Category: 2023 News

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Christmas season is a reminder to Christians that despite hardships, God chose to join himself to humanity and still remains by its side, Pope Francis said.

“Christmas is a reminder that God loves us and wants to be with us,” the pope told a group of children at the Vatican Dec. 15 during a meeting with representatives from the Italian Catholic Action movement.

The Incarnation, he said, “is a stupendous gift, and it brings with it another: that we may also love one another as brothers and sisters.”

“How much we need this today,” he added, “so many people, so many children suffer because of war.”

The children, who came from 14 dioceses across Italy, brought with them large paper stars to remember the children who have died from conflicts.

Pope Francis recalled that more than 3,000 children have died in Gaza since the outbreak of war in the Holy Land, as well as the more than 500 children that have died in Ukraine and the thousands that died during the years of war in Yemen.

“Their memory, in turn, invites us to be lights for the world, to touch the hearts of many people, especially those who can stop the whirlwind of violence,” the pope said.

He added that only by loving God and loving one another “can the world rediscover the light and the peace that it needs” and which was proclaimed by the angels who announced Jesus’ birth.

As a Christmas gift, the children gave the pope sleeping bags and personal hygiene products to be given to the papal almoner and donated to people in need.

Later in the day, the pope met with the organizers of a Christmas concert hosted at the Vatican for people in need.

“With music you present a moment of encounter, of sharing,” he told them. “In a word: fraternity. This is very consistent with the message of Christmas.”

Reflecting on the concert’s title, “Christmas Concert with the Poor and for the Poor,” the pope said moving from an attitude of being “for” the poor to one of being “with” the poor is key.

“One starts from the ‘for’ but wants to reach the ‘with,’ and this is very Christian,” he said. “God came for us, but how? In what way? By coming to live with us, by even becoming like us.”

Although the mystery of the Incarnation “leaves us without words,” Pope Francis said “we can experience it in the encounter with the other that is different than myself: when my giving something to him or her becomes a receiving, it becomes a sharing, it becomes friendship.”

The pope encouraged the organizers to pray so that they may be moved from an attitude of “for” to one of “with,” because “music is not enough, lights are not enough, decorations are not enough, no, it takes prayer.”

The concert, in its fourth edition, was set to take place in the Paul VI Audience Hall Dec. 15. The orchestra and chorus of Rome’s opera theater were scheduled to perform classics by Mozart, Rossini and Tchaikovsky, as well as Christmas songs such as “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World.”

SCRANTON – As he celebrated Masses for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, told parishioners it is Mary’s journey of faith that can help each of us embrace the power and presence of God.

“Following her election by God to be the mother of the Savior, Mary immediately journeyed to visit Elizabeth. But her willingness to follow God’s invitation didn’t end with that encounter. She journeyed to Bethlehem where her son was born and then to Egypt to keep him safe for his mission. She journeyed to Cana where Jesus performed the first sign revealing his glory and then she followed Jesus all the way to the cross. And after Jesus’ resurrection, Mary journeyed with his disciples to receive the Spirit and to build the Church – the redeemed People of God,” Bishop Bambera said.

The bishop said Mary’s journey continued well beyond the earliest days of the Church.

“She journeyed all the way to Tepeyac to accompany Juan Diego. And she continues to this very day – to journey throughout our world, assisted by your prayers and devotions. She journeys to homes and prison cells, to hospital rooms, schools, rest homes, and even to our borders with those seeking refuge, safety, and peace,” he continued.

It is the appearance nearly five centuries ago, Dec. 9, 10, and 12, 1531 in Tepeyac, near present-day Mexico City, when God sent Mary as his messenger appearing before Blessed Juan Diego, an Aztec Indian, that brings out hundreds of people to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in parishes all around the Diocese of Scranton. The Blessed Mother’s appearance is believed to have resulted in millions of conversions to Catholicism.

The Cathedral of Saint Peter was nearly filled on Dec. 10 for a Mass organized by Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish in South Scranton.

On Dec. 12, hundreds of others participated in a procession through the streets of Wilkes-Barre, ending with Mass celebrated at Saint Nicholas Church.

“She brings all of our communities together, especially with people coming from different countries,” Karla Andrade of Saint Theresa of Calcutta Parish said.

