PALM SUNDAY -- FLOWERY SUNDAY

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1 PALM SUNDAY -- FLOWERY SUNDAY Icon 0/the Entrance intojerusalem

2 SSo Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church /Assumption B.voM. 131 North Beech Street, Mount Carmel, Pa Rectory Church Hall Prayer Line: Louise Cuff Eleanor Stebila Louise Troyan Very Reverend Archpriest Michael Hutsko, Pastor Please notify the rectory office if you or a loved one is hospitalized or admitted to a nursing home. Rectory Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM 1sl Collection: Candles 2 nd Collection: Regular Offering Palm Sunda April 17, 2011 SS. Peter & Paul Saturday : 15 PM Confessions 4:00 PM + Peter Diak req. by Wife, Good Friday :00 PM Good Friday Vespers and Prayer at the Tomb 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM Virgil at the Tomb Helen Blessing of Pussy Willows 7:00 PM Jerusalem Matins Holy Saturday Sunday : 15 AM Confessions 9: 15 AM For the Parishioners 9:00 AM Vesper Liturgy of 81. Basil the Great + Krista (Mazukevich) Fracalossi req. by George & Mary Kroutch 3:00 PM Deanery Lenten Devotions S1. Nicholas Church, Minersville Holy Monday :00 AM Lenten Hours 2:00 PM Mt Carmel Nursing Home + Frannie Fena Puketza req. by Peter Puketza 6:00 PM Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts + George Kuzo req. by Michael 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM Vigil at the Tomb 1:00 PM Blessing of Foods Church Hall 3:00 PM Blessing of Foods Church Hall Sunday Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord 7:00 AM Resurrection Matins/Easter Divine Liturgy - For the Parishioners 10:00 AM Easter Divine Liturgy - For the Parishioners Yatsko Holy Tuesday :00 AM Lenten Hours 6:00 PM Stations of the Cross Holy Wednesday :00 AM Lenten Hours 6:00 PM Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts + Catherine Bush req. by Mary Chismar Holy Thursday :00 AM Vesper Liturgy of St Basil the Assumption B.V.M. Sunday Palm Sunday- Blessing of Pussy Willows 10:30 AM Confessions 11 :00 AM + Peter & +Sophia Maksymuk req. by Mary (Maksymuk) Tracey 3:00 PM Deanery Lenten Devotions S1. Nicholas Church, Minersville Great + John Sedor req. by Sallie Bloss 6:00 PM 12 Gospels of the Passion of Our Lord

3 Assumption B.V.M. Friday Noon - Good Friday Vespers and Prayer at the Tomb 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM Vigil at the Tomb Saturday :00 AM Vigil at the Tomb 6:00 PM Resurrection Matins/ Easter Divine Liturgy - For the Parishioners followed by Blessing of Foods in Church Sunday No Sunday Easter Divine Liturgy Deanery Lenten Services: Our deanery during the Great Fast prays Stations of the Cross at a different parish each week. This long-time tradition within our deanery has provided both spiritual and social benefits to the clergy and faithful who participate. I encourage all of you to join the faithful of all our parishes in making these services a part of your Lenten journey. Immediately after services a brief social will be held for all in attendance. Plan now to join us. Welcome: We the people of SS. Peter & Paul/Assumption Churches, are a catholic community that worships God, The Stations of the Cross for the Palm Sunday, April 17, at 3:00 PM will be celebrated at S1. Nicholas, Minersville. spreads the Good News of Christ, and serves those in need. Come into the house. Bring all you are, no need to check your failures at the door. There are no perfect people here. You are invited: come. Come in seeking, come in wondering, come in hurting. Come into this house of companionship and compassion. Come in. You are welcome here. SS. Peter & Paul/Assumption Churches open their doors to you and in Fasting Regulations. Please keep in mind that Good Friday is a day of strict abstinence during which we are to refrain from all meat and dairy products. Also, traditionally meat is not eaten on Wednesday or Saturday of this week as we prepare our bodies and souls for the Easter celebration. Please do your best to keep these requirements of the church. the name of Christ bids you welcome. Lenten Offering Folders: Lenten The 2011 Lenten Devotion Schedule Flowery (Palm) Sunday - April 17, 3:00 PM S1. Nicholas Church, 415 N. Front Street, Minersville, Pa offering folders are available in the vestibules of SS. Peter & Paul Church, and Assumption B. V. M. Church for anyone who would like to have one. Easter Sunday April 24, 2011 Confessions: Please note, that because of the number of services Thought for the day. Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble; it is a "steering wheel" that directs us in the right path throughout life. scheduled at the end of the week, there will be no confessions after Wednesday evening except in the case of emergency. I thank all of you who received.the sacrament early in Lenten season and when the visiting priests were in our parishes. The regular schedule for confession will resume next week.

