Precum ați aflat deja, Preafericirea Sa Arhiepiscopul Major Lucian Mureșan a fost înștiințat de către Papa Benedict că va fi ridicat la rangul de Cardinal. Ceremonia va avea loc în Basilica Sf. Petru din Roma, pe data de 18 Februarie, 2012 la ora 10:30 dimineața. Toți cei care doresc să participle la acest eveniment trebuie să aibă în posesia lor un bilet de acces în Biserica Sf. Petru la data și timpul specificat. Dieceza noastră a cerut un număr de 10 bilete pentru moment. Toți cei care doresc să participe trebuie să-și facă rezervările individual (zborul, cazarea la hotel, transportul local, etc.) însă trebuie să ne anunțe că ar dori să participe astfel încat să putem să vă facem rost de biletele pentru intrare la eveniment în acea zi.

Duminică, 19 Februarie, 2012, noul Cardinal Lucian Mureșan va celebra Sfânta Liturghie în Basilica Sf. Petru la ora 9:30 dimineața. Avem bilete și pentru acest eveniment. Toate biletele sunt gratuite. Putem să vă obținem bilete la aceste evenimente însă trebuie să știm câte persoane ar fi interesate să participe la evenimentele menționate mai sus. Dacă doriți bilete vă rugăm să ne sunați la Cancelarie la 330-493-9355 sau trimiteți un e-mail la ovim@rcdcanton.org cu numele persoanelor și numărul de bilete solicitate. Vă mulțumim.

Preot Ovidiu Mărginean, Cancelar Eparhial

Very Rev. Ovidiu Marginean, Chancellor

In the name of the Most Holy,
consubstantial, life-giving and undivided Trinity

† LUCIAN

By the grace of God,
Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Archeparchy of Alba Iulia and Făgăraş,
Major Archbishop of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church,
in full communion of faith with the Holy Apostolic See of Rome,

According to the rights conferred by the Canons of the Holy Apostles, of the Ecumenical Councils, of the Canon Law for the Eastern Churches, art. 112.1, 387, and 668;

Abiding by the decisions of the Synod of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church convened in ordinary session in Blaj, on May 4–6, 2009;

Considering the necessity to safeguard the integrity of faith and morals of out faithful, as well as the liturgical unity of action of all the sons and daughters of our Church;

To the knowledge of all the Bishops, protopresbyteroi, clergy, religious, and all the faithful people of our Church, we promulgate the following

D E C R E E

Art. 1. The document “Liturgical Vestments in the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church”, outlined by the Synodal Commission for Liturgy is hereby approved;

Art. 2. These standards, as liturgical laws, are mandatory everywhere in conformity to the canon law.

Art. 3. The four pages attachment to this decree is a part of it.

Art. 4. The present decree has the effects of law starting the day it is published, and will be enforced in its entirety in the whole Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, rescinding any contrary disposition.

We cordially ask Their Excellences, the Most Reverend Eparchial Bishops, to take all necessary measures to make these norms known in our whole Church, and we firmly request that the clergy elude any abuse in the celebration of the public services, and enforce correctly and coherently the prescriptions of this document as part of our Church’s Patrimony, for the edification of our faithful people and for the greatest glory of God.

Promulgated in Blaj, See of the Major Archbishop,
May 21, Anno Domini 2009,
Feast of Saints Emperors Constantine and Elena.

† LUCIAN
Major Archbishop

Attachment to the Decree of the Major Archbishop
21 / May 21, 2009

LITURGICAL VESTMENTS
in the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church

I. Introduction

The respect towards God is made manifested by the care that the celebrants have towards the external aspects of the divine worship. The clergy vestments represent the distinctive sign of the service and presence of Christ, the High Priest, in our midst. “Vesting ourselves in them must be more than an external event… The fact that we are standing at the altar clad in liturgical vestments must make it clearly visible to those present that we are there in the person of an Other… the essence of the priestly ministry, interpreting the liturgical vestments themselves, which are precisely intended to illustrate what putting on Christ, what speaking and acting in persona Christi.”[1]

II. Liturgical Vestments

The Liturgical Vestments have a practical function, and also an iconic value, completing the meaning of each liturgical movement and helping the understanding of the participation to the unique reality of the heavenly Liturgy. “The Church is the earthly heaven: earthly because visible and touchable, heavenly because the power of the Holy Spirit replenished it with divine grace. In this context, of the general oikonomia of the worship, the liturgical vestments undertake a specific meaning. They are beautiful and precious, yet their value resides in their purpose: they are signs of the heavenly reality, of the given redemption, of the reception of future goods (cf. Hebrews 8:5). ”[2]

1. Clergy Outfits

The clergy outfits have value of liturgical vestments because they have to be worn for the celebrations of sacraments, sacramentals, and Christian burial. They are tailored using black fabric, and shaped according to the specific tradition of our Church

Cassock – A first vestment is the clergy cassock. This is a distinctive outfit with the value of uniform, and also a liturgical vestment, being required for the celebration of the worship services.

Rason or Over-Cassock – For the celebration of the Divine Lauds and Sacramentals apart from the Divine Liturgy, the clergy have to wear the rason on top of the cassock. The rason is a vestment with wide sleeves specific for the celebration of or participation to the Divine Office or Sacramentals (same function as the cota in the roman rite). In specific moments, the priest wears the epitrachilion and the phelonion over the cassock and rason.

Potcap – This is the cover for the head, needed mostly when clergy celebrate services outside of the church, in processions, funerals, etc. depending on the weather. There are different shapes for potcap, specific to different traditions of the sui iuris Churches; in the Romanian environment it is in use the Greek style.

Belt – The leather belt is specific to monks.

Kamilaphion – This is the potcap specific to hieromonks.

The monastic orders exempt from following these prescriptions have the shape of their outfits established by the Regulations approved by the General Curia and the Apostolic See.

For the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and other services it is mandatory the use of liturgical vestments. For the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church these are common to the Constantinopolitan Rite. The Vestments are distinct according to the level of the priestly order, as follows:

2. Vestments of the Deacon:

-        Sticharion: it is a long and wide vestment, covering the whole body. Its name comes from the rows (sticha) which decorate the lower part of it. When it is manufactured using white fabric it symbolizes the purity (alba, in Latin), and also the festive garment for the Kingdom’s banquet. It is recommended that for the use of colored sticharia, they match the color of the other vestments, or have “sticha” matching those of the other vestments, or their dominant color when they are produced using fabric with complex patterns.

-        Cuffs: they are short pieces of fabric used to adjust the sleeves of the sticharion, and are made of the same material and same pattern as the rest of the vestments. First of all, they have a practical use in holding the sleeves, so they would not hinder the liturgical movements, and symbolizing the spiritual power and the hand of God which works unseen amongst us.

-        Orarion: is a vestment specific to the deacon, manufactured from the same fabric as the sticharion and the cuffs, and decorated with Christian patterns; it is worn bended over the shoulder or – in some specific moments of the Liturgy – crossed on the back and in the front; it is inscribed with the words Holy, Holy, Holy. It symbolizes the wings of the Angels which worship unceasingly around God in heavenly Liturgy.

