, and to clean the house thoroughly.

THE MEANING OF THE GREAT FAST: The True Nature of Fasting

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 09:34:38 -0500

Mother Mary and Bishop Kallistos Ware

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THE TRUE NATURE OF FASTING
'We waited, and at last our expectations were fulfilled', writes the Serbian Bishop Nikolai of Ochrid, describing the Easter service at Jerusalem. 'When the Patriarch sang "Christ is risen", a heavy burden fell from our souls. We felt as if we also had been raised from the dead. All at once, from all around, the same cry resounded like the noise of many waters. "Christ is risen" sang the Greeks, the Russians, the Arabs, the Serbs, the Copts, the Armenians, the Ethiopians one after another, each in his own tongue, in his own melody. . . . Coming out from the service at dawn, we began to regard everything in the light of the glory of Christ's Resurrection, and all appeared different from what it had yesterday; everything seemed better, more expressive, more glorious. Only in the light of the Resurrection does life receive meaning.' 1

This sense of resurrection joy, so vividly described by Bishop Nikolai, forms the foundation of all the worship of the Eastern Church; it is the one and only basis for our Christian life and hope. Yet, in order for us to experience the full power of this Paschal rejoicing, each of us needs to pass through a time of preparation. 'We waited,' says Bishop Nikolai, 'and at last our expectations were fulfilled.' Without this waiting, without this expectant preparation, the deeper meaning of the Easter celebration will be lost.

Bishop David Zubik

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:21:08 -0500

His Excellency Most Rev. David A. Zubik, Bishop of Pittsburgh has issued a powerful statement about Pres. Obama’s attack on religious liberty, the 1st Amendment, and the Catholic Church.

[...]

Kathleen Sebelius and through her, the Obama administration, have said “To Hell with You” to the Catholic faithful of the United States.

To Hell with your religious beliefs,
To Hell with your religious liberty,
To Hell with your freedom of conscience.

We’ll give you a year, they are saying, and then you have to knuckle under. As Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops responded, “in effect, the president is saying that we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.”

As I wrote to you last September, with this mandate the democratic process is being ignored while we are being ordered to ignore our religious beliefs. And we are being told not only to violate our beliefs, but to pay directly for that violation; to subsidize the imposition of a contraceptive and abortion culture on every person in the United States.

St. John Climacus

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:34:32 -0500

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ST. JOHN CLIMACUS, ABBOT 525-605 A. D.

Feast: March 30

From his life, written by Daniel, a monk of Raithu, soon after his death, and from his own works. See Bulteau, Hist. Monast. d'Orient, and d'Andilly, or rather his nephew, Le Maitre, in his life prefixed to the French translation of his works. See also Jos. Assemani, in Cal. Univ. ad 30 Martii, t. vi. p. 213.

St John, generally distinguished by the appellation of Climacus, from his excellent book entitled Climax, or the Ladder to Perfection, was born about the year 525, probably in Palestine. By his extraordinary progress in the arts and sciences he obtained very young the surname of the Scholastic. But at sixteen years of age he renounced all the advantages which the world promised him to dedicate himself to God in a religious state, in 547. He retired to Mount Sinai, which, from the time of the disciples of St. Anthony and St. Hilarion, had been always peopled by holy men, who, in imitation of Moses, when he received the law on that mountain, lived in the perpetual contemplation of heavenly things. Our novice, fearing the danger of dissipation and relaxation to which numerous communities are generally more exposed than others, chose not to live in the great monastery on the summit, but in an hermitage on the descent of the mountain, under the discipline of Martyrius, an holy ancient anchoret. By silence he curbed the insolent itch of talking about everything, an ordinary vice in learned men, but usually a mark of pride and self-sufficiency. By perfect humility and obedience he banished the dangerous desire of self-complacency in his actions. He never contradicted, never disputed with anyone. So perfect was his submission that he seemed to have no self-will. He undertook to sail through the deep sea of this mortal life securely, under the direction of a prudent guide, and shunned those rocks which he could not have escaped, had he presumed to steer alone, as he tells us.1 From the visible mountain he raised his heart, without interruption, in all his actions, to God, who is invisible; and, attentive to all the motions of his grace, studied only to do his will. Four years he spent in the trial of his own strength, and in learning the obligations of his state, before he made his religious profession, which was in the twentieth year of his age. In his writings he severely condemns engagements made by persons too young, or before a sufficient probation. By fervent prayer and fasting he prepared himself for the solemn consecration of himself to God, that the most intense fervour might make his holocaust the more perfect; and from that moment he seemed to be renewed in spirit; and his master admired the strides with which, like a mighty giant, the young disciple advanced daily more and more towards God, by self-denial, obedience, humility, and the uninterrupted exercises of divine love and prayer.

Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:29:27 -0500

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Times: Wednesday 6:30pm St. Mary's, Friday 6:30pm St. Stephen's

The eucharistic Divine Liturgy is not celebrated in the Eastern Church on lenten weekdays. In order for the faithful to sustain their lenten effort by participation in Holy Communion, theLiturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served. The service is an ancient one in the Eastern Church. We officially hear about it in the canons of the seventh century, which obviously indicates its development at a much earlier date.

On all days of the holy fast of Lent, except on the Sabbath, the Lord’s Day, and the holy day of the Annunciation, the Liturgy of the Presanctified is to be served (Canon 52, Quinisext, 692).

The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is an evening service. It is the solemn lenten Vespers with the administration of Holy Communion added to it. There is no consecration of the eucharistic gifts at the presanctified liturgy. Holy Communion is given from the eucharistic gifts sanctified on the previous Sunday at the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, unless, of course, the feast of the Annunciation should intervene; hence its name of “presanctified.”

Immaculata Men's Group Meeting Dates

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:00:23 -0500

Immaculata Men's Group - Our next session will be held next Saturday Feb 25th 6:30am in Our Lady's Plaza at Immaculate Conception in Irwin. In this session, we will evaluate our spiritual lives according to the 2nd step of the spiritual ladder: Blessed are those who Mourn. We'll identify the consequences of placing a desire to succeed financially above one's responsibilities as husband and father. In addition, we'll present the pathway which St Joseph traveled regarding career decisions and the Holy Family as the perfect model for husbands and fathers. Finally, we'll see that God gives us the grace to transform our lives so we can be free from an inordinate desire to succeed. All men are welcome! See you there!

Immaculata Men's Group - Our next session will be held next Saturday, March 3rd 6:30am in Our Lady's Plaza at Immaculate Conception in Irwin. This session, entitled "Blessed are the Meek" completes our discussion of the purgative stage in the spiritual life. In this session, we will see how we must take our prayer lives up a notch if we are to take the next step in the spiritual life. In addition, we will look at Satan's attacks against the family, and how prayer helps us to withstand these attacks. All men are welcome! See you there!

Confession

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:02:06 -0500

Five Steps for a Good Confession

1. Examine your conscience.
2. Be sincerely sorry for your sins.
3. Confess your sins to a priest
4. Resolve to amend your life.
5. After your confession, do the penance the priest assigns.

Examination of Conscience

    - Do I give God time every day in prayer?
    - Do I seek to love Him with my whole heart?
    - Have I been involved with superstitious practices or have I been involved with the occult?
    - Do I seek to surrender myself to God's Word as taught by the Church?
    - Have I ever deliberately told a lie in Confession or have I withheld a mortal sin from the priest in confession?

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
    - Have I used God's name in vain: lightly or carelessly?
    - Have I been angry with God?
    - Have I wished evil upon any other person?
    - Have I insulted a sacred person or abused a sacred object?

3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.
    - Have I deliberately missed Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation?
    - Have I not kept Sunday as a family day and a day of rest?
    - Do I do needless work on Sunday?
    - Do I make others work on Sunday?

4. Honor your father and your mother.
    - Do I honor and obey my parents?
    - Have I neglected my duties to my spouse and children?
    - Have I given my family good religious example?
    - Do I try to bring peace into my home life?
    - Do I care for my aged and infirm relatives?
    - Do I respect elders?
    - Do I respect my pastor, bishop, and the Pope?

5. You shall not kill.
    - Have I had an abortion or encouraged anyone to have an abortion?
    - Have I physically harmed anyone?
    - Have I abused alcohol or drugs?
    - Did I give scandal to anyone, thereby leading them into sin?
    - Have I been angry or resentful?
    - Have I harbored hatred in my heart?
    - Have I been sterilized for reasons of birth control?
    - Have I encouraged or condoned sterilization?

6. You shall not commit adultery.
    - Have I been faithful to my marriage vows in thought and action?
    - Have I engaged in any sexual activity before marriage or outside of marriage?
    - Have I used any method of contraception or artificial birth control?
    - Has each sexual act in my marriage been open to the transmission of new life?
    - Have I respected all members of the opposite sex, or have I thought of other
      people as objects?
    - Have I been guilty of any homosexual activity?
    - Do I seek to be pure in my thoughts, words and actions?
    - Am I careful to dress modestly, so as not to tempt others?
    - Have I been guilty of masturbation with myself?

7. You shall not steal
    - Have I stolen what is not mine?
    - Have I returned or made restitution for what I have stolen?
    - Do I waste time at work, school or at home?
    - Do I gamble excessively, thereby denying my family of their needs?
    - Do I pay my debts promptly?
    - Do I seek to share what I have with the poor?

8. You shall not bear false witness
    - Have I lied?
    - Have I gossiped?
    - Have I harmed someone's reputation?
    - Have I spoken behind someone else's back?
    - Am I critical, negative, or uncharitable in my thoughts of others?
    - Do I keep secret what should be kept confidential?

