There was a typo in the last line… “St Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church” was mistakenly inserted. I corrected it. The people doing the poster were rushed… shit happens. It’s put to rights, now…
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St Michael Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Woonsocket RI is still recovering from the November fire that heavily-damaged its ornate 70-year-old granite and wood church building at 74 Harris Avenue. Nevertheless, coping with the near loss of their church won’t keep St Michael’s parishioners from offering a special tribute to the firefighters who kept total disaster at bay back on 21 November 2012. Fr Anthony Perkins, pastor at St Michael, said, “At the end of the Liturgy on Sunday, we’ve invited them to come. We’re going to present them with an icon of St Michael, who’s not only our patron saint, but he’s also the patron saint of firefighters”. The parish had the icon specially-made; it’s giving it to the firefighters in the hope that they’ll remain safe in their dangerous work to help others. Fr Anthony said, “We pray for them at every service”.
The parish hasn’t been able to hold services in their Ukrainian-style church (highlighted by two stone towers topped by gold-leaf ornamental domes) since the accidental fire broke out inside the structure. Instead, parishioners gather for liturgy in their church hall across the parking lot. For now, they’ve installed an iconostas… a separating wall between the altar and the congregation… borrowed from another church. Speaking of the temporary modification, Fr Anthony said, “Now, it’s recognisable as a worship space”.
The parish is still working out the details of the repair of the damaged church with its insurance company and Fr Anthony said that he expects repair work would start in the near future. He added that the fire damage could’ve been much worse if city firefighters weren’t as successful at saving the significant city landmark as they were, saying, “It was pretty close to being destroyed, really close, because the fire had gotten up into the rafters. Once that happens, it usually becomes a total loss”. However, the firefighters and their scene commanders kept in constant contact with parishioners as they battled the blaze, and they were able to work out a strategy that saved the church. Fr Anthony noted, “We told them where they could poke a hole into the rafters through the choir loft and they were able to go through that to put it out”.
The firefighters also went into the sanctuary of the church to rescue important parish religious artefacts that would’ve been otherwise lost to the fire. Fr Anthony stated, “After they put the fire out, they were like a moving company and got everything out of there. We weren’t able to salvage everything, but the important things were. We had religious relics in the church and they were able to get them out. They were tremendous. They kept talking to us and telling us what was going on. They were able to stop it. It’s going to need a new roof, but we didn’t have to tear down the walls”.
In the aftermath of the fire, the parishioners held services outside the church right away, but didn’t get a full understanding of the damage occurring in the fire until recently. After visiting the church to see the damage himself, Metropolitan Antony Scharba, the First Hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, told Fr Anthony that he should take his congregation inside the fire damaged church. Fr Anthony told us, “He said, ‘You have to bring the people to see this’. So, the parish held a prayer service inside their church about a month ago, and it was a powerful experience for the congregation”. The parishioners of St Michael Ukrainian Orthodox Church continue to work toward the day they’ll once again hold services inside their church and Fr Anthony said that the ceremony honouring city firefighters would be another step along that road.
In an effort to help repair the church, a benefit concert will occur on Sunday, 19 May, at the Blackstone River Theatre (click here for directions) on 549 Broad Street in Cumberland RI at 19.00 EDT. The concert will feature Ukrainian musician Julian Kytasty (click here for a vid). Admission is 20 USD (630 Roubles. 15.60 Euros. 13.20 UK Pounds) for adults, 15 USD (423 Roubles. 11.70 Euros. 9.90 UK Pounds) for seniors and 10 USD (315 Roubles. 7.80 Euros. 6.60 UK Pounds) for children under 12. For more information, call (401) 725-9272.
18 May 2013
Joseph Nadeau
http://www.woonsocketcall.com/node/8284
Editor’s Note:
These guys ain’t fly-by-night Johnnie-come-Lately newbies… they’re the real deal; hey, send ‘em a fin or two, if you can. They’re on the up-and-square. This is a typical Orthodox parish founded by hard-working immigrants, sustained by their faithful kids. It’s what Orthodoxy in the American diaspora is all about… give ‘em a hand… they need it.
BMD
Statement of Pyotr Simonenko, Head of the KPU on Victory Day, 9 May 2013
Tags: Communist Party of the Ukraine, Communists, Eastern Front (World War II), Great Patriotic War, KPU, patriotic, patriotic movement, patriotism, political commentary, politics, Pyotr Simonenko, Red Victory Banner, Russia, Russian, Russian history, Soviet, Soviet people, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Ukrainian Communist Party, USSR, Victory Day, VOV, World War II
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Dear veterans! Dear compatriots! I warmly greet you on the Day of the Great Victory!
