News - January 2018 RSS Feed

CHICAGO — With this issue, Horizons begins its 40th year of publication. And, at 40, the publication is more diverse than ever, with its part-time staff and team of dedicated volunteers setting their sights on yet another year of steady growth and development. This previous year saw new ventures for the official newspaper of the Eparchy of Parma, as staff determined to try to meet more of the diverse needs of its readership and their changing media consumption habits. As well, in line with the values of Catholic publishing, Horizons sought to offer resources and experiences that would contribute to the lived experience of faith of the community. READ MORE.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Michigan district of the GCU hosted a banquet this fall to celebrate the GCU’s 125th anniversary. More than 80 members and officers of District 11, along with their families and guests, gathered for a catered buffet Oct. 22. GCU President George Juba traveled from the home office in Pittsburgh to attend. READ MORE

PARMA, Ohio — Prosphora, which means “a specific offering,” is the bread used for Eucharist in the Byzantine Catholic Church. Since this bread is very special, it cannot be just any bread, made from any combination of ingredients. It also must be able to withstand being soaked in wine. Prosphora is baked according to ancient recipes that are very simple — wheat flour, water, salt and yeast — but a special kneading process is required so that the bread remains rather dense. READ MORE

PARMA, Ohio — All engaged couples seeking the sacrament of marriage in the Byzantine Catholic Church are asked to register for the Pre-Cana Program of the Eparchy of Parma. The program will be offered March 17-18 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 1900 Carlton Road. READ MORE

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Three parishioners of St. Louis Mission were among a dozen participants in an icon class, held at St. Monica Roman Catholic Church, where the mission’s administrator, Father Joe Weber, is pastor. The class was taught by local iconographer Mark Schaefering of All Saints of North American Antiochian Orthodox Church. Schaefering studied icon painting with noted Orthodox iconographer Phil Zimmermann in New Florence, Pennsylvania, and has been painting icons for about eight years. READ MORE

In these days after the Nativity of our Lord, the church offers particular insight into the hidden life of Jesus before his public ministry. Forty days after Christmas, the church contemplates his presentation in the temple for the Jewish ritual of circumcision, along with the usual offerings of turtle doves and the accompanying purification ritual for the Mother of God.

SAGAMORE HILLS, Ohio — George Homa, 82, longtime parishioner of St. Eugene Parish in Bedford, Ohio, suffered severe injuries Nov. 19, when a 100-foot poplar tree fell on him at his home. Homa was clearing debris on his property following a series of high-wind storms when approached by a crew from Alternative Property Management. He decided to let them finish clearing the debris and, as a preventive measure, also asked them to remove a healthy poplar tree to avoid any damage to the property by the tree in the future. READ MORE.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — St. Nicholas Parish hosted the replica icon of Our Lady of Mariapoch, normally housed at the eparchial Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch in Burton, Ohio, for a special weekend program, Dec. 8-10. The event attracted participation from nearby Byzantine Catholic parishes, including Sacred Heart Parish in Livonia, St. Basil Parish in Sterling Heights, and St. Stephen Parish in Allen Park, as well as from the local Sts. Cyril and Methodius and Holy Cross Roman Catholic parishes. The program began Friday evening with Divine Liturgy for the feast of the Maternity of the Holy Anna, also known as the Immaculate Conception, when the parish officially welcomed the replica icon. READ MORE.

CLEVELAND — Aesthetic rest is when, led by beauty, one can repose with a sense of suspension from all temporal things in an experience of the Transcendent. To create a beautiful space that would inspire aesthetic rest was part of the vision behind the major church renovations undertaken by St. Mary Parish this fall. “The church is the temple where God dwells,” said the pastor, Father Marek Visnovsky. “Aesthetic rest and beauty give rise to the sense of a sacred space. They put you in awe and lead you to prayer.” READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — A Divine Liturgy was celebrated in thanksgiving for Bishop John Kudrick’s 70th birthday and for his 14 years as bishop of the Eparchy of Parma Dec. 28 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Bishop Kudrick celebrated and preached, inviting the faithful to join him in focusing on God and on life. He said he hopes to have even more time in retirement to focus on others and on opportunities to practice the faith. Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, and several priests concelebrated the liturgy, followed by a light reception. Faithful and family attended. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — The Eparchy of Parma has been awarded a total of $125,000 from Catholic Home Missions for three specified areas of pastoral ministry in 2018. Catholic Home Missions (CHM) is a subcommittee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, established as a grant-making agency to assist dioceses, eparchies and religious organizations in their missionary and evangelical activities. Grant recipients are generally unable to meet the pastoral needs of their faithful without outside help. READ MORE.