9. You shall not desire your neighbor's wife.
    - Have I consented to impure thoughts?
    - Have I caused them by impure television, movies, books, magazines or internet?
    - Do I pray at once to banish impure thoughts and temptations?
    - Do I listen to, or engage in, impure conversations or jokes?

10. You shall not desire your neighbor's goods.
    - Am I jealous of what other people have?
    - Do I envy other people's families or possessions?
    - Am I greedy or selfish?
    - Are material possessions the purpose of my life?
    - Do I trust that God will care for all of my material and spiritual need?1. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.

Courageous

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:34:19 -0500

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Catholic Endorsements

"This film is a powerful catalyst for the strengthening of family life, especially as it calls Christian men to be husbands and fathers after the example of Christ, who gave his life for his bride, the Church."
– The Most Rev. Michael Sheridan, Bishop of Colorado Springs

"COURAGEOUS is a powerful film for men. It has everything men look for in a movie; every aspect of what makes us tick and is important to us is wrapped together with plenty of action. Many men who come for the entertainment will leave with much to think about in their own lives. It is easy for a father to have children, but it is not so easy for a child to have a father. This film gives men a strong perspective of the impact they have on society as fathers.
-Todd Sester, Familia USA National Director

"COURAGEOUS is a must see movie for families and especially for all men. It will serve as a wake-up call for all of us about the importance of what matters most in life. I experienced every possible emotion during this film. I spent most of the time on the edge of my seat, fully engaged in the stories and the lives of the characters. The best part about it is that many weeks after seeing the movie, I am still thinking about how it spoke to me and still telling everyone I know that they need to see it."
– Bill Moyer, Former Executive Director-National Fellowship of Catholic Men, Catholic speaker and author of Seeds of Success: A Journey from Success to Significance & Relevant Radio Show Host of "It's Your Call"

ECF

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:56:08 -0500

Chick me to see the Calendar of Classes for 2011-2012ECF Lessons

Class work For Sunday, February 5th

*The Beginners - Mrs. Brenda Bache

Lesson #25 The Great Fast

Discussed the Great Fast and what you should eat (pasta, cereal, fruit and veggies) and not eat (meat on Wed. and Fri.) Also, what you should do and not do during Lent.

Things you should do: (1) pray more (2) go to church more (3) fast (4) treat others with kindness and (5) give money or food to the poor.

Practiced: All Holy Trinity prayer. Made pictures of things we were going to try to do during Lent.

*The Believers - Mrs. Beth Wiggins
Lesson 14 - Now We Can Pray the "Our Father"

Discussed:
- receiving communion
- ways we sin and how to avoid fighting with a sibling and saying "I'm sorry".
- how God keeps our hearts pure and helps us stay away from the things that tempt us to do wrong.
craft: made Lord's prayer picture

*The Explorers - Seminarian Lewis
Continued Unit 2 Ch. 6 The Church is God's People

discussed interview with Seminarian Lewis next week newscast format - students will be anchors, interviewers camera person etc.
also signed pledge to help pray for vocations
did Quiz 12 from The Story - next reading Ch. 13

Vocations

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 07:19:17 -0500

Deacons

Marriage & Family

Monastic Life

Pilgrim Vocation Icon

Priesthood

Single Life

Sunday Prayers & Reading

Monday Prayers & Reading

Tuesday Prayers & Reading

Wednesday Prayers & Reading

Thursday Prayers & Reading

Friday Prayers & Reading

Saturday Prayers & Reading

Eastern Vocations Event in Washington, DC

Divine Mysteries

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:57:23 -0500

Byzantine Catholics share in seven sacraments as do all Catholics, instituted by Christ to give grace. In the Byzantine Church, sacraments are referred to as "Holy MYSTERIES" in order to emphasize mysterious work of the Holy Spirit. As explained by St. John Chrysostom: "It is called mystery, because what we believe is not the same as what we see; one thing we see and another we believe."

Holy Mysteries of Initiation

Baptism - the first sacrament or Mystery. Baptism is our personal participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. In the Byzantine tradition, Baptism is administered by total immersion into blessed water in order to emphasize the washing of rebirth that takes place.

Chrismation (Confirmation) - Baptism is immediately followed by the second sacrament, "Chrismation" or Confirmation. In Holy Chrismation, we are anointed with the Holy Myron, with the gift of the Holy Spirit being bestowed upon each of us individually. Chrismation is our personal participation in the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Eucharist - The Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is the sacrament of Christ's true Body and Blood. Following the command of the Lord to 'let the little children come to me' (Mt 19:14), the Church administers the Holy Mysteries of Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist to infants on the same day, so that they become full members of the Body of Christ, fully integrated into the Church, and full participants in the gift of New Life in Christ.

Holy Mysteries of Reconciliation (Repentance)

In the Mystery of Reconciliation, we repent of our sins, and receive forgiveness and absolution, and the grace to persevere in this world to live the New Life in Christ, in spite of our failures and shortcomings. It is a Byzantine tradition to confess our sins in the presence of a priest while facing an icon of Christ.