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Ukrainian Catholic Parish Парафія УГКЦ

202 HARCOURT STREET, WINNIPEG, MB R3J 3H3Parish Office: 204-837-4180 Parish Hall: 204-889-9057Parish Office Email Address: parish@saintbasilwpg.ca

Rev. Fr. Ihor Shved о. Ігор ШведPhones: Cell: 431-996-2343 Home; 204-889-2083

Email Address Stbasilpriest@gmail.com

The Story of the Feast of the Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple

The feast of The Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple (also called The Presentation of Christ in the Temple) is celebrated 40 days after the Nativity on February 2nd. The date is significant, because it corresponds with the Jewish law’s requirement to bring every firstborn male to the Temple 40 days after birth and dedicate the child to God. The parents offered a sacrifice as a redemption of the child–a lamb if the parents were wealthy or turtle doves if they were poor.

Being faithful Jews, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple 40 days after his birth. There they meet two elderly people who were eagerly awaiting their Messiah. The righteous Simeon was a noted scholar who had spent much time studying the prophecies foretelling the Messiah. During his prayer and study, he was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Redeemer of Israel.

Inspired by the Spirit, Simeon recognized the baby brought by Mary and Joseph to be redeemed under the Law to be the Redeemer himself. He took the child into his arms and blessed the Lord, saying his famous canticle that is sung in every Vespers service in the Church today: “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to Your word. For mine eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples. A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29).

Furthermore, he prophesied that Christ would cause “the fall and rising of many in Israel” and the suffering of Mary his mother (Luke 2:34).

The Prophetess Anna, a widow who spent all of her time praying and fasting in the Temple, heard Simeon and also recognized Jesus as the Messiah. She gave thanks to God and went out to tell others that the Christ had come.

The Feast of the Meeting of the Lord is among the most ancient feasts of the Christian Church. We have sermons on the Feast by the holy bishops Methodius of Patara (+ 312), Cyril of Jerusalem (+ 360), Gregory the Theologian (+ 389), Amphilocius of Iconium (+ 394), Gregory of Nyssa (+ 400), and John

SUNDAY LITURGY10:00 a.m. (Rosary at 9:30 am)OFFICE HOURS (MON-WED-FRI)10:00 am – 1:00 pmCONFESSIONSBefore Divine LiturgiesBAPTISIMSBy appointmentFUNERALSBy arrangement

MARRIAGESBy appointment at least six months in advanceWEBSITE: www.saintbasilwpg.caPARISH OFFICE EMAIL ADDRESS: parish@saintbasilwpg.ca

BULLETIN SUBMISSIONS: bulletin@saintbasilwpg.ca

SAINT BASIL THE GREAT СВ. ВАСИЛІЯ ВЕЛИКОГО

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Chrysostom (+ 407). Despite its early origin, this Feast was not celebrated so splendidly until the sixth century.

In 528, during the reign of Justinian, an earthquake killed many people in Antioch. Other misfortunes followed this one. In 541 a terrible plague broke out in Constantinople, carrying off several thousand people each day. During this time of widespread suffering, a solemn prayer service (Litia) for deliverence from evils was celebrated on the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, and the plague ceased. In thanksgiving to God, the Church established a more solemn celebration of this Feast.

If you would like to celebrate this feast with your family, here are a few ideas:

Bring Home Blessed CandlesWe bless candles at Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, because of St. Simeon’s reference to Christ as a Light of revelation to the Gentiles. If your church practices this tradition, be sure to bring home blessed candles to put in your icon corner. Then, have children hold them during family prayer time or even when you read the Gospel at home.

Light Up the HouseAnother way to integrate the theme of light into your celebration is to “light up your house.”

Fill your house with candles. Perhaps you can eat meals by candlelight or pray your Evening Prayers solely by the light of a candle. When your children ask you about this change in routine, you have a built-in opportunity to speak about Christ as the Light of the World and our charge as Christians to be lights.Call Elderly Relatives or frends

Finally, two pious elderly saints play a major role in the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord. This can serve as a good reminder to children of the importance of our elders and their wisdom. Perhaps children can call grandparents, great-grandparents, or other relatives on this day to maintain a vibrant relationship with the elders in their own life.Learn More about St. Simeon

Finally, we can learn more about the life of St. Simeon as taught by the church tradition. His story is a fascinating one of doubt and faith, of patience and perseverance that is an example to all.

