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Official
Announcements
His
Grace, Bishop George has announced:
Father
Deacon Anthony Hernandez has
been accepted for ordination to the Presbyterate.
Reader
Luke Mark Bell has been
accepted for ordination to the Minor Order of the Subdiaconate and the
Major Order of the Diaconate.
Very
Reverend Stephen Washko will be
elevated to the rank of Mitred Archpriest in recognition for his
service to the Church, especially St. Stephen Pro-Cathedral.
Mr.
John Montalvo and Mr. Joel
Weisheit have been appointed to the Eparchial
Building Commission, effective May 25, 2000.
The
Pastoral Center offices will
move to 8105 N. 16th Street in Phoenix, Arizona 85020, effective July
10, 2000. The phone numbers remain the same.
Apostles’
Fast Noted
The
Apostles’ Fast in preparation for the Solemn Holy Day of Obligation
of SS. Peter and Paul begins on Monday, June 19th and ends on June
28th the Vigil of the Feast. The Christian Faithful are to observe
abstinence from meat on the first day of this Fast and the Wednesdays
and Fridays during this fast period.
Eparchial
Calendar
June
11 Ordination to the Subdiaconate
Reader
Luke Mark Bell
St.
Basil the Great Church 10:00 AM
Los
Gatos, California
Aug.
9 Ordination to the Diaconate
Subdeacon
Luke Mark Bell
St.
Stephen Pro-Cathedral 7:00 PM
Phoenix,
Arizona
Aug.
17 Ordination to the Presbyterate
Deacon
Anthony Hernandez
St.
Basil the Great Church 7:00 PM
Los
Gatos, California
Aug.
18-19 1st Annual Eparchial Pilgrimage
Our
Lady of Perpetual Help Shrine
St.
George Byzantine Catholic Church
Olympia,
Washington
Sept.
1-4 Uniontown Prilgrimage
Mt.
St. Macrina
Uniontown,
Pennsylvania
Sept.
5 Opening of the 50th Anniversary
of
the Byzantine Catholic Seminary
St.
John the Baptist Cathedral
Pittsburgh,
PA
Sept.
11 Seminary Advisory Board
Byzantine
Catholic Seminary
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
Peter’s
Pence Collection
Support
the Holy Father and the Work of the Church with a generous
contribution on June 25th
Monastery
Begins New Era
His
Grace, Bishop George presided over ceremonies granting full canonical
recognition to Holy Resurrection Monastery on the vigil of
Mid-Pentecost, May 16th at St. Stephen Pro-Cathedral in Phoenix with
over one hundred clergy, religious and faithful in attendance. During
the two-hour service, Bishop George approved the monastic Typikon,
raised the Monastery from a Pious Association of the Christian
Faithful to the rank of a sui juris monastery of eparchial right, and
received the profession of the first monks. With this act, Bishop
George fulfilled one of his life dreams: the establishment of a
monastery in the Eparchy of Van Nuys as a permanent center of prayer
and asceticism.
The
ceremony began with a procession of the four novice monks into the
Pro-Cathedral led by their sponsors, the Right Reverend Mitred
Archpriest Joseph Stanichar, Pastor of St. John Chrysostom Church in
Seattle, Washington and the Reverend Philip Acquaro, CSB,
administrator of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Gilbert, Arizona.
The
Protosyncellus of the Eparchy, Archimandrite Wesley Izer, SDB, read
the petition of Holy Resurrection Community for approval of the
monastic Typikon. He then presented the petition on behalf of the
novice-monks to Bishop George who blessed it and asked the
Archimandrite to read the formal decree approving the monastic Typikon.
Besides approving the Typikon as the official monastic Rule, the
Bishop’s decree also established Holy Resurrection as a sui juris
monastery of eparchial right meaning that it is a bona fide autonomous
monastery subject to the Bishop of Van Nuys according to the norms of
Canon Law.
The
monks returned to the narthex of the Pro-Cathedral where they divested
themselves to their baptismal robes and remained there during the
chanting of the first part of the Small Hour in preparation for
monastic profession by Tonsuring to the Order of the Lesser Schema
(habit).
As
the Troparion for monastic profession was chanted the novice monks,
Father Nicholas, Brother Maximos, Bro. Moses, and Bro. Basil were led
back into the Pro-Cathedral and prostrated before the Royal Doors
where Bishop George was seated. At Bishop George’s direction,
Archimandrite Wesley bent down and took each candidates’ right hand
and raised them up.
Bishop
George asked why they had come to the church and what they were
seeking. They replied that they sought the ascetic life and to be
counted worthy of the angelic schema (habit) and to be ranked in the
company of monastics. Bishop George then exhorted them to listen to
his questions as they committed themselves with their responses. They
responded that they had come freely and not by constraint or necessity
to renounce the world in order to live in chastity, sobriety, and
piety until death in obedience to the Hegumen (Superior) of the
monastery. With God’s help they promised to live poorly and
obediently according to their newly approved Rule.
Bishop
George gave them another exhortation on what to embrace for this new
life and what to avoid. Invoking the venerable monastics of the
Church, Bishop prayed that they receive strength from God to lead this
life so as to inherit the Kingdom. With the Book of Tonsure placed on
the head of each novice, Bishop prayed for them and their perseverance
once again.
Bishop
George asked each novice to take the scissors from the top of the
Gospel Book and to give them to him. Bishop George then admonished
them, saying: "From the hand of Christ you receive these
scissors. It is before Christ that you stand. It is to Christ that you
make your profession. It is for Christ that you renounce all."
