Since the beginning of Christianity, the faithful used to assemble together for their prayers twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. The ancient Christian writer, Tertull ian (d. after 220 A.D.), at the turn of the second century, called these common praye rs legal prayers, i.e. prescribed by the Church authority (cf. Tertullian, On Prayer, 25). And the fourth century document admonished the bishops: “When you instruct the people, command and exhort them to come regularly to church, in the morning and evening every day, and not to forsake it on any account” (cf. The Apostolic Constitutions II , 59). Continue reading →

In the former Mukachevo eparchy there were several miraculously weeping icons of the Most Holy Mother of God, venerated by our Carpathian ancestors with great devotion and love. The Blessed Mother, seeing the many sufferings of our oppressed people, sympathized with them in a visible manner, miraculously shedding tears in various places, like in Klokochovo, Mariapovch, Krichevo, Mikula and Pavlovo. The oldest of them was that in Klokochovo, presently in the Eastern Slovakia, shedding tears in 1670. Continue reading →

For the Jews, the cross was a tree of shame and for the Romans it was an instrument of execution. But for the Christians the cross became the symbol of victory and salvation, an object of special veneration. The Primitive Church provides us with sufficient and definite evidence of the veneration of the Holy Cross. With the granting of peace by Constantine I and the discovery of the true Cross of Christ (about A.D. 326), the veneration of the Holy Cross became public and very popular. Continue reading →

One of the most impressive rituals of Holy Week in the Byzantine Rite is the Ritual of the Holy Shroud (Plaschanicja) which is taken during the Vespers of Good Friday. Symbolically, the ritual commemorates the removal of the Body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from the cross, together with His burial, which followed immediately after His redeeming death. Continue reading →

In the Byzantine Rite St. John the Baptist is venerated above all other Saints and right below the Angels. Of course, we do not include the Blessed Mother of God, the Theotokos, who being ” more honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim,” enjoys a unique veneration (hyperdulia) over and above all the Angels and Saints. Continue reading →

There is a renewed interest and appreciation of iconography among Byzantine Catholics in the United States. It is an encouraging indication of a return to our centuries-old traditions. Our ancestors, accepting Christianity in the Byzantine Rite, also accepted the practice of venerating holy icons. Without them our liturgical worship becomes sorely mutilated and loses a great deal of its solemnity and splendor. Let us then become acquainted with the history, the meaning and the true spirit of the veneration of icons. Continue reading →

“Christ is born, glorify him! Christ came from heaven, welcome Him! Christ is on earth, exult! Sing to the Lord all the earth, Joyfully praise Him all you nations, For He has become glorious!”

With these inspiring words, Saint Gregory of Nazianz (d. 390) began his famous sermon On the Nativity, which was later incorporated into the Canon of the Nativity by St. Cosmas of Maiuma (d. 760) . We can also trace the origin of our traditional Christmas greeting: Christ is born! Glorify Him! to th is source. Throughout the preNativity period, which in our rite begins on November 21 st, we are given a glimpse of the mystery of the Incarnation as these words solemnly resound in our churches. By them we are also invited to be joyful and to exult as we welcome into our midst Emmanuel, God with us, at Christmas time. Continue reading →

The observance of Sunday is rooted in weekly commemoration of Christ’s resurrection since the Apostolic times. Our Lord rose from the dead “on the first day of the week” (Mk. 16:9), referred to by the Romans as the Day of the Sun (” Dies Solis” ), hence the English name-Sunday. Since the Scripture presented Jesus as “the Sun of Justice” (Mal. 3:20), St. Jerome (d. 420) had no difficulty in accepting the Roman name, saying : ” If it is called the day ot the sun by the pagans, we willingly accept this name, for on this day the Light of the world arose (In. 8:12), on this day the Sun of Justice shone forth.” Continue reading →

The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on September 8, belongs on the list of the Twelve Major Feasts of the Byzantine rite liturgical year (cf. Gospel of Sinai, 715 A.D.) We usually do not celebrate the birthday of the Saints, but rather their “birthday to heaven,” that is, the anniversary of their death , considered as the beginning of their blessed life with God. Nevertheless, there are two exceptions, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist, since we commemorate not only their birthday to heaven, but also their nativity, their coming to this earth . Continue reading →

The liturgical year is a system of yearly church celebrations by which the faithful repeatedly relive the salutary mysteries of their salvation. In the liturgical year Our Lord Jesus Christ continues to live with us, to teach us, and to lead us to our heavenly destination. Continue reading →