ugcc.org.ua - All are invited to join Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka and clergy on a Pilgrimage at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Centralia, Pa. on Sunday, August 27th. The pilgrimage begins at 12:00 noon with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy with Archbishop Stefan as the main celebrant. There will be a Living Rosary prayed at 2:00 PM before the historic and jeweled 18th century copy of the Icon of Our Lady of Pochaiv. At 3:00 PM Akafist to the Mother of God will be sung. At 4:30 PM a candlelight procession to the church for the celebration of a Moleben to the Mother of God with Metropolitan Stefan Soroka as main celebrant and homilist. At the conclusion of the Moleben, prayers for healing and the anointing with holy oils for the healing of soul and body will take place. Pilgrims will have an opportunity to venerate the icon and relics of Blessed Martyr Bishop Mykola Charnetsky, C.Ss.R., the healer of souls.

CWN - Concluding a meeting in Dimane, Lebanon, the patriarchs of the Eastern churches in communion with Rome have issued a “prophetic appeal” warning agains a “plan of genocide” that threatens to eliminate the Christian presence in the Middle East.

In their statement the Eastern Catholic prelates urge international leaders to bring an end to the warfare in their region. They encourage Pope Francis to bring world leaders together to plan action to protect the Christians in the Middle East.

Noting the dramatic decline in the Christian presence in their region, the patriarch attribute the flight to both the violence that troubles the Middle East and the deliberate choices of some actors. Of the wars in their region, they say, the “goals are now clear: destruction, killing, exile, boosting terrorist organisations, spreading the spirit of intolerance and conflict between religions and cultures.”

This year’s theme is “Mary: Lifegiving Spring”

Uniontown, PA - The 83rd annual Pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help will be held Sept. 2 to 3 at Mount St. Macrina in Uniontown, Pa. This year’s theme is “Mary: Life-Giving Spring.” Preparations for this year’s Pilgrimage have already started and will continue throughout the summer.

As in previous years, the Sisters will welcome all those Pilgrims who come from all over the country and beyond. They will continue to welcome those who come early and camp on the race track or stay on the Mount. Light fare will be available at the Lunch Stand starting on Friday evening. Liturgical prayers will be held at the Shrine Altar on Friday evening for those arriving early and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated on Monday morning, Sept. 4 for those who stay on Sunday evening.

Philadelphia - Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia is pleased to announce that our newly nominated Auxiliary Bishop Andriy Rabiy will be ordained by His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk during the Opening Hierarchical Divine Liturgy for the Synod of Bishops to take place on Sunday, September 3rd, 2017 in St. George Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Lviv, Ukraine at 11 a.m.  Co-consecrators will be Archbishop Stefan Soroka, Metropolitan of Philadelphia and Bishop David Motiuk, Eparch of Edmonton Eparchy.

Philadelphia - Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka and Auxiliary Bishop John Bura, together with the clergy, religious and faithful of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia joyfully welcome the Holy Father’s appointment of Very Rev. Andriy Rabiy, a priest of our archeparchy, as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia.  He has been assigned the Tutular See of Germaniciana.  Pope Francis concurred with the recommendation of the appointment offered by the Synod of the Ukrainian Catholic Bishops.

Very Andriy Rabiy has studied for the priesthood at our St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary, receiving his philosophical and theological studies at The Catholic University of America and the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.  He was ordained to the priesthood within our archeparchy and has served with enthusiasm and dedication at a number of parish assignments. Very Rev. Andriy Rabiy returned to The Catholic University of America for advanced studies in canon law and has served in our Archieparchial Marriage Tribunal.  His care and concern for the souls of faithful living in locations not close to existing parishes resulted in his beginning a successful new mission parish in Lancaster, PA, St. Andrew the Apostle Ukrainian Catholic Mission Parish.  Recently, he successfully transferred the location of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church from a downtown location to a more suitable suburb location offering a full range of facilities for the parish.  Very Rev. Andriy Rabiy serves as Vicar General and Vice-Chancellor of our Archeparchy, in addition to his ministry at his parishes.

This is an announcement of two new volumes of pastoral letters written by His Beatitude Patriarch Gregorios III:

"I Am With You Always"

Volumes III and IV
2010 to 2012 and 2013 to 2017
Published by Eastern Christian Publications
Available separately - price $20 and $25 respectively
Or together with volumes I and II – price $60

See http://ecpubs.com/featured-products/
And http://ecpubs.com/product-category/spirituality/page/2/

Parma, Ohio (ugcc.org.ua) - Over 30 youth, young adult leaders, volunteers, and clergy from the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma gathered together on June 15-16th, 2017 at Cheeseman Farm in Portersville, Pennsylvania for the annual Eparchial Youth Days (formerly known as Acolyte and Youth Convention).

The theme of this year’s convention was “Diakonia: Serve & Do Good” in reference to Mark 10:45 and was dedicated to the ‘Year of Diakonia’ – service to one’s neighbor – a theme that the Ukrainian Catholic Church has chosen to commemorate in 2017.

vatican.va - The Holy Father has appointed as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the eparchy of Parma of the Ruthenians, United States of America, H.E. Msgr. Milan Lach, S.J., currently auxiliary bishop of Prešov of the Byzantines, Slovakia.

Msgr. Milan Lach, S.J.

Msgr. Milan Lach, S.J. was born on 18 November 1973 in Kežmarok, in the Archieparchy of Prešov of the Byzantines, Slovakia.

From 1992 to 1995 he attended the Greek Catholic Theological Faculty of Prešov and in 1995 he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Trnava.

After his theological studies in the theological faculty of the University of Trnava (1997-2001) he was ordained a priest in 2001 in Košice.

From 2001 to 2003 he worked in the scientific area of the Centre of Spirituality East-West of Michal Lacko in Košice and later (2009-2011) he was Superior of the same centre.

In 2009 he graduated in Oriental Ecclesiastical Sciences from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. At the same time he served as spiritual father at the Pontifical Collegium Russicum and also as spiritual assistant of the Federation of Scouts of Europe in Rome.

The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Bishop Joseph Absi was elected on Wednesday the new patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, a source told The Daily Star.

The election of Absi comes a month after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Gregorius III Lahham.

Lahham had hinted at his intention to resign several times over the past few years, and eventually made the decision following the unraveling of Orthodox Christianity’s synod in June 2016.

Lahham wrote a letter on June 20, 2016, to the Synod of the Eastern Churches to announce his resignation.