4 Volunteers: SS. Peter & Paul is in need of volunteers for readings, taking collections during liturgies, counting and depositing collections after liturgies. Altar servers are also needed. Anyone Your StewardshiJl,;, We thank you for your generous financial support of our. parish communities. The following donations were deposited from last Sunday's collection. interested in volunteering please contact Father at the church office during business hours from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday at (570) Weekly Parish Financial Report:. SS. Peter & Paul Church Sunday, April 10,2011 Income..... $ 1, Expenses... $ 2, SS. Peter & Paul/Assumption BVM Parish Food Drive: The Altar Rosary Society is sponsoring a food drive to help The Shepard's Pantry in Mount Carmel to feed the needy. The food is distributed to only Mount Carmel Area residents. We will be collecting canned or boxed items such as cereal, potatoes, rice, pasta, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, jelly, pudding, crackers, etc. No Sunday, April 11,2010 Income $ 6, Assumption BVM Sunday, April 10, 2011 Income... $ Lenten Self-denial Folder $ Expenses... $ Sunday, April 11,2010 Income $ perishable items will be accepted, such as fruit, vegetables, etc. You may place donations in the container in the front of the church. This is an ongoing project. There will be a Special Collection for Property Insurance for Assumption a.v.m. this week. As we receive donations they will be taken to The Shepard's Pantry. Thank you for your generosity. 55. Peter & Paul Rebuilding Fund Donations: $ Peter Cherapan 2011 Relay for Life Events: Assumption a.v.m. Donations: None * May Line Mountain at Himmel's Church Grove * June Mount Carmel at Mount Carmel Football Stadium - Tentative Rosary Intention: for the week of April 17, 2011 for the sick and the infirm of our parish. * June Shamokin at Shamokin High School, Kemp Memorial Stadium For more information about these events or if you would like to be a volunteer please call or option 3, or visit Myster'lJSacrament of Repentancel;. Is available before each Divine Liturgy on Saturday, 3:15 PM to 4:00 PM and on Sunday in SS. Peter & Paul Church, 8: 15 AM to 9: 15 AM, and at Assumption B.V.M. Church on Sunday at 10:30 AM to 11 :00 AM in the confessional.

5 I Holy Week: We stand now, on the! threshold of the most sacred and holy I time of the liturgical year. Holy and Great Week is the time for us to re-iive the passion, death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Services which our church provides for us, allows us to enter into the great mystery of our salvation. The Liturgy of S1. Basil on Holy Thursday morning commemorates the Last Supper and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist; the Reading of the Twelve Gospels of the Passion of Our Lord on Holy Thursday evening recount for us all those events surrounding the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Our Lord; on Good Friday, we join with the Apostles and Women who took down the Lord's body from the cross and placed it in the tomb; we then keep watch at that tomb until the Lord's Resurrection from the dead proclaimed so joyfully on Easter Sunday; on Good Friday night, we sing Jerusalem Matins, the ancient and beautiful service of lamenting the death of Our Lord; on Holy Saturday morning, at the Liturgy of Easter Dinner: As announced last weekend, our Parish Easter Dinner is scheduled for Sunday, May 1st doors open at 12:30 PM, dinner at1 :00 PM. A beautiful afternoon and delicious dinner is being planned through the kindness of our Altar Rosary Society. We would like to see all our parishioners of both SS. Peter & Paul and Assumption SV.M., Centralia join us to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection. Traditional Easter Foods will be blessed and served as appetizers. The main course will consist of Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Vegetable and Dessert. Additionally, Very Reverend Archpriest John Fields, our Dean, will join us and share some inspiring words. The cost of dinner is $5.00 for adults and children 12 and under Free. A reservation form is attached to the bulletin for your convenience. You can make your return at the parish office or through the collection basket. Please keep in mind, this dinner is reservation only and we must have your returns no later than Easter Sunday, April 24 th St. Basil, we remember the Lord's decent into Hades and ultimately the freeing of those held in the bonds of death----foretelling the Lord's Resurrection and ours as well; Easter is the day of great rejoicing in which we sing out Christ is Risen from the Dead, conquering death by death and to those in the graves giving life. I encourage ALL of you to join us for each and every one of these Services, to participate as NAME: ADULTS: CHILDREN: _ fully as you are able, and to celebrate NUMBER OF ADULTS & CHILDREN: once again God's immense love for us. TOTAL: _

