SS Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church

Extending Kindness and Generosity in Difficult Times From Metropolitan +Borys In the midst of the enduring global pandemic that seems to be only getting worse, ...when we feel like we have all hit the pandemic-wall-of-despair, together with verging on a profoundly divisive election, culminating with diminishing daylight and gloomier weather, we begin to ask ourselves how can I manage my confusion, fear, anger, helplessness and isolation? What can I do? How can I respond? How can I begin to embrace some semblance of normalcy? In a collective forum, what can we do? How can we move out of this paralyzing dystopia and move forward in our lives with a sense of purpose and dignity? There are many possible answers to these questions. When we reflect on the wisdom and the words of Jesus, the Gospel reminds us . . .when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (Luke 14:13-14) The Lord encourages us to foster relationships of kindness with each other. Many opportunities are available. But one of the foolproof ways is to give, to give of ourselves, to give what we can. Sharing the warmth of kindness is even a greater necessity, especially in harsh, cold, and alienating circumstances. It is good to reach out, share, and help the poor and vulnerable, wherever and whenever we are able. In his message for the November 15, 2020 Fourth World Day of the Poor, first observed on November 19, 2017, Pope Francis writes: We cannot feel alright when any member of the human family is left behind and in the shadows. The silent cry of so many poor men, women, and children should find the people of God at the forefront, always and everywhere, in efforts to give them a voice, to protect and support them in the face of hypocrisy and so many unfulfilled promises, and to invite them to share in the life of the community. The Holy Father has chosen this year’s theme from the Book of Sirach Stretch forth your hand to the poor (Sir 7:32) and he stresses that a hand held out is a sign that immediately speaks of closeness, solidarity, and love. Who are the poor and vulnerable, and how is poverty defined? Pope Francis recently stated: Poverty is precisely at the heart of the Gospel. If we were to remove poverty from the Gospel, people would understand nothing about Jesus’ message. The Holy Father’s recent encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, which should be studied and discussed in our communities, elaborates on the parable of the Good Samaritan and asks us to consider Who is our neighbor? Who are we? The Holy Father urges us to be a community of Good Samaritans. In July, 2016 he said the parable of the Good Samaritan is not just a nice passage to reflect upon, but signifies a concrete choice we make in deciding how to live and treat those around us. The Good Samaritan indicates a lifestyle, the center of which is not ourselves, but others, with their difficulties, who we meet on our path and who challenge us, It is us who choose this lifestyle or choose to reject it, he said, explaining that the attitude of the Good Samaritan tests our faith, and kindness, since faith without works is dead. On October 8, just a few days after Fratelli tutti was published, responding to a global call of His Beatitude Sviatoslav and the Department of Social Ministry of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Good Samaritan Pantry Initiative was launched in the Philadelphia Archeparchy. Auxiliary Bishop Andriy Rabiy, Sister Theodora Kopyn, OSBM, and Mr. Sean McLaughlin presented preliminary plans for this initiative. This social service project will include the ongoing collection of non-perishable food items as well as personal care items for distribution to individuals and families in need. Two locations for distribution have been designated: the Cathedral in Philadelphia and the Monastery of St. Basil the Great in Fox Chase, PA. This initiative is a communal and neighborly continuation of a Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, tradition, which makes me particularly grateful to our clergy, religious and faithful. Additionally, there have already been inspirational initiatives in our community during this past summer for the needs of our neighbor. Thanks to the initiative of Bishop Andriy Rabiy, our Metropolia, with the active participation of all our eparchies in the United States and numerous community organizations, collected $228,126 for the flood victims in Ukraine. Throughout the Ivano-Frankivsk Archeparchy and the Chernivsti and Kolomya Eparchies, our faithful were able to support thousands of vulnerable persons, especially the elderly and families with young children. This drive continues to effectively aid those affected long-term by the flood. And since the Great Fast, Lent 2017, Very Reverend Archpriest Michael Hutsko and his parishioners of Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Mt. Carmel and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Centralia, Pennsylvania have continued to operate a soup kitchen. Every Wednesday they serve a hot meal to people in need in the Mt. Carmel area. Initially, Fr. Michael and parish volunteers welcomed the hungry in the parish hall. Now, due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, all meals, which include a full dinner--soup, entrée, dessert and a drink--are packaged for take-out from two pick-up locationsthe church hall and the Mt. Carmel public library. Since March the parish has distributed 4,000 full dinner meals. Many of our other parishes demonstrate their generosity and concern for the needs of their neighbor by contributing to local food banks. So, with these initiatives already underway, and mindful of those in need, I urge all of our parishes and faithful, in the spirit of the Gospel, to contribute to and join the Good Samaritan Pantry Initiative. Through our generosity and by manifesting our solidarity with the poor, sick, vulnerable, weak, handicapped and lonely, we will overcome the doldrums of the season, the isolation of the COVID-19 quarantine, and the many divisions in society. Try it and see! Everyone, every Ukrainian Catholic can and should be a Good Samaritan! +Borys

