Divine Liturgy This Sunday!!!

Ukrainian Catholic Divine Liturgy is celebrated each week in the St. Philip Neri Oratory Chapel at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 5919 Kalanianaole Hwy, Honolulu, in Hawaii Kai.

Weekly Schedule is as follows:

Great Lent 3 DL Basil the Great (Triumph of the Holy Cross) March 15th 2009 - 10:30 am

Great Lent 4 DL Basil the Great (St. John Climacus) March 22nd 2009 -8:30 am

Great Lent 5 DL Basil the Great (St. Mary of Egypt) March 29th 2009 - 10:30 am

Palm Sunday DL Basil the Great April 4th 2009 -10:30 am.

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE TBD


Fr. Damien Iconography Class: 30 Mar 09 - 4 Apr 09 Sts Constantine & Helene Greek Orthodox Church

Fr. Damien Iconography Class: 30 Mar 09 - 4 Apr 09 Sts Constantine & Helene Greek Orthodox Church

Fr Damien Icon Class Registration Form

Fr Damien Icon Class Registration Form

Prayer List

  • GENERAL INTENTIONS: Dan, Dorothy, and Genka Krushelnycky; Cyndi Henry; Clark & Robbie Sjodin & Family; Andy & Marilyn Tomi; Nalani New; Steven Henry & Family; Madalyn Schutzius; Melanie Schutzius; Paul & Angela Cehr; Natalie, Olivia, and Justin Moore; Ken Kubacki; Jessica Smilgius; Kathy Riddle; Samantha Smith; Keith & Jenny McComb and Family;
  • CLERGY: Fr. George Busto, Fr. Mike Owens, Fr. Hal Weidner, Fr. Gary Secor, Fr. Richard Edeline; Fr. Joseph Stanichar, Fr. Michael Hyduk
  • MARTYRED: Bishop Paulos Faraj Raho, Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, Iraq; Father. Ragheed, Deacon Basman, Deacon Ghazwan, Deacon Waheed of the Chaldean Church

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Nov 6: Commemoration of Our Father among the Saints; Paul, Archbishop of Constantinople, The Confessor

Nov. 6, - Commemoration of our Father among the Saints Paul, Archbishop of Constantinople, The Confessor

Saint Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), when the Arian heresy had again flared up. Many of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of St Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. The emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. He was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. Upon his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed St Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. In place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Archbishop Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. Eusebius did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. When he died, St Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. But Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. The Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. The threats worked, and St Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. But soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. They again banished St Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr's death. When the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. This occurred in the year 350. In 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of St Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. In 1326, the relics of St Paul were transferred to Venice. St Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of St Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, "St Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, the second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and from there moved to Emesus, and the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness."
Troparion - Tone 3 For confessing the divine faith, among her priests the Church has shown you to be another Paul. Abel cries out to the Lord together with you, as does the righteous blood of Zachariah. Venerable father, entreat Christ God to grant us His great mercy. Kondakion - Tone 4 Paul, you shone on the earth like a star of heavenly splendor; now you enlighten the universal Church for which you suffered, for you laid down your life, and your blood cries out to the Lord like that of Zachariah and Abel.

THE MIRACLE OF THEODORE OF TYRE, THE GREAT MARTYR

Commemorated the first Saturday of the Great Fast

If you are interested the ritual for blessing the boiled wheat (koliva or kutia) is found on the attachment.

(Του Αγίου Μεγαλομάρτυρος Θεοδώρου του Τήρωνος)