These small, simple activities can help make the feasts of the Church more real in the home. © http://www.orthodoxmotherhood.com/6-ways-celebrate-feast-meeting-lord-temple/

DIVINE LITURGY REQUESTSTime Feast or Intention, requested by

4th Feb. Sunday 10:00 AM All parishioners 5th Feb. Monday 10:00 AM + Soul of Lloyd Kotyk offered by UCWLC6th Feb. Tuesday 10:00 AM Health of Ken Wasyliw offered by Wasyliw family

7th. Wed. 6:30 PM + Soul if Elexander Blake

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8th Feb. Thursday 10:00 AM Health of Deacon Leon & Family offered by Mary Turko9th Feb. Friday 10:00 AM Health of Sheila Sims offered by Adeline Shymanski10th Feb. Saturday 9:15 AM 9:15 AM Liturgy11th Feb. Sunday 10:00 AM All parishioners

NOTE: All the 10:00 am Divine Liturgies scheduled on the calendar are all open for your intention requests. If you would like to request please contact the office and book your preferred date. These names will be published in the bulletin the following week

EPISTLE READERS :- Feb. 4th – Edward Yaskiw Feb. 11th - Rob Hotel Feb. 18th Sonia Wawryk Feb. 25th - Andy Labay USHERS & GREETERS: Feb. 4 – 11th - Merv & Cathy Cherewyk Feb. 18 – 25 - Bick Labay & Raymond Yakimik Mar. 4-11th - Iris Sawchuk & Al Kowal Mar 18 - Harry & Nellie Fediuk____________________________________________________________________________Tatsa counters: Tatza counters for February are Linda Gardner, Auriel & Orest Kulchyski

Parishioners willing to help count/process the Sunday envelopes, please contact Linda Labay 204-832-6905. Church Cleaning for February 2018:- Maryanne Siwicki, Johanna Pitura & Phyllis KohanchukPlease feel free to volunteer a few hours a week for one month of this 2018 year to enhance our church interior. Choose the month which will be convenient for you and your family. Book early to avoid disappointment. I hope I don’t have to wait too long for your call.Sonia Wawryk 204-831-0904Church Cleaning Chair__________________________________________________________________________ DONATIONS – God bless you for supporting your parish Sunday collection .

PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS – CALL AND VISIT - our many parishioners that are ill or experiencing various challenges in life. Remember: If anyone wishes to receive the Sacraments at home

or in the hospital or nursing home please contact the parish office or Fr. Ihor directly, at the numbers given above, and we will be happy to visit.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWSThis month we have several functions. Our pancake breakfast on February 11, 2018 after Divine liturgy. We have coffee houses on February 4, 18, & 25. We have our monthly Perogy Supper on Friday February 23, 2018 starting @ 4:00 pm. We are looking for assistance to get everything ready for Friday with peeling of potatoes on Monday February 19, 2018 starting @ 6:00 pm. All are welcome to come down and enjoy our pancake breakfast, coffee houses, and perogy supper and visit with fellow parishioners and friends.

Submitted by Andrew Labay Grand Knight

UCWLC News

The UCWLC Executive for 2018 is as follows:

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Past President Rose Olynyk President - Gwen DankewichVice President Linda Gardner Recording Secretary - Ariel KulchyskiFinancial Secretary - Olga Twerdun Treasurer - Phyllis FedorchukAuditors - Doreen Musick, Linda Gardner, Edna Bazarkewich

The UCWLC Membership Tea and meeting will be Wednesday, February 14 th . Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at 6:30 pm followed by our Membership Tea and meeting. We extend a warm welcome to all ladies of our parish and invite you to join us.

The parish renewal committeeTuesday Jan. 30, 2018 was a day to spend time with Jesus. God Bless all that took the time to come and

pray for our St. Basil’s parish and our families. We experienced a deep encounter with our Living Christ. It was an excellent time to come out of the cold and hustle and bustle of the world. God is in our midst. His work will be done if we continue to pray and ask for blessings for our parish.