While the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is especially important to members of the Latino and Hispanic populations, she is the Patroness of the Americas, and we should all celebrate her.

“I feel so happy to be part of this celebration,” Wenceslao De La Cruz of Scranton said following Mass on Dec. 10 at the Cathedral of Saint Peter.

“It is something that is truly embedded into our communities, our homes, it is a huge celebration,” Jenny Gonzalez of Scranton said. “It’s a day when a lot of people gather together. They will pray and show a lot of gratitude but it’s also a day when they genuinely ask Our Lady of Guadalupe for something special for their families.”
Gonzalez really enjoyed watching all the young people take part in the Mass and reception which followed at the Diocesan Pastoral Center which featured music and dancing.

“It is really an important day not only for our community but also for our diocese,” she added.

Parishes in Brodheadsville, East Stroudsburg, Hazleton, Jermyn, Meshoppen, Plains and West Hazleton also held Feast Day celebrations.

LAFLIN – Nearly 200 people from across the Diocese of Scranton gathered together Nov. 18 to hear speakers Rhonda Gruenewald and Leticia Ramirez teach them how to foster vocations in our parishes.

Pastors first heard from Gruenewald at the annual Priest Convocation in October and were encouraged to invite parishioners to the Hundredfold Vocation Ministry workshops given in English and Spanish at Saint Maria Goretti Parish in Laflin.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, led parishioners in prayer before the sessions began for the day. Rev. Alex Roche, Diocesan Vocation Director, then celebrated Mass and offered a commissioning prayer for the future vocation promoters present at the event.

Gruenewald, a Houston-based convert to Catholicism and founder of Vocation Ministry, shared the story of how her priest asked her and her husband to be part of their parish’s vocations committee. In turn, she said the nearly 200 parishioners in attendance at the workshop are now being called to do the same.

Once Gruenewald had established a foundation for vocation work in her parish, she was called to develop a plan to bring this ministry to the Diocese of Houston and now, after the release of her first book, Hundredfold: A Guide to Parish Vocation Ministry, to dioceses across the country.

At the Diocese of Scranton’s Hundredfold workshop, parishioners were given the tools to create an action plan for creating vocation-friendly parishes, discover programming opportunities offered by the Diocesan Vocations Office, and discuss possibilities for future vocation initiatives.

Gruenewald suggested that parishes host holy hours for vocations, encourage youth in the parish to write cards to their pastor for his ordination anniversary, implement a Traveling Chalice program, adopt a seminarian in prayer, and much more to promote vocations at the parish level.

Parishioners were also encouraged to promote Vocations Office events such as Quo Vadis Days, monthly XLT, and World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

To find out how you can help promote vocations in your parish and become part of this diocesan-wide ministry, please email vocations@dioceseofscranton.org or visit www.dioceseofscranton.org/vocations.

NANTICOKE – A beloved holiday tradition at Saint Faustina Kowalska Parish will continue this weekend as the play ‘Miracle at Bethlehem’ returns for a two-night showing.

The play, which depicts the birth, life, and death of Jesus Christ, will be performed on Saturday, Dec. 16, and Sunday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Saint Faustina Cultural Centre, 38 W. Church Street, Nanticoke. All are welcome to attend. A free will offering will be taken.

“The way the play is performed by the cast, they believe in it, and it draws everyone into the story,” director Judy Minsavage said.

Father Brian Van Fossen, pastor, said the play helps the community relate to Jesus’ birth in a new way, as opposed to simply reading about it in Scripture.

“When you see it actually lived out and you see people actually being part of that story, it really enters you into that story,” Father Van Fossen explained. “Whether you can relate to Joseph and Mary wandering the streets or whoever has a grasp on your imagination and allows you to realize that Jesus was real.”

The presentation of the ‘Miracle at Bethlehem’ involves dozens of cast members and crew who handle lighting, sound and serve as ushers.

“The parish community works so hard at making sure the play is put forward and put forward in such a beautiful way,” Father Van Fossen added.

In years past, the play was performed at the beginning of December, but this year, it is being held closer to Christmas itself to help the audience enter into the true meaning of the holiday.

“Being closer to Christmas this year, I think the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday will be at its end and everyone will be ready to get into the real meaning (of the holiday) and how they really want to celebrate the birth of Christ,” Minsavage said.