He was a soldier in the city of Alasium of the Pontine district (northeast province of Asia Minor, stretching along the coast of the Euxine, i.e. the Black Sea), under the command of a certain Brincus. They commanded him to offer sacrifice to idols. St. Theodore firmly confessed his faith in Christ the Savior in a loud voice. The commander gave him several days to think it over, during which time St. Theodore prayed.
They charged him with setting a pagan temple on fire, and threw him into prison to be starved to death. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him there, comforting and encouraging him. Brought to the governor, St. Theodore boldly and fearlessly confessed his faith, for which he was subjected to new torments and condemned to burning. The martyr Theodore climbed onto the fire without hesitation, and with prayer and gave up his holy soul to God.
This occurred in about the year 306 under the Romanos emperor Galerius (305-311). Unharmed by the fire, the body of St. Theodore was buried in the city of Euchaita, not far from Amasium. His relics were afterwards transferred to Constantinople, to a church dedicated to him. His head is in Italy, in the city of Gaeto.
Later on, fifty years after the death of St. Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), wanting to commit an outrage upon the Christians, commanded the city-commander of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to idols. St. Theodore, having appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxios, ordered him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva).
In memory of this occurrence, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On Friday evening, at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts following the prayer at the ambo, the Canon to the holy Great Martyr Theodore, composed by St. John of Damascus, is sung. After this, kolyva is blessed and distributed to the faithful. The celebration of the Great Martyr Theodore on the first Saturday of Great Lent was set by the Patriarch Nektarios of Constantinople (381-397).
We pray to St. Theodore for the recovery of stolen articles.
Source: OCA
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FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST

The origin of this tradition: "On the first Saturday of the Great Fast we remember the miracle of St. Theodore of Tyre in 362 AD with koliva. The Emperor, Julian the Apostate, had the food in the market sprinkled with the blood of animals sacrificed to pagan gods in order to defile the first week of the Great Fast. Patriarch Aphdoxios of Constantinople appeared to the saint in a dream warning him of the emperor's scheme. St. Theodore told the people to cook the wheat they had at home rather than grinding all of it into flour. Thus, they did not buy anything in the market and avoided the tainted food."
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FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST

In the city of Amasea, in the province of Pontus, during the Emperor Maximian's (286­305) persecution, the soldier Theodore, together with other Christians, was required to renounce Christ and to offer sacrifice to idols. When he refused to do this, Theodore was subjected to cruel tortures and was confined in a dungeon. Here, during prayer, he was consoled by a miraculous appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. After a certain time, the martyr was brought out of the dungeon, and by various tortures they again tried to compel him to renounce Christ. Finally, seeing the inflexibility of the martyr, the ruler sentenced him to burning. Saint Theodore himself entered the fire dauntlessly, and here, with prayer and doxology he gave up his soul about the year 305. His body was buried in the city of Euchaita (in Asia Minor). Later, his relics were translated to Constantinople, to the church named after him; his head is located in Gaeta, Italy.
Some fifty years after the death of Saint Theodore, the Emperor Julian the Apostate (361­363), desiring to defile the Christian Great Lent, ordered the city governor of Constantinople to sprinkle secretly the provisions sold in the markets with blood from sacrifices to idols each day throughout the first week of the Fast. Saint Theodore appeared in a night vision to Eudoxius, the Archbishop of Constantinople, and ordered him to announce to the Christians that they should not buy the defiled provisions in the markets, but should use kolivo (kutia), that is, boiled wheat with honey, as food. In commemoration of this event, the Orthodox Church to this day celebrates the memory of the Great­martyr Theodore the Tyro annually on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On the eve, on Friday (or on Saturday), after the Prayer Behind the Ambo, a Moleben is served to Saint Theodore the Tyro (his epithet "tyro" means "recruit" in Latin) and kutia is blessed
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FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST

St Theodore Saturday
The tradition of blessing and eating koliva at the end of the first week of Great Lent is connected with an event in the reign of Julian the Apostate. The tradition states that the Emperor knew that the Christians would be hungry after the first week of strict fasting, and would go to the marketplaces of Constantinople on Saturday to buy food. So he ordered that blood from pagan sacrifices be sprinkled over all the food that was sold there. This made the food unsuitable as Lenten fare (since the Christians could not eat meat products during Lent), and in general as food for Christians, who are forbidden to eat food from such sacrifices. However, St. Theodore Tyro appeared in the dream to Archbishop Eudoxius and advised him that the people should not eat food bought at the marketplace that day, but only boiled wheat mixed with honey.
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FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
1st Saturday of Great LentSt Theodore the Recruit Today we remember the miracle of St Theodore and the boiled wheat. Fifty years after the death of St Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), wanting to commit an outrage upon the Christians, commanded the city-commander of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to idols. St Theodore appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, ordering him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva). In memory of this occurrence, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On Friday evening, at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts following the prayer at the ambo, the Canon to the holy Great Martyr Theodore, composed by St John of Damascus, is sung. After this, kolyva is blessed and distributed to the faithful. The celebration of the Great Martyr Theodore on the first Saturday of Great Lent was set by the Patriarch Nectarius of Constantinople (381-397). The Troparion to St Theodore is quite similar to the Troparion for the Prophet Daniel and the Three Holy Youths (December 17, Sunday Before Nativity). The Kontakion to St Theodore, who suffered martyrdom by fire, reminds us that he also had faith as his breastplate (see I Thessalonians 5:8). Saint Theodore is also commemorated on February 17.
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FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST

