Issue No.5, October 12, 2014 Sunday, October 12, 2014 II Cor. 9:6-11 St. Luke 6:31-36
Eighteen Sunday after Pentecost Schedule of Altar Boys for Sunday, October 19 th : English Divine Liturgy: Group #2 Michael Parfejewiec, Jonathan Greaves, David Greaves, Logan Mroczka. Schedule of Ushers for Sunday, October 19 th : English Divine Liturgy: Group #5 Ms. Melanie Nakonachny, Ms. Emily Kominko Calendar of Events for the week of October 12 th : Sunday (today)- Junior U.O.L. Coffee Hour following both Liturgies Monday - 5:00 p.m., Ukrainian dancing and art classes - 7:00 p.m., 90 th anniversary committee meeting Tuesday - Holy Day of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - 9:00 a.m., Divine Liturgy - 1:00 p.m., 60+ Club meeting - 7:00 p.m., Monthly Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday - 8:30 a.m., Moleben for sick parishioners - 5:00 p.m., Bandura School, Ukrainian Dance School, Art classes - 6:00-8:00 p.m., Library hours Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday - 7:00 a.m., Pyrohy Project (peeling) - 12:30 p.m., Pyrohy Project (scooping) - 4:00 p.m., Pyrohy Project (making) - 9:00 a.m. to noon, Pyrohy sales - 9:00 a.m., Ukrainian School - 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Library hours - 10:00 a.m., All Saints Camp meeting at the camp - 4:30 p.m., Confession - 5:00 p.m., Vespers - 8:30 a.m., English Divine Liturgy - 9:45 a.m., Sunday School - Junior UOL Coffee Hour following both Liturgies - 10:15 a.m., Ukrainian Divine Liturgy
Today, on the occasion of the upcoming 90 th anniversary celebration of our parish, each family will receive a gift of timely religious literature in both English and Ukrainian. Please read the material to help spiritually prepare for our anniversary. We sincerely thank the anonymous donors who covered the expense of these materials. We will be celebrating the parish s 90 th anniversary on Saturday & Sunday, October 25 th & 26 th. Plan to be a part of this glorious weekend and invite your family and friends to join you. REGARDING PARISH DUES Much to my surprise, I was recently asked about our parish s structure of paying dues and our relationship to the Church administration on a national level. I had addressed this matter in a letter to parishioners last February. However, because of the recent inquiry on this topic, I am reprinting my letter from last February and am including it with today s bulletin. I hope that it will be of help in understanding our parish s financial structure. At the same time, I take this opportunity to remind everyone of the important need to support our parish with love, dedication and your financial contributions. As we prepare to celebrate our 90 th anniversary on October 26 th, I ask everyone to please donate generously at the tables that will be set up in the parish center during the celebratory banquet. Let our humble and sincere offerings reflect our love of God, His Holy Church and our St. Vladimir parish family. ~ Fr. John Our parish s 90 th anniversary is rapidly approaching. Tickets for the banquet that will be held on Sunday, October 26 th are now available in the church office, following both Liturgies. and in the parish office Monday thru Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There is no charge for the tickets. However, a special table will be set up in the hall for your donations of love on this joyous occasion. Tickets are necessary so that our caterers can properly prepare for the meal. The deadline to reserve your tickets is October 15 th. Reservations for tables of 8 may be made in the office. Please inform your family and friends and invite them to our celebration, which will be led by Metropolitan Antony and Bishop Daniel. ARE YOU A MEMBER OF OUR ST. VLADIMIR S PARISH FAMILY? We strongly encourage the many individuals especially the new arrivals from Ukraine to seriously consider becoming members of our St. Vladimir parish family. For more information and to join, please contact Fr. John, pastor.