With Hallmark Christmas movies beginning in the summer and Christmas music on the radio beginning just after Thanksgiving, Father Van Fossen believes the play, so close to Christmas, will help people to recognize the gift God gave to all of us.

“What this play allows us to do is break from that commercialism – to break from television and electronics – and to really ‘smell the hay’ and really allow those moments to really penetrate our lives,” he said.

SCRANTON — The beginning of the new liturgical year in the Catholic Church brought about new beginnings for six parishes in Scranton’s south and west sides.

Following a thorough period of discussion and consultation through the Vision 2030 Pastoral Planning Process, the parish communities of Saint John Neumann and Saint Paul of the Cross in South Scranton were consolidated on Nov. 26. The parish consolidations of Saint Ann Basilica and Saints Peter & Paul, West Scranton; and Saint Patrick and Saint Lucy, West Scranton, became official on Dec. 3.

Beginning in September, the four West Scranton parishes entered into two separate linkages, each shepherded by one pastor. The two South Scranton parishes linked in 2021.

Based on the Vision 2030 Process of examination of demographic changes in the communities, Mass attendance, sacramental participation, financial obligations and the availability of clergy, recommendations were proposed to create three parishes out of the previous six independent entities.

The consolidation of the two large South Scranton parishes has resulted in a new identity for the worship sites of Nativity of Our Lord Church, located at 633 Orchard St., and Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary Church, 1217 Prospect Ave., as the former parishes are now united under the new name of Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish.

“United as one community of faith there is so much we can do together,” Father Jonathan Kuhar, pastor of the new parish under the patronage of the renowned saint of modern times, proclaimed in the inaugural parish bulletin on the Feast of Christ the King. “Let us begin this work by imagining new ways of being community to each other and creative ways of doing the work of discipleship in the world.”

Sunday Mass times at the parish churches are as follows: Nativity of Our Lord, 9:30 and 11 a.m.; Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary, 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. (Spanish).

Sacred Hearts Church serves as the site for the weekday morning Masses, Tuesday thru Friday, at 8 a.m., and a Saturday Vigil Mass at 4 p.m. Nativity Church offers a Spanish-language liturgy on Thursday at 7 p.m., and their weekend Vigil Mass on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Father Kuhar implored the prayerful intercession of the new parish’s patroness and the blessed patrons of the two former parishes — Saint John Neumann and Saint Paul of the Cross.

Encouraging his new, united flock to act with urgency in carrying out the Lord’s work, the pastor shared the inspiring words of Mother Teresa, known as the “Saint of the Gutters” who visited the Diocese of Scranton on several occasions:

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We only have today. Let us begin.”

Saint Ann Basilica Parish now encompasses the nearby former Saints Peter & Paul Parish and its longtime worship site at 1309 West Locust St. in West Scranton.

As pastor of Saint Ann’s, Father Jim Paisley has guided the two parishes since they were linked in September. In assuming the pastoral reins, he becomes the first Scranton Diocesan priest to lead the parish after more than a century of pastorates filled by clergy from the Passionist Order of priests.

“The people of both parishes have been very understanding of the need for a consolidation,” Father Paisley said. “Although no one wants to see this kind of thing happen to their church, parishioners know that certain changes need to take place in order to secure a strong and vibrant (Catholic) future in West Scranton.”

He added that, since September, faithful from both Saint Ann’s and Saints Peter & Paul’s have collaborated and meshed well to work together on various events and endeavors, minister at the altar, serve in the choir, and attend Masses.

“They are forming a new parish family identity with each passing day,” Father Paisley noted. “We are blessed.”

The Basilica Church of Saint Ann, 1250 Saint Ann St., West Scranton, offers Sunday Masses at 8:30 & 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.; and Monday Masses at 8 a.m., noon, 3:30 & 6 p.m. Weekday liturgies are also celebrated Tuesday thru Friday at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Saturday Masses are at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Sunday Vigil).

Saints Peter & Paul Church hosts a Sunday morning Mass at 11 a.m., and offers a Eucharistic liturgy on Monday at 9 a.m.

On a personal note, the new pastor acknowledged how members from the combined parishes have welcomed him with “open arms and loving hearts.”