6 \ Palm Sunday: The Feast ofthe Entrance into Jerusalem On the Sunday before the Feast of Great and Holy Pascha and at the beginning of Holy Week, the Church celebrates one of its most joyous feasts of the year. Palm Sunday is the commemoration of the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem following His glorious miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. Having anticipated His arrival and having heard of the miracle, the people when out to meet the Lord and welcomed Him with displays of honor and shouts of praise. On this day, we receive and worship Christ in this same manner, acknowledging Him as i, our King and Lord. Biblical StOIJ!. The biblical story of Palm Sunday is recorded in all four of the Gospels (Matthew 21: 1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38; and John 12:12-18). Five days before the Passover, Jesus came! from Bethany to Jerusalem. Having sent two of His disciples to bring Him a colt of a donkey, Jesus sat upon it and entered the city. I,, People had gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover and were looking for Jesus, both because of His great works and teaching and because they had heard of the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus. When they heard that Christ was entering the city, they went out to meet Him with I palm branches, laying their garments on the ground before Him, and shouting, "Hosanna!! Blessed is he that comes in the Name ofthe Lord, the King ofisrael!" At the outset of His public ministry Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God and announced that the powers ofthe age to come were already active in the present age (Luke 7: 18-22). His words I and mighty works were performed "to produce repentance as the response to His call, a call to an inward change ofmind and heart which would result in concrete changes in one's life, a call to follow Him and accept His messianic destiny. The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, is a messianic event, through which His divine authority was declared. i I Palm Sunday summons us to behold our king: the Word of God made flesh. We are called to i.behold Him not simply as the One who came to us once riding on a colt, but as the One who is always present in His Church, coming ceaselessly to us in power and glory at every Eucharist, in every prayer and sacrament, and in every act of love, kindness and mercy. He comes to free us from all our fears and insecurities, "to take solemn possession of our soul, and to be enthroned in our heart," as someone has said. He comes not only to deliver us from our deaths by His death and Resurrection, but also to make us capable of attaining the most perfect fellowship or union with Him. He is the King, who liberates us from the darkness of sin and the bondage of death. Palm Sunday summons us to behold our King: the vanquisher of death and the giver oflife. Palm Sunday summons us to accept both the rule and the kingdom of God as the goal and content of our Christian life. We draw our identity from Christ and His kingdom. The kingdom

7 is Christ - His indescribable power, boundless mercy and incomprehensible abundance given I freely to man. The kingdom does not lie at some point or place in the distant future. In the,, words ofthe Scripture, the kingdom ofgod is not only at hand (Matthew 3:2; 4:17), it is within us (Luke 17:21). The kingdom is a present reality as well as a future realization (Matthew 6: 10). Theophan the Recluse wrote the following words about the inward rule of Christ the King: "The Kingdom ofgod is within us when God reigns in us, when the soul in its depths confesses God as its Master, and is obedient to Him in all its powers. Then God acts within it as master 'both to will and to do ofhis good pleasure' (Philippians 2:13). This reign begins as soon as we resolve to serve God in our Lord Jesus Christ, by the grace ofthe Holy Spirit. Then the Christian hands over to God his consciousness and freedom, which comprises the essential substance ofour human life, and God accepts the sacrifice; and in this way the alliance ofman with God and God with man is achieved, and the covenant with God, which was severed by the Fall and continues to be severed by our willful sins, is re-established. " The kingdom of God is the life ofthe Holy Trinity in the world. It is the kingdom of holine~s, goodness, truth, beauty, love, peace and joy. These qualities are not works ofthe human spirit. They proceed from the life of God and reveal God. Christ Himself is the kingdom. He is the : God-Man, Who brought God down to earth (John 1:1,14). "He was in the world, and the world, : was made through Him, yet the world knew Him not. He came to His own home, and His own people received Him not" (John 1: 10-11). He was reviled and hated. Palm Sunday summons us to behold our king - the Suffering Servant. We cannot understand Jesus' kingship apart from the Passion. Filled with infinite love for the Father and the Holy Spirit, and for creation, in His inexpressible humility Jesus accepted the infinite abasement of the Cross. He bore our grief and carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions and made Himselfan offering for sin (Isaiah 53). His glorification, which was accomplished by the resurrection and the ascension, was achieved through the Cross. In the fleeting moments of exuberance that marked Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the world received its King, the king who was on His way to death. His Passion, however, was no morbid desire for martyrdom. Jesus' purpose was to accomplish the mission for which the Father sent Him. "The Son and Word of the Father, like Him without beginning and eternal, has come today to the city of Jerusalem, seated on a dumb beast, on a foal. From fear the cherubim dare not gaze upon Him; yet the children honor Him with palms and branches, and mystically they sing a hymn of praise: 'Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna to the Son of David, who has come to save from error all mankind.'" (A hymn ofthe Light.) "With our souls cleansed and in spirit carrying branches, with faith let us sing Christ's praises like the children, crying with a loud voice to the Master: Blessed art Thou, 0 Savior, who