Bulletin for the week of November 1st, 2020 http://sspeterandpaulmc.org//uploads/2020/10/11-01-2020.pdf

God With Us Resources for Catechists, Parents Sunday, October 25, 2020 https://godwithusonline.org//the-twenty-first-sunday-afte/

Bulletin for the week of October 25, 2020 http://sspeterandpaulmc.org//uploads/2020/10/10-25-2020.pdf

A guide to help you develop an informed conscience before you vote. This document will help faithful Catholics determine if a candidate can earn and merit your vote.

Bulletin for the week of October 18th, 2020 http://sspeterandpaulmc.org//uploads/2020/10/10-18-2020.pdf

Happy Friday everyone! Our annual Basket/Gift Auction was last Sunday! Sorry it took so long to post this update but we needed a day to rest and then went right into our pierogie sale! So, we're just catching up on everything now. Although we had to make some big changes to the way we handle the auctions because of the pandemic, we think it went very well! We had some awesome feedback from our customers, both on our prizes and our process. Thank you to everyone who came ...out to the auction and accepted our changes without complaint! We feel it was a great success! Much of the success of our auction is due to the amazing support of our parishoners, friends, and community! We want to make a point of sending a special thank you to the following businesses. They stepped up and, through their support and donations, helped make our Auction successful. Please, support these businesses and let them know that they are appreciated for what they've done for us and for what they continue to do for our community! In no particular order...thank you to the following businesses: Coles Hardware, Mount Carmel CJ Lucas Funeral Home Joseph Stutz Funeral Home Masser's Restaurant Dunkin' Donuts, Shamokin Coney Island, Shamokin Knoebel's Clyde Peeling Reptileland Lake Tobias Wildlife Park Greco's Garage Scicchitano's Ace Hardware Burger King, Coal Township McDonald's, Coal Township Hollywood Pizza and Bakery Greek Isle Cafe One Stop Shop Matlow's Chris' Ceramic Coating Luxury Auto Tints Todd's Care Care Body Balance Massage & Therapeutic Services Paxinos Beer Shoppe The Notary Shop Presents Under Glass Varano's Warehouse Anthracite Provisions Bader's Fine Furniture Bumpter's Beverages Weis Markets Champion Beverage Company, Coal Township Two Guys from Italy Academy Sports Center Shimock's Furniture Best Cleaners Kowalonek's Kielbasy Shop Old Thyme Warehouse & Rolling Macaroni Guers Dairy James' Pizza Community Pharmacy Dutch Kitchen Bloomsburg Children's Museum The News Item Reliable Home, Minersville Mattucci's Mays Drive In, Ashland Subway, Coal Township OIP, Shamokin Palmers Diner Boyers, Mount Carmel Again...we can't say it enough...thank you to everyone for another great Basket/Gift Auction! We hope you had as much fun as we did. Please watch our parish Facebook page for other events to come.

Hi everyone! The calling of the winners will begin shortly here on the Ss Peter and Paul FB page!

Bulletin for the coming week, October 11th. http://sspeterandpaulmc.org//uploads/2020/10/10-11-2020.pdf