CLEVELAND — Olivia Pearce, a fifth grader at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic School, won first place in the LifeWorks of Ohio essay contest for her age group. LifeWorks Ohio is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization devoted to education that affirms the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. The annual contest gives students an opportunity to show their commitment to the social justice principle of life and dignity of the human person. This year’s contest theme was, “Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Mt 5:16). Isabella Ramirez, a reporter for the Horizons’ Kids page, interviewed Pearce on her experience. READ MORE.

CLEVELAND — The Eastern Christian Formation students from the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, St. Mary Parish and Holy Spirit Parish had a hands-on experience of making prosphora, the bread used for Communion, and an up-close presentation of the rite of preparation. Father Marek Visnovsky, pastor and administrator of the three parishes, brought all the ingredients for the prosphora recipe and a batch of dough that was already rising to a Saturday morning class, held at the cathedral. Students received the prosphora prayers, which they prayed together. He pointed out the correlation between Jesus being referred to as the “Bread of Life” and his birth in Bethlehem, a name that means “house of bread.” READ MORE.

FLUSHING, Mich. — Parishioners of St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church and their pastor, Father James Batcha, made a sick call and birthday visit with their oldest living parishioner, George Dunich, who turned 102 April 10. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — The Eparchy of Parma gained a new priest May 5, with the presbyteral ordination of Father Nathan Daniel Adams at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, of Parma ordained Father Adams during the afternoon Divine Liturgy, attended by faithful and priests of the eparchy. Some of Father Adams’ classmates at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, as well as some seminary faculty and the abbot of Holy Resurrection Monastery in St. Nazianz, Wisconsin, where Father Adams and his wife, Ali, were received into the Byzantine Catholic Church in 2013, were also in attendance. READ MORE.

The Theotokos is a great gift from God. The last will of Jesus Christ was to give his mother to all of humanity. He did this, on the cross, when he gave his mother to the Apostle John the Theologian. “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home” (Jn 19:25-27). READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — The Eparchy of Parma has unveiled its full program in celebration of its 50th anniversary this year. The festivities will be held during the third week of June, under the theme, “Who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:15). The theme underlines the faithfulness of the eparchy in proclaiming Jesus Christ Son of the Living God for 50 years, as well as the call to keep the focus on Jesus Christ moving into the future. The eparchy will host a two-day pastoral theology workshop for all of the clergy of the Metropolia of Pittsburgh, June 19-20. The theme of the workshop, organized by the Intereparchial Vocations Commission, is “Cultivating a Life in Christ.” READ MORE.

BURTON, Ohio — In keeping with the belief in the protection of life from conception to natural death, the advisory board of the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch is pleased to announce that the upcoming Fourth Annual Miracle of Mariapoch Gala will partner with a local program that provides shelter and life-changing services for pregnant and parenting women. Ten percent of the profit from the gala will be donated to Maggie’s Place Zechariah House in Garfield Heights. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — On the occasion of the Eparchy of Parma’s 50th-anniversary celebration, Boys and Girls Camp will be hosted June 19-22 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 1900 Carlton Road, as a joint event for high school students; the minimum age is 13. The weekend will focus on the Christian call to holiness, centered around the question, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:15), which will be discovered through talks, opportunities for prayer and confession, group activities and discussion groups. Campers will also participate in the Eparchy of Parma’s 50th-anniversary celebration, including a walking pilgrimage, prayer vigil and the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, celebrated by Archbishop William C. Skurla of Pittsburgh. The homilist will be Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches. Cardinal Sandri is also expected to address the campers. READ MORE.

NEW YORK — Young adults across the Metropolia of Pittsburgh will gather at the first-ever Convocation for Byzantine Catholic Young Adults, Aug. 1-4, at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Parish in New York. The four-day gathering, open to young adults, ages 18-35, has been organized by Theosis in Action, the young adult ministry of the Eparchy of Passaic. The theme is “Called. Transfigured. Sent.” In a communique, organizers said the convocation was planned around the feast of the Transfiguration, Aug. 6, whose Gospel reading “defines what it means to be a disciple of Christ and how to live that calling in one’s day-to-day life.” READ MORE.

WHITING, Ind. — Caitlin McEnery, one of the teen cantors at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Parish, won her second gold medal at an Indiana state singing competition. The sophomore at Whiting High School earned a perfect score at her district competition in Munster, Indiana, Feb. 2, allowing her to compete against 1,500 other students at the state competition in Indianapolis Feb. 16. READ MORE.