8 hast come into the world to save Adam from the ancient curse; and in Thy love for mankind Thou hast been pleased to become spiritually the new Adam. a Word, who hast ordered all things for our good, glory to Thee." (A Sessional hymn ofthe Matins) Icon o[the Feast olpalm SundaY.. In the Icon of the Feast of Palm Sunday, Christ is the central figure, depicted seated upon the colt of a donkey as He enters Jerusalem, a fulfillment of the prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9. Christ is blessing with His right hand, and in His left hand is a scroll, symbolizing that He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, the Anointed One who has come to redeem us from our sins and break the power of death. The colt, one of the animals that were considered unclean according to the Law, is symbolic of the inclusion of all peoples ofall nations in the new covenant that will come through the death and Resurrection of Christ (Isaiah 62: I0-11). It is also a sign that our Lord has revealed a heavenly and spiritual kingdom that offers true and enduring peace On the left, the disciples accompany Jesus in His Triumphal Entry: Depicted on the right are the Jews who greet Him crying "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King ofisraei!" The word "Hosanna" means "Save, I pray" or "Save now." The children are the small people who are greeting Christ with palm branches and laying these and their garments on the ground before Christ as tokens of honor for one who is acknowledged as a King. The city of Jerusalem is shown as the walled buildings, and the temple is depicted as the building with the dome. Great and Holy Saturday by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann Great and Holy Saturday is the day on which Christ reposed in the tomb. The Church calls this day the Blessed Sabbath.. The great Moses mysticallyforeshadowed this day when he said: God blessed the seventh day. This is the blessed Sabbath. This is the day ofrest, on which the only-begotten Son of God restedfrom all His works.... (Vesperal Liturgy ofholy Saturday) By using this title the Church links Holy Saturday with the creative act of God. In the initial account of creation as found in the Book of Genesis, God made man in His own image and likeness. To be truly himself, man was to live in constant communion with the source and dynamic power of that image: God. Man fell from God. Now Christ, the Son of God through whom all things were created, has come to restore man to communion with God. He thereby completes creation. All things are again as they should be. His mission is consummated. On the Blessed Sabbath He rests from all His works... Holy Saturday is a neglected day in parish life. Few people attend the Services. Popular piety usually reduces Holy Week to one day Holy Friday. This day is quickly replaced by another

9 I Easter Sunday. Christ is dead and then suddenly alive. Great sorrow is suddenly replaced by great joy. In such a scheme Holy Saturday is lost. In the understanding of the Church, sorrow is not replaced by joy; it is transformed into joy. This distinction indicates that it is precisely within death that the Christ continues to effect triumph. TRAMPLING DOWN DEATH BY DEATH We sing that Christ is "... trampling down death by death" in the troparion of Easter. This phrase gives great meaning to Holy Saturday. Christ's repose in the tomb is an "active" repose. He comes in search of His fallen friend, Adam, who represents all men. Not finding him on earth, He descends to the realm ofdeath, known as Hades in the Old Testament. There He finds him and brings him life once again. This is the victory: the dead are given life. The tomb is no longer a forsaken, lifeless place. By His death Christ tramples down death. I I.,. THE ICON OF THE DESCENT INTO HADES The traditional icon used by the Church on the feast of Easter is an icon of Holy Saturday: the descent of Christ into Hades. It is a painting oftheology, for no one has ever seen this event. It depicts Christ, radiant in hues ofwhite and blue, standing on the shattered gates ofhades. With arms outstretched He is joining hands with Adam and all the other Old Testament righteous whom He has found there. He leads them from the kingdom ofdeath. By His death He tramples death. i " Today Hades cries out groaning: "] should not have accepted the Man born ofmary. He came and destroyed my power. He shattered the gates ofbrass. As God, He raised the souls I had held captive." Glory to Thy cross and resurrection, 0 Lord! (Vesperal Liturgy afholy Saturday) THE VESPERAL LITURGY The Vespers ofholy Saturday inaugurates the Paschal celebration, for the liturgical cycle ofthe day always begins in the evening. In the past, this service constituted the first part of the great Paschal vigil during which the catechumens were baptized in the "baptisterion" and led in procession back into the church for participation in their first Divine Liturgy, the Paschal Eucharist. Later, with the number of catechumens increasing, the first baptismal part of the Paschal celebration was disconnected from the liturgy ofthe Paschal night and formed our prepaschal service: Vespers and the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great which follows it. It still keeps all the marks ofthe early celebration ofpascha as baptismal feast and that of Baptism as Paschal sacrament (death and resurrection with Jesus Christ Romans 6). On "Lord I call" the Sunday Resurrectional stichira oftone 1 are sung, followed by the special stichiras of Holy Saturday, which stress the death ofchrist as descent into Hades, the region of death, for its destruction. But the pivotal point of the service occurs after the Entrance, when. fifteen lessons from the Old Testament are read, all centered on the promise of the Resurrection, all glorifying the ultimate Victory of God, prophesied in the victorious Song of