3. Vestments of the Priest:

-        Sticharion.

-        Epitrachilion: worn hanged on the neck. It is required for any celebration, both for the priest and for the bishop. It is the sign of the priestly power and service within Christ’s Church.

-        Belt: girdles the waist of the priest, on top of the epitrachilion and sticharion, adjusting the width of the sticharion. It symbolizes the power given by God during the service.

-        Cuffs.

-        Epigonation: for the protosinceloi and other priest rewarded with this honorary distinction.

-        Phelonion: it is a cape which is worn over the other vestments, symbolizing “the Lord’s house” entered by the servant and the vesting into Christian virtues.

4.Vestments of the Hierarch:

-        Sticharion.

-        Epitrachilion.

-        Belt.

-        Cuffs.

-        Sakos: is a vestment in the shape of sac, shorter than the sticharion, worn by the hierarch as phelonion. It represents the dignity of the bishop and of Jesus Christ, the High and Only Priest of the New and everlasting Covenant, which he plenary represents during the liturgical celebrations and in his Eparchy – the local utter Church.

-        Omophorion: is worn on both shoulders, decorated with embroidered icons or other Christian patterns. It can be small or big depending on the liturgical moment when it is worn, according to the liturgical prescriptions. It symbolizes the Good Shepherd who brings the lost sheep back into the unity of His flock.

-        Epigonation: is a vestment with the shape of a diamond, worn on the right knee, like a sword. On it is embroidered the Resurrection icon. It symbolizes the Word of God, the spiritual sword used to fight in the world.

-        Mandia: is a purple cape, specific to the episcopal dignity, worn in processions and during the celebration of the Divine Lauds.

-        Mitra: is made on the shape of a medieval crown, adorned with a cross on top, embroidered icons and other Christian patterns. It symbolizes the royal power of the complete sacramental priesthood conferred by Christ.

During the liturgical celebrations the deacon wears the sticharion and orarion; the priest must wear the epitrachilion and, during specific prescribed moments also the phelonion. The bishop wears the epitrachilion, the sakos, and in specific prescribed moments the mandia. During the celebration of the Divine Liturgy it is mandatory to wear all the liturgical vestments.

III. Liturgical Colors:

Originally all liturgical vestments were white, subsequently combinations of color being introduced as well as silver and golden wires. Gradually the use of color begins to be differentiated highlighting the specifics of the liturgical day, at first for Sundays and Holy Days of obligation. In the Greek-Byzantine rite there is the use of two categories of color, depending on the liturgical day and on the specific time of the liturgical year. These categories are:

a) Light vestments: used on feast days and during the regular time of the year. Based color for this category is white, and it shades can vary up to silver, gold and even light blue. Lately some darker shades of blue and even green got into use. Blue is recommended for the feasts of the Mother of God.

b) Red vestments: are used during lent time and for funeral. Based color is red, shades varying up to purple or combinations on red-purple background.

c) Black vestments are not specific of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church tradition, but a recent innovation which became common in the use of our Romanian Church. They were never used for celebration of the Divine Liturgy, but are widely used today (epitrachilion and phelonion) for funerals, having the same meaning of the red vestments. It is recommended the return to the specific tradition of our Church.

Besides vestments, the liturgical colors reflect also the beautification of the worship place. In our liturgical tradition we only have the use of light and Lenten colors, for the covers of the Holy Table, and the embellishment of the church’s altar and nave. The use of Lenten colors for the décor of the church is mostly seen during the Great Lent and the Christmas Lent, as these last longer and mark a specific liturgical time, which has to be made fruitful in pastoral ministry; the shift from the Lenten time to feast which is the pinnacle of the preparation time is marked also by the change of the church’s adornment.

For the other fasting times or for Wednesdays and Fridays, it suffices the use of darker liturgical vestments, the church remaining vested in light colors.

The use of vestments:

Light Vestments – are the most used vestments, being worn on feast days, the Sundays around the year and common days. They are used on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays during the period of Oktoichos, Pentikostarion and the preparatory weeks of the Triodhion, before the beginning of the Great Lent.

Red Vestments (and different shades mentioned above) – are used during the Great Lent (and also during the Christmas Lent, where the local custom requires it), on the vigil of certain feast days, and on some specific feast days (e.g. Exaltation of the Holy Cross), according to the specific prescriptions of the typikon. Moreover, red vestments can be worn on Wednesdays and Fridays during the common liturgical time, when Troparia of the Cross are used.

Black Vestments – only epitrachilion and phelonion, are used exclusively for the funeral. It is recommended the return to the specific tradition of our Church.

For concelebrations, the ecclesiarch or the parish priest is responsible to make known the color for the vestments to be used by the concelebrants, thus assuring the uniformity needed for the specific ceremony, as sign of unity. The same stands for funerals when more priests are expected to participate, the color to be used for vestments being announced beforehand (red or black, or light colors in the case of funerals for clergy, religious or during the Bright Week).

Any innovation aiming the change of the vestments’ shape, the use of vestments which do not belong to the own Rite, the intentional omission of wearing certain vestments (e.g. not wearing the cuffs) is forbidden. In manufacturing new vestments it is recommended the use of colors, embroideries, patterns and fabrics according to or following the tradition of our Church.

In specific cases when concelebration with priests of the roman rite occur, the Greek-Catholic clergy are bound to wear a full set of vestments of the own rite, and the exclusive use of only sticharion and epitrachilion (following the roman rite use of only wearing alba and stole) is forbidden; in certain specific situation, if the case requires an inter-ritual concelebration, the local hierarch can set specific regulations.

[2] Olivier Raquez, Roma Orientalis. Approci al patrimonio delle Chiese d’Oriente. Lipa, Roma, 2000, p. 425.

In the Name of the Most Holy,
consubstantial, life-giving and undivided Trinity

† LUCIAN

By the grace of God,
Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Archeparchy of Alba Iulia and Făgăraş,
Major Archbishop of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church,
in full communion of faith with the Holy Apostolic See of Rome,

According to the rights conferred by the Canons of the Holy Apostles, of the Ecumenical Councils, of the Provincial Councils of our Church;

Considering the dispositions of the Canon Law for the Eastern Churches, art. 112.1, 707.1, 713.2, and 882;

Considering the necessity to safeguard the integrity of faith and morals of our faithful as well as the liturgical unity of action of all the sons and daughters of our Church;

Abiding by the decisions of the Synod of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church convened in ordinary session in Blaj, on May 4–6, 2009;

To the knowledge of all the Bishops, protopresbyteroi, clergy, religious, and all the faithful people of our Church, we promulgate the following

D E C R E E

Art. 1. The document  Fast and Abstinence in the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, outlined by the Synodal Commission for Liturgy is hereby approved;

Art. 2. These standards, as liturgical laws, are mandatory everywhere in conformity with canon law.

Art. 3. The two-page attachment to this decree is a part of it.

Art. 4. The present decree takes effect as law starting the day it is published and rescinds any contrary disposition.