ST. NAZIANZ, Wis. (CNS) — A Divine Liturgy brought together four jurisdictions of Eastern-rite Catholic communities, as well as the local Latin-rite Catholic community, at St. Gregory Roman Catholic Church in St. Nazianz. The Feb. 16 Divine Liturgy celebrated the life tonsure of Father Paiisi Firman into the monastic brotherhood of the Holy Resurrection Monastery, which belongs canonically to the Romanian Catholic jurisdiction. Father Paiisi, whose birth name is Patrick, is a member of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. In honor of his faith background, Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy in Chicago joined Abbot Nicholas Zachariadis of Holy Resurrection Monastery, for the tonsure. READ MORE.

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is risen! By this greeting on this Sunday of Resurrection, I would like to share with all of you present here in this church, but also with all of you who do not go to church anymore, the most joyous news that people in this world could ever hear: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4).

WHITING, Ind. — Midwest Byzanteens gathered March 24 under the patronage of the Mother of God, Searcher for the Lost for their annual Lenten day of reflection, hosted this year at St. Mary Parish in Whiting. Father Hilarion Heagy, a monk of Holy Resurrection Monastery in St. Nazianz, Wisconsin, was one of the speakers. He told the teens about his conversion to the Catholic Church and gave testimony about his monastic vocation. READ MORE.

LIVONIA, Mich. — The Eastern Christian Formation students at Sacred Heart Byzantine Catholic Parish heard from a speaker with first-hand knowledge of serving in mission territories. Brother Ken Kalinowski, a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the De La Salle Brothers, spoke about his three years in Papua New Guinea, the one summer he spent in Nairobi, Kenya, and yet another summer he spent serving in Haiti. READ MORE.

LORAIN, Ohio — For the 14th consecutive year, the parishioners of St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Parish have kept their community Lenten practice of almsgiving, collecting much needed personal items for local children in need. The Shoebox for Kids initiative was originally a project of the Eastern Christian Formation program. In more recent years, it has become a project for the whole parish. Parishioners donate new personal items for children, from newborns to 14-year-olds, including diapers, washcloths, soap, toothbrushes and socks. READ MORE.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — My wife, Kathryn Kranack, and I went on yet another medical mission this past winter, with a group of healthcare professionals celebrating their 20th annual mission to Jamaica. Preparation for the February trip began last November with monthly meetings for team members to get to know each other, discuss what is expected, and emphasize the mission statement which is “service above self.” The mission statement is not just a motto; the people on the trip put these words into action. READ MORE.

Basilian Sister Martha Elizabeth Moyta (formerly Sister Jerome) died suddenly March 11, after the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Sister Martha was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the only daughter of the late John and Elizabeth (nee Tirpak) Moyta. She entered the Sisters of St. Basil in Uniontown Aug. 1, 1945, from Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Parish on Pittsburgh’s north side. Sister Martha made her final profession Aug. 28, 1953, in the presence of the late Bishop Daniel Ivancho. READ MORE.

Love and necessity compelled Father Eugene Paul Selzer to serve St. Louis Byzantine Catholic Mission in St. Louis at its founding, and impelled him to continue, even after retiring from active ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The biritual priest, who served faithfully as administrator of the mission, from 1986 to 2013, died March 22 in St. Louis; he was 84. READ MORE.

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — Mother Cecilia Hritz of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery came back to the parish in which she was raised, St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Parish, to lead an afternoon of reflection March 31. Following the Divine Liturgy, the Ladies’ Auxiliary, which sponsored the event, donated items to provide lunch for more than 60 people; the parish teens provided childcare for about eight children. Mother Cecilia began her presentation, “Who, me? Contemplative Prayer,” by explaining the ultimate goal of prayer as “entering into the unity of the Trinity, which will be completed when we enter heaven, but can be started now.” READ MORE.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Basilian Sister Barbara Jean Mihalchick was the guest speaker at the Lenten day of reflection at St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Parish March 17. More than 30 parishioners and guests stayed after the 11 a.m. Divine Liturgy that morning. It wasn’t to honor and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but rather to enjoy a light luncheon, followed by Sister Barbara Jean’s presentation about the teachings of Jesus at the Last Supper. READ MORE.