10 ~====.~..~- ~.. = Moses after the crossing of the Red Sea ("Let us sing to the Lord for gloriously has He been glorified"), the salvation ofjonah, and that ofthe three youths in the furnace. Then the epistle is read, the same epistle that is still read at Baptism (Romans 6:3-11), in which Christ's death and resurrection become the source of the death in us of the "old man," the resurrection ofthe new, whose life is in the Risen Lord. During the special verses sung after the epistle, ''Arise 0 God andjudge the earth, " the dark Lenten vestments are put aside and the clergy vest in the bright white ones, so that when the celebrant appears with the Gospel the light of Resurrection is truly made visible to us, the "Rejoice" with which the Risen Christ greeted the women at the grave is experienced as being directed to us. The Liturgy of S1. Basil continues in this white and joyful light, revealing the Tomb of Christ as the Life-giving Tomb, introducing us into the ultimate reality of Christ's Resurrection, communicating His life to us, the children of fallen Adam. One can and must say that of all services of the Church that are inspiring, meaningful, revealing, this one the Vespers and Liturgy ofst. Basil the Great on the Great and Holy Saturday is truly the liturgical climax ofthe Church. If one opens one's heart and mind to it and accepts its meaning and its light, the very truth of ourfaith is given by it, the taste and thejoy ofthat new life which shown forth from the grave. Easter in the Liturgical Year by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann In the center of our liturgical life, in the very center of that time which we measure as year, we find the feast of Christ's Resurrection. What is Resurrection? Resurrection is the appearance in this world, completely dominated by time and therefore by death, of a life that will have no end. The one who rose again from the dead does not die anymore. In this world of ours, not somewhere else, not in a world that we do not know at all, but in our world, there appeared one morning Someone who is beyond death and yet in our time. This meaning of Christ's Resurrection, this great joy, is the central theme of Christianity and it has been preserved in its purity by the Eastern church. There is much truth expressed by those who say that the real central theme of the true faith, the center of all its experience, the frame of reference of everything else, is the Resurrection of Christ. The center, the day, that gives meaning to all days and therefore to all time, is that yearly commemoration of Christ's Resurrection at Easter. This is always the end and the beginning. We are always living after Easter, and we are always going toward Easter. Easter is the earliest Christian feast. The whole tone and meaning of the liturgical life of the Church is contained in Easter, together with the subsequent fifty-day period, which culminates in the feast of the Pentecost, the coming down of Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. This unique Easter celebration is reflected every week in the Christian Sunday, which in Russian is called "Voskresenie" (Resurrection Day). If only you would take some time to read the texts of Sunday Matins you

