November 30, 2014

SAINT BASIL the GREAT PARISH

202 HARCOURT STREET, WINNIPEG, MB R3J 3H3

Parish Office: 204-837-4180 Parish Hall: 204-889-9057

Parish Priest: Rt. Rev Canon Walter Klimchuk

Show Me Where I Lack Compassion Toward My

Neighbor

FROM FATHER WALTER

Scripture says repeatedly that to love God

and neighbour is at the heart of what God

requires of us. Eternel life results from

obedience to this great command to love.

Christians know that God gives them a real

desire to love him and serve their

neighbours, and this is a sign of his eternal

life dwelling within them. Yet Jesus’

example of the parable of the good

Samaritan shows us just how radical this

love needs to be.

The first two travelers to pass the man who

had fallen among robbers were a priest, who performed sacrifices in the

temple, and a Levite, who assisted with the temple worship. We have no

evidence that either of these men was cruel or wicked; both probably

wanted to love and serve God. How then do we explain their behaviour?

Perhaps they thought the victim was already dead; in that case, if they

even touched him, they would make themselves ritually unclean by

coming into contact with a dead body. Priests – because of their

association with sacred objects – were particularly obliged to avoid such

uncleanness; it required seven days to regain a purified state. The Levite

faced the same dilemma; should he risk complicating his own life for the

next week for a stranger who appeared to be beyond help, or choose the

seemingly higher good of avoiding uncleanness as advised by the law?

The next passerby did not react with legalisms, nor did he hesitate to

entangle his life with that of the victim. Instead, he cared for him, tending

to his needs. This would have been all the more remarkable to Jesus’

SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY

10:00 a.m. (Rosary precedes each

Liturgy by one half hour)

WEEKDAY SERVICES

8:30 a.m. Rosary followed by Liturgy

CONFESSIONS

Before Divine Liturgies

BAPTISIMS

By appointment

FUNERALS

By arrangement

MARRIAGES

By appointment at least three months

in advance

WEBSITE: www.saintbasilwpg.ca

PARISH OFFICE EMAIL ADDRESS:

parish@saintbasilwpg.ca

BULLETIN SUBMISSIONS:

bulletin@saintbasilwpg.ca

November 30, 2014 listeners because the suffering man’s benefactor was identified as a Samaritan. Jews considered

Samaritans to be a degenerate people whose worship of Yahweh was thoroughly tainted and unacceptable.

Nevertheless, this man’s love was spontaneous, kind, generous, and from the heart. He rose above the law

to God himself, by responding with compassion and mercy.

Despite our desire to love and obey God, we sometimes find ourselves contriving “logical” reasons why we

can’t love our neighbour as we should. We become bound by our own legalisms and our busyness, instead

of loving as God loves – without reservation. “Lord, forgive me for the times I have not behaved like the

good Samaritan. Free me to love others without regard for myself.”

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

Introduction

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a remarkable woman, a

"first" in many fields. At a time when few women wrote, Hildegard,

known as "Sybil of the Rhine", produced major works of theology

and visionary writings. When few women were accorded respect,

she was consulted by and advised bishops, popes, and kings.

She used the curative powers of natural objects for healing, and

wrote treatises about natural history and medicinal uses of plants,

animals, trees and stones. She is the first composer whose

biography is known. She founded a vibrant convent, where her

musical plays were performed. Although not yet canonized,

Hildegard has been beatified, and is frequently referred to as St. Hildegard. Her story is important as an

inspirational account of an irrepressible spirit and vibrant intellect overcoming social, physical, cultural and

gender barriers to achieve timeless transcendence.

The Early Years

Hildegard was born a 10th child (a tithe) to a noble family. As was customary with the tenth child, which the

family could not count on feeding, she was dedicated at birth to the church. She was a weak and sickly child

and as a result, received but little education at home. The girl started to have visions of luminous objects at

the age of three, but soon realized she was unique in this ability and hid this gift for many years.

At age 8, the family sent her to an anchoress named Jutta to

receive a religious education. Jutta was born into a wealthy and

prominent family, and by all accounts was a young woman of

great beauty. She spurned all worldly temptations and decided to

dedicate her life to God. Instead of entering a convent, Jutta

followed a harsher route and became an anchoress. Anchors of

both sexes, though from most accounts they seem to be largely

women, led an ascetic life, shut off from the world inside a small

room, usually built adjacent to a church so that they could follow

the services, with only a small window acting as their link to the

November 30, 2014 rest of humanity. Food would be passed through this window and refuse taken out. Most of the time would

be spent in prayer, contemplation, or solitary handworking activities, like stitching and embroidering.

