The triumphant entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem before His passion, was celebrated with particular solemnity since the first centuries of Christianity. In the Byzantine Rite it is considered to this day one of the twelve Major Feasts of the liturgical year. It is always celebrated on the Sunday before Easter with the blessing of branches. Continue reading →

One of the world’s best known icons of the Blessed Mother is the miraculous 5th century icon of the Mother of Perpetual Help. Surrounded by a nimbus of great antiquity and painted in genuine Byzantine style, this icon was instrumental in the many miracles. Being transported from the East to the West, it has become popular throughout the world and the source of perpetual blessing and consolation for many peoples. Continue reading →

On solemn Holydays, the faithful of the Byzantine Rite are anointed with holy oil and receive a piece of bread blessed for this sacramental on the vigil of the feast. This venerable custom among the Ruthenians is known as ” Mirovanije” or an anointing. It is a remnant of two distinct practices of ancient times, the all-night vigils held in the church and the lighting of the oil lamps in front of the icon of the Feast. In order to better understand this relatively simple ceremony of the anointing, an explanation of the all-night vigil with Litija and that of the lighting of the lamp of oil in front of the icon of the feast is necessary. Continue reading →

The Christian Community, from its inception, was encouraged to assemble “in the morning and in the evening, singing psalms and praying in the house of the Lord” (cf. The Apostolic Constitutions II, 29). These common morning and evening prayers eventually developed into two distinct liturgical services known as Matins and Vespers. In this leaflet we will limit ourselves to the description of Matins, since Vespers has been described previously (cf. Byzantine Leaflet Series, 1983, no. 29). Continue reading →

The Ruthenian people of the Subcarpathian region highly appreciated and loved their Byzantine Rite, and they were always ready to make great sacrifices to have beautifully painted and decorated churches. Their wooden churches are gems of sacred architecture, while their inconostases (icon-screens) are insuperable monuments of artistic wood carving. And their old icons, painted in a popular style, today serve as centuries old witnesses of a deep faith and strong attachment of the Carpatho-Ruthenian people to their Byzantine Rite. Continue reading →

In order to carry on His work of redemption “until the end of the world” (Mt. 28:20), our Lord Jesus Christ established the Church, investing it with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33) and all the necessary means of salvation. The most important of those means of salvation are the Sacraments. Continue reading →

The Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) are the most important means of our salvation, which were established and entrusted to the Church by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There are seven such sacramental mysteries administered by the Byzantine Rite Church (ct. Byzantine Leaflet Series, 1989, No. 47). the first being the Holy Mystery of Baptism, by which we become regenerated into the divine life of God’s children in Jesus Christ and become living members of His Church. Continue reading →

Holy Baptism is our mystical participation in Easter, since having “died to sin,” through baptism we rise with Christ to “live in newness of life” (Rom. 6:2-4) as children of God. By Holy Chrismation, which in the Byzantine Rite is administered immediately after baptism, we mystically participate in Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon us.

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