Eparchial Newsletter - November 2008

Українська Католицька Едмонтонська Єпархія
Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton

EPARCHIAL NEWSLETTER
March 2010

UPCOMING EVENTS

Catholic Conference 2010 will take place March 12-13 at the Mayfield Inn & Suites, Edmonton. The Conference is open to all Catholics who wish to enrich their faith, and is sponsored by the Alberta Catholic Bishops and the Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association. This year’s theme is “Stand in the Light: washed, anointed, sent,” and features Keynote Speaker David Wells, together with presentations by Bishop David Motiuk, the Catholic Bishops of Alberta, and many more. For more information and registration, call 780-484-6209 or visit www.catholicconference2010.ca.

Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great and the consecration of Holy Myrrh will take place at 10:00 am, Great Thursday, April 1, at Saint Josaphat’s Cathedral. All clergy are invited to concelebrate (red vestments). Pastors are invited to encourage their parishioners to attend. Please note – Dinner for clergy and their families and religious to follow at Saint Josaphat Cathedral Hall Verkhovyna.

The 47 th World Day of Prayer for Vocations will be celebrated on April 25, the Fourth Sunday of Easter (“Good Shepherd Sunday” on the Latin Calendar). Pope Benedict XVI’s message for the Day of Prayer focuses on “Witness Awakens Vocations." Excerpts from the document are attached.

2010 Presbyteral Council Meetings: 2:00 – 5:00 pm, Chancery Office: April 26, June 28, August 30, September 27, and November 1. College of Consultors Meetings – in conjunction with Presbyeral Council meetings, or as otherwise convoked.

2010 Clergy Conferences: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, April 27 (Assumption Parish, Calgary), October 1 (Providence Centre), and November 2 (Saint Basil Parish, Edmonton).

Deacon Roman Planchak will be ordained to the Sacred Order of the Priesthood by Bishop David on May 1, 10:00 am at Saint Josaphat Cathedral.

2010 Clergy Study Days: June 14-18, Sanctum Conference and Retreat Centre, Caroline, Alberta.

The Eparchy of Edmonton will host Sheptytsky Institute Study Days from July 30 to August 1 at King’s College, Edmonton. The Study Days are an opportunity for the clergy, religious, monastics and laity to come together in prayer and faith development. Plenary and workshop sessions will appeal to a variety of interests and audiences. Specialized sessions for youth and cantors. Keynote speakers include Right Rev. Dr. Andriy Chirovsky, Very Rev. Dr. Peter Galadza, and Very Rev. Dr. John Jillions. Further information and registration forthcoming.

The Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute will offer two accredited courses from August 2-13 in Edmonton: THO 3324 Introduction to Eastern Christian Ethics (Monday-Friday mornings) and THO 2144 Selected Topics in Eastern Christian Spirituality I: A Contemporary Reading of “The Way of the Pilgrim,” (Monday-Friday evenings). Further information and registration forthcoming.

2010 Annual Clergy Retreat: September 27 – October 1, Providence Centre, Edmonton (note change in dates and location).

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pope Benedict XVI issued his 2010 Lenten Message. The text has as its title a passage from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans: “The justice of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ.” The full English-language translation of the document is attached.

The 2010 edition of the Annuario Pontificio or pontifical yearbook was recently published. Among some of the salient facts contained in the new yearbook are:

In 2009, the Pope erected eight new episcopal sees and one territorial prelature. Furthermore, a territorial prelature was elevated to the rank of diocese, and three prefectures to that of apostolic vicariate. A total of 169 new bishops were appointed.
The number of Catholics in the world increased from around 1,147 million in 2007 to 1,166 million in 2007, an increase of nineteen million faithful which corresponds to a growth of 1.7 percent.
The number of bishops grew between 2007 and 2008 from 4,946 to 5,002. As for priests, both regular and diocesan, their numbers have increased over the last nine years from 405,178 in 2000 to 409,166 in 2008, although their distribution differs considerably from continent to continent. While numbers of priestly vocations are growing in Africa, Asia and America, and remain stationary in Oceania, in Europe they have dropped from 51.5 percent to 47.1 percent of the total.
Among the pastoral workers who assist bishops and priests in their activities, female religious constitute by far the largest group. In the year 2000 they numbered 801,185 but this figure fell to 739,067 in 2008. They are most heavily represented in Europe and America (respectively, 40.9 percent and 27.5 percent of the total), and the greatest losses were on those continents and in Oceania, while in Africa and Asia their numbers grow by 21.2 percent and 16.4 percent respectively. Although this helps to counterbalance the abovementioned losses it does not cancel them out, the notes says.
The number of candidates to the priesthood has also grown slightly, from 115,919 in 2007 to 117,024 in 2008. Here too the different continents show a different evolution: Africa, Asia and Oceania grew by, respectively, 3.6 percent, 4.4 percent and 6.5 percent. Europe registered a fall of some 4.3 percent, while the situation in America remained unchanged.

The Synod of Bishops declared 2010 as the Year of Christian Vocations, with emphasis on Religious, Monastic and Consecrated Life. H is Beatitude, Lubomyr’s Pastoral Letter marking this occasion is attached.

The Eparchial Catechetical Commission has launched a new Eparchial communiqué, called the Religious Education Newsletter (March-April 2010 issue attached). The Newsletter will cover a variety of catechetical and faith development topics and will be published bi-monthly. It may be duplicated and distributed to parishioners. Gloria Green, Religious Education Director, and Larysa Durda, Newsletter Editor, welcome your comments and suggestions.

A copy of the approved minutes of the January 25, 2010 meeting of the Eparchial Liturgical Commission is attached for your information.

Pastors are invited to include in their parish bulletins the following:

“The Eparchial Pastoral Council has embarked upon an ambitious adventure of preparing a mission statement and a long-term pastoral plan for the Eparchy of Edmonton, reaching out some 25 years into the future. A March 1, 2010 progress report appears on the Eparchial Website (www.edmontoneparchy.com). The faithful are invited to participate again in this process by providing their comments by April 1 as to the selection of a possible Eparchial Patron Saint: Mother of God, Saint Volodymyr, Saint Josaphat, Saint George, Blessed Bishop-Martyr Nykyta Budka, or another.”

Each year during Great Lent, the Eparchy of Edmonton takes a collection for the Church in Ukraine. Christians are urged to share their goods with others, and thus express in a concrete way their desire to come closer to God and all his children as a result of their Great Lenten efforts. The offering should reflect the money saved through penitential fasting, and set aside for God’s people.

The Church in Ukraine continues to develop and grow, but it cannot do so without the generous support of our faithful in Canada. This year, rather than taking up several individual collections throughout the year, we will rely on the generosity of our parishioners, who may wish to make a general donation or specify their donation accordingly:

Aid to the Church in Ukraine (general needs)
Andrew’s Pence (discretionary fund for His Beatitude Lubomyr to provide emergency aid as a situation arises)
Annual Synod of Bishops
Building of the Patriarchal Sobor-Cathedral of the Resurrection of Our Lord, Kyiv
Ukrainian Catholic University, Lviv (www.ucu.edu.ua; www.ucef.ca)

© 2008 Eparchy of Edmonton
9645 – 108 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5H 1A3
Tel: 780-424-5496 Fax: 780-425-2330
www.edmontoneparchy.com