While our faithful have come to expect a dispensation from the fast on the Friday after Thanksgiving, this year, I am exhorting all of the faithful to keep the usual practice of fasting and abstinence, asked of us by the church. READ MORE.

I love this time of year. The changing of the seasons from the long hot days of summer to the cool and beautifully colored days of autumn guide my mind to the glory of God at work around us. It’s important to take this beauty in and reflect on the goodness that God has bestowed on us. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — Horizons’ 40th-anniversary funding appeal raised $11,005 as of Nov. 2, and donations continue to trickle in. Horizons would like to express its gratitude to all of its donors for their generosity. The one-month direct mail campaign was launched Sept. 1 to raise funds for Horizons’ growing communications apostolate. READ MORE.

We all heard about the tragedy in Pittsburgh, the killing of 11 innocent Jewish people by a gunman in a synagogue Oct. 27. It’s so relatively close to us. We can ask ourselves why this man, with so much hatred toward the Jewish people, sought to kill. This tragic event leads us to reflect on the meaning of life and on the question of evil. To kill people, who are simply praying to God, is a terrible thing. Innocent people are dying because of their faith: this is hell. READ MORE.

WHITING, Ind. — They came to their windows and stood on their porches all along the half-mile route. The sweet Marian hymns sung by 100 Byzantine and Roman Catholics through the streets of Whiting, Indiana, drew neighbors to watch with reverence as the faithful walked by, led by their bishops and priests and holding blue and white candles. The candlelight vigil procession, from the shrine altar of the Protection of the Mother of God at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Parish to the Grotto of the Immaculate Conception nearby, was one of the highlights of the two-day inaugural Midwest Marian Pilgrimage, organized by St. Mary Parish, Oct. 6-7. READ MORE.

WHITING, Ind. — The smallest parish in Chicagoland hosted the first Midwest Marian pilgrimage Oct. 6-7. The two-day marathon of prayer included two bishops — one Eastern and one Western — and 250 faithful over the weekend. St. Mary Parish in Whiting, Indiana, is home to an outdoor shrine altar dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God. This past winter, Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, of Parma asked the parish to plan the regional pilgrimage on the weekend after the feast day, Oct. 1. READ MORE.

MARBLEHEAD, Ohio — The majesty of Lake Erie and the beauty of the Marblehead Peninsula drew about 250 people to St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Parish Aug. 26. The daylong event was one of three eparchial Marian pilgrimages to be held in the eparchy’s 12-state territory this year. The first was in Burton, Ohio, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch in August. Marblehead hosted the second, and St. Mary Parish in Whiting, Indiana, hosted the third (see page 3). READ MORE.

OREGON, Ohio — Father James Kubajak has taken his retirement after 41 years of active ministry in the Eparchy of Parma. Parishioners at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Oregon, Ohio, where he served for 33 years, held a retirement party for him after the Divine Liturgy, Aug. 12. About 40 people attended. READ MORE.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Ten parishioners and friends of St. Nicholas Parish participated in the parish’s first weekend icon workshop this fall. Participants made icons of the parish patron, St. Nicholas. The Sept. 28-30 class was taught by Marylyn Barone, who attends Holy Trinity Byzantine Catholic Parish in Wall, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh. READ MORE.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — The second weekend of September marked a joyous celebration for parishioners of St. Basil the Great Parish with a visit from their recently enthroned Bishop Milan Lach, SJ. The celebration began with Vespers on Saturday evening. Cantors Larry Hruska and Mike Huddas led parishioners through the service. Bishop Lach preached an uplifting homily on evangelizing and treating one’s neighbors as each person would like to be treated. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — For the sixth year, Father Marek Visnovsky led a 30-hour iconography class in the Greater Detroit area. His most recent class included 16 students, from teens to the elderly, at Old St. Patrick Roman Catholic Parish in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In his 18 years as an iconographer, Father Visnovsky has painted about 700 icons. He gives about four courses per year; 98 percent of his students are Roman Catholic. READ MORE.

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — Sister Vassa Larin, an Orthodox nun, scholar and host of the popular online program, “Coffee with Sister Vassa,” was the guest speaker at the 34th annual Eastern Churches Seminar at the Notre Dame College chapel Oct. 21. The Eparchy of Parma was an event co-sponsor; 80 people attended. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — Thanks to the dedication of nine grandmas, including a parishioner of the Byzantine Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and a group of women from Parma Heights Baptist Church, children at Mary Queen of Peace School and Benjamin Franklin School in Cleveland, received a total of 620 knitted hats this fall. READ MORE.

We began our journey to acceptance of our infertility with the question, “Why us?” The answer was very simple, because God had a different plan for our family. Our faith life gives all of us what we need to face and cope with the human illnesses, tragedies and temptations of our human nature, as long as we turn to our Heavenly Father. READ MORE.

One of the most serious spiritual maladies of our day is the desire for an easy, comfortable life. It is a life where there is no struggle (Life should be easy!), no self-discipline (We hate to say “no” to ourselves!), and no real discomfort. There are so-called preachers that proclaim this message of a comfortable life and self-fulfillment. Shouldn’t God make our life easy if we love him? He certainly has the power to do so. We must realize that to seek God is antithetical to a comfortable, easy life. READ MORE.

A notice of the resurgence of the musical version of “The Lion King” coming to a theater in Cleveland brought to mind a reflection I wrote back in 1995. I think it still has relevance, perhaps even more so now, with many people having an “It’s all about me” attitude. So here it is: Wisdom presents itself in strange places. Since a flurry of children has recently entered my life, I found myself going to see the animated movie, “The Lion King.” One scene imprinted itself on my mind as a wonderful model for coping with life’s problems. READ MORE.

Before the 20th century, relationships between separated churches could get very bitter. The language of anathema continued in Christian disputes. It was particularly strong in the debates after the Council of Chalcedon. Such rhetoric continues to the present day, and I have recently read condemnations of Orthodoxy by conservative Protestants that are unseemly. READ MORE.

How does the church Jesus founded relate today with our modern-day society? Is it the same way the church related to society at the time Jesus walked the earth? Two thousand years have elapsed, societies have changed and some societies exist now that did not exist in the first century. READ MORE.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “I believe.” These words declare our faith and trust in God, and give meaning to our life. These words also represent the theme of this year’s annual Stewardship Appeal for the Eparchy of Parma. Our faith is defined in the Nicene Creed, which we profess at every Divine Liturgy. It is a gift that many of us received from our parents or friends, and it is our responsibility to practice this faith, nurture it, and pass it onto others. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — The Eparchy of Parma is introducing a new program this year, stemming from its annual Stewardship Appeal, that seeks to address both the temporal concerns of the church and the spiritual needs of its faithful in every parish in its 12-state territory. The 2018-2019 Stewardship Appeal includes an adult faith-enrichment component that will encourage members of every parish community to grow together in their understanding of the Byzantine Catholic faith. READ MORE.