Because they would become essentially dead to the world, anchors would receive their last rights from the

bishop before their confinement in the anchorage. This macabre ceremony was a complete burial ceremony

with the anchor laid out on a bier (a movable frame on which a coffin or a corpse is placed before burial or

cremation or on which it is carried to the grave).

Jutta's cell was such an anchorage, except that there was a door through which Hildegard entered, as well

as about a dozen girls from noble families who were attracted there by Jutta's fame in later years. What kind

of education did Hildegard receive from Jutta? It was of the most rudimentary form since Hildegard was

often ill was often scarcely able to walk and was often deprived of the use of her eyes. Hildegard could

never escape the feelings of inadequacy and lack of education. She learned to read and sing Latin psalms

sufficient for the chanting of the Divine Office, but never learned to write. Though her grasp of the

grammatical intricacies of the language was never complete - she always had secretaries to help her write

down her visions - she had a good intuitive feel for the intricacies of the language itself, constructing

complicated sentences fraught with meanings on many levels, that are still a challenge to students of her

writings. The proximity of the anchorage to the church of the Benedictine monastery at Disibodenberg (it

was attached physically to the church) undoubtedly exposed young Hildegard to musical religious services

and were the basis for her own musical compositions. Eventually she was invested with the habit of St.

Benedict and made her religious profession. After Jutta's death, when Hildegard was 38 years of age, she

was elected the head of the budding convent living within cramped walls

of the anchorage. Many aspirants flocked to the community and she

decided to go to another locality, impelled also, as she said, by a Divine

command. She chose Rupertsberg near Bingen on the left bank of the

Rhine. After overcoming many difficulties and obtaining permission of the

lord of the place, Count Bernard of Hildesheim, she settled into her new

home with eighteen sisters. She later founded another convent,

Eibengen, across the river from Bingen.

Rupertsberg

The Awakening

The life of Hildegard as a child, religious and superioress was an extraordinary one. Left mostly to herself

on account of her ill health, she led an interior life, trying to make use of everything for her own

sanctification. From her earliest years she was favoured with visions. Hildegard says that she first saw “The

Shade of the Living Light” at the age of three, and by the age of five she began to understand that she was

experiencing visions. She explained that she saw all things in the light of God through the five senses: sight,

hearing, taste, smell and touch. She says of herself: “Up to my fifteenth year I saw much, and related some

of the things seen to others, who would inquire with astonishment, whence such things might come. I also

wondered and during my sickness I asked one of my nurses whether she also saw similar things. When she

answered no, a great fear befell me. Frequently, in my conversation, I would relate future things, which I

saw as if present, but, noting the amazement of my listeners, I became more reticent.”

November 30, 2014 “Awakening: A Self-Portrait” by Hildegard Von Bingen

Hildegard then, confided of her visions only to Jutta who in turn informed the monk,

named Volmar, who was to become Hildegard’s teacher, her lifelong secretary, and

friend . However, in 1141, Hildegard had a vision that changed the course of her

life. A vision of God gave her instant understanding of the meaning of the religious

texts, and commanded her to write down everything she would observe in her

visions.

“And it came to pass in the eleven hundred and forty-first year of the Incarnation of

Jesus Christ, Son of God, when I was 42 years and 7 months old, that the heavens

were opened and a blinding light of exceptional brilliance flowed through my entire

brain. And so it kindled my whole heart and breast like a flame, not burning but

warming... and suddenly I understood the meaning of the expositions of the books

that is to say of the Psalter, the evangelists and other Catholic books of the Old and New Testaments…”

More important than this sudden access of understanding was the command that was part of the vision:

Hildegard was to say and write what she learned in this way. Yet Hildegard was also overwhelmed by

feelings of inadequacy and hesitated to act. When she hesitated to start writing, doubting that she was

equal to the task and fearful of the reaction of her male contemporaries, she fell ill.

