We prepare for every important event in our life psychologically, whether it is a vocation, such as marriage or priesthood, or even for the more mundane events, like a vacation. Our Byzantine Catholic Church responds to this psychological need with Great Lent, a preparation for the summit of our faith: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even before Lent begins, the church offers five weeks with thematic Gospel readings that allow us to enter slowly into this intense ascetical process of Lent. READ MORE.

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — Engaged couples who plan to marry in the Byzantine Catholic Church are invited to the Eparchy of Parma’s Pre-Cana Weekend at St. Joseph Parish, 8111 Brecksville Road, April 6-7. The weekend is sponsored by the Marriage and Family Ministry of the Eparchy of Parma, headed by Father Thomas J. Loya, in cooperation with the Tabor Life Institute. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — Youth ministry can be a daunting task, but it no longer has to be. A youth ministry pilot program in Northeast Ohio began last fall, aimed at creating a template for all regions in the eparchy. The Eparchial Youth Commission set out requirements for the program, which include holding meetings at least every other week and varying meeting content, so that teens get a combination of church teaching, group discussions, service projects and fellowship. READ MORE.

CLEVELAND — Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed. The Saint Mary Byzantine Catholic School community embraced these words during Catholic Schools Week, celebrated nationwide Jan. 27-Feb. 2. Each day of this past Catholic Schools Week, St. Mary School focused on a theme central to Catholic education: community, students, vocation, nation, faculty and family. READ MORE.

In the pre-Lenten cycle of services, we sing at Matins: “Open to me the doors of repentance, O Giver of Life/for my soul rises early to pray toward your holy Temple” (Stichera after Psalm 50 Lenten Triodion). This verse sets the stage for our Lenten journey of prayer during the 40-day fast, which is characterized by a striving for re-entry into paradise, a time when God and man were united in intimate friendship. This re-entrance into paradise is characterized in liturgical terms: a return to the temple or the heavenly Jerusalem. READ MORE.

LIVONIA, Mich. —Aiden Saunders can’t believe it’s already been a year since he received a new heart and got a second chance at life. "It’s pretty crazy,” he said. “It’s gone by so fast.” Last winter, Aiden, then 13, was rushed to the hospital with acute heart failure. After emergency surgery that saved his life, he was placed on a heart transplant list. Astoundingly, a donor heart arrived within less than 24 hours and, after successful transplant surgery, Aiden spent the subsequent months regaining his strength and returning to his normal teen life, including his favorite sports. READ MORE.

LIVONIA, Mich. — Aiden Saunders and his family are celebrating an exceptional anniversary this month, one that they attribute to the power of prayer. On March 16, the high school student and parishioner of Sacred Heart Byzantine Catholic Parish will mark his one-year anniversary with a new heart. READ MORE.

As we begin our journey through the Great Fast this week, there are many things that we should call to mind, including almsgiving. The act of giving alms is an ancient one and makes up one of the three pillars of Lenten discipline, the others being prayer and fasting. There are many reasons why we are asked to give of our financial treasures. Charity is certainly the first goal of almsgiving. It is through the exercise of charity toward those less fortunate than ourselves that we can grow in concern and ultimately in love of our neighbors. Charity, otherwise referred to as love, is the greatest of the three theological virtues, the others being faith and hope. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — In the tradition of past Horizons’ pilgrimages, the upcoming journey to Rome will be dedicated to the Mother of God, represented in two famous Byzantine icons reserved in the Eternal City. The first is an icon of the Blessed Mother and the Child Jesus holding a Gospel book, said to have been painted by St. Luke the Evangelist. This icon, known as the Protectress of the Roman People, or “Salus Populi Romani” in Latin, arrived in Rome from Crete in 590 AD. READ MORE.

2019 regulations for fasting and liturgical directives.

At the beginning of Lent this year, I would like for you to hear the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17). Everybody has some difficulty with Jesus’ invitation to repent. We are almost never in a hurry to repent. Holy Lent, with its requirements to fast, pray and give alms, is a season that some of us prefer conveniently to forget, much less enjoy. Maybe we enjoy Pascha, but not the Great Fast. READ MORE.

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — Engaged couples who plan to marry in the Byzantine Catholic Church are invited to the Eparchy of Parma’s Pre-Cana Weekend at St. Joseph Parish, 8111 Brecksville Road, April 6-7. The Pre-Cana Weekend is a program in preparation for marriage according to the Byzantine rite. Each day will run from 12:30 p.m.-6. READ MORE.

What does it mean to you to belong to a community? When I consider this question, my mind goes to the many tangible and intangible things that are of benefit to me as a result of this belonging. Certainly the various benefits depend on the type of community to which one chooses to belong, so let us look at our belonging to the eparchial community.There are many benefits to our parish membership, including the celebration of the mysteries, especially that of the Eucharist at every Divine Liturgy. The church provides the Mysteries of Initiation: baptism, chrismation and Eucharist to those who seek to be adopted sons and daughters of God. READ MORE.

LIVONIA, Mich. — The Byzantine Catholic parish in Livonia, Michigan, has recently become a pilgrimage site, aimed at helping pilgrims connect with the Early Church martyrs. Sacred Heart Parish inaugurated a new, unique shrine of many first-class relics, with a particular emphasis upon saints, representing the first five centuries of church history. Six wood-and-glass cabinets, or ambries, were donated by individual parishioners, the Ladies of Sacred Heart and St. Nicholas Institute, to house the relics of the more than 30 individual saints. The relics are preserved in individual, smaller reliquaries. The ambries are located in the two side altars. READ MORE.

WHITING, Ind. — Twelve men from across the Midwest Region of the Eparchy of Parma gathered to consider God’s call in their life during a men’s retreat at St. Mary Parish Dec. 28-29. Jesuit Father Cyril Pinchak, originally from Cleveland and currently studying at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, led the retreat. The theme of the retreat centered around the Biblical figures of Jesse, David and Joseph, in light of the liturgical celebration for the Sunday after Christmas. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — Father Charles Strebler of the Diocese of Cleveland succeeded Father Martin Celuch of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, as the judicial vicar of the Eparchy of Parma last fall. Born in Akron, Ohio, Father Strebler entered Borromeo Seminary, the college seminary of the Diocese of Cleveland, in 1985, right out of high school. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — The chancery has hired a new full-time finance manager. Matthew McDonald began in his function in mid-December. McDonald grew up in Fairview Park and Olmsted Falls, Ohio, both on the west side of Cleveland. He earned an associate degree in graphic design and worked in the field for a few years, before returning to school to earn his bachelor’s degree in business management, with a focus in finance. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — The Eparchy of Parma has been awarded $145,000 from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions for 2019, the largest grant yet for the eparchy from this grant-making organization. The eparchy submitted an application for the maximum permitted, $125,000, in its three usual project areas: Horizons and Horizons Press, $60,000; Byzantine Catholic Cultural Center, $40,000; and the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch, mission parishes and outreaches, $25,000. READ MORE.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The annual Bringing America Back to Life Convention will be held at the Embassy Suites in Independence March 8-9. Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, of Parma will attend. The pro-life convention, organized by Cleveland Right to Life, will feature 18 speakers from across the country. READ MORE.

Natalie Martha Loya, a Byzantine Catholic laywoman dedicated to promoting the message of Our Lady of Fatima throughout the United States, died Jan. 15; she was 92. Known to family and friends as Martha, she was born March 21, 1926, in Clymer, Pennsylvania, to Father John and Elizabeth Loya. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, a field then dominated by men, from Seton Hill College in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in 1948. READ MORE.