11 would realize, though it may seem strange to you, that every Sunday we have a little Easter. I say "Little Easter," but it is really "Great Easter." Every week the Church comes to the same central experience: "Having seen Thy Resurrection... " Every Saturday night when the priest carries the Gospel from the altar to the center ofthe church, after he has read the Gospel ofthe Resurrection, the same fundamental fact ofour Christian faith is proclaimed: Christ is risen! St. Paul says: "If Christ is not risen, then your faith is in vain." There is nothing else to believe. This is the real center, and it is only in reference to Easter as the end of all natural time and the beginning of the new time in which we as Christians have to live that we can understand the whole liturgical year. If you open a calendar, you will find all our Sundays are called Sundays after Pentecost, and Pentecost itself is fifty days after Easter. Pentecost is the fulfillment of Easter. Christ ascended into heaven and sent down His Holy Spirit. When He sent down His Holy Spirit into the world, a new society was instituted, a body ofpeople, whose life, though it. remained of this world and was shared in its life, took on a new meaning. This new meaning comes directly from Christ's Resurrection. We are no longer people who are living in time as in a meaningless process, which makes us first old and then ends in our disappearance. Weare given not only a new meaning in life, but even death itself has acquired a new significance. In the Troparion at Easter we say, "He trampled down death by death." We do not say that He trampled down death by the Resurrection, but by death. A Christian still faces death as a decomposition of the body, as an end; yet in Christ, in the Church, because of Easter, because of Pentecost, death is no longer just the end but it is the beginning also. It is not something meaningless which therefore gives a meaningless taste to all of life. Death means entering into the Easter of the Lord. This is the basic tone, the basic melody of the liturgical year of the Christian Church. Christianity is, first of all, the proclamation in this world of Christ's Resurrection. Eastern Christian spirituality is paschal in its inner content, and the real content of the Church life is joy. We speak of feasts; the feast is the expression of joyfulness of Christianity. The only real thing, especially in the child's world, which the child accepts easily, is precisely joy. We have made our Christianity so adult, so serious, so sad, so solemn that we have almost emptied it ofthat joy. Yet Christ Himself said, "Unless you become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of God." To become as a child in Christ's terms means to be capable ofthat spiritual joy of which an adult is almost completely incapable: To enter into that communion with things, with nature, with other people without suspicion of fear or frustration. We often use the term "grace." But what is grace? Charisma in Greek means not only grace but also joy. "And I will give you the joy that no one will take away from you..." If I stress this point so much, it is because I am sure that, ifwe have a message to our own people, it is that message of Easter joy which finds its climax on Easter night. When we stand at the door ofthe church and the priest has said, "Christ Is Risen," then the night becomes in the terms of St. Gregory of Nyssa, "lighter than the day." This is the secret strength, the real root of Christian experience. Only within the framework ofthis joy can we understand everything else.

12 PALM SUNDAy STRAOJJ.'HA MAll - SndItna-Ua' PHCf.1i1lras1om et oyaja.. S\aJa rldd.. Vd,ukh (2) Oy Sbl. slrtj: ~.::= Tyllhonba I'lOdJnu Ha Idvestoel. WIO\. my bltter liati how ~ I bajhod)du;. When YW Wtf1, mort child From Yo«foell C&Ytd YO'J. C2l But now You.leave me AM my hu" so evos me, Fot my dearest sen. 1\9 Longer lilt set Thee. o rrrt Sonl o my God most radous. Hear my Uon: -. Benoalh Iht cross. there.s100d the mournful MoIhec. -.,.w ~ her'-an &tid.. as no 0Iher. - czt-e. -my Set\, Fot What great nt\sgressjon Must )'00 bear!his trying liour of oppraulcx\ On th. (:toss?" Grant to me tho~ \0 Bev.UlIs Wlutadon! (2) ThIs I~. You How rooch crif rmow As I otl&t)'ou my Son who Is lovdod so On the COS$.

13 Easter Offering.:. Please begin now putting aside a couple of dollars a week so that you can make an extra special offering to our church on Easter Sunday. We ask each parishioner to consider making an Easter donation of at least $ Gifts of $50.00, $75.00, $ or more would be greatly appreciated. When we stop to consider the great gift Heartfelt Thanks: To all who purchased nut and fruit rolls during our recent Parish fund raiser. One hundred fifty rolls were sold and a profit of $ was realized. Very special thanks to Tanya Ladika for offering her time to pick up the rolls and deliver them to the Church hall. God bless each of you for your enthusiasm and your generous support of Jesus himself, The Son of God, it is easy for us to respond generously as we celebrate His resurrection. of this project. George Ann & Brock Blessing of Easter Foods: All are encouraged to prepare the traditional Easter Baskets and bring the delicious foods for one of the blessings that have been scheduled. Once again, this is a beautiful tradition of our people which helps contribute to the joy we experience on Easter. Let's try to keep Assumption B.V.M. Church Thank You: Special thank you to Julia Kriesher, Theresa Mattu, Barbara Jurgill, Gloria Apollo, Evelyn Mushalko, Mary Ann Mekosh, Nicholas Puketza, and Joseph Liptock for coming out to clean and prepare the church for the Resurrection of Our Lord. the tradition alive. pecial Thank You: Special Thank Thank You: Very special thanks are extended to Michelle Forti and all her helpers for preparing and organizing our children's Easter Egg Hunt which will be held this Sunday afternoon. You've done a great job and the kids are in for a fun-filled day! you to everyone who came out to help with the monthly Pyrohy Sale. Your help was greatly appreciated. As always additional help is needed in all aspects of this project. Please lend your time and talents to support this project. May God Bless each and everyone of you! More Thanks: We also extend our thanks to the women of our Altar Rosary Society for preparing the traditional Easter meals for the shut-ins and homebound of our parish; and to the men of our Holy Name Society for delivering those meals. The ladies also sent lilies to each one alone with Easter greetings on behalf of all our parishioners. Great job! Mother's Day Breakfast: Ladies, mark your calendars! The Holy Name men will be preparing and serving a very special breakfast for all of you on Mother's Day, May 8 th. This breakfast will be free of charge to all women and girls of our parish...sorry men... If you wish to enjoy a meal a small donation of $3.00 will be appreciated. We hope all the ladies will enjoy this special treat.