“But although I heard and saw these things, because of doubt and low opinion of myself and because of

diverse sayings of men, I refused for a long time a call to write, not out of stubbornness but out of humility,

until weighed down by a scourge of God, I fell onto a bed of sickness.”

She interpreted this phenomenon as a sign of God’s displeasure and confided at last in Volmar. With his

encouragement and the permission of the Abbot, she began recording the visions. The 12th century was

also the time of schisms and religious foment, when someone preaching any outlandish doctrine could

instantly attract a large following. Hildegard was critical of schismatics (a person who promotes schism i.e.,

a formal division within or separate from a church or religious body over some doctrinal difference). Indeed

her whole life she preached against them. She wanted her visions to be sanctioned, approved by the

Catholic Church, though she herself never doubted the divine origins of her luminous visions. She wrote to

St. Bernard, seeking his blessings. Though his answer to her was rather perfunctory, he did bring it to the

attention of Pope Eugenius (1145-53), a rather enlightened individual who exhorted Hildegard to finish her

writings. With papal imprimatur, Hildegard was able to finish her first visionary work Scivias ("Know the

Ways of the Lord"), a work that took her ten years to complete and her fame began to spread through

Germany and beyond. Official recognition that her work was divinely inspired served to disarm potential

critics and allowed Hildegard a good deal of freedom to criticize the shortcomings of her secular and

spiritual superiors. She saw herself as continuing the work of the prophets in proclaiming the truths that God

wished humanity to know.

Major Works

Hildegard’s most significant works were her three volumes of visionary theology: In addition to Scivias she

wrote two other major works of visionary writing Liber vitae meritorum(1150-63) (Book of Life's Merits)

and Liber divinorum operum(1163) ("Book of Divine Works"). In these volumes, the last of which was

completed when she was well into her seventies, Hildegard first describes each vision, whose details are

November 30, 2014 often strange and enigmatic, and then interprets their theological contents in the words of the “voice of the

Living Light”.

“All Creation Celebrates the Lord” “Conception of Soul and Body”

Scivias is structured into three parts: the first part (six

visions) chronicles the order of God's creation: It

begins with the theme of wisdom and the knowledge of

God. The Creation introduces humanity, the Fall of

Adam and Eve and its consequences, the structure of

the universe (famously described as an "egg"), the

relationship between body and soul, God's relationship

to his people through the Synagogue, and the choirs of

angels. The second part (seven visions) describes the

order of redemption: the coming of Christ the

Redeemer, the Trinity, the Church as the Bride of

Christ and the Mother of the Faithful

in baptism and confirmation, the orders of the Church, Christ's sacrifice on the

Cross and the Eucharist, and the fight against the devil. Book 2 expands on the

theme of redemption, considering God’s remedy for the world and humankind in

the fallen state depicted in the first book.

Finally, the third part (thirteen visions)

recapitulates the history of salvation told in

the first two parts, symbolized as a building

adorned with various allegorical figures and virtues. It explores the work

of the Holy Spirit in building the Kingdom of God by means of the

virtues. Its apocalyptic ending includes visions of the Last Judgment and

the creation of the New Heaven and Earth. It concludes with the

Symphony of Heaven, an early version of Hildegard's musical

compositions.

Apocalypse Art

Liber Vitae Meritorum her second volume of visionary theology, was composed between 1158 and 1163,

after she had moved her community of nuns into independence at the Rupertsberg in Bingen, Hildegard

tackled the moral life in the form of dramatic confrontations between the virtues and the vices. She had

already explored this area in her musical morality play, Ordo Virtutum, and the "Book of the Rewards of

Life" takes up that play's characteristic themes. Each vice, although ultimately depicted as ugly and

grotesque, nevertheless offers alluring, seductive speeches that attempt to entice the unwary soul into their

clutches. Standing in our defense, however, are the sober voices of the Virtues, powerfully confronting

every vicious deception.

Amongst the work's innovations is one of the earliest descriptions of purgatory as the place where each soul

would have to work off its debts after death before entering heaven. Hildegard's descriptions of the possible

punishments there are often gruesome and grotesque, which emphasize the work's moral and pastoral

purpose as a practical guide to the life of true penance and proper virtue.

