Ukrainian Church in Woonsocket RI Will Honour Firemen Who Battled November Fire

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

The Call (Woonsocket RI) 

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

St Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Surrey BC: “An Island Amongst Sinners”

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A half-dozen years ago, bullets flew into the walls of St Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Surrey BC (part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District). That should tell you all that you need to know about the crime, drugs, homelessness, and squalor that surround the church’s gold-coloured dome in Whalley. Rev Mykhaylo Pozdyk said, “We’re like an island amongst sinners. The picture isn’t good, but we’re proud to be here to be God’s witness”. Although he said that dying in the church would be a “great honour”, it was fortunate that no one was around at the time of the drug-­related shooting spree.

The church is on 135A Street, in a two-block section that’s generally-considered Surrey’s worst stretch of pavement. When Ukrainian immigrants chose the spot for the church 50 years ago, the town centre was thriving. Today, the building’s white walls and blue-painted trim stand apart from nearby vacant lots and rundown buildings. Fr Mykhaylo said that the street people in the neighbourhood are friendly for the most part, but thefts occur and church property is sometimes destroyed, noting, “People ask for money but they usually don’t want food”.

As difficult as life is for the disadvantaged in downtown Whalley, Pozdyk saw much worse under Soviet rule in the Ukraine, where he lived until moving to Canada in 1996. He said, “Here we have more respect and value for people. Canada’s a rich country with many government programmes to help them”. He went on to say that churches were shut down for several generations in his homeland and KGB agents lurked in every village and organisation, observing, “Communists denied God’s existence”. Pozdyk was secretly married in a church in 1987 at the beginning of Mikhail Gorbachyov’s period of thaw. Ukrainian people flocked to the churches when the doors opened after independence in 1991.

He stated that the churches there aren’t as well attended now because people chase after the same material goals as they do in the West, saying, “As soon as you sign a mortgage, you’re a slave to the mortgage. You have no time for God”. Although Pozdyk has bought a house here, and smiles about it, he remains faithful to his spiritual duties, telling us, “We’re temporary in this world… pilgrims. Freedom you can only find in God. We ­glorify God for everything we have in this life. We say ‘thank you’ for the forgiveness of our sins. I’m still a sinner and I’m trying my best to grow ­spiritually”.

IN A NUTSHELL

What’s your congregation’s religion?

Our congregation is part of One Holy Orthodox-Catholic and Apostolic Church.

What would you put in a tweet? 

We’re blessed to worship in this beautiful little church that’s on the City of Surrey Heritage Register. We welcome everyone, and we’ll treat you as best as we can.

How many people attend services?

40 to 70

What’s traditional?

Our worship is Liturgical, Eucharistic, and Jesus-centred.

What’s modern?

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

What’s the most beautiful thing about your church?

Praising God and worshipping Him in spirit and truth together with all the people who come here and have hope that all their names will be written in the Book of Life.

Give us your sense of what’s happening in the area around the church.

Hard-working people who were busy with supporting their families built this church between 1950 and 1955. At the same time, they worked hard to build a new place of worship. At that time, it was a good area. Now, the church finds itself on one of the poorest streets in town.

26 April 2013

Kent Spencer

The Province

http://www.theprovince.com/life/Mary+Ukrainian+Orthodox+Church+Surrey+island+among+sinners/8302639/story.html

Moscow Patriarchate Cools the Vatican: “New Greek-Catholic Challenges” in the Ukraine

Uniates slobber over this… you can see why they’re enemies of Christ’s Church…

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The MP denied the words of the nuncio in the Russian Federation, according to whom relations between Orthodox and Uniates have improved. Archpriest Dmitri Sizonenko denounced expansionism and support for schismatics.

The question of Greek-Catholics in the Ukraine (Uniates) continues to hinder ecumenical dialogue between Rome and Moscow. Archpriest Dmitri Sizonenko, MP Secretary for Inter-Christian relations, reiterated this in speaking to Interfax-Religion. He commented on the optimistic declarations about the improved relations between Orthodox and [so-called] Ukrainian Catholics (who recognise the authority of the Pope of Rome), made by the Apostolic Nuncio in the Russian Federation, Monsignor Ivan Yurkovich. The latter, interviewed by NG-Religii, stated, “The difficulties of the early 90s have been overcome in many ways, and, today, there are many points of contact between the two Churches, especially of an informal nature”. Rev Sizonenko agreed that some problems were solved, but warned that, today, “there are new challenges”. He related that the First Hierarch of the UOC/MP expressed “concern” about attempts by Uniates “to establish and develop structures in regions with an Orthodox majority”.