Our next Day of Prayer Vigil will be Tuesday February 27 th, 2018 - 11:00 AM to 5 Pm. See you there. Dorothy Labay_____________________________________________________________

Envelopes for offering for Sorokousty for the deceased are at the back of the church.Please complete accompanied with $20.00 for each family offering. These envelopes may be dropped in the Tatsa basket or brought to the office.The 2017 Income Tax Receipts will be handed out at the back of the church today!

Saint Basil’s Travelling Icon of the Blessed Mother of PochaivShe will reside in the home of the following Parishioners Dankewich Family February 4 – February 10th

Jean Derhak February 11th – 17th

It is suggested that when you first install the Icon into your home, you say the following prayer.All Holy, most blessed and glorious Mother of God! We come to you today. We turn ourselves to

you and petition you. Hear us! We believe and acknowledge that you are the wondrous Guardian of all persecuted and unfortunate. That is why we place our hope in you. More than once have you showed in your kindness. Please show us once again.

Open the sweetest Heart of your Son and our God. Intercede for forgiveness of our sins. Help us in spiritual and materiall needs, and, for the families who so graciously welcome your icon, give them your graces.

Mother most good, cover our church and our Ukrainian people with your mantle. Help our brothers in Ukraine in their suffering. Give them strength in their fight with atheist enemies, be consoling and unfailingly firm in their harassment and shield them in their misery.

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Be for them and us All-Merciful Guardian and let us praise you openly and freely together with them. Oh Virgin, among all virgins, and your Son, our God, Jesus. Let there be glory, honor and adoration now, always, and forever. AMEN._____________________________________________________________________________________

MNOHAYA LITA - GOD’S BLESSINGS FOR MANY MORE YEARS OF LOVE & HAPPINESS HAPPY ANNIVERSARY – To anyone that is not registered with the Parish God’s Blessings for your Happiest Birthday Mnohaya LitaHAPPY BIRTHDAY:- Dorothy Labay - Feb. 5th, Tasha Prychitko - Feb.6th

Jaxson Solomon - Feb. 6th Dave Pinuta - Feb.10t_____________________________________________________________________________________ SANCTUARY LIGHTThis WEEK INTENTION OFFERED

February 4TH – 10TH +Soul Peter & Mary Woychyshyn Morley & Evelyn Luhowy Sanctuary Light burns eternally to indicate the presence of the Holy Eucharist in the tabernacle.

BLESSING OF YOUR HOME

We have placed a sign-up sheet at the back of the church to record your name, address, phone no and date on which you would prefer to have Fr.

Ihor visit your home. He will be sure to accommodate your request.

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St. Basil’s continues to collect warm winter wear for Winnipeggers in need. Our current challenge is to provide socks for everyone at the Lighthouse Mission downtown. Give with your heart, and let’s fill the donation box at the back of the church. God Bless you.

________________________________________________________COMMUNITY EVENTSLENTEN RETREAT Hosted St. Nicholas U.C.W.L.C.Saturday, February 17th, 2018 St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church

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Bannerman and Arlington“Lighten the Load This Lent”Presented By: Sister Darleane Pelechaty, SSMIRegistration at 9:00 am – 9:20 am $5.00 per person, bring a bagged lunch, coffee provided. Retreat will include Divine Liturgy at 2:00, preceded by Confessions. “All Ladies Welcome” Contact Shirley Erstelle for more information 204-339-3837

Parish CounciWe will return to having the regular monthly meetings every third Monday of the month beginning on February 20. March 4/18 is our annual meeting and all reports should be submitted to the Parish office by the 15 of February.

To help the nominating committee, a sheet will be distributed for your assistance in submitting your name or someone you know that would be willing to take on an executive position on the parish council. Place your suggestion in the box at the entrance to the church.RosePresident, Parish Council

I want to tell you one secret. Before I go to bed at night or get up in the morning, I meet with Ukrainians… Your Beatitude Sviatoslav presented me in Argentina with an icon of Most Holy Mother of God. I took it with me to Rome. He returned to his country from Argentina, and I had to go to Rome... I pray each time before this icon in the morning and evening and finish my prayer in Ukrainian. This was shared by Holy Father Pope Francis

during the meeting with Ukrainian migrants in the Greek Catholic Cathedral of St Sophia in Rome on January 28, 2018 AD, where he arrived at the invitation of the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

Apostle Peter's successor told that while entering this holy site – the Pro-cathedral, he observed with joy the faces of the Ukrainians. "The fact that we have gathered here in brotherly conversation, causes is to thank those numerous ones, who are not with us today, but who became the image of God's loving gaze turned upon us," said Holy Father and recalled three personalities.