We cordially ask their Excellencies, the Most Reverend Eparchial Bishops, to take all necessary measures to make these norms known in our whole Church, and we firmly request that the clergy diligently avoid any abuse in the celebration of the public services and enforce correctly and coherently the prescriptions of this document as part of our Church’s Patrimony, for the edification of our faithful people and for the greatest glory of God.

Promulgated in Blaj, See of the Major Archbishop,
May 21, Anno Domini 2009,
Feast of Saints Emperors Constantine and Elena.

† LUCIAN
Major Archbishop

Attachment to the Decree of the Major Archbishop
20 / May 21, 2009

FAST AND ABSTINENCE
in the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church

I. Definition

Fast is the total or partial avoidance of specific foods and liquids, for a longer or shorter time and for a religious-moral purpose. This avoidance of certain foods and liquids has to be accompanied by refraining from wicked thoughts, words and deeds, which means that physical fasting has to be accompanied by spiritual fasting.

II. Introduction

By divine law, all faithful are called to fast and penance. The first prescriptions about fasting are found in the most ancient documents of the Church; for example, Didache (ch. VIII) establishes the requirement of weekly fasting on Wednesday and Friday, replacing the Judaic fasting on Mondays and Thursdays. The days of Wednesday and Friday are related to specific events from the life of our Savior.

The Apostolic Canons (art. 66 and 69) relating to the practice of preparing to receive the Holy Sacraments, prescribe fasting before christening (for adults) and before ordination into Holy Orders. The time required for the preparation for christening was the whole of Great Lent, and the fasting rule allowed only one meal a day, usually in the afternoon.  Traditionally established for the Ninth Hour of the day, that meal would be eaten about 3 p.m.

For the Universal Church, in the 1966 Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul VI, Paenitemini, fasting was made mandatory for all who have reached the age of 14 and abstinence for them above 21 years of age. They who have reached the age of 60 are exempted from abstinence (cf. Paenitemini, chapter IV). According to the prescription of the CCEO, the specific norms for fasting and abstinence are set by the particular law of each sui iuris Church. In the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church the ancient practice of the Byzantine tradition and spirituality is preserved.

III. Categories of Fast

1. Abstinence (total fasting) is the refraining from all food and drink for a specific length of time (customarily until midafternoon or 3 p.m.). Only one meal a day is served, and it must be without meat, dairy or eggs.

Days of abstinence are:

-        Vigil of Holy Theophany

-        Great and Holy Friday

-        Beheading of John the Baptist (August 29)

-        Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14)

-        Vigil of Christmas

2. Strict fast (xirofagia) is the avoidance of meat, dairy and eggs, and the consumption of only dry meals (bread, vegetables and fruits).

3. Common Fast (regular) is fasting which allows the consumption of cooked Lenten meals, without the use of meat or animal fat.  Fish, wine, oil, eggs and dairy are permitted..

4. Days of Fast

-        Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, except those that are dispensed – common fast

-        During Great Lent, Clean Week (the first week), and Holy Week – strict fast

For the other days of Great Lent – common fast

-        Fast of the Apostles Peter and Paul – common fast

-        Fast of the Dormition of the Mother of God (August 1-14) – common fast

-        Fast of Christmas (November 15 – December 24) – common fast

5. Dispensation from fast:

a) Wednesdays and Fridays (hârţi):

-        From Christmas to the Vigil of Holy Theophany

-        During the week of the Publican and Pharisee

-        On the day of the following Feast-days: Christmas, Holy Theophany, Three Holy Hierarchs, Meeting of the Lord in Temple, Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, Saint George, Saints Constantine and Elena, Nativity of John the Baptist, Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Elijah, Transfiguration of Our Lord, Dormition of the Mother of God, Nativity of the Mother of God, Saint Demetrius, Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple, Saint Nicholas

b) On the day of the Patron Saint of the church

c) All children younger than 14 years of age, the sick and the elderly. It is recommended, however, that the sick and elderly try to keep at least the common fast on the days prescribed for abstinence.

d) They who cannot fulfill the fasting requirements due to specific, good-faith reasons, may ask for  a dispensation from their own parish priest or spiritual director.

In the Name of the Most Holy,
consubstantial, life-giving and undivided Trinity

† LUCIAN

By the grace of God,
Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Archeparchy of Alba Iulia and Făgăraş,
Major Archbishop of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church,
in full communion of faith with the Holy Apostolic See of Rome,

According to the rights conferred by the Canons of the Holy Apostles, of the Ecumenical Councils, of the Provincial Councils of our Church;

Considering the dispositions of the Canon Law for the Eastern Churches, art. 112.1, and 880.2;

Considering the necessity to safeguard the integrity of faith and morals of our faithful as well as the liturgical unity of action of all the sons and daughters of our Church;

Abiding by the decisions of the Synod of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church convened in ordinary session in Blaj, on May 4–6, 2009;

To the knowledge of all the Bishops, protopresbyteroi, clergy, religious, and all the faithful people of our Church, we promulgate the following:

D E C R E E

Art. 1. The document, The Calendar of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church – General Rules Toward Uniformity, outlined by the Synodal Commission for Liturgy, is hereby approved;

Art. 2. These standards, as liturgical laws, are mandatory everywhere in conformity with canon law.

Art. 3. The sixteen-page attachment to this decree is a part of it.

Art. 4. The present decree has the effect of law starting the day it is published and will be enforced in its entirety in the whole Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, rescinding any contrary disposition.

We cordially ask their Excellencies, the Most Reverend Eparchial Bishops, to take all necessary measures to make these norms known in our whole Church, and we firmly request that the clergy diligently avoid any abuse in the celebration of the public services and enforce correctly and coherently the prescriptions of this document as part of our Church’s patrimony, for the edification of our faithful people and for the greatest glory of God.

Promulgated in Blaj, See of the Major Archbishop,
May 21, Anno Domini 2009,
Feast of Saints Emperors Constantine and Elena.

† LUCIAN
Major Archbishop

Attachment to the Decree of the Major Archbishop
19 / May 21, 2009

THE CALENDAR
of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church

General rules for uniformity

I. Sinaxarion

Includes saints and feasts from during the cycle of the Mineon. The holy days of obligation are written in red. The observations include information needed for the editing of liturgical calendars.

Typikon symbols:

(†) Symbol for the Feasts of the Lord and of the Mother of God; The liturgical services include: Readings, Litia, Polyeleos, Great Doxology.

(†) Symbol for the Saints with Vigil and Polyeleos. The liturgical services include: Readings, Litia, Polyeleos, Great Doxology.

† Symbol for the Saints with Poyieleos.

* Symbol for the Saints with Great Doxology.

☼ Symbol for the Saints with Stichira at Lauds.

Days with common Saints have no typikon symbol.

January

II. Cycle of Triodhion

The cycle of the Mineon is overlapped by feasts related to the paschal liturgical year depending on the specific date of Easter. The Triodhion begins on the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee and ends on Great and Holy Saturday.  This is a total of ten weeks, the first three of which are preparatory for Great Lent and the following seven are Great Lent itself.