Each novice monk came and knelt before Bishop George who cut their
hair in four places in the sign of the cross.
Bishop
George then blessed each monk and then clothed them with the monastic
garments proper to Lesser Schema beginning with the Paraman which is a
small black cloth with a red cross that is worn over the shoulders and
to which a wood cross is attached to be worn over the chest. Bishop
continued to vest each monk with the inner riassa, the leather belt,
the mandyas (choir gown), the kamilavka (hat) with veil, sandals,
prayer ropes and finally gave them each a lit candle. Bishop then
prayed again over the new monks for their perseverance. All sang the
hymn "All you who have been baptized into Christ, have put on
Christ, Alleluia!" An Epistle and Gospel reading followed.
After
the Gospel, Archimandrite Wesley announced that Hieromonk
(Priest-monk) Nicholas has been elected by the monastic community to
the office of Hegumen. Bishop George asked each monk individually if
he approved of the election to which they replied in the affirmative.
Bishop George then asked Hieromonk Nicholas if he would accept the
election as Hegumen which he did. Bishop George then laid hands on him
and prayed the ancient prayers raising him to the office of Hegumen.
Bishop
bestowed the epigonation (diamond shaped vestment worn at the knee)
and the jeweled pectoral cross as a sign of his office. Bishop George
presented copies of the Typikon to the new Hegumen who as his first
act of office in turn gave each monk his own copy.
In
his brief homily at the end of the service, Bishop George revealed
that he had dreamed of establishing a monastic community in the
far-flung Eparchy of Van Nuys even before he was made Eparchial
Bishop. He noted that, though four men seemed a small number, through
prayer they could do great things. He charged the monks with remaining
faithful to the vows they had just made, so that they might be a sign
of God’s presence among his faithful, and that the Lord might bless
them with new vocations.
After
the dismissal, the hieromonks, monastics followed by the laity came
forward to embrace and congratulate the new monks. The Very Reverend
Stephen Washko, Rector of St. Stephen Pro-Cathedral, and the
parishioners hosted a reception for the newly professed monks of Holy
Resurrection Monastery.
Hegumen
Nicholas will be installed as Hegumen of Holy Resurrection Monastery
during the October Pilgrimage.
Ancient
Practices Restored
His
Grace, Bishop George has enacted the following, effective Pentecost
Sunday:
1st
In accord with the directives of the Apostolic See, the phrase
"and the Son" also know as the filioque is to be
dropped from the Nicean-Constantinopitan Creed.
2nd
According to the ancient tradition of the Church confirmed by the
first Ecumenical Councils, the faithful are to stand—not kneel—for
all public prayers from Vespers on Saturday evenings until Sunday
evening Vespers in celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. At the
Divine Liturgy, the faithful are to make a profound bow—that is a
bow at the waist—during the words of consecration and the during the
invocation of the Holy Spirit at the epiclesis. The established norms
for sitting remain unchanged.
Eparchy
Commended
Participation
of the Van Nuys Eparchy in the first National ByzanTEEN Youth Rally
has drawn high praise from the Planning Committee.
Forty-five
individuals from our distant Eparchy are already registered, a fact
that the Committee calls remarkable.
In
a letter addressed to our Bishop, the Committee wrote, "Bishop
Kuzma, you must surely be proud of your clergy and Faithful for this
incredible response." Young people from Phoenix, Arizona;
Albuquerque, New Mexico; Seattle and Olympia, Washington, and Denver,
Colorado will be among those attending with their chaperones.
The
Rally, which will take place on the grounds of the Sisters of St.
Basil in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, runs from June 22nd until June 25th.
Nationally known speakers Mary Beth Bonacci and Matthew Kelly will be
featured. In addition, both fun and enriching activities have been
planned.
Get
Your Spiritual Kicks on Route 66
Our
Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church in Albuquerque, New
Mexico will host teenagers from our Southwest parishes for spiritual
renewal and fellowship during the weekend of July 28th-31st. The teens
who gathered last year at St. Gabriel in Las Vegas asked that this be
an annual event and be rotated among the parishes. The teens
themselves choose Albuquerque for this year. The program calls for a
healthy mixture of prayer, serious reflection time, presentations,
discussions with opportunities for fellowship, recreation, and
exploration of the Albuquerque area. Interested teens can contact
their pastors, Father Robert Pipta, or Father Chris Zugger for more
details.
Holy
Year Pilgrimage Held
Over
120 parishioners and friends from the Byzantine Catholic parishes of
Southern California converged on St. Mary’s Cathedral for a Holy
Year Pilgrimage on Saturday, May 20th. The Cathedral is a designated
Jubilee Shrine for the Holy Year. Services included the Divine
Liturgy, a Reconciliation Service followed by time for individual
confessions, and the Administration of the Holy Anointing of the Sick,
all provided by the priests of the area. A dinner in the Cathedral
Hall concluded the day’s activities.
Bishop’s
Appeal Update (May 31st)
Albuquerque
$9,945.00
Anaheim
$5,550.00
Anchorage
No Report
Denver
No Report
Fontana
$3,110.00
Gilbert
$1,775.00
Italo-Greeks
No Report
Las
Vegas $9,125.00
Los
Gatos $4,800.00
Olympia
No Report
Phoenix
$15,705.00
Portland
No Report
Sacramento
$1,800.00
San
Diego $8,060.00
San
Luis Obispo $4,100.00
Seattle
$11,800.00
Spokane
$25.00
Tucson
$5,750.00
Van
Nuys $13,150.00 |
