Holy Week and Easter Services
My Dear Parishioners,
I pray that you and your families are safe and healthy. As we endure the COVID-19 Pandemic, we are evermore united as one global family – God’s family – in our efforts to battle this disease, protecting in particular our seniors and those with medical conditions. In Christ, all things are possible. We will overcome.
Over these past several weeks, I have been moved by the love and pastoral care expressed towards you by our clergy. To them, I express my heartfelt gratitude. They are praying for you daily, celebrating the Lenten liturgical services and the Divine Liturgy for your intentions, visiting the sick and dying, celebrating funerals, hearing confessions upon request, phoning and keeping in touch with you – in particular, the elderly and shut-ins – providing counselling, and so on. They have also been sending you their weekly bulletins and homily reflections, with the Sunday epistle and gospel, and changeable parts, so that you pray and reflect upon the word of God at home, alone or with your family. Although our buildings are closed, the Church continues to be open – because we are the Church!
Holy Week and Easter Services
As we prepare to mark Holy Week, Our Lord’s passion, crucifixion, death upon the cross, and then Easter and his glorious third-day Resurrection, our celebrations will be very different this year owing to the coronavirus. We simply continue doing what we’re already doing, that is, stay home to prevent the spread of the virus, and to follow the Holy Week and Easter services from home through livestream.
For this purpose, four parishes throughout the Eparchy of Edmonton have been designated to provide livestream: Easter, April 12 – Saint Josaphat Cathedral, Saint Basil the Great Parish, Edmonton, and Saint Stephen Protomartyr Parish, Calgary; and Easter, April 19 – Saint George the Victory-bearer Parish, Edmonton. For service times and website information, visit the Eparchy of Edmonton’s website www.eeparchy.com.
When following the livestream liturgical services, it is important to stay prayerful and focused, avoiding all distractions. Set up a prayer corner in your “domestic church.” Place yourself in front of an icon. Light a candle. On the appropriate day, download a copy an icon of the Holy (Last) Supper, the Holy Shroud of Our Lord (plaschanytsia), and the Resurrection of Our Lord (available on www.eeparchy.com). Meditate upon them.
Be assured that all our pastors will celebrate the Holy Week and Easter services for your intention, either in church by themselves or with the assistance of a cantor, or privately in their home.
Palm Sunday and Pussy willows
Blessed pussy willows will not be distributed on Flowery (Palm) Sunday. Some parishes who have already pre-ordered pussy willows, may bless and distribute them once the pandemic has passed.
Easter Basket-blessings
Easter baskets will be blessed via livestream, following the celebration of Resurrection Matins and Divine Liturgy. Alternatively, in these extraordinary circumstances, the faithful may recite the prayers of Easter-basket blessing yourself (available at www.eeparchy.com), sprinkling them with Holy Water, where available.
Easter Confessions
As it is not possible to celebrate our “Easter” confession at this time, nor receive the Divine Eucharist on the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord, pray by yourself or as a family the “Prayer of Spiritual Communion,” which can be found below.
Financial Support
At this critical time, your financial support is greatly appreciated. Our eparchy and parishes continue to incur expenses as we strive to fulfill the mission which God has entrusted to the Church. If you are able, you may mail a donation directly to the Eparchy of Edmonton or your parish. You may also donate online at www.eeparchy.com by clicking “Donate.” If you are donating to a given parish, specify which parish in the memo box: “Include a message for this charity.”
Continued Prayer for you and your family
Please know that your bishop and your clergy are praying for you, for family and friends; for the shut-ins and elderly; for the sick and the dying; for government leaders and officials; and for the doctors, nurses, researchers, for all care givers, and for all who provide essential services.
As we celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord, I pray that God’s grace and love fills your heart, and that of your family and friends, and brings joy and peace to all people.
Христос Воскрес! Воістину Воскрес!
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!
Sincerely in Christ,
Bishop David
Prayer of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offenses, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Молитва духовного Причастя
Мій Ісусе! Я вірю, що Ти присутній у цих Святих Дарів!
Люблю Тебе над усе і моя душа тужить за Тобою.
Не можу зараз Тебе прийняти в Євхаристії,
тому хоча б духовно прийди до мого серця!
Запрошую Тебе, відчиняю навстіж двері мого серця,
згадаючи Твої слова: «Ось стою під дверима і стукаю.
Якщо хто почує Мій голос і відчинить двері,
Я ввійду до нього, і буду вечеряти з ним, а він зі Мною».