In the modern version of the calendar of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church (new calendar with the Paschal Cycle according to the old calendar), Easter can be celebrated between April 4 and May 8, which corresponds to March 22 and April 25 of the Julian (or old) calendar. The beginning of the Triodhion, namely the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, is celebrated ten weeks before the Easter Sunday and can fall between January 24 (when Easter is on April 4, corresponding to March 22 of the Julian calendar, the earliest date possible) and February 27 (when Easter is on May 8, corresponding to April 25 of the Julian calendar).

The Sundays of the Tridhion cycle are:

1. Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee

2. Sunday of the Prodigal Son

3. Sunday of Meatfare (of the Awesome Judgment)

4. Sunday of Cheesefare (of the banishing of Adam from Heaven)

5. First Sunday of Lent (of Orthodoxy)

6. Second Sunday of Lent (of Saint Gregory Palamas)

7. Third Sunday of Lent (of the Holy Cross)

8. Fourth Sunday of Lent (of Saint John Climacus)

9. Fifth Sunday of Lent (of Saint Mary of Egypt)

10. Sixth Sunday of Lent (Palm Sunday or the Sunday of the Entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem)

During this cycle, some feast of saints and Royal Feasts with unmovable dates from the Mineon, can occur on the same day as feasts or liturgical days with movable date, whose liturgical text in found in the Triodhion.  For each of these special cases, the specific prescription from the Mineon are to be followed.

These feasts are:

1. Three Holy Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom (January 30)

2. Meeting of the Lord in the Temple (February 2)

3. First and second finding of the Honored Head of Saint John the Baptist (February 24)

4. Holy 40 Martyrs (March 9)

5. Annunciation (March 25)

6. Saint Great Martyr George (April 23)

Great and Holy Week, between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, has specific liturgical prescriptions which are to be followed according to the typikon.

III. Cycle of Pentekostarion

The Pentecost Cycle begins on Easter Sunday and ends on Sunday of All Saints for a total of eight weeks. The first week after Easter until the Sunday of Saint Thomas is Bright Week and has a unique liturgical configuration which is reflected in the celebration of this week. Each of the other weeks of this cycle has a specific theme from the Gospel prescribed for the previous Sunday.

1. Sunday of Saint Thomas

2. Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women

3. Sunday of the Paralytic

4. Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

5. Sunday of the Man born blind

6. Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Council in Nicaea

7. Pentecost Sunday

8. Sunday of All Saints

IV. Rules for reading the Holy Gospel in the last five Sundays and during the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord.

In the liturgical calendar, the time before the cycle of the Triodhion follows a special order. The last Sundays before the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee (that is, the 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st and 32^nd Sundays after Pentecost) are not read in order, but they are combined with readings from the Holy Gospels to prepare for the Nativity of the Lord:  Sunday of the Holy Ancestors, Sunday of the Holy Fathers (Sunday before Christmas), Sunday after Christmas, Sunday before Theophany and Sunday after Theophany.

The twenty-eighth Sunday after Pentecost:  the Sunday of the Holy Ancestors can fall between December 11 – 17.  When the Sunday of the Holy Ancestors occurs immediately before the 28^th Sunday after Pentecost, only the Holy Gospel for the 28^th Sunday after Pentecost is read.  It is Luke 14:16-24, the parable of the banquet.

Sunday of the Holy Ancestors: is the second Sunday before the Nativity of the Lord, and the Holy Gospel prescribed for the occurring Sunday is read except in the case mentioned above.

Sunday of the Holy Fathers – Sunday before Christmas: the day before (between December 18 and 24) the Saturday before Christmas is celebrated. This Saturday can occur before or after the Sunday of the Holy Fathers.

Sunday after Christmas: can occur on December 26, the Synaxis of the Mother of God; on December 27, 28, 29, 30 within the Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Lord, or on December 31, the Leave-taking of Christmas.

Saturdays and Sundays between Christmas and Theophany can occur as follows:

Saturdays between Christmas and Theophany: these Saturdays can be inside or outside the cycle  of Christmas. The readings from the Epistle and the Gospel are either those of the Saturday after Christmas or of the Saturday before Theophany.  If the Saturday occurs on December 30, we use only those of the Saturday; if Saturday occurs on December 31, we celebrate the Leavetaking of Christmas, with all the propers.  If Saturday occurs on January 1, we celebrate the Circumcision which is a Royal Feast and therefore nothing related to Saturday is used.

Sundays between Christmas and Theophany: These Sundays may fall during the Afterfeast, on the day of Leavetaking, on January 1 (Circumcision), or during the Forefeast of Theophany. During the Afterfeast, the Sunday after Christmas is celebrated, having priority over any day on the calendar.  If it occurs on January 1, the readings for the Sunday after Christmas are used on December 26, jointly with the Synaxis of the Mother of God.  If the Sunday after Christmas falls on January 1,  the Sunday before Theophany has priority over the Circumcision and the Feast of Saint Basil the Great.

V. Practical suggestions in editing the liturgical calendars

1. The poster calendar for the use of the faithful will not include:

-        Historical data about the life or death of Saints or about establishing the feast

-        Typikon symbols

-        Readings for the weekdays

-        Typikon prescription for the use of clergy during celebrations

2. Liturgical Agenda intended for clergy and cantors will include:

-        All typikon prescriptions

-        Information about the readings from Epistle and Gospel

-        Information about specific liturgical celebrations needed in pastoral ministry

To: Diocesan clergy

From: Most Rev. John Michael Botean

RE: child protection reminders

Reverend and dear brothers in Christ,

It is always very important to safeguard the children and the young people who represent the future of the church and for that I am asking you to always pay particular attention to the monthly issues of the on-line safe environment training that all of us receive. That represents our continuous training and attention to the issue of child and youth protection.

Goes without saying that when you have volunteers that are working close with your catechists or you have new catechists in your programs a criminal background check has to be obtained before the person will work with the children. Also that person has to get into one of the local safe environment training programs, often run by the local Roman Catholic Dioceses in your areas, which give them the necessary training for safety measures when being in the company of the children teaching them.

Very Rev. Fr. Andre Matthews, the coordinator of our program in the Diocese is always asking you to comply and brings to your attention what we need to do on the major requirements by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Charter (Art. 2) – the reporting procedure that needs to be followed in a case of an abuse. This is on our website should be regularly posted in your bulletins and made available to the people.

The intent of this letter is to bring to your attention the importance that the Diocesan office and particularly myself give to the Protection of Children and Young Adults. I would like to thank you in advance for paying particular attention to Fr. Andre’s requests.

Assuring you of my prayers and best wishes, I remain

Fraternally yours in Christ God,

Most Rev. John Michael Botean

Bishop

Romanian Catholic Diocese of Canton

XJMB/om

Preasfinţia Voastră,

Ca urmare a dezbaterilor ce au avut loc în sesiunea sinodală din 27-29 octombrie 2009 la Blaj, în numele Sinodului Episcopilor ne-am adresat Congregaţiei pentru Bisericile Orientale cu solicitarea de a transfera cele două parohii româneşti din Canada (Toronto şi Montreal) sub jurisdicţia Preasfinţiei Voastre.