“Both faith communities are kind and compassionate,” Father Paisley expressed, “and I am most grateful for their willingness to travel this journey of faith together.”

He further noted that the Passionist Community of Saint Ann’s Monastery and Basilica has been equally welcoming and supportive. “I am honored to share ministry of Saint Ann’s and Saints Peter and Paul’s with such a devoted Order of men.”

Under the spiritual leadership of their longtime pastor, Father Richard Fox, the consolidation of the Parish of Saint Patrick with Saint Lucy Parish adds to Saint Patrick’s a devout family of faithful and a third parish worship site.

“It’s been a smooth transition,” Father Fox remarked, concerning the other Catholic parish merger in Scranton’s West Side. He added that support staff and those involved in music ministry from both parishes have successfully combined their time and talents.

Saint Patrick Parish now includes Saint Lucy Church, 949 Scranton St., West Scranton, along with the IHM Chapel, 1605 Oram St., which the parish has overseen for numerous years.

Sunday Masses are celebrated at 7, 8:30 & 11 a.m. in Saint Patrick Church, 1403 Jackson St., which also celebrates 8 a.m. morning Masses on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; and a Saturday Vigil liturgy at 4 p.m.

Saint Lucy Church now hosts a Sunday morning Mass at 9 a.m.; the IHM Chapel offers 8 a.m. weekday Masses on Tuesday and Thursday, and a Vigil liturgy on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

“We are blessed to bring together two very strong and proud parish communities,” Father Fox said of the new parish family. “Both churches, which are most venerable and rich in history, have been the sacred homes for a very long time to devout Catholics grounded in their faith.”

MONTDALE – For years, faith leaders have talked about the importance of removing the stigma surrounding mental health challenges while emphasizing that those struggling with mental health are loved and valued by the church.

Two parishes in Lackawanna County are now taking action by starting a joint mental health ministry team which is providing free training and other resources.

Saint John Vianney Parish in Montdale and Saint Gregory Parish in Clarks Green recently launched an inter-parish Mental Health Ministry Team. The goal is to support each parish’s awareness of, accompaniment with, and advocacy for persons with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

“With this model, we are able to pool our resources in offering the ministry, and are able to serve a wider audience, including the community members outside the walls of our churches,” Jen Housel, Executive Director, Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, and parishioner of Saint John Vianney parish, said.

On Nov. 11, the two parishes held a Mental Health First Aid Training Program which taught 13 people how to recognize signs of mental health or substance use challenges in adults, offer and provide initial help, and knowledge on how to guide a person toward appropriate care if necessary.

“It was better than any of us thought it could be,” participant Ellen Aherne explained, describing the combination of small group activities and large group sessions. “I highly recommend it to any member of our diocese who has the opportunity to spend a Saturday learning how to better serve the mental health needs of their parishes.”

In addition to having people from both parishes launching the Mental Health Ministry Team, there were also attendees from Our Lady of the Snows Parish, Clarks Summit; Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Dickson City; and Divine Mercy Parish, Scranton.

“As a person who once taught psychiatric nursing, I gained some valuable information and practical skills,” Mary Ann Paulukonis, who serves as the Mental Health Ministry team leader at Saint Gregory Parish. “I was gratified that a couple participants decided to join our inter-parish team and a few others asked how to start a mental health ministry in their own parishes.”

Beginning the week of Jan. 8, the parishes will begin offering The Sanctuary Course for Catholics in tandem for eight weeks to explore the realities of mental health and illness, as well as the vital need for faith-based community conversations about these topics.

Statistics show one in four people will be affected by a mental health challenge at some point in their lives, yet the stigma surrounding mental illness silences many and prevents faith communities from responding compassionately and effectively.

The eight small group sessions will be held at Saint John Vianney Parish on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. and Saint Gregory Parish on Fridays at 9:00 a.m.

Interested individuals can attend one session or all eight, at either church or both locations or via Zoom. Online registration at catholicmhm.org/csdeaneryregistration is encouraged, but not required.

“Optimally, sessions are offered to and attended by those within the same general faith community. This allows those involved to deeply consider how their community currently responds to this issue/need and how they as a community may take action to do better,” Housel stated. “The sessions include the opportunity to learn, to pray, and to share together.”

There is no fee for the training. All costs are being covered by a Social Justice Grant from the 2023 Diocesan Annual Appeal.