"The first one – Cardinal Josyph Slipyj, whose 125-th anniversary you have celebrated. He built this lit with light basilica, so it became a bright prophetic symbol of freedom in the times, when you didn't have access to any shrines. But thanks to the sufferings, endured and

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sacrificed to the Lord, he partook in the building of another temple, even more magnificent and beautiful – temple from living stones, which you are», believes the spiritual leader of the Christians.

The second person, mentioned by the Pope, is the Bishop Chmil', who passed away 40 years ago and is buried here. "This man did a lot of good things to me. I have a vivid memory of the time when as a young boy I helped him during the Divine Liturgy. From him I learned about the beauty of your Liturgy, from his stories I learned about the living testimony of faith, forged in the horrible persecutions of the past century. I am very grateful to him and your numerous heroes of faith — those, who, like Jesus, fell like seeds on the way of sorrows, yielding an abundant harvest. For a true Christian victory — is a sign of the Cross, our banner of hope."

The third person, mentioned by the Roman Hierarch, – Cardinal Lubomyr Husar. "You, dear Beatitude, are bearing his personality in your heart, and many other people will always remember his kindness, tirelessness, and prayerful presence," said Holy Father.These witnesses of the past, believes Pope Francis, were open to the God's future, that is why they give us hope in the present. "Perhaps many of you were privileged to know them personally. When you enter this temple, please remember fathers and mothers in faith. For they are the foundation on which we are standing, those who taught us the Gospel by their lives and go on accompanying and directing us on the way," asked the Pope.

The Hierarch noted, that His Beatitude Sviatoslav spoke about mothers and grandmothers, who pass down faith to their children. "Be courageous in doing so! Thank the Lord for those women!" called Pope Francis.He observed that on the way of our Roman community there is the rectorium as a stable landmark. "Together with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic communities in the whole world you aptly formulated your pastoral program with one sentence: "Vibrant parish – place of meeting the living Christ." I would like to underline two words. The first one is – "meeting." The church – is a meeting, a place, where we can heal loneliness, overcome the temptation to separate and close in ourselves, where we can find energy to overcome self-absorption. So a community – is a place where we share our joys and hardships. Here we bring burdens of our hearts, dissatisfaction and nostalgia for our home. Here God is awaiting you in order to make your hope stronger. For when we meet the Lord, everything is permeated with His hope. I wish that you could find bread for daily living, and healing of your," wished the Holy Father.The other word is – "living." "Jesus is living. He resurrected and He is alive. And this is how we meet Him at the Liturgy, in the Word… So each of His communities bears a fragrance of life. A parish — is not a museum of memoirs or a symbol of presence on some territory, a parish — is

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the heart of the mission of the Church, where we receive and share the new life, – life which overcomes sin, death, sorrow, and keeps each heart young," convinces the Pope.

On his opinion, if faith is born from the meeting and is speaking to the life, then the treasure, which we received from parents, will be well kept. In this way we can offer invaluable assets of our tradition to the young generations, who accept faith primarily when they feel the Church as close and alive. "The Church is not a museum. God is not Someone Who looks at us only from above. God is Jesus Christ, Who is living among us," emphasized the Pope. Pope Francis mentioned with gratitude many women, who are apostles of merciful love and faith. "You are a valuable gift because you are the best witnesses of faith for many Italian families, when by means of caring and non-intrusive presence look after people. I ask you to view your tiresome and not always grateful work as a mission: you are support for many elderly people, you are sisters, who help them not to feel lonely. Reveal God's solace and tenderness to those who are getting ready to meet with Him in eternity. This is a great ministry to our neighbor, pleasant to God, for which I am grateful to you," called the Holy Father. "Today you take care of them but in the future it will be them who will open the doors of the heavenly kingdom for you," he believes. The UGCC Department for Information http://news.ugcc.ua/en/news/