Prin adresa prot. N. 215/2004 din 20 iulie 2010, SE Leonardo Card. Sandri, Prefectul Congregaţiei pentru Bisericile Orientale ne comunică decizia Sfântului Părinte Papa Benedict al XVI-lea, care a dat curs favorabil solicitării noastre. Astfel, de la data
semnării decretului 215/2004 pe care îl anexăm, aceste două parohii sunt încredinţate din punct de vedere pastoral şi canonic grijii pastorale a Preasfinţiei Voastre.

Preasfinţia Voastră, suntem convinşi că această modificare a competenţelor canonice pe care le aveţi va aduce un plus de efort pastoral, dar în acelaşi timp şi o satisfacţie spirituală unică pentru păstorirea bunilor noştri credincioşi care sunt departe de ţară. Ne exprimăm convingerea că ajutat de harul Domnului veţi păstori cu dăruire noile parohii, şi în timp ce Vă felicităm călduros pentru semnul de încredere acordat de Sfântul Părinte, Vă asigurăm de întregul nostru sprijin şi de rugăciunea noastră sinceră.

Cu Sincere urări de bine în Domnul,

+ Lucian,
Arhiepiscop Major
20.08.2010

Spre consultare:

• Comunicarea jurisdicţiei (PDF)
• Decretul Congregaţiei (PDF)

Friday, 12 February 2010

Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,

It gives me great joy to meet you during your ad limina visit, to listen to you and to reflect together on the journey of the People of God entrusted to you. I greet each one of you with affection and thank in particular Archbishop Ioan Robu for his cordial words on behalf of you all.
I address a special thought to H.B. Lucian Muresan, Major Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Church in Romania. You are Pastors of communities of various rites, who place the riches of your long tradition at the service of communion, for the good of all. In you I greet the Christian communities of Romania and of the Republic of Moldova, so harshly tried in the past, and I pay homage to those Bishops and innumerable priests, men and women religious and faithful who, in the time of persecution showed indomitable loyalty to Christ and to his Church and kept their faith intact.

I would like to express my thanks to you, dear Brothers in the Episcopate, for your generous commitment to serving the rebirth and development of the Catholic community in your countries, and I urge you to continue to be zealous Pastors of Christ’s flock, as members of the one Church and with respect for the different ritual traditions. Preserving and passing on the patrimony of the faith is a task for the whole Church, but particularly for Bishops (cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 25). The field of your ministry is vast and challenging: indeed, it is a question of proposing a mature and responsible journey of faith to the faithful, especially through religious education, catechesis also of adults and preparation for the sacraments. In this context it is necessary to foster a greater knowledge of Sacred Scripture, of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and of the Magisterial Documents, especially those of the Second Vatican Council and the Papal Encyclicals. It is a demanding programme which requires you to draft joint pastoral plans, aimed at the bonum animarum of all Catholics of the different rites and ethnicities. This requires a witness of unity, sincere dialogue and effective collaboration, without forgetting that unity is primarily the fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5: 22) who guides the Church.

In this Year for Priests I exhort you always to be fathers to your priests, your first, precious collaborators in the Lord’s vineyard (cf. Christus Dominus, n. 16, n. 28); with them exists a primarily sacramental bond which makes them share uniquely in the pastoral mission entrusted to Bishops. Strive to tend to the communion between you and your priests in an atmosphere of affection, attention and respectful fraternal dialogue; be concerned with their spiritual and material conditions and with their necessary theological and pastoral development. In your dioceses there is no shortage of religious institutes engaged in pastoral work. May it be your special task to give them due attention and provide them with all the help possible to ensure that their presence is increasingly more important and that consecrated people can carry out their apostolate in accordance with their charisms and in full communion with the local Church.

God does not fail to call men and women to his service. We must be grateful to the Lord for this, intensifying our prayers that he may continue to send workers to his harvest (cf. Mt 9: 37). A primary task of Bishops is the pastoral care of vocations and the human, spiritual and intellectual formation of candidates to the priesthood in seminaries and other formative institutes (cf. Optatam Totius, nn. 2, 4). This formation must guarantee them the possibility of acquiring deep spirituality and rigorous philosophical, theological and pastoral preparation, also through the careful choice of educators and lecturers. Similar attention should be paid to the formation of the members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life, especially for women.

The flourishing of priestly and religious vocations largely depends on the moral and religious health of Christian families. Unfortunately, today there are many pitfalls for the family institution in our secularized and disoriented society. Catholic families in your country which during the time of trial, gave witness of faithfulness to the Gospel sometimes paying dearly for it are not immune to the scourges of abortion, corruption, alcoholism, and drugs, as well as birth control using methods contrary to the dignity of the human person. To combat these challenges, it is necessary to promote parish counsellors who can assure an adequate preparation for conjugal and family life, and who can better organize the pastoral care of youth. More necessary than anything else is a decisive commitment to encouraging the presence of the Christian values in society, developing centres for formation where young people may learn the authentic values, enriched by the genius of your countries’ culture, so as to be able to witness to these values in the areas in which they live. The Church wants to make her crucial contribution to building a reconciled and supportive society, able to confront the process of secularization that is under way. The transformation of the industrial and agricultural system, the financial crisis and emigration abroad have not encouraged the preservation of traditional values; these must therefore be proposed anew and reinforced.

In this context it is particularly important to witness to brotherhood between Catholics and Orthodox. This witness must prevail over division and dissent and open hearts to reconciliation.
I am aware of the difficulties that the Catholic communities have to face in this sphere; I hope they will be able to find adequate solutions in that spirit of justice and charity which will animate relations between brothers and sisters in Christ. In May 2009, you commemorated the 10th anniversary of Venerable Pope John Paul II’s historic visit to Romania. On that occasion Divine Providence gave the Successor of Peter the chance to make an Apostolic Visit to a nation with an Orthodox majority, where an important Catholic community has been present for centuries. May the desire for unity inspired by that Visit nourish prayer as well as the commitment to dialogue in charity and truth and to the promotion of common initiatives. An area of collaboration between Orthodox and Catholics that is particularly important today concerns the defence of the Christian roots of Europe and of the Christian values as well as the common testimony on issues such as the family, bioethics, human rights, honesty in public life and ecology. A joint commitment to these subjects will make an important contribution to society’s moral and civil development. A constructive dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics will not fail to be a leaven of unity and harmony not only for your countries but also for the whole of Europe.

At the end of our Meeting, my thoughts turn to your Communities. Please convey to your priests, men and women religious and to all the faithful of Romania and of the Republic of Moldova, my greetings and encouragement, assuring them of my affection and my prayers. As I invoke the intercession of the Mother of God and of the Saints of your lands, I cordially impart my blessing to you and to all the members of the People of God entrusted to your pastoral care.