Я ввесь єднаюся з Тобою. Ісусе, моє найвище Добро
й моя солодка Любове!
Торкнись мого серця і запали його,
щоб воно завжди палало любов’ю до Тебе! Амінь.
UPCOMING EVENT
- Pope Francis issued a Message for the 57th World Day of Prayer for Vocations to be celebrated on May 3. The theme of the Holy Father’s Message is: “Words of Vocation.”
- The National Week for Life and the Family will be celebrated May 10-17, with the theme, “Children: The Crowning Glory of Marriage.”
Material to help celebrate the Life and Family has been prepared by the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF). The material, which can be freely downloaded and reproduced, includes: a proposed plan for pastors and lay pastoral workers on how they might organize the Week; a message from the CCCB President, the Most Reverend Richard Gagnon; proposals for homily notes and Prayers of the Faithful; and suggestions for related events and activities.
The material is available on COLF: https://www.colf.ca/en/events/item/301-national-week-for-life-and-the-family-2020
- CANCELLED (due to COVID-19). Annual Clergy Retreat: May 25-29 (Sanctum Retreat Centre). Retreat Master – Very Rev. Gabriel Haber, osbm, Provincial Superior, Order of Saint Bastil the Great. Theme “Praying the Beatitudes.” [2021 Annual Clergy Retreat: May 17-21, 2021 (Sanctum Retreat Centre)].
- CANCELLED (due to COVID-19). The 11th Annual “Bishop’s Prayer Breakfast” will take place 7:30 – 9:00 am, Wednesday, June 3, at Saint Josaphat’s Cathedral Hall – Verkhovyna (9637 – 108 Avenue), Edmonton.
The event supports, through prayer, our clergy, religious, monastics and laity in their leadership roles in continuing the mission of Christ in sharing the Good News among the people of God.
- 2020 Presbyteral Council Meetings: (2:00 – 5:00 pm, Pastoral Centre): October 5, and November 16.
- 2020 Clergy Conferences: (10:00 am – 4:00 pm): October 9, and November 17.
- 2021 Annual Clergy Retreat: May 17-21, 2021 (Sanctum Retreat Centre).
- 2020 Annual Clergy Study Day: October 5-8 (Providence Renewal Centre, Edmonton).
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Pope Francis issued a Message for the 35th World Youth Day (WYD) on the theme: “Young man, I say to you, arise!” (Lk 7:14).
In his Message for Lent 2020, Pope Francis points to the paschal mystery – the mystery of Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection – as the basis of conversion.
- The inaugural meeting of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (CCCB) Standing Committee for Responsible Ministry and the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons was recently held in Ottawa.
The first permanent structure of its kind within the CCCB, the membership of the Standing Committee involves a total of 16 people, including four Bishops, victims-survivors, and experts from the fields of safeguarding, psychology, and law (canon and civil).
The meeting of the Standing Committee members represents an important step for the Church in Canada in its commitment to address the grave harm sexual abuse caused to victims and their families, and to ensure all pastoral environments are safe.
For more on the meeting, visit: Standing Committee for Responsible Ministry Holds Inaugural Meeting
- Bishop David appointed Rev. Roman Planchak as Protopresbyter (Dean) of the Calgary Protopresbyterate (Deanery), member of the College of Consultors, and member of the Presbyteral Council. At the same time, Bishop David expresses his gratitude to Rev. Greg Faryna who served in the same capacity since 2018.
- Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski was enthroned as Bishop of London on March 21. The Eparchy of London serves the Ukrainian Catholic faithful throughout the United Kingdom.
Bishop Kenneth was enthroned by Cardinal Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. The Cardinal Archbishop has been delegated to perform the enthronement by His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav, who is under travel restrictions owing to the Coronavirus.
Below is a link to the Eparchy of New Westminster’s website, which carries the recorded Rite of Enthronement, and well as my greetings to Bishop Kenneth on behalf of his former Eparchy. From New Westminster to Westminster.
http://nweparchy.ca/project/enthronement-of-bishop-kenneth-nowakowski/
His Excellency Bishop David and the entire Chancery staff and volunteers extend to the clergy, religious, monastic, and faithful of the Eparchy of Edmonton a blessed and holy celebration of the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord.
Христос Воскрес! Воістину Воскрес!
Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
© 2019 Eparchy of Edmonton
9645 – 108 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5H 1A3
Tel: (780) 424-5496 Fax: (780) 425-2330
www.edmontoneparchy.com