Preliminary Meeting of LUC NF in September at St. Nicholas Church Hall

Handing the banner over to Johnstown Chapter for 2014 Conv.

Sister Theodosia, the Notafrancesco’s … at welcome party

Sister Thomas, new president Marion Hrubec …

Mary Beth & friends

Katie with Doris Wodzinski & John Godzuk

Panachyda for deceased Members of LUC

Dora Horbachevska introducing M. Speaker Orysia Tracz ß Sunday Liturgy at Saint Nicholas with Bishop Basil

League of Ukrainian Catholics Contin-ues to Grow and Produce New Branches

The theme of the 2013 Convention for the League of Ukrainian Catholics this year was “Strong Roots – We are the Branches called by Christ to Blossom”, and they did.

The membership of the LUC recently gathered in Buffalo, New York, to convene the 75th Annual National Convention and to celebrate the 80th year of the League’s founding by +Metropolitan A. Senyshyn (then Fr. Ambrose) in Chicago on August 19, 1933 at the Chicago World’s Fair.

The purpose of the organization, then as now, is to pro-mote and share our Ukrainian Catholic faith and heritage with others. The Ukrainian Catholic Youth League, as it was originally known, was a lay apostolate organization with an apostolic commission, approved by the Hierarchy making it an official work/organization of the Church.

The General Business meeting was opened by Elaine P. Nowadly, National Board President and Convention Chair-person. Rev. Marijan Procyk, Spiritual Director, led the group in prayer. Also in attendance was Bishop Basil Losten, Emeritus, an invited guest and longtime supporter of the League.

The highlight of the meeting was the Nominating Com-mittee report of the candidate names submitted for election of new officers. Marion C. Hrubec, chairperson of the Nom-inating Committee presented nominated slate, followed by discussion and voting. Assembled delegates accepted the nominations, thus establishing the new National Board. The newly elected Board was approved by the delegates.

Discussion was held regarding the location of the next convention - the Central Pennsylvania Council of John-stown, Pennsylvania, offered to host the national gathering in October 2014.

Invited guest and supporter of the League, Bishop Basil Losten, recommended a Council be organized in the Silver Spring, Maryland area. His suggestion was enthusiastically accepted by a delegate from Maryland.

All those in attendance were witness to the fact that in-deed “strong roots do lead to many branches – old and new – that blossom”. This Papal Year of Faith coupled with our Patriarch Sviatoslav’s message to each of us to be active participants in building vibrant parishes reaffirms the pur-pose of the League of Ukrainian Catholics, founded by +Bishop Senyshyn - to promote and share our Ukrainian Catholic faith and heritage with others.

A highlight of the 75th Annual National Convention of the League of Ukrainian Catholics was the election of a new National Board of Officers.

The following are the newly elected National Board mem-bers: National Spiritual Director: Very Rev. Marijan Procyk Immediate Past President: Elaine P. Nowadly President: Marion C. Hrubec Vice-President: Helen Fedoriw Recording Secretary: Christine Olszewski Corresponding Secretary: Sr. Cecelia Sworin, SSMI Treasurer: Elaine P. Nowadly Membership Director: Janina Everett Religious Director: Sr. Olga Marie Faryna, OSBM Convention Procedures: Maria La Paglia Publicity Director: Paul Ewasko

At St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church of Buffalo, NY, Bishop Emeritus Basil Losten administers the oath of office to newly elected National Officers (left to right): Janina “Yanka” Everett, Membership Director: Elaine P. Nowadly, Im-mediate Past President and current Treasurer; Marion C. Hrubec, President; and, Helen Fedoriw, Vice-President.

It is with great pleasure that the National Board and the membership of the League of Ukrainian Catholics moves forward, eager to work with the Hierarchy and clergy of the Eparchies, fulfilling the original purposes of the founders of the League and taking up the task of working within our parishes to create, in Patriarch Sviatosalv’s words, those “vibrant parishes” that will insure the continuation of our Ukrainian Catholic faith and heritage.