November 30, 2014 Liber Divinorum Operum[

"Universal Man" illumination from Hildegard's Liber Divinorum Operum, I.2. Lucca, MS 1942, early 13th century

Hildegard's last and grandest visionary work had its genesis in one of the

few times she experienced something like an ecstatic loss of

consciousness. As she described it in an autobiographical passage

included in her Vita, sometime in about 1163, she received "an

extraordinary mystical vision" in which was revealed the "sprinkling drops

of sweet rain" that John the Evangelist experienced when he wrote, "In the

beginning was the Word..." (John 1:1). Hildegard perceived that this Word

was the key to the "Work of God", of which humankind is the pinnacle. The

"Book of Divine Works", therefore, became in many ways an extended

explication of the Prologue to John's Gospel. The ten visions of this work's

three parts are cosmic in scale, often populated by the grand allegorical

female figures representing Divine Love (Caritas) or Wisdom (Sapientia).

The first of these opens the work with a salvo of poetic and visionary images, swirling about to characterize

the dynamic activity of God within the scope of his salvation-historical work. The remaining three visions of

the first part introduce the famous image of a human being standing astride the spheres that make up the

universe, and detail the intricate relationships between the human as microcosm and the universe as

macrocosm. This culminates in the final chapters of Part One, Vision Four with Hildegard's direct rumination

on the meaning of "In the beginning was the Word..." (John 1:1). The single vision that comprises the whole

of Part Two stretches that rumination back to the opening of Genesis, and forms an extended meditation on

the six days of the creation of the world. Finally, the five visions of the third part take up again the building

imagery of Scivias to describe the course of salvation history.

Scientific and medicinal writings

Hildegard’s medicinal and scientific writings, though thematically complementary to her ideas about nature

expressed in her visionary works, are different in focus and scope. Neither claim to be rooted in her

visionary experience and its divine authority. Rather, they spring from her experience helping in and then

leading the monastery’s herbal garden and infirmary, as well as the theoretical information she likely gained

through her wide-ranging reading in the monastery’s library. Such writings may reflect the fact that

Benedictine monasteries at the time were often resorts of the sick and afflicted. As she gained practical

skills in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment, she combined physical treatment of physical diseases with

holistic methods centered on “spiritual healing.” She became well known for her healing powers involving

practical application of tinctures, herbs, and precious stones. She combined these elements with a

theological notion ultimately derived from Genesis: all things put on earth are for the use of humans.

Hildegard catalogued both her practical expertise and its theoretical basis in two works: Physica, whose

nine books focus on the scientific and medicinal properties of various plants, stones, fish, reptiles, and

animals; and Causae et Curae, an exploration of the human body, its connections to the rest of the natural

world, and the causes and cures of various diseases. These works document a variety of medical practices,

and Hildegard may have used them to teach another nun at the monastery to be her assistant. Moreover,

November 30, 2014 they serve as a valuable witness to areas of medieval medicine that were often not as well documented

because their practitioners (mainly women) did not often write in Latin.

The Physica consists of nine sections or books, the first and

longest comprising accounts of more than two hundred plants.

There follow books devoted to the elements (earth, water and air),

trees, precious stones, fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and metals.

The medical uses of these objects are paramount, descriptions

often being reduced to statements of their four cardinal properties

– that is, whether they are hot, dry, wet or cold. Her scientific views

were derived from the ancient Greek cosmology of the four

elements-fire, air, water, and earth-with their complementary

qualities of heat, dryness, moisture, and cold, and the

corresponding four humours in the body-choler (yellow bile), blood,

phlegm, and melancholy (black bile). Human constitution was based on the preponderance of one or two of

the humours. Indeed, we still use the words "choleric", "sanguine","phlegmatic" and "melancholy" to

describe personalities. Sickness upset the delicate balance of the humours, and only consuming the right

plant or animal which had that quality you were missing, could restore the healthy balance to the body. That

is why in giving descriptions of plants, trees, birds, animals, stones, Hildegard is mostly concerned in

describing that object's quality and giving its medicinal use. Thus, "Reyan (tansy) is hot and a little damp

and is good against all superfluous flowing humours and whoever suffers from catarrh and has a cough, let

him eat tansy. It will bind humors so that they do not overflow, and thus will lessen."