“The Social Justice Grant funds allowed us to begin this mental health ministry programming on an ambitious scale and to offer multiple opportunities cost-free to those who could benefit from them,” Housel added.

“Receiving the grants had the effect of propelling us forward at a faster rate than we might otherwise have proceeded,” Paulukonis said.

INDIANAPOLIS – The 2023 National Catholic Youth Conference had a deep impact on dozens of local high school teens from parishes across the Diocese of Scranton.

For three days – this year Nov. 16-18 in Indianapolis – their faith was enriched through speakers, uplifting music, Eucharistic Adoration, group prayer, the opportunity for the Sacrament of Penance and Daily Mass.

Their faith also is emboldened in witnessing and worshipping with thousands of their Catholic peers, leaving the youths encouraged by the fact that they are not alone in following Christ in the one true church.

“NCYC was truly incredible. I came in, not expecting it to be half of what it was,” Hannah Rocco from Saint Eulalia Parish in Roaring Brook Township, said. “Adoration with 13,000 kids was truly incredible!”

The Diocese of Scranton sent a total of 92 pilgrims – young adults and chaperones – to this year’s conference.

“It was such an awesome experience,” Hayden Schwabe from Saint Jude Parish in Mountain Top, said. “You don’t have to worry about hiding your faith or being scared about putting your hands up in the air to take in the Holy Spirit because other people are doing it.”

For Max Mohutsky of Saint Jude Parish, this year’s NCYC was his first.

“Obviously I didn’t really know what to expect so I was leaning on what people told me from the past, but it was great once I was there,” he said. “I learned a lot more about God and I met new people and had a great time.”

This was the second NCYC for Shaylee Kimmick of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Brodheadsville.

“I came two years ago, and it was a lot more overwhelming this time because there were so many more people,” Kimmick said. “During the opening ceremony, the archbishop said, ‘You’re not a problem to be solved, you’re a mystery to be revealed,’ and that really stuck with me!”

In a prayer service at the opening session of NCYC, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson spoke to the teens about this year’s NCYC theme “Fully Alive.” He quoted his favorite line from Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si,” saying, “Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.”

“We heard that beautiful reading about creation from the Book of Genesis,” Archbishop Thompson said. “But the ultimate part of that creation is when God created humanity, when God created us. We are part of that creation that’s been given life by the Spirit breathing into us, by the Word taking root in us, claiming us as his own.”

Kimmick is looking forward to bringing that message home and sharing her experiences with other teens in her Monroe County parish.

“I’m going to talk to people about my experience and try to help them feel more connected in their faith and help them grow,” she said.

Betty Clark of Saint Eulalia Parish described her experience as “simply amazing.”
“The spirit, the energy that everyone had and that we all could feel during the sessions, and when we were talking to other people, we really were ‘fully alive.’ It was crazy. I loved it,” the North Pocono teenager said.

In describing what she was taking away from NCYC, Clark referenced the importance of the National Eucharistic Revival that is underway – and the National Eucharistic Congress which will be held in the same city and stadium July 17-21 next year.

“I think that a lot of time we forget how present Jesus is in the Eucharist and I think that is what the priests and bishops are trying to do with the Eucharistic Revival. I think that I was really impacted by that, and I think it’s going to really help me worship Jesus in the Mass and when I see Him in the Eucharist in the future,” she explained.

During the two-hour closing Mass for NCYC, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph A. Espaillat of New York encouraged the teens to put “joy over fear.”

In explaining this, Bishop Espaillat distinguished between a “worldly fear that creates panic and anxiety” and “a holy fear, or fear of the Lord, (that) is a source of peace and happiness.”

“If we love God and know that we are loved by God, then why do we need to fear?” he asked those in attendance.

Bishop Espaillat then laid out three simple points he wanted the young people at NCYC to take home with them.

“You’ve got to have faith,” he said. “You’ve got to have fun while you do it. And you need family and friends and community along the way.”

Before boarding a bus to make the trip back to northeastern Pennsylvania, George Sabatini of Saint Jude Parish said was proud that so many of his Catholic peers from across the country came together to celebrate their faith.

“It’s just a great experience to strengthen your faith and to meet like-minded people,” Sabatini said.