Pastoral Letter
on the occasion of the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord,

Christmas, A.D. 2009

Bethlehem, make ready, for Eden has been opened for all;
Ephrata, be alert, for the Tree of Life has blossomed forth from the Virgin in the cave.
Her womb has become a spiritual paradise wherein the divine Fruit was planted—
and if we eat of it, we shall live and not die like Adam.
Christ is coming forth to bring back to life the likeness that had been lost in the beginning.
(Troparion of the Preparation for Christmas)

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

The opening words of the troparion of preparation for Christmas seem to be directed to a town in Judah, Bethlehem, also referred to in the prophecy of Micah as Ephrata (fruitful), but they are in fact addressed to us, Christians who believe that some 2,000 years ago an event of cosmic significance took place with the birth of Jesus. The imperative, "make ready," has a meaning for the Christian community and the individual Christian that goes far beyond its implications for any city, nation, or political entity. Charming as it may be to frame our celebration of Jesus’ birth around a Christmas card manger scene or a commercial, media-managed "spirit of Christmas," we fall far short of the grace available to us in this holiday if we limit ourselves to these lovely but empty images.

Even our English (and Romanian) translations of what may be the most beloved and well known of all carols, "O Come, All Ye Faithful" (Veniţi, Credincioşi) lack the urgency and straightforward command implied in the original Latin, Adeste Fideles: "Be there, be present, believers!"

Perhaps more than other holidays in our liturgical year, it is Christmas that compels us to "be there," to be present at an event, to witness something extraordinary and, thereafter, to be the "joyful and triumphant" witnesses of that event in its significance for our lives and the life of the world. It is therefore vital that we put on the eyes of faith if we are to see beyond what a passing, transitory culture would have us see in order to receive from our celebration all that God would give us.

We are so broken as individuals and as a culture! Yet our brokenness is something frightening and dreadful to behold, so much so that we tend to avert our eyes, refusing to look at anything beyond what is most superficial, at either the emptiness within us or the hollowness around us. We know that, in the end, there is little we can do to "cope" with this reality, so we find solace in escape and entertainment. Especially at this time of year, our loneliness and alienation drive us to desperate and frantic attempts at "togetherness" with family and friends, only to have our efforts reward us with a sense of failure to achieve what we set out for. As a result, we sometimes feel even more isolated and alienated than before. Once we experience the limited impact that all our careful shopping and holiday planning have had on our loved ones, once the familiar arguments and/or silences break out at our Christmas table, we are likely to feel even worse at holiday time than during the rest of the year. Is it any wonder that the holidays tend to be filled more than the rest of the year with episodes of suicide, crime, and rampant depression?

"Ephrata, be alert!" Adeste fideles! "Be there, believers!"

For us to be able to enter the joy of Christmas, we must be present to it. In the first place, that means we must be present to ourselves. It means an honest look at ourselves, an "examination of consciousness," if you will, as well as an examination of conscience. We must think about what we are thinking about; we need to "pay attention to what has our attention," as author David Allen phrases it. We must also feel what it is we are feeling, be present to our emotions as well as to our thoughts, to our hearts as well as to our minds. These are the tools we have we have at our disposal in order to be present to ourselves and not live our lives in a state of semi-trance, lacking self-awareness. In our spiritual lives as well as in most everything else we do, just "showing up" is 90% of the job.

The Fathers and Mothers of the Church called this process of "minding our minds"nepsis, which means "vigilance" or "wakefulness," and it requires courage and an effort of the will. We need to choose to be present to ourselves and not be afraid of what we will encounter when we take a look. It is hard work. Keeping watch at the gate of mind and heart is not something one can do without a focused attention to what is going on inside as well as what is trying to gain access to us from the outside. It takes practice, and, like everything else worth doing, it takes commitment and sacrifice if one is to reap any of the rewards of our efforts.

Knowing our need for redemption is what makes us capable of receiving a redeemer. The world does not know or recognize its need for redemption, nor can it. It is only the human person who is the vessel of emptiness capable of this kind of awareness, of such presence to itself in its longing for wholeness, peace, beauty, and lost love, that is capable of receiving God.

And so the troparion speaks to us—you and me—in its summons to be present to the mystery of Bethlehem. "Eden has been opened for all," it says, and the fruit of Mary’s womb takes the place of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the tree from which Adam and Eve partook of that fatal first taste of emptiness. But now "Christ is coming forth to bring back to life the likeness that had been lost in the beginning." Taking on our human predicament along with our human nature, God restores in us this lost likeness to Him. As love is what constitutes our likeness to God (since God is Love: see 1 John 4:8) we can say God restores in us the love that was lost in the beginning.

Because our likeness—love—has been lost, it must be restored. Christ accomplishes this work of restoration in our nature by his birth in Bethlehem, but it remains for us to choose to appropriate this restoration for ourselves, to choose to put love where love is not, moment in and moment out. We who have been baptized into Christ have made a pledge to do this, to set aside the loveless and vain works of Satan—evil, violence, enmity, and revenge—and to unite ourselves to the One who has restored us to the nature intended for us by our creator. We have made a vow, renewed at every moment of Eucharistic communion, to replace the works of Satan with the loving and fruitful works of Christ: goodness, nonviolence, peace, and forgiveness.

To be present to our true selves, then, means to be present in person at Bethlehem, with all our weakness, hurt, and disappointment in life, and to let a little child lead us into a kingdom not of this world. It means to allow the values of this heavenly kingdom to replace the values of an earthly one, and not to allow our brokenness to dominate us, rule us, destroy the infinite beauty of us.

I said before that the world cannot know its need for redemption, and this is so because it mistakes our fallen nature for the truth of who we are: forgiven, redeemed, and restored heirs of God’s kingdom. Consequently, it vainly attempts to repair the wounds in our humanity by false and fallen means. It seeks to overcome evil with evil, to create peace by means of violence, to restore justice with the tools of revenge, and in the process, deludes itself and us into thinking that it is providing for the one thing it can never achieve: immortality in the face of our inevitable death.

Only the God who made us knows who we really are and what we are made of—and made for. Only God knows that we are made by divinity for divinity. So that we, too, might know who we are and what our destiny is, God has willed that His communication, His Word, become a human word in the flesh of Jesus born of Mary, a tiny baby (as we all once were) who grows up to preach the Sermon on the Mount, beginning in the Gospel according to St. Matthew with "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3) and including "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). (St. Luke’s Gospel expands on and defines this understanding of God’s perfection in its parallel version of this sermon: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36). God’s perfection is mercy.)

It is the incarnation of God that is the divinization of our flesh, the restoration of our fallen human nature. To be present in Bethlehem is to choose to be divinized ourselves, for we do have a choice whether to accept the restoration of our nature for ourselves or to allow it to languish in its fallen-ness and sin and grief.

The miracle of Christmas is that when we show up at the manger in the cave in Bethlehem, we find that we are no longer alone. Following the star, we find ourselves in a constellation of millions of stars like us in God’s heaven, stars whose lights, like our own, have been kindled from the one light that shines forth from the cave of our homelessness today, but tomorrow will shine forth from the grave of our resurrection.

When we show up at the cave we also find that we have been given gifts beyond our imagination: in place of alienation and isolation, we have been given communion with one another and with our Source; in place of justice we have been given mercy; we receive resurrection as a gift in place of the mere survival we try to eke out for ourselves.