68 years have passed since that spring when Soviet soldiers hoisted the Red Victory Banner over the Reichstag. In the history of the 20th century, no event was more heroic or glorious. On top of that, it determined the development of mankind for many decades to come; it left an indelible mark on the destiny of the Ukrainian people, which sacrificed the lives of millions of its best sons and daughters on the altar of Victory. There’s probably no family in our country that didn’t suffer bereavement in those terrible years of the Great Patriotic War… they lost loved ones that died a heroic death on the battlefield, or tortured by the Gestapo in their dungeons, or treacherously shot in the back by Bandera’s collaborators, or deported to Nazi captivity.
Defending our socialist motherland, they saved mankind from the Nazi nightmare; Ukrainians, together with all the other fraternal Soviet peoples, performed miracles of courage as brothers, showing their trust in the rightness of their historical path. The Fascists didn’t take into account the fact that when they set foot on Soviet soil, for the first time in the course of the Second World War, they faced people ready to fight to their last drop of blood for their motherland, for their government, for their freedom! From the first days of the war, at a time of defeat and enemy victories on all borders, on all fronts, Communists were in the forefront of those defending our Soviet Motherland on land, in the air, and in underground partisan groups in the backwoods, deep behind the enemy lines. The only desire of every Communist was to be the first one to jump into the attack, and to work harder all the time. Everyone… from private to marshal… equally took notice of Stalin‘s stern and righteous order, “Not one step back!” Of the Communists who went to the front, half of them fell in battle for our Soviet Motherland.
Then, in the midst of the war, the Soviet people mastered the science of winning! They managed to create new weapons to overcome the power of the enemy! They persevered… and won! The Great Patriotic War amply demonstrated the advantages of the socialist planned economy, multiplied by the power of the spirit of the Soviet people. This society of patriots and internationalists, inspired by Lenin‘s ideas, and led by the Communist Party, couldn’t help but defeat fascism.
Good is Always Stronger than Evil!
When we greet the 9 May holiday with tears in our eyes, it isn’t just petty sentiment. After all, it embodies the holy memory of a warrior who recalls his battle comrades who departed into eternity, and the admiration of a grandson for his grandfather’s unsurpassed heroism, and the grief of a widow that once again re-reads the yellowed death notice. It embodies an evident remembrance that time can’t erase. Victory Day is dear to all patriots, to all anti-fascists, to all honest people. This is a true people’s holiday. It’s a feast for the ages! No words can express my wonder at the podvig of our illustrious veterans! Their feat is immortal!
Thank you, Motherland, for what you are!
Soldiers of Victory! Don’t despair… be proud and resolute, as in 1945. However, life’s been hard on the veterans; their wounds hurt and their hearts overflow with sorrow and anger when they see nationalist scum desecrate the graves of their comrades, and pour scorn on the historical truth, mocking the memory and valour of the fallen! I confide to the children of the Victors… you shouldn’t forget for a moment that live next to Heroes… that isn’t only extraordinary and fortunate, it’s also a huge responsibility. Don’t let the Johnny-come-lately collaborator-traitors steal the Victory from the Liberators… who despised death, fighting for the future of their children and grandchildren! Defend them from the coldness of some in the government, as they defended our future from fascism! Don’t let new invaders and burglars take away our gains, change our banners, eliminate our ideals, crush our wills, and suppress our desire for a better life!
On 9 May, we should hold “Parades of the Victors” in all our cities and villages, led by the Red Banner of Victory, with our people holding the portraits of their fathers and grandfathers who gave their lives during the Great Patriotic War, defending their socialist motherland from the Fascist barbarians, and of those who didn’t survive to today’s Victory Day! Let these parades remind all of us… Our cause is just! Victory will be ours!
Glory to the Soviet Soldier-Liberator!
Glory to the Soviet Victor-People!
Glory to the veterans of the Great Patriotic War!
Eternal memory to the victims!
Dear veterans, its Victory Day! I wish you good health and long life!
7 May 2013
Pyotr Simonenko
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Ukraine (KPU)
Chairman of the Communist faction in the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada
KPU official website
http://www.kpu.ua/s-dnem-velikoj-pobedy/