Please notify the clergy if a family member is admitted to the hospital. Remember only the Parma Hospital notifies the clergy of any parishioners admitted and then, only if the parishioner registers as a member of St. Vladimir s. Also, parishioners who would like a home visit are asked to contact the clergy and make their wishes known. The Ukrainian Cultural Arts Association extends an invitation to everyone to attend their Masquerade Ball & Silent Auction on Saturday, November 1, 2014 from 6:00 p.m. to midnight at St. Josaphat Astrodome. Tickets cost $45.00 per person and can be purchased in advance at Cleveland Selfreliance Credit Union or by contacting Christy Bohuslawsky-Brown at (216) 287-9166 or cmv.brown.1@gmail.com All proceeds are to benefit the 2015 European Tour. Mark Your Calendar!! An Evening with Fr. Moses Berry A fundraiser for St. Herman s will be held on Monday, November 10 th at St. Paul Greek Orthodox Church, 4548 Wallings Road in North Royalton,. Fr. Moses Berry is a priest at Theotokos Unexpected Joy Orthodox Church in Ash Grove, MO and is a national speaker on Orthodox issues. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for appetizers and a silent auction, with the program commencing at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.00 each and may be purchased from Mark Host. Please remember to take advantage of our parish library and encourage other parishioners, as well as your friends, to visit the library and take advantage of the large selection of reading material for both adults and children. Check the parish Calendar of Events for the library hours. CIRCUS ANYONE? As part of our parish s 90 th anniversary, we would like to begin the weekend of October 24 26 with a trip for our youth to the Ringling Bros. Circus at the Q Arena in Cleveland. All youth will be given complimentary tickets to the Friday 7:00 p.m. performance. Each child, however, must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. The admission for adults is $25.00. The deadline for ordering tickets is Wednesday, October 15 th. Tickets may be ordered by calling Mrs. Mary Ann Sklaryk at (216) 642-9355. Music of Survival: The Story of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus Will premiere at the Capital Theatre, 1390 West 65 th Street At 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 9 th Online tickets are available at ClevelandCinemas.com or call (216)651-7295 Advance tickets - $20.00 / $25.00 on the day of the premiere Tickets may also be purchased at Cleveland Selfreliance & Osnova Credit Unions
As is the custom of our parish, for special events, flowers are ordered for the church. If you wish to remember your departed loved ones on the occasion of the 90 th anniversary, please fill out the following form and return it to the parish office or clergy by October 15 th. All names will be published in the bulletin on Sunday, October 26 th. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Please print the names of the following deceased in the October 26 th bulletin... Submitted by: My donation: $... Deadline for flower donations: October 15 th, 2014 The First Banquet on October 26 th In the fall of 1988, our parish celebrated the Millennium of the Baptism of Ukraine and the dedication of the beautiful mosaic in front of the church. Besides our Hierarchs, we had a number of visiting priests serving the Liturgy. One of the visitors was my former neighbor from New Jersey Fr. Serhyj Nepril. While our parishioners were receiving Holy Communion, I noticed that he was crying. When I asked him what was wrong, he said that he had never seen so many parishioners receiving Communion during a regular Sunday, aside from Great Lent. Fr. Nepril was so moved that he could not control his emotions. Over the years we have noticed a beautiful change in attitude regarding receiving Our Lord in the Sacrament. Every Sunday many parishioners line up to receive Holy Communion for the remission of sins and life eternal. This is the true purpose of our Divine Liturgy. As we encourage participation in the 90 th anniversary banquet in our cultural center, let us not neglect the true banquet that is celebrated in the church every Sunday. Your parish clergy encourage all of our parishioners to receive the Holy Sacrament of Communion at the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, October 26 th. Confessions will be heard at 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays, before Vespers, as well as before both Liturgies the Sunday before the celebration. When the words, With Faith and love draw near are spoken, let us all come forward to unite with Him as One Family in Christ. As always, if you have any questions, please contact Fr. Michael or me. - Fr. John