LUC ACTION League of Ukrainian Catholics Spring 2014 Л і ґ а У к р а ї н ц і в К а т о л и к і в В е с н а 2014

League of Ukrainian Catholics 75th Annual Convention

Annual Awards

The Sister John Paskevich Memorial School Endowment Award:

Matthew Goodman, a seventh grader Pupil at St. Nicholas School, Minersville, PA

Nom. by the principal, Sister Thomas Hrynewich, SSMI

Burse Awards:

Philadelphia Archeparchy The Bishop Jaroslaw Gabro Burse Rev. Deacon Walter Pasichnyk

Nominated by Metropolitan Stefan Soroka

Stamford Eparchy The Metropolitan Ambrose Senyshyn Burse

Roman Choba Nominated by Bishop Paul Chomnytsky

St. Josaphat Eparchy (Parma) The Metropolitan Constantine Bohachevsky Burse

Subdeacon Joseph Matlak Nominated by Bishop John Bura

St. Nicholas Eparchy (Chicago) The Metropolitan Andrew Sheptytsky Burse

Frank Avant Nominated by Bishop Richard Seminack

Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate The Metropolitan Joseph Schmondiuk Burse

Sister Kathleen Hutsko, SSMI Nominated by Sister Kathleen Hutsko

Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great The Martianna Zebron Burse

Sister Rose Anna Bukaczyk, OSBM Nominated by Sister Dorothy Ann Busowski, OSBM

Holy Dormition Byz. Fransciscans (Sybertsville, PA) The Bishop John Stock Burse

Michael Bezruchka Nominated by Father Jerome OFM

** Missionary Sisters of Mother of God The Patrick Bilon Burse

Do not have a Burse awardee due to the education require-ment but are requesting support for two Cathechists who are

starting a new Catechetical program at the Cherry Hill, NJ parish:

Sister Maria Kelly and Sister Martin Rodko Nominated by Sister Timothea Konyu MSMG

Congratulations to the winners of the Sister John Paskevich Memorial School Endowment Award and Burses Awards!

May the Lord bless you abundantly!

L.U.C. à Let Us Care

Visiting the area churches

On the Saturday afternoon during the 75th Annual Con-vention of the League of Ukrainian Catholic, those mem-bers and friends attending the Convention had the oppor-tunity to visit three Churches in the Lackawanna, NY area. The first church we visited was Our Lady of Victory Basil-ica. OLV, as it is commonly called, was built in the early 1900's by Father Nelson Baker. It is patterned after St. Pe-ter's in Rome. Father Baker, known as Padre to the Poor, established an infant home and orphanage among other things on the property of Our Lady of Victory. At Father Baker’s crypt in the Basilica, people pray for his canoniza-tion. We arrived at the Basilica at the right time, one wed-ding was leaving and another coming in so we had a chance to look around without disturbing anyone.

The next stop on our visit was St. Stephen's Serbian Ortho-dox Church. When walking into the church, the most com-mon word uttered was “Wow!” After six years of working on the writing of the icons in the church, the work was com-pleted this past spring. Icons cover every inch of the wall, even the switch plates and thermostats are part of the icon. The ceiling of the church depicts icons of church feasts. You can look up and see the whole church year, starting

with the birth of the Blessed Mother and ending with the Dormition. Father Rastko Trbuhovich, Pastor of the church, was not able to show us around, but he left us in the capa-ble hands of his wife, Presbytera Victoria, who explained the various icons and history of the church. We left up-lifted. God is glorified in the extraordinary beauty.

Our last visit was to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Ukrainian Catholic Church (formerly Holy Ghost Church), where Sis-ter Thomas led us in prayer and a church hymn to conclude our visits. It was a prayerful experience.

North Anthracite Council Meeting, Nov. 3, 2013

25th Anniversary

In October, Bishop Paul Chomnycky celebrated his 25th Anniversary of his ordination. Since he was not able to be with us at the convention, and we could not acknowledge Bishop Paul's anniversary at that time, V. Rev. Marijan Pro-cyk, Spiritual Director, and Immediate Past President, Elaine Nowadly, took the opportunity, at the 100th Anniver-sary Celebration of St Basil's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Lancaster, NY, to extend our Congratulations and Best Wishes to Bishop Paul and present him with a gift from the LUC National Board and all the members of the League of Ukrainian Catholics. Axios! ====================================================================================

Sister Zenovia and members of National Board at the LUC Retreat, preached by Fr. George Appleyard, April 4-6, 2014