(OSV News) – When Ukraine’s embattled citizens gather this Christmas, their rich festivities will feel symbolically different – as the festival is celebrated for the first time on Dec. 25, in line with the Western calendar.

“People here have long insisted we should be united around a common festival, expressing our faith together and enjoying the same work-free days,” explained Auxiliary Bishop Jan Sobilo of Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia Diocese.

“As we withstand Russia’s attacks, however, this change will also have a political dimension in bringing us closer to Western civilization. Many of those who no longer attend church, believing Christians are always feuding, may well be led back to God by this new united spirit of prayer and celebration,” he said.

The bishop spoke to OSV News amid preparations for the long-awaited switch to the Western Christmas, agreed earlier in 2023 by church and government leaders.

Meanwhile, a prominent Greek Catholic priest told OSV News he expected little need for liturgical modifications and also was hopeful the reform would assist common worship with other denominations.

“The traditions will remain the same, and we’re planning to do everything as in the past – just in late December rather than January,” said Father Mykola Matwijiwskyj, apostolic administrator of Britain’s London-based Greek Catholic eparchy.

“The Western calendar has already been used for years in much of the Ukrainian Catholic diaspora, and this formal change has been accepted by Ukrainians at home and abroad,” he said.

A resolution confirming the calendar reform was passed July 14 by Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada parliament and signed into law by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — both justifying it as a step toward “abandoning the Russian heritage.”

But the move had been long sought by Ukraine’s Greek Catholic and independent Orthodox churches in cooperation with Roman Catholics and Protestants, as key to Christian unity in the war-ravaged country.

While Ukraine’s rival Moscow-linked Orthodox Church, the UOC, hasn’t endorsed the change, opinion polls have shown general support nationwide.

“Those who are pro-Russian will no doubt stay that way — but we’ve always invited everyone to our Christmas celebrations, and this won’t change,” Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk of Odesa-Simferopol told OSV News Nov. 13.

“We’re proclaiming and formalizing something that’s already widely practiced anyway, which will assist our relations with Orthodox Christians. Although we can’t know how opponents might react, I’m confident most Ukrainians will accept it positively.”

Whereas Catholics and Protestants traditionally celebrate Christmas Dec. 25, according to the Western Gregorian Calendar established in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, 11 of the world’s 15 main Orthodox churches mark it on Jan. 7, in line with the ancient Julian Calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C.E.

Orthodox hierarchies in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Romania switched during the 20th century to the Western date, along with the based Ecumenical Patriarchate which traditionally holds the Orthodox primacy.

But Russia’s powerful Orthodox Church, which seeks to continue dominating Ukraine, still clings to the Eastern system, along with other smaller churches.

Both Dec. 25 and Jan. 7 have been official state holidays in Ukraine since 2017, in recognition of the large numbers celebrating Christmas on both dates. But calls for a general move to Dec. 25 grew after Russia’s bloody February 2022 invasion.

Greek Catholics confirmed the switch to Dec. 25 at a synod meeting in February, adopting the new dating system for all fixed religious feast-days, while Metropolitan Epiphany’s OCU followed suit in May, a year after the Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced its full independence and autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate.

And while some parishes will be allowed to opt out and retain the old Julian Calendar initially, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych insists support for the change has gathered momentum during the war

“We want the calendar to unite, rather than divide us, giving a new perspective for our church, state and liturgical and social life,” the archbishop told church members in a February open letter.

With the change applying to Ukrainian communities worldwide, Father Matwijiwskyj, the London-based Greek Catholic administrator, is confident the change is for the better, both in spiritual and economic terms for the war-torn country.

In the past, the Gregorian Calendar was resisted by some Ukrainian diaspora Catholics, who feared it would compel their assimilation into Western Christianity.

Two years of war have changed perspectives, and Westernization is now the desired option – although rejecting Russian domination tells only part of the story, Father Matwijiwskyj said.

“While the reform has been pushed through with this in mind, the change will have wider advantages,” the priest told OSV News.

“The whole world closes down on Dec. 23 and reopens in early January, while Ukraine then closes down on Jan. 5 and stays that way for much of the month. Correcting this anomaly will have obvious benefits, quite apart from shaking off Russian influences,” he explained.