“Cultivating the Cosmic Tree”

The Causae et Curaet proceeds from cosmology ( the science of the

origin and development of the universe) and cosmography (a science that

describes and maps the main features of the heavens and the earth

including astronomy, geography and geology) to the place of humanity in

the world. Among the practices that Hildegard discusses in Causae et

Curae is the use of bleeding and home remedies for many common

ailments. She also focuses many of her remedies on common agricultural

injuries such as burns, fractures, dislocations, and cuts. In addition to its

wealth of practical evidence, Causae et Curae is also noteworthy for its

organizational scheme. Its first part sets the work within the context of the

creation of the cosmos and then humanity as its summit, and the constant

interplay of the human person as microcosm both physically and spiritually

with the macrocosm of the universe informs all of Hildegard’s

approach. Her hallmark is to emphasize the vital connection between the

“green” health of the natural world and the holistic health of the human person. Thus, when she approached

medicine as a type of gardening, it was not just as an analogy. Rather, Hildegard understood the plants and

elements of the garden as direct counterparts to the humors and elements within the human body, whose

imbalance led to illness and disease. Thus, the nearly three hundred chapters of the second book

of Causae et Curae “explore the etiology, or causes, of disease as well as human sexuality, psychology,

and physiology. In the third and fourth sections, Hildegard turns her attention to treatments for malignant

and minor problems and diseases according to the humoral theory, again including information on animal

health. In the third part there follows a version of traditional humoral theory, although with some striking

November 30, 2014 differences, which leads to a list of more than two hundred diseases or conditions to which humans are

subject. The fourth and fifth sections are concerned with cures for a selection of illnesses, using mostly

herbal remedies, as foreshadowed in the Physica. The difference between the cures suggested in

the Physica and those in the Causae et Curae is that in the latter there is some attempt to provide actual

proportions for the ingredients used in the recipes. The fifth section is about diagnosis and prognosis, which

includes instructions to check the patient’s blood, pulse, urine and stool. Finally, the sixth section

documents a lunar horoscope to provide an additional means of prognosis for both disease and other

medical conditions, such as conception and the outcome of pregnancy. For example, she indicates that a

waxing moon is good for conception (for humans) and is also good for sowing seeds for plants (sowing

seeds is the plant equivalent of conception). Elsewhere, Hildegard is even said to have stressed the value

of boiling drinking water in an attempt to prevent infection.

As Hildegard elaborates the medical and scientific relationship between the human microcosm and the

macrocosm of the universe, she often focuses on interrelated patterns of four: “the four elements (fire, air,

water, and earth), the four seasons, the four humors, the four zones of the earth, and the four major

winds.” Although she inherited the basic framework of humoral theory from ancient medicine, Hildegard’s

conception of the hierarchical interbalance of the four humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile)

was unique, based on their correspondence to “superior” and “inferior” elements—blood and phlegm

corresponding to the “celestial” elements of fire and air, and the two biles corresponding to the “terrestrial”

elements of water and earth. Hildegard understood the disease-causing imbalance of these humors to

result from the improper dominance of the subordinate humors. This disharmony reflects that introduced by

Adam and Eve in the Fall, which for Hildegard marked the indelible entrance of disease and humoral

imbalance into humankind.

Hildegard's writings are also unique for their generally positive view of sexual relations and her description

of pleasure from the point of view of a woman. They might also contain the first description of the female

orgasm.

Hildegard frequently referred to herself as an unlearned woman, completely incapable of Biblical

exegesis. Such a statement on her part, however, worked to her advantage because it made her

statements that all of her writings and music came from visions of the Divine more believable, therefore

giving Hildegard the authority to speak in a time and place where few women were permitted a

voice. Hildegard used her voice to condemn church practices she disagreed with, in particular simony (the

buying or selling of any spiritual benefit or office).

She conducted four speaking tours, transcending bans on women’s social participation and interpretation of

scripture. The acceptance of public preaching by a woman, even a well-connected abbess and

acknowledged prophet, does not fit the stereotype of this time. Many persons of all states of life flocked to

her and wrote to her to receive help in corporal and spiritual ailments. She corresponded with popes,

statesmen, emperors and other notable figures.

Divine Harmonies

Musically, the most important thing that Hildegard experienced as a child in the monastery was the

opportunity to take part in the Divine Office. According to the Benedictine rule, monastics sang the Office

eight times each day, beginning in the dead of night at 2.a.m. and concluding around 9 p.m. Every three

hours, she listened to the musical interplay of words and tones.