14 Lector Schedule: Prayer Intention Line: SS. Peter & 55. Peter & Paul Sat. April 16, 4:00 PM Ed Cuff Paul parish has established a Prayer Intention Line sponsored by the Altar Sun. April Timmins 17, 9: 15 AM Michael Rosary Society. On the top page of the bulletin you will see several numbers, Sat. April 23, 4:00 PM Ed Cuff Sun. April 24, 7:00 AM Ellen Goretsky April 24,10:00 AM Christine Bogner you are free to call to request prayers for you or a loved one. Your intention will be remembered in prayer by the members of the Altar Rosary Society Assumption BVM and also written in a special book which Sun. April Fiamoncini 17, 11 :00 AM - Bryce will be placed in the vestibule of the church so that all members of our parish Sat. April 23, 6:00 PM - Bryce Fiamoncini can remember your prayer needs. You can request to remain anonymous if you like. It is my hope we can all pray for Altar Flowers: Altar flowers can be sponsored weekly for $30.00 per each other in time of need and be liftedup through the prayers of our parish. arrangement. Parishioners can sponsor these flowers in Memory of a loved one, or for any occasion. Anyone interested in sponsoring flowers may call 339 In Your Prayers: Please remember to pray for the sick and the infirm of our parishes. 0650, or visit the rectory office. Please Remember: to pray for Altar Flowers: Altar flowers for the week of April17 lh at Assumption B.V.M. vocations to the Holy Priesthood and religious life. Church are In Memory of Bernice Smith by Georgine Nodich & Family. Religious Education Classes: Classes are held Monday evenings from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM at SS. Peter & Paul Altar Flowers: Altar flowers for the week of April 1t h at Assumption SV.M.Church are in Memory of The Moffitt Family by Anita Moffitt. Church Hall, Mt. Carmel. All children from pre-school age to 8 th grade are encouraged to attend. Children receiving the Sacrament of Penance/Holy Communion in Calendar Year must attend these classes. Registration forms are Sunday Social: Sunday social is held every Sunday after Divine Liturgy at SS. Peter & Paul. available. Please contact Christine Bogner at There will be no religion class on Bright Monday. April

15 Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!. V. Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has worked wonders. V. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of the Lord. Alleluia (3x) INSTEAD OF: "It is truly proper..." o my soul, extol the Lord Who sat upon the colt Hirmos: God the Lord has appeared to us. Let us celebrate the 100 th Anniversary: Patronage of the Mother of God Parish An important event for The Patronage of the Mother of God Church in Marion Heights will take place in It is their 1ooth Anniversary as a parish. Plans are taking shape with the celebration date Fea~t, and let us rejoice and extol set for Sunda'iJ October 9, Christ. With palms and branches in hand, let us raise our voices to Him in praise, saying: "Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord our Savior." Communion Hymn: Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord. God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us. Alleluia! (3x) Epistle: Phil 4:4-9 Gospel: In 12:1-18 Prayer for Vocations Almighty and merciful God, Inspire those You have chosen To hear and answer Your call to the Priesthood and Religious Life. Give them the courage To be the prophets for our times. Give them the wisdom and openness To live their personal call Give them the strength To be ready witnesses of Your love and care for the world. May they find support and encouragement in our words and in our prayers, Through the intercession of Mary, The Mother of God, and all the Saints. Amen Metropolitan Archbishop Stefan Soroka will preside at the 1:00 PM liturgy followed by a dinner reception at Masser's Banquet Hall in Paxinos. Please put this date on your calendar and inform your children, relatives and friends of the parish of this important event. The banquet cost is $25.00 per person. Tickets are available for purchase after Easter. The anniversary committee will also be publishing a memorial booklet to commemorate this important date in the parish history. The booklet will give you an opportunity to remember your relatives who had a part in organizing and keeping this parish a viable part of the community and/or to congratulate the parish in reaching this important achievement. Ads in the booklet will be $ for a full page, $50.00 for a half page, $25.00 for a quarter page, name and a brief message for $10.00 and patron name for $5.00. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns or would like to offer your time and assistance or serve on the anniversary committee, please notify the rectory at or Doreen Kushner at Thank you!,