MESSAGE FROM YOUR PASTOR Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ, Slava Isusu Christu! Glory to Jesus Christ! So let each one give as he desires in his heart, not grudgingly; for God loves as cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7) February 24, 2014 These words of St. Paul must be taken to heart by every member of Christ s Church. Ask yourself: Are you one who gives grudgingly or are you a cheerful giver? I write these words because parishioners have been asking me about our structure of having parish dues and they have been comparing our parish to others. Rather than answer these questions individually, I decided that I would reach out to all parishioners. First of all, it is important to understand that the system of paying dues is a Western concept. There is no such structure in Ukraine and other countries and this is one reason why individuals coming to this country cannot comprehend our system of administration. Donations to support the parishes in other countries come from regular collections and candle sales. They do not have Pyrohy projects or Craft Fairs or Fish Fries. Our present system is important because it gives an accurate count of parish members, which is needed to properly elect a parish Board, according to the Church Constitution. At the same time, we encourage newcomers from Ukraine to donate generously and to join parish organizations such as the choir, school, Pyrohy Group, etc. We are thrilled that this, in fact, is happening. Maybe someday, they will pay dues or not because perhaps, in the future, there will be no more need for parish dues. At our last Sobor in South Bound Brook in October 2013, discussion took place involving a new system of stewardship. This system depends on parish members pledging a sum of money to be donated during the particular year. It was decided that this idea would be discussed at a future Sobor. However, a number of Diocesan parishes already use this system. At the last meeting of our Orthodox Clergy Association, I learned that many of our local parishes already follow the system of Stewardship and it is working for them Regarding dues the question was asked about other local parishes. I have learned the following: Parish A - Dues are $40.00 per person Parish B - Dues are $25.00 per person Parish C - Dues are $25.00 plus $20.00 for your box of offering envelopes and a once-a-month collection is taken for the Diocese. As for our parish dues, the cost for 2014 is, in reality, $55.00. In fact, this is a reduction of $23.00 from the amount paid in 2013 - $78.00. The reason that our dues are currently $155.00 per adult member is this: last year, $77.00 of the amount collected from each member went to our Diocese in South Bound Brook, as well as for the Seminary. Subsequently $78.00 stayed in our parish. Following the decision of the 2013 Sobor, it was voted by 200 delegates, in a democratic forum, although not unanimously, that the assessment to maintain our beautiful church headquarters and seminary would be raised to $100.00 per member, leaving $55.00 of the total cost of parish membership within our parish - $23.00 less than previously. $55.00 dues comes to $1.05 per week. A cup of coffee at ParmaTown costs $1.39.
At a recent 60+ Club meeting, when this was explained to the members, one of them asked how we could make up the difference. The answer is simple: Donate more in your weekly envelopes! On this the 90 th anniversary of our St. Vladimir parish let us take the pioneers example of giving all to ensure the parish s existence and financial stability. The people who started our parish had so little but they gave so much. Let us do the same and become cheerful givers. In order for us to maintain the church building without a deficit, we need to have an income that is approximately $40,000 more than we received last year. Funds donated by the Pyrohy Group can only go so far. Please increase your weekly offering donations. We must also be aware of the major capital expenses that are looming on the horizon, namely: ~~ Paving of the parking lot. (Naming rights are still available) ~~ Replacing the front steps to the church. (Naming rights are available) ~~ Repairing the facing of the church. ~~ Capital expenditure projects for the cultural center will also be needed. None of the above-mentioned needs are beyond our capabilities. We have a large parish and, by explaining these needs, I believe that we will be successful in meeting our goals. Keep in mind that the Ukrainian saying: If not I, then who? If not now, then when? should always be in our hearts. Also remember the words of St. Paul: He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Cor. 9:6) Please so not hesitate to call me or any Board member for further clarification or with any additional questions. I thank you most sincerely for your patience in reading this letter. In gratitude, Pani Matka Mary Anne and I wish to donate $1,000 for the extra expenses of heating the church this very cold winter. Also, this week marks 27 years of having the honor of serving as your pastor. We thank you most sincerely for your love and support. We are always very grateful. Yours in Christ, Fr. John Check our parish website for a listing of all current events as well as pictures of the life of our parish. www.stvladimirs.org Attend Church every Sunday as a Family and unite with Our Lord in Holy Communion. Church Office Hours: Monday thru Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Office Phone: (440) 886-3223