November 30, 2014 Hildegard was immersed in music from the start.

The women's cloister had two windows, one that opened to the outside and one that opened into the church

from a small choir where the nuns sat and participated in the liturgy. Through this window, Hildegard heard

the form of the music, deciphered the eight modes and absorbed the subtle match of text and sound.

Singers might also read notes from one large manuscript book called the Graduale.

Every day, the sisters sang during the Divine Office and at the celebration of the Eucharist. This means that

the nuns chanted for almost four hours a day. For Hildegard the composer, the monastery provided an ideal

situation. It had a scriptorium where experienced copyists could pen her music; a skilled and practiced

performing body to sing it; and liturgical occasions for its performance.

At the heart of Hildegard von Bingen's

extraordinary creativity was her

accomplishment in music. In the poetry and

melody of her songs, she reveals the full

authority, intelligence and striking originality of

her genius. She wrote in the plainchant

tradition of a single vocal melodic line, a

tradition common in liturgical singing of her

time. She wrote profusely as no woman

before her. Even though she received no formal training in music, her

talent and motivation drove her to write 77 chants and the first musical

drama in history, which she entitled The Ritual of the Virtues. She writes

in her autobiographical passages: "I composed and chanted plainsong in praise of God and the saints even

though I had never studied either musical notation or singing." Unlike the mild, mainstream music of her

day, her lyrical speech breaks into rhapsodic emotion; her zesty melodies soar up to two and one half

octaves, leaping and swirling into flourishing roulades which leave the singer breathless. In contrast to the

narrow scope of most chants in her day, Hildegard's music has a very wide range. She uses extremes of

register as if to bring heaven and earth together. Hildegard's music can only be fully understood, however,

in the light of all her work. She traverses up and down the octave scale with as much ease as she moved

between the mystical world and the world of mundane affairs. Combined with an ascending passage at the

end of the piece, Hildegard uses melismas ( three or more notes per syllable)to anticipate the joy we will

experience in arriving at our final celestial destiny.

The beauty and depth of theme found in Hildegard’s

theology, philosophy, cosmology and medicine can all be

found condensed in her music as in a jewel. For Hildegard,

music was an all-embracing concept. It was the symphony of

angels praising God, the balanced proportions of the

revolving celestial spheres, the exquisite weaving of body

and soul, the hidden design of nature's creations. It was the

manifest process of life moving, expanding, growing towards

the joy of its own deepest realizations and a profound unity

of voices singing the praises of God here on earth. It was beauty, sound, fragrance and the flower of human

artistry. Over 300 times in her writings, Hildegard uses music to illuminate spiritual truths.

November 30, 2014

Hildegard combined all her music into a cycle called The Symphony of

the Harmony of the Heavenly Revelations. This title refers not only to

the heavenly inspiration of her music but to the place music held in her

schema as the highest form of praise to God. She believed that many

times a day, we fall out of sorts, lose our way or find ourselves off

center. Music was the sacred technology which could best tune

humanity, redirect our hearts toward heaven and put our feet back onto

the wholesome pathways of God.

"Symphonia" was a key concept in Hildegard's thought and meant not

only the joyful harmony achieved in blending voices and instruments

but the spiritual field of unity we all long for when we sing. In singing

and playing music, we integrate mind, heart and body, heal discord

between us, and celebrate heavenly harmony here on earth. According to Hildegard, this becomes our

"opus" – the epitome of good work in the service of God.

Hildegard was a very expressive person. She loved beautiful clothing, exquisite sounds, fragrant scents and

bright-colored gems. As a composer, she expressed herself intensely both in the sound and in the words of

her music. Music was extremely important to Hildegard. She describes it as the means of recapturing the

original joy and beauty of paradise. According to her before the Fall, Adam had a pure voice and joined

angels in singing praises to God. After the Fall, music was invented and musical instruments made in order

to worship God appropriately. Perhaps this explains why her music most often sounds like what we imagine

angels singing to be like. We do not know whether or not Hildegard used instruments to accompany chants

at the monastery. We do know that she affirmed the use of instruments and considered them a means to

soften the heart and direct it toward God. Hildegard wrote hymns and sequences in honor of saints, virgins

and Mary. Her music is undergoing a revival and enjoying huge public success.

Beatification, canonization and recognition as a Doctor of the