Text Box: GRANDPARENTS BLESSING On the weekend of Saturday July 25, 5.00PM & Sunday July 26 after 8.30 & 10.30 Holy Masses, all grandparents will receive a special blessing after Holy Communion. HOLY YEAR FOR PRIESTS On March 16, 2009, the Holy Father received members of the Congregation for the Clergy. The Holy Father highlighted the “indispensable struggle for moral perfection which must dwell in every truly priestly heart” In order to favor this tendency of priests towards spiritual perfection, upon which the effectiveness of their ministry principally depends, the Holy Father said: "I have decided to call a special 'Year for Priests' which will run from 19 June 2009 to 19 June 2010". This year marks "the 150th anniversary of the death of the saintly 'Cure of Ars', Jean Marie Vianney, a true example of a pastor at the service of Christ's flock". ******************************************* About the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom! What is the Divine Liturgy? The Divine Liturgy is the highest act of worship by the Church, whereby the mystery of Christ becomes present among us, especially the Sacrifice of His human life on the Cross. The saving power (grace) from that act is made available to us. The "Divine Liturgy" it is an English translation of the Greek, "Thia Liturgia". Liturgy was the most important public act in the Ancient Greek world. We call the Liturgy Divine (or God's) because, through it, we partake of the Divine Nature; it is God's supreme act for humanity. What is the difference between the Divine Liturgy and Holy Mass? None. In the Latin Rite, the Eucharistic Sacrifice became popularly known as Missa (Mass); a word spoken by the priest at the end of the Liturgy, "Ite, missa est" Go, you are sent forth (the Mass is finished). Why do we refer to the Divine Liturgy as a sacrifice? In the Divine Liturgy, the Sacrifice of Jesus' Body and Blood is re-enacted and re-presented to the Church by the Lord Himself, Who is our Eternal High Priest. He uses the ordained priesthood as his instrument, as he uses bread and wine, to enable us to approach Him. The Sacrifice of Calvary is the act that redeemed the world from the slavery of sin. Is the Divine Liturgy also a banquet? Yes. In the ancient world, after sacrificing animals in the temples, some of the meat would be served at sacrificial banquets. The lambs blood saved Israel from death in Egypt. So too, Christ commanded His followers to feed on His Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine. What is the relationship of the Last Supper to the Divine Liturgy? The Last Supper was the ancient Passover Meal, whereby God¹s people re-presented the wonders of his saving acts. This meal was the venue chosen by Christ to give us His flesh to eat and His blood to drink, except he performed this act on the day before His death. The Divine Liturgy follows the form of Last Supper (sacrificial banquet), and makes present the Sacrifice of the Cross. By Christ's passion and death, we pass-over from death to life. Text Box: What are the principle parts of the Divine Liturgy? The Prothesis (or proskomedia), the service of preparing the holy gifts, which precedes the beginning of the Liturgy proper. The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. The Liturgy of the Word (of the Catechumens) and the Liturgy of the Eucharist (of the faithful). The Liturgy of the Word follows in the tradition of synagogue worship: God- the-Word becomes present among us in His Divine Word (Antiphons, Epistle, Gospel). Jesus is the Word of God. The Gospel is the high point of this section. Where does the Liturgy of the Faithful (of the Eucharist) begin? The Liturgy of the faithful begins shortly after the reading of the Holy Gospel, with the words: "Again and again, in peace let pray to the Lord". The priest places the gospel-book in front of the tabernacle and unfolds the iliton (corporal cloth) where the Eucharistic offerings will be placed. Why is there so much ritual at the Liturgy? Jesus Christ established a Visible Church on earth as a sign of salvation to all mankind. Because we are spiritual and material beings, the material-visible element of the Sacraments is essential. Jesus mediates His Divinity to us through His humanity. The expression of our humanity is our culture, which includes symbols, music, furnishings, and gestures. Over the centuries, some of the highest expressions of culture have been incorporated in sacred worship. Are their rules for the correct celebration of the Liturgy? Yes. The Apostles and their successors were given the authority to bind and loose, to keep order in the faith-community. Thus, the rules for the celebration of the Eucharist are the competency of the Church hierarchy and are contained in the Liturgical books and instructions, such as the Ordo Celebrationis. Why does the priest face the altar and not the people? Early Christian churches were built with the altar at the east end. The priest, together with the congregation, faced east, towards the Lord. The priest leads his flock towards the rising sun, symbol of the coming of the Lord. Pope Benedict XVI has written about the importance of the priest and congregation facing the same direction. See a further explanation from the Pope's book Spirit of the Liturgy. Can the priest alter the text and ceremonies of the Liturgy? No, as they do not belong to him. The priest is the servant of the Liturgy and not vice-versa. Altering the Liturgy is similar to the violation of copyright, the misuse of someone else’s words. In the Ukrainian Catholic Church, liturgical changes are the competency of the Major-Archbishop together with the Synod of Bishops, with the approval of the Holy See. ICONS are unique religious images. By contemplating icons of our Lord, the saints, and those sacred events that are part of Christian Tradition, we strive to achieve a powerful and prayerful meditative mood. We never worship the images, themselves. Through these “windows into heaven” we direct our prayers to God Who became visible and approachable in the Son and Who, alone, we worship and adore. Icons are found throughout the church yet our attention is specially focused on those that form the icon screen. The "holy doors" in the middle of the screen represent the gates to the kingdom of