It is with great sadness that the Eparchy of Parma shares the news that Father Cyril Attak, a retired priest of the eparchy and former longtime pastor of St. Stephen Parish in Allen Park, Michigan, died today, April 16. He was 81 years old. Read on for the funeral arrangements.

In some ways, it is not necessary to preach on Pascha, for the meaning of the feast is clear. It is the feast of feasts, which brings joy to our hearts. Having felt this joy that is in us, it is an experience that we share with Christ’s followers after Pentecost. Click on the headline to read the full message.

HOMER GLEN, Ill. — Nandini Kumar looked forward to accompanying her school friend, Karly Krown, to Annunciation Byzantine Catholic church every Easter since grade 7. She would enjoy the celebration, but the thought of becoming Christian never crossed her mind until last year, when she attended her first Good Friday service. In the midst of the prayers, hymns, candlelight, and veneration of the burial shroud of Christ, “I had an epiphany,” she said. READ MORE.

CLEVELAND — Brandon Conley wasn’t shopping around for a church when he first stepped into St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Parish. But no matter which church he attended after that, he couldn’t help but compare, and none matched up to the welcome and community he had experienced of St. Mary church. READ MORE.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In February, my wife, Kathryn, and I joined 48 people on a faith-based medical mission to Jamaica. The trip was sponsored by the Rotary Club of North Kansas City, Missouri. “Service above Self” was the motto of the mission, which drew Christians from numerous denominations, who worked together to serve the Jamaican people. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — Two young adults, who chose a life of discipleship in Christ in the Byzantine Catholic Church, were baptized in the Eparchy of Parma on Holy Saturday. Both baptisms were held in parishes dedicated to the Mother of God at either extremes of the eparchy. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — Join Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, on a 13-day pilgrimage, marking Horizons’ 40th anniversary. The Sept. 16-28 pilgrimage, which has been nearly two years in the making, has three objectives. The first is to honor the Mother of God in her expression of love for her children as Our Lady of Mariapoch. READ MORE.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The story of the Christian family includes tales of how its Eastern and Western branches separated, grew apart, and attempted reconciliation. It is also the story of heroic faith, steadfastness and yearning for unity in the face persecution, and of the challenges and rewards of allowing differences in culture to enrich the whole family rather than divide it. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — Father Marek Visnovsky, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Cleveland, was named protosyncellus of the Eparchy of Parma, effective March 9, as well as director of vocations and syncellus for clergy, effective March 12. Father Visnovsky succeeds Father John Kachuba as protosyncellus and Father Dennis Hrubiak as director of vocations. In concert with his office as protosyncellus, Father Visnovsky was elevated to the rank of mitered archpriest by Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, apostolic administrator of Parma, during the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Holy Thursday, March 29. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — Father Gary Yanus, vicar general and judicial vicar of the Diocese of Cleveland, was appointed chancellor of the Eparchy of Parma in January, succeeding Father Dennis Hrubiak, who retired from active ministry. Parma is familiar to Father Yanus, who was born in Cleveland March 18, 1948, to Byzantine Catholics Al and Ann Yanus. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — Father Martin Celuch of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, was named judicial vicar of the Eparchy of Parma last October, succeeding Father Nick Rachford. He was born Nov. 15, 1975, in Bardejov, Slovakia, and entered seminary in Kosice, Slovakia, in 1994. In 1999, upon the invitation of the bishop of Youngstown, he came to the United States. He finished his studies at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he earned a master’s of divinity (2002), and a bachelor’s of theology (2003). He was ordained June 14, 2003, by Bishop Alojz Tkac in Kosice. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio -- Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, issued his message for Pascha in the March 25 issue of Horizons. Click on the headline to read the full message.

MUNSTER, Ind. — The graces a Christian seeks in praying the Prayer of St. Ephrem are only possible if he or she cooperates with God, said Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, during an afternoon Lenten retreat Feb. 25. The event, called “Lord and Master of My Life: A Catholic Pilgrimage in the Byzantine Tradition,” gathered 112 people from the eparchy’s Midwest region at the Carmelite Monastery in Munster. It was the first event organized by the recently formed Fellowship of St. Ephrem, aimed at fostering community among Byzantine Catholic parishes in the region. READ MORE.

MUNSTER, Ind. — A new grassroots lay initiative in the eparchy is working to create a greater sense of community, connection and welcome among the Byzantine Catholic parishes of the Midwest region. “It was an idea that kept nagging at me,” said Donna Tang of St. Mary Parish in Whiting, Indiana.She shared her idea with a few members of the four Northwest Indiana and Illinois parishes last year and, before long, they had formed the Fellowship of St. Ephrem. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — Moviegoers this Easter season likely will not get what they expect when they sit down to watch “Paul, Apostle of Christ,” released in theaters March 23. For starters, it is not a typical chronological recounting of a saint’s life, abounding in moments of heroic virtue. Forget any scenes of what made Paul famous: his vast travels for the sake of the Gospel, his establishment of fledgling Christian communities and his preaching in the Areopagus. READ MORE.

HOMER GLEN, Ill. — When Katie Reidy decided it was time to follow her childhood dream and pursue a career in film, she never had Christian filmmaking in mind. But somehow, said Reidy, no matter where she has sent her resume these past seven years, “I still end up at a Catholic film company — which is a great thing!” Reidy was working at a crisis pregnancy center and attending Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Parish in Homer Glen, Illinois, when she decided to pull up stakes in 2011, move to Los Angeles, and try her hand in the film industry. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — “Who is my Neighbor?” is the theme for the National ByzanTEEN Catholic Youth Rally, July 5-8, at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Fred Rogers of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” fame was born in Latrobe, thus the philosophy behind the theme. The program will emphasize the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan and include a “Rise Against Hunger” packing event. All four Byzantine Catholic bishops will be present for the Saturday evening liturgy. READ MORE.

WHITING, Ind. — Reflecting on his priesthood, Monsignor Frank Korba was sure of one thing: “God as my witness, I loved every liturgy I stood at the altar for. It was a privilege, a joy, and a gift.” “To be able to stand at the altar and make Christ present for all those people in the pews — they walked out better than when they walked in. They came in with their troubles, they left strengthened,” he said. READ MORE.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Young people want trusted guides as they explore their faith and their vocation, said five young adults from the United States attending the Vatican’s pre-synod meeting. The U.S. delegates to the Vatican meeting March 19-25 also said the 305 young adults from around the world want to see young people consulted more often in their parishes and dioceses. READ MORE.

HOMER GLEN, Ill. — It’s not every day that producers of a major motion picture organize a private screening for the Byzantine Catholic Church. Such was the case, however, for “Paul, Apostle of Christ,” released in theaters March 23. ODB Films organized the exclusive pre-release screening at Annunciation Parish Feb. 19, and two Byzantine Catholic media were invited: Horizons and Father Thomas J. Loya, the pastor and radio host of “Light of the East.” READ MORE.