16 Palm Sunday - "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord" First Antiphon I love the Lord because He has heard my voice in supplication. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, 0 Savior, save us. For He turned His ear to me in the day when I called Him. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, 0 Savior, save us. The cords of death encompassed me, the snares of the abyss seized me. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, 0 Savior, save us. I fell into distress and sorrow, and I called upon the Name of the Lord. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, 0 Savior, save us. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit Now and forever and ever. Only begotten Son and Word of God. Second Antiphon I believed, even when I said: "I am greatly afflicted. o Son of God, Who sat upon a colt, save us who sing to You: Alleluia! How can I repay the Lord for His goodness to me? o Son of God, who sat upon a colt, save us who sing to You: Alleluia! The cup of salvation I will raise, I will call on the Name of Lord. o Son of God, who sat upon a colt, save us who sing to You: My vows to the Lord I will fulfill in the presence of all his people." o Son of God, Who sat upon a colt, save us who sing to You: Entrance Hymn: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, we bless You from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us. Troparion 0 Christ our God, You confirmed the resurrection of all before the time of Your Passion by raising Lazarus from the dead. Therefore, we as the children of Israel carry the symbols of victory and cry out to You, the conqueror of Death: "Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord." Troparion: GlorY be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit: We have been buried with You through baptism 0 Christ our God and we have become worthy of immortal life by Your resurrection. So we cry out to You: "Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord." Kontakion: Now and ever and forever. Amen In Heaven You are carried upon a throne; on earth You rode upon a colt, 0 Christ our Go. You received the praise of Angels and the hymns of children crying out to You: "Blessed is He Who came to restore Adam. Instead of "Holy God"... We who have been baptized into Christ have clothed Ourselves in Christ. Alleluia! Yelitse vo Christa krestitisha, vo Christa Oblekostesha, Alleluia! Prokimenon: Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord, God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us. V. Give tnanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His Love endures forever.

17 ASSUMPTION BLESSED VIRGIN MARY CHURCH CENTRALIA SS. PETER & PAUL, MT. CARMEL UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCHES 131 N. BEECH STREET, MOUNT CARMEL, PA TELEPHONE: FAX: VERY REVEREND ARCH PRIEST, MICHAEL HUTSKO SACRAMENTS BAPTISMS: Please contact the rectory a week or more in advance. CONFESSIONS: Before the weekend Divine Liturgies. Check your bulletin schedule. MARRIAGES: Those planning marriages must be active members of the parish, and must contact the pastor at least 6 months in advance. Marriage preparation for couples is required. EMERGENCIES AND PASTORAL CARE: Please call the pastor if a parishioner is hospitalized or homebound and will need the Eucharist or Anointing of the Sick. NEW PARISHIONERS are urged to register in the rectory office. Moving? Change of address? Please notify the rectory. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION for Sponsors of the sacraments will be issued only to active members of the parish who are registered in the parish, receiving the sacraments and supporting the parish. CHURCH FUNERALS: Members who are registered in the parish, receiving the sacraments, and supporting the parish. Palm Sunday The hymns and prayers celebrating Christ's glo- rious journey into the Holy City reflect both the coming again in the name of the Lord God our Savior!" The serene sunshine ofthe Palm Sunday joy and the concern about what shall in short could not last long. Evening is approaching of time occur in this City. the first day of the Holy Week. Jesus' enemies were not idle; they gather and debate how to The introductory Vespers' hymn expresses these sentiments in these words: "Today the grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us together, and stop any similar demonstration. arrested. He should be we all take up Your Cross and say; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!" The Palm Sunday exclamation, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord..."is repeated over and over and we know that it was also taken into the Liturgy's solemn hymn, "Holy, holy, holy..." The Church reminds us of this change: ''As we pass from one Divine Feast to another,o faithful, let us go with haste to the reverent and saving celebration of Christ's sufferings. Let us behold Him undergo voluntary suffering for our sake, and let us sing to Him with thankfulness a fitting hymn: 0 Fountain of tender mercy and Haven of salvation. Lord, glory be to You!" The Great, Holy Week of Christ's Passion began. A Palm Sunday liturgical text beautifully expresses the full dimensions ofthis greeting when it says, "Blessed are You, You have come and are Father Vladimir Vancik Eastern Christian Bulletin Service -- PO Box Fairfax, VA Ph: Fax: