CATECHESIS
SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2026
God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.
Hundreds of millions of people throughout the world are immersed in extreme poverty. Yet, disproportionate wealth remains in the hands of a few. It is an unjust scenario, in the face of which we cannot fail to question ourselves and commit to change things. There is no lack of resources at the root of disparities, but the need to address solvable problems related to a more equitable distribution of wealth, to be achieved with moral sense and honesty.
Pope Leo XIV@Pontifex
Sunday, March 29, 2026
Let us pray together that the Lord may send His Church ministers ablaze with evangelical charity, dedicated to the good of all the baptized, and courageous missionaries in every part of the world.
I strongly renew my appeal to persevere in prayer. May hostilities cease and may paths to peace finally open up, based on sincere dialogue and respect for the dignity of every human person
Pope Leo XIV@Pontifex
SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2026
Prayer for the Jubilee Year – 125th parish anniversary
God our Father, we thank You for our church, a place of prayer
and worship for over 125 years.
We thank You for the faith, community, and generosity that have been manifest in the life of this parish, and we remember with gratitude the generations who came before us,
who built this church and preserved it for us.
May we cherish what has been given to us and share it with others,
welcoming all with love, faith, and mercy!
Unite us, O Lord, as a parish family in the one mission and discipleship of Christ.
Holy and Chief Apostles Peter and Paul, pray for us and for our parish! Amen!
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Молитва на Ювілейний рік — 125-ліття парафії
Боже, Отче Небесний, дякуємо Тобі за нашу церкву, за це місце молитви
й вірного служіння Тобі впродовж 125 років.
Дякуємо Тобі за віру, за спільноту та щедрість, які рясно
виявлялися в житті цієї парафії.
Ми зі вдячністю згадуємо покоління, що були перед нами,
які збудували цей святий храм і зберегли його для нас.
Допоможи нам цінувати те, що було нам дароване — цей наш храм!
Даруй нам мудрість і добре серце, щоб ми зуміли ділитися даром віри з іншими та сприймали один одного з любов’ю і милосердям.
З’єднай нас, Боже, як парафіяльну родину в єдиному служінні
для духовного добра наших ближніх!
Святі й верховні апостоли Петре і Павле, моліть Бога за нас
і за нашу парафію! Амінь!
Reports from Iran and across the entire Middle East continue to cause deep dismay and raise the fear that the conflict will expand, and that other countries in the region, including dear Lebanon, may once again sink into instability. Let us pray together for the roar of bombs to cease, weapons to fall silent, and space to open for dialogue, in which people's voices may be heard.
Fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the Word of God. Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion. It helps us to identify and order our “appetites,” keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency. It teaches us to pray and act responsibly towards our neighbor
Pope Leo XIV@Pontifex
Sunday, March 8, 2026
Actions influence the person who performs them. Through one’s own actions a person either becomes more like a divine Person or conversely diminishes one’s divine likeness. Such acts we define as moral. Actions that have no influence on a person achieving divine likeness are called neutral. Depending on how actions influence the person who performs them, we can distinguish between neutral and moral acts. Catechism of the UCC: Christ – Our Pascha # 729
Вчинки впливають на особу, яка здійснює їх. Через свої вчинки особа або все більше уподібнюється до божественної Особи, або суперечить богоподібності. Такі вчинки називаємо моральними. Вчинки ж, які не впливають на особу в осягненні нею богоподібності, називаємо ней-тральними. Залежно від того, як вчинки впливають на особу, яка їх здійснила, розрізняємо нейтральні та моральні вчинки. Катехизм УГКЦ – Христос наша Пасха # 729
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Let us pray together that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.
Fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the Word of God. Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion. It helps us to identify and order our “appetites,” keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency. It teaches us to pray and act responsibly towards our neighbor.
Pope Leo XIV@Pontifex
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2026
In Christian worship, the High Priest is Christ himself: “For it is you who offer and you who are offered.” He is the Priest who offers sacrifice and is himself the Sacrifice. In the Church, this offering of Christ becomes visible in liturgical services. There the faithful offer “[themselves] and one another and [their] whole life to Christ.” Through the visible signs of worship people grow in the interior spiritual divine service which Saint Paul called rational worship when he wrote: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual [rational] worship” (Rom 12:1) (in Church Slavonic, slovesnoye sluzheniye, from slovo—logos).
Catechism of the UCC: Christ – Our Pascha # 534
У християнському богослужінні Первосвящеником є Сам Христос. Він «Той, Хто приносить і Кого приносять», Він – Священик, який приносить жертву і водночас Сам – Жертва. У Церкві це приношення Христа стає для нас видимим у богослужінні. Вірні в богослужінні приносять Христу Богові «самі себе, і один одного, і все життя»своє. Через зовнішні знаки богопочитання людина розвиває духовне, внутрішнє богослужіння, що його святий апостол Павло назвав «словесною службою»: «Тож благаю вас, брати, на милість Божу, віддати тіла ваші як жертву живу, святу, приємну Богові: богослужбу від вас розумну [церковнослов’янською словесноє служеніє]» (Рм. 12, 1).
Катехизм УГКЦ – Христос наша Пасха
# 534
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As we begin our journey through Lent, let us ask the Lord to grant us the gift of true conversion of heart, so that we may better respond to His love for us and share that love with those around us.
“Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” (Joel 2:17). The prophet Joel’s question is like a goad. It reminds us of considerations from those who look at the people of God from the outside. Lent urges us to change direction, to convert, so that our witness may be more credible.
Pope Leo XIV@Pontifex