Bishop Sobilo agreed and told OSV News that “although there are constant dangers of escalation, as brutal new attempts are made to break our country this winter, we can be confident about our future as we draw closer to Europe and raise our heads again.”

Even in such harsh conditions, Ukrainians have shown determination in maintaining their Christmas customs.

The great festival of Vigilia, or Christmas Eve, is marked with family gatherings around a sviata vechera, or “holy supper,” incorporating a dozen dishes representing the Twelve Apostles, and ends with midnight Mass.

Homes are decorated with the customary didukh, a sheaf of wheat stalks symbolizing ancestors’ spirits, for whom dishes such as the traditional kutia are left on the table.

Despite Russian missile strikes, Ukraine’s tradition of door-to-door caroling has continued as well, often featuring the internationally known “Carol of the Bells,” dating from 1914, and originally written by Ukrainian Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych.

“People are doing all they can to keep these traditions alive, while the idea of a common Christmas has been warmly accepted as a clear sign of Ukraine’s reunion with the Western world,” Iryna Biskub, a Catholic linguistics professor at Volyn National University, told OSV News.

“It may be too soon to talk of some major new Catholic-Orthodox ecumenical closeness. But many Orthodox Christians were already marking Christmas with the rest of Europe on Dec. 25, even before this was officially approved,” she said. “It’s certainly a symbolic move, with strong anti-Russian implications.”

In Odesa, Bishop Szyrokoradiuk is confident Ukraine’s “beautiful Christmas traditions” are too strongly rooted to be deterred by war and occupation.

The new common Christmas, he thinks, will mark an important step toward reconciliation between people once divided by the East-West Iron Curtain.

A year ago, Moscow rejected calls from European churches for a Christmas truce in its brutal invasion, and even stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s population centers.

Against such a background, Ukraine’s church leaders will be preparing vibrant Christmas messages of encouragement and endurance.

“Despite the many dead and wounded, people remain strong in spirit and certain of victory — even if more modestly, they’ll still be praying and celebrating at Christmas,” Bishop Sobilo told OSV News.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Christians must be open to the Word of God and to welcoming and serving others, Pope Francis said.

“‘Be open,’ Jesus says to every believer and to his church: be open because the Gospel message needs you to witness to it and proclaim it,” he said during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall Dec. 13.

The pope also appealed for an immediate cease-fire and a resumption of negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

“I continue to follow the conflict in Israel and Palestine with much concern and sorrow,” he said. “I renew my call for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire: there is so much suffering there.”

Pope Francis encouraged all parties to resume negotiations, “and I ask everyone to make an urgent commitment to get humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza who are on their last legs and really need it.”

The pope also called for the immediate liberation of all the hostages, “who had seen hope in the truce a few days ago, so that this great suffering for Israelis and Palestinians might come to an end.”

“Please,” he said, “no to weapons, yes to peace.”

In his main audience talk, the pope concluded his yearlong series of talks about zeal for evangelization.

Since late November, Pope Francis has had respiratory difficulties related to a bronchial infection and has been cutting back on how much of his prepared texts he reads aloud.

Reading only excerpts but adding off-the-cuff comments, the pope talked about how every Christian is called to allow “the Word of God to inspire us, to help cultivate the passion to proclaim the Gospel.”

Often the Bible uses examples of people afflicted with deafness and muteness as metaphors for being “deaf” or closed off to God’s word and, consequently, being unable to speak to others about faith.

When Jesus heals a deaf man who had a speech impediment, according to the reflection read at the audience, Jesus — in the Gospel of Mark (7:31-35) — uses an Aramaic word that means “be open,” which is an invitation not just to the man who was deaf, but to all his disciples, then and today, the pope said.

“We, who have received the ‘ephphatha’ of the Spirit in baptism, also are called to be open” to the Word of God and to welcoming and serving others, he said.

“Christians who are closed always turn out badly because they are not Christians,” the pope said, “they are ideologues” with an ideology of being closed in on themselves.

Pope Francis suggested people ask themselves: “Do I truly love the Lord to the point of wanting to proclaim him? Do I want to become his witness or am I content to be his disciple? Do I take to heart the people I meet, bringing them to Jesus in prayer? Do I want to do something so that the joy of the Gospel, which has transformed my life, might make their lives more beautiful?”