Sizonenko also added that the Greek-Catholics said that they work for the unity of the Orthodox in Ukraine, but then “do the opposite”. As an example, he recalled the fact that the Major Archbishop of Kiev, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the Uniate leader, recently declared that he accepts baptisms done in the churches of the “Patriarchate of Kiev”, which is unrecognised throughout the Orthodox world. Fr Dmitri pointed up, “In the context of the current situation in the Ukraine, this sounds like proof of an interest to strengthen the position of the schismatics”. After the end of the USSR and the independence of the Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has faced strong divisions that led to the coexistence of three Orthodox Churches with parallel hierarchies:

• UOC/MP, under the Patriarchate of Moscow and all the Russias (albeit with wide autonomy, the only one recognised by the other Orthodox Local Churches)
• “Patriarchate of Kiev and all the Ukraine” (formed around the figure of Philaret, a defrocked MP cleric)
• Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (strongly nationalistic)

11 February 2013

Nina Achmatova

AsiaNews

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Moscow-Patriarchate-cools-the-Vatican:-new-Greek-catholic-challenges-in-Ukraine-27101.html

Editor’s Note:

Discount the Blunder’s cooing to the papists. This is the real deal. As a Cabinet member told me:

Do NOT forget Benny Ratz’s support for “canonising” the monster Cardinal Alojzije Viktor Stepinac of Zagreb, the “Josaphat Kontsevich” of the 20th Century. The Local Churches of Serbia, Bulgaria, Moscow, and even the submissive Phanar are outraged over this insult and blasphemy. Still, our “professional” Orthodox and half-converted “experts” continue to indulge in heavy petting with Catholics.

Quite. The Uniates aren’t our friends. There are all too many priests and faithful killed and injured by American-financed Uniate mobs… all too many Orthodox churches stolen by the Uniates. That’s why you should never take anything on the website Byzantine Texas as truth… and do spam anyone signing themselves as “Josephus Flavius” in your commboxes… he’s a nasty Uniate who just wants to argue and cause upset amongst Real Orthodox. Oh, yes… his website is a fave amongst konvertsy… which is proof that the konvertsy have NEVER converted in their heart-of-hearts and that we should never ordain them (especially, not former clergy). It’s not “nice” out there, but it’s “what is”… and we ignore reality at our own peril.

BMD

3 January 2013. A Tale of Two Enthronements…

God DOES see and judge…

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Compare this and this. The first is the enthronement of Tikhon Mollard in the District; the second is the enthronement of Antony Scharba in Silver Spring MD, just three loud farts away. According to Google Maps, the road distance between St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the District and St Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Silver Spring is only 26 kilometres (16 miles). Those of us who know the shitty roads and the wretched traffic in that neck of the woods know that it takes forever to get anywhere; it takes about 50 real-world minutes to drive between the two churches (38 minutes? Get real… this is the District; with traffic arrangements (un)funded by the US Congress and designed by Satan himself).

Scharba’s being enthroned on Saturday 26 January… Mollard’s being enthroned on Sunday 27 January. Of course, neither website acknowledges the existence of the other enthronement, so, obviously, one can’t tell if it’s a snub or just plain ol’ hutsky-klutsky (my vote is for a combination of the two, with most of it being hutsky-klutsky). Since both enthronements are taking place in the same metro area, we can draw direct comparisons between them and declare a “winner” as far as po-nashemu pragmatism’s concerned.

In this, the Ukies win hands down. There’s no contest. Of course, the fact that Lyonyo, Jillions, and Tosi (with input from Potapov, no doubt) planned the OCA hootenanny guaranteed that it would end as a gigantic tits-up, overpriced and not good value for money. Firstly, the OCA dinner costs 100 bucks (3,000 Roubles. 77 Euros. 62 UK Pounds) a head, no exceptions. The Ukie feast costs 50 bucks (1,500 Roubles. 38.50 Euros. 31 UK Pounds) a hit, half as much, plus they have student discounts and it’s free for the kids. This means that Tony Scharba wants as many people about him as possible… and bring the kids, please! It means that Tikhon Mollard is a putz manoeuvred by his puppeteers… only the right people are coming to his dinner… Lyonyo, Behr, Jillions, and Tosi will see to that. The Ukies kept their meal at their Cathedral hall, which means that they kept control of the premises and costs… the OCA is holding theirs at an outside venue, which means that they have NO control over the event. What a buncha losers.

Then, when it comes to hotel discounts, the Ukies win again. The OCA “discount” is 139 smackers (4,200 Roubles. 107 Euros. 87 UK Pounds) a night… that’s no discount; it’s the usual price for a half-ass room in the District and its surrounding burbs. The Ukies got 79 bucks (2,400 Roubles. 61 Euros. 50 UK Pounds) a night per room at Holiday Inn, no Motel 6 that. That is, the Ukies are paying 57 percent of the rate that the OCA crowd’s paying. That’s some steep difference. Is Lyonyo et al getting skunked on the rate? Is Lyonyo et al getting a kickback? I’ll betcha any amount that it’s a combination of the two.

The OCA enthronement is going to end as High Comedy, whilst the Ukie enthronement is going to be a smoothly-functioning affair. Oh, one last thing… the choir at St Andrew Cathedral is a well-rehearsed lot, under the expert direction of a former OCA director from the District. The choir at the OCA Dixie Fry will consist of a poorly-prepared pickup choir under the direction of David Drillock (the old overrated and undertalented SVS music guru… he must be pushing 80… he’s bluffed his way through life as he was Ledkovsky’s flunky in his youth). Yowza…

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Thursday 3 January 2013

Albany NY