Moreover, our citizenship has been transferred to a new realm, one in which the laws and rules are different from the land with which we are familiar. A sign of Satan’s perennial wish to become our god is the tendency of Caesar to want to become the judge of what is good and what is evil, whether through laws that are understood to equate what is moral with what is legal, or through the mass hysteria of political, cultural, and social movements that insist that what everyone is doing must be right, because everyone is doing it (as if that were even logical). In our day, now that mass behavior can be engineered through deception and propaganda (in a word, "marketing"), it has become quite clear that it is not only Caesar that threatens to become the idol before which a pinch of incense must be burned (as was demanded of the early martyrs). The myths of "progress" and of the "invisible hand of the marketplace" are equally insidious and deadly in our modern pantheon of false deities.

The rules and laws of the Kingdom whose capital is Bethlehem demand of us lives consistent with our true nature, a nature which is in the process of divinization rather decay, the process governing the kingdom of this world. Among the laws of God’s Kingdom, the law of forgiveness holds a special place. In the Philokalia, a collection of texts second in importance only to the Bible in the Christian library, St. Mark the Ascetic writes, "The sign of sincere love is to forgive wrongs done to us. It was with such love that the Lord loved the world." Our capacity to forgive is the test of our love and therefore the test of our likeness to God and of our fellowship with Him.

St. Mark goes on: "We cannot with all our heart forgive someone who does us wrong unless we possess real knowledge. For this knowledge shows us that we deserve all we experience." Where do we get such knowledge? We begin by going to Bethlehem and bringing our brokenness with us. There, first of all, we can see "such love [with which] the Lord loved the world." We also learn that everyone else around the manger: shepherds and magi, indeed, but also doctors, lawyers, priests, parents, beggars, and thieves all share the same brokenness. Along with this comes the certainty "that we deserve all we experience." In other words, every human being stands in need of mercy, not only for what we have done, but also for what is done to us.

It is not without reason that in the Divine Liturgy we do not say, "Lord, have justice," for we all know what that would lead to if God granted our prayer! Instead, we cry over and over "Lord, have mercy!" It is mercy we need, not justice, and each one of us shares this in common with every other poor soul on the planet. Justice is what we require of civil society; mercy is what we need from God and one another.

The laws of this world enjoin us to do no harm to another person. The laws of Bethlehem’s Kingdom go much further and command us to love as Christ has loved. This law goes so far beyond the other that it requires love even for the one who has done us, or wants to do us, harm.

Many of you already know that we have a concrete case before us in which we can practice and carry out this commandment of loving forgiveness and prove ourselves citizens of Heaven. I could speak of the situation of our Church in Romania, where there are those who continue to persecute us, who deprive us of our civil, legal, and moral rights and who wish us to be erased from the map of Romanian culture and religion. However, I will not do that, since we in the United States do not suffer this kind of persecution, and I will not read moral lessons to those who do. I will likewise refrain from commenting on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere, not to mention victims of Christians who themselves rain terror, death, and destruction on a massive scale upon non-Christians. I lack the moral pulpit from which to preach the virtue of forgiveness to those who suffer harm in these situations, which, grave as they are, are not contexts in which you and I would be the ones morally entitled to forgive anyone.

The situation I wish to address in this letter is one in which we are the aggrieved party, and it is considerably more banal than the others. Sometime after 1:00 a.m. on the morning of December 15, someone set fire to the ?opru, the roofed, wooden dance floor or gazebo, that had been a part of the exhibit of Maramures art and architecture belonging to our diocese and installed on the grounds of our cathedral along with the wooden church of St. Panteleimon and other works of art. The gazebo was completely destroyed; thanks be to God, no one was hurt and the church itself was untouched. There is speculation that this fire was created as a diversion in order to carry out another act of arson at another church about three miles away, committed perhaps as an act of revenge against that church.

Now, how do you judge this situation and the person or persons responsible for it? From the perspective of the manger in Bethlehem, that is, how do you judge? From the vantage point of the "real knowledge" of which St. Mark the Ascetic speaks, how do you perceive? What are you thinking right now about the arsonist(s)? What are youfeeling about him/her/them? What preconceived notions and prejudices (for we all have them) did you conjure up in your mind when you first heard of this vandalism? What would you do to the vandals, if you had the chance? What would you like to see happen to them? What do you think should happen to them?

From the vantage point of the great world capitals, of Rome or Constantinople or Washington or Bucharest, what should happen to them is clear. The perpetrator(s) of such wanton destruction should be apprehended, tried, and punished. But from the vantage point of Bethlehem, what do you think should happen to them?

Regarding the arsonists from the vantage point of the manger, what do you see? Do you see criminals, thugs, or delinquents who merit only punishment and pain, or do you see children of God, persons of infinite value and tremendous beauty who have already had enough experience of pain and punishment to render them capable of carrying out such an act as this, minor as it is in the chronicle of human evil. Bring your own brokenness to Bethlehem and ask yourself, candidly, "Am I really a better person than the arsonists? By whose standards, other than my own? In the eyes of the Infant in the manger, am I really somehow more deserving of mercy and love and forgiveness than they are?"

As the kingdom of this world measures these things, we have lost about $60,000 worth of material and talented, loving labor, not to mention the product of an incalculable amount of generosity, dedication, and good will on the part of the benefactors who made installing the gazebo possible. It is a considerable loss, indeed, for a community as poor as ours. But how do wood and wealth measure up in comparison to a human being, a human soul? In committing this act, what have the arsonists done to themselves? What have they lost? In the economy of the Kingdom of Bethlehem, they have suffered the far greater loss as a result of this tragedy.

Adeste, fideles! Be there, believers, in the Kingdom of your God! Now is the time to "stand up" for your beliefs and get down on your knees to pray, as victims, for our victimizers. Today we sing, "Your nativity, Christ-God, shed upon the world the light of knowledge" (troparion of Christmas). Today we have an inestimable opportunity to stand up for the truth as we know it by committing one great, all-encompassing act of forgiveness. We can do this because of the grace of divinity in us, who are the mystical Body of the One in the manger. What a chance for grace! What an opportunity to give testimony in the truly supreme court of God’s justice!

These opportunities do not come every day, and so I am writing to you now, Christmas day, to urge you to join with me in prayer specifically for those who committed this crime against us, to adopt them as objects of our special spiritual concern and love, to forgive them from the heart for what they have done. I urge you equally to beware: as long as there is any bitterness, enmity, or the desire for revenge in your heart, these arsonists will have succeeded in burning down a great deal more than a wooden gazebo.

To further this spiritual enterprise, I ask our pastors to find some way at each celebration of the Eucharist, that is, each celebration of our communion with Jesus, to pray for those who have offended us in this arson as Jesus prayed for his crucifiers. Even if it be only a commemoration in the Great Entrance, we need to keep before us this reminder of our spiritual task. I ask also that this prayer be kept up until Easter, along with the prayer that we may be convinced of the spiritual truth and power of what this prayer is about.