In Byzantine Christianity, [Catholic or Orthodox] boiled wheat called koliva (or kollyva) Greek, koljivo (Serbian), (Serbian Cyrillic: кољиво), colivă Romanian, коливо (kolivo) (Bulgarian) is the ritual food blessed after the memorial liturgy performed at various intervals after a death, after the burying ritual, during (mnemosyna - memorial services), at the first Friday of the Great Lent, at slavas, or at mnemosyna in the Christmas meal. For its pleasant taste, in some countries (not Greece) it is consumed in other non-religious conditions as well, often with cream on top.
It is the combination of boiled wheat kernels, sesame seeds, almonds, ground walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, pomegranate seeds, raisins, and parsley. The practice of making and eating koliva is known in Greece, Russia, and many Balkan countries, therefore recipes may vary.
When served, the koliva mixture, which looks something like earth, is shaped into a mound or cake to resemble a grave. The whole is then covered with powdered sugar and the initials of the deceased are outlined on the top. A candle, usually placed in the center of the koliva, is lit at the beginning of the memorial service and extinguished at its end. After the liturgy, those attending share in eating the koliva as they speak of the deceased and say "may God forgive him/her."
The origin of koliva pre-dates Christianity. The word stems from the Ancient Greek kollyvo or κόλλυβo, which originally means cereal grain) (also called "žito", or "wheat" in Bulgarian and Serbian). In the Ancient Greek "panspermia", a mixture of cooked seeds and nuts were offered during the festival of the Anthesteria. In Greece, therefore, koliva is also called "sperna," a term associated also with "sperm." The association between death and life, between that which is planted in the ground and that which emerges, is deeply embedded in the making and eating of koliva. The ritual food passed from paganism to early Christianity in Byzantium and subsequently spread to the entire Orthodox world.

Christian interpretation
Orthodox Christians consider the wheat to be the symbol of resurrection according to the Gospel:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John, 12, 24)
The tradition of blessing and eating koliva at the first week of Great Lent is connected with the history about persecutions of Julian the Apostate, who is said to add the blood from pagan sacrifaces to the food sold in the Empire, thus disturbing the Christian fasting. According to the tradition, St. Theodore of Tyre showed in the dream to the archbishop of Antioch with an advice to eat only koliva during the week.

Recipies for Koliva

Plain Koliva (kutia)

2 cups of wheat
3 quarts of boiling water
1 tsp salt
Boil until wheat kernels are tender (about 50 mins) then pour on about 1/3 cup of honey and mix.
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Fancy Koliva (kutia)

2 cups wheat 3 quarts water 1 cup poppy seed 2/3 cup of sugar 1/3 cup honey, dissolved in ¾ cup hot water ½ cup chopped walnuts, raisins, almonds, or pecans
1) Dry the wheat in an oven at 250 F for one hour, stirring occasionally. Wash and soak in cold water overnight.
2) Next morning, bring wheat to the boiling point; simmer for 3 to 4 hours, until the kernels burst open.
3) Scald the poppy seed and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and grind with either a mortar and pestle or a food processor using the finest setting. Set aside.
4) Combine honey and sugar in hot water. Set aside.
5) Before serving, add the sweetened mixture, poppy seed and the nuts to cooled, boiled wheat.