Go to confession, let yourself be consoled
VATICAN CITY — Anyone who wants to experience the consolation and tenderness of God simply needs to go to confession, Pope Francis said at his morning Mass. Celebrating the liturgy […]
Christmas at Mt. Macrina Manor
Girl, Boy scouts deliver gifts of time, music to residents. The activities staff at Mt. Macrina Manor in Uniontown, Pa. was busy this month with planning, decorating, and preparing dining […]
Preparing the next generation of priests
Chris Singel, master of ceremonies for the 63rd annual Saint Nicholas Charity Dinner, said many heartfelt words extolling the virtues of seminary life. But he said you don’t have to […]
Security blanket
I’m a big fan of Easter eggs. Of course, I enjoy seeing the many colorful pysanky meticulously designed each year to signify the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But there’s another […]
Give a gift of joy for Christmas
View from the little sisters of the poor I had just begun my initiation to religious life when a very kind Little Sister offered to share with me the secret […]
Patience is proof of the gift of the Holy Spirit
Reflection from Mount St. Macrina Sister Barbara Jean Mihalchick posts videos of her reflections each week at the Facebook of the Sisters of St. Basil the Great. View them at: […]
Spreading the Word
Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Mission Forms in North Carolina Area The Divine Liturgy is celebrated every Saturday at 4 p.m. by Father Steven Galuschik of All Saints Byzantine Church in Ft. […]
Openness to God’s Will
Sixteen men came from all over the United States Nov. 1 to 3 to visit the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh for a discernment retreat accurately titled “Come and See.”
The idea behind the weekend was to help retreatants prayerfully discern God’s calling by living with the seminarians and getting a taste of the experience of seminary life. Retreatants came from the four Ruthenian eparchies — Pittsburgh, Passaic, Parma, and Phoenix — and the Melkite Eparchy of Newton.
I was one of the men to attend this great weekend of prayer and fraternity. Prayer formed the structure of the retreat with beautiful liturgical services, including Vespers, Compline, Festal Matins, Divine Liturgies, and 9th Hour, led by Fathers Will Rupp, Robert Pipta, and Joel Barstad. There were also short classes and talks led by various instructors who teach at the seminary, by spiritual directors of seminarians, and by the seminarians themselves.
Fraternity was also a significant part of the weekend. The seminarians were each assigned retreatants in order to mentor them. This provided for some very good spiritual conversations on discernment and life in general. Very enjoyable was an ice cream social where we and the seminarians were able to talk, play games, and have genuine human interaction,
“The Journey to Emmaus Continued”
Byzantine Spirituality Conference Welcomes Eparchial Bishop of Newton The annual Byzantine Spirituality Conference, sponsored by the Office of Religious Education, was held Nov. 9 at the Cathedral of St. John […]
Symptoms of Inner Peace
Today, I’ll continue our series on the “Fruits of the Holy Spirit” and talk about joy and peace. Are they possible? Oh, yes. It does require something, though: placing God […]