When the time came to consecrate our wooden church, I asked one of the saints in heaven to give it his special protection and patronage so that it might become a true place of pilgrimage, healing, and peace. For this, it seemed to me appropriate to choose St. Panteleimon, the martyr and unmercenary healer, although, truth be told, I suspect that St. Panteleimon chose the church for himself. In his lifetime, this saint’s name was never Panteleimon, which means "all-merciful." His name was Pantaleonta. A voice from heaven gave him the name "Panteleimon" after he forgave the man who had been trying unsuccessfully to behead him. In the Kingdom of Bethlehem, you see, it was the case that the executioner’s sword could not sever the saint’s head until Panteleimon himself pronounced words of forgiveness in imitation of his redeemer and Lord.

In closing, I would like to share with you, for your reflection, a Christmas greeting God sent through some friends in California while I was writing this letter:

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
The Executive Board of the Society of St. John Chrysostom-Western Region
wishes you a blessed feast of the Nativity
of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ!
This, Now, is the day of peace! Today! This present Day!
"This Christmas night bestowed peace on the whole world;
So let no one threaten;
This is the night of the Most Gentle One – Let no one be cruel;
This is the night of the Humble One – Let no one be proud.
Now is the day of joy – Let us not revenge;
Now is the day of Good Will – Let us not be mean.
In this Day of Peace – Let us not be conquered by anger.
Today the Bountiful impoverished Himself for our sake;
So, rich one, invite the poor to your table.
Today we receive a Gift for which we did not ask;
So let us give alms to those who implore and beg us.
This present Day cast open the heavenly doors to our prayers;
Let us open our door to those who ask our forgiveness.
Today the DIVINE BEING took upon Himself the seal of our humanity,
In order for humanity to be decorated by the Seal of DIVINITY."
St. Isaac the Syrian (d. AD 700)

In the name of St. Panteleimon, the "all-merciful," and of his all-merciful Master, I beg all of you to join together in mercy. Let the oil of your prayer cover our arsonists, whoever they are, with its healing power. Only we can do this for them, and so we must. In this way, and only in this way, can we make visible in our own flesh the Merciful One who became flesh for our sake. This is why we are a church and not some other kind of institution that, like all others, will pass away. It is our vocation and destiny. It is our duty as citizens of an eternal kingdom

We have spent a whole Christmas lent preparing for mercy to come to our world. Now it is time for us to get up and follow the star to Bethlehem. May He who is born this day grant us all, together with those who do us harm, the peace that only He can give.

Your brother in Christ-God,

+ John Michael, a sinner
Bishop of St. George in Canton

Întâlnirea a debutat cu adunarea generală a clerului eparhial în ziua de vineri, 26 iunie, cu începere de la ora 10:00, în sala de oaspeţi a bisericii Sf. Maria, la care au participat, alături de episcopul eparhial, 9 din cei 16 preoţi activi în eparhie, 3 din cei 7 diaconi şi 2 din cele 4 călugăriţe. Între temele abordate s-au evidenţiat reflecţiile şi discuţiile despre rolul clericilor în relaţiile cu credincioşii, precum şi raportul financiar la nivel de eparhie pentru anul 2008-2009. În a doua parte a după-amiezii au avut loc întâlnirile ordinare ale Consiliului Consultorilor şi Consiliului Financiar ale eparhiei, urmate de celebrarea Vecerniei de rând. Ziua s-a încheiat cu o agapă fraternă la biserica Sf. Vasile.

A doua zi, după celebrarea Sfintei Liturghii la biserica Sf. Maria, a avut loc întâlnirea plenară a Adunării Eparhiale cu participarea a circa 55 reprezentanţi ai parohiilor şi misiunilor greco-catolice româneşti de pe întreg teritoriul Statelor Unite. Pe ordinea de zi a întâlnirii cu tema "Udând Via Domnului" s-au aflat necesitatea înfiinţării Consiliului Pastoral Eparhial şi a Consiliului Eparhial pentru Conducere Administrativă, promulgarea noilor decrete ale Preafericirii Sale Lucian cu privire la viaţa liturgică, necesitatea elaborării noilor directive de funcţionare a consiliilor eparhiale şi parohiale, prezentarea rapoartelor de activitate al economului eparhial, al directorului pentru comunicaţii şi al directorului Caritas, precum şi diferite proiecte legate de activităţile misionare şi caritative ale eparhiei.

La iniţiativa Preasfinţiei Sale John Michael, toţi cei prezenţi au semnat o scrisoare de comuniune cu Biserica Greco-Catolică din România, adresată Preafericirii Sale Lucian, Arhiepiscopul Major al Bisericii noastre, precum şi o scrisoare adresată Preasfinţiei Sale Louis cu ocazia aniversării a 26 de ani de la consacrarea sa întru episcop, ca prim ierarh al Eparhiei noastre de Canton.

În după-amiaza zilei de sâmbătă, 27 iunie, şi-au început activitatea cele două comisii nou înfiinţate, fiecare având cel puţin un reprezentant din fiecare comunitate românească şi s-au stabilit normele lor de funcţionare şi activitate pentru anul în curs. De la ora 18:00 comunitatea bisericii Sf. Vasile a organizat un banchet pentru sărbătorirea celor 100 de ani de la înfiinţarea parohiei, cu participarea a circa 250 de invitaţi. Pe un fond muzical românesc oaspeţii s-au putut bucura de o seară plăcută presărată atât de gustări româneşti şi americane, cât şi de momente de dans individual şi colectiv.

Duminică, 28 iunie, la biserica Sf. Vasile, Preasfinţia Sa John Michael a celebrat Sfânta Liturghie arhierească cu participarea întregului cler şi a circa 150 de credincioşi, un moment important fiind marcat de hirotonirea întru preoţie a părintelui diacon Ronald Hilt, din parohia Sf. George în Aurora (statul Illinois).

Un moment important în viaţa comunităţilor din New Jersey a fost marcat de asemenea prin recunoaşterea meritelor administrative ale părintelui paroh, protopop şi protosincel, George David, prin acordarea titlului de iconom stavrofor de către Preasfinţia Sa, împreună cu însemnele liturgice aferente: crucea pectorală şi epigonaţionul.

Adunarea Eparhială celebrată în concordanţă cu aniversarea celor 100 de ani de existenţă a parohiei din Trenton, s-a încheiat cu un delicios picnic pregătit de către enoriaşii celor două parohii gazdă, Sf. Vasile şi Sf. Maria, servind un meniu în exclusivitate românesc.

Mulţumim părintelui paroh, George David, şi tuturor credincioşilor care au contribuit la succesul acestei sărbători, pentru extraordinara organizare şi desfăşurare a întâlnirii, precum şi pentru delicioasele bucate tradiţionale oferite, şi le urăm un călduros "La Mulţi Ani!" şi plinătate de haruri pentru continuarea misiunii lor de apostolat şi evanghelizare între greco-catolicii români americani.

Din partea Biroului de Comunicări al Eparhiei "Sf. Gheorghe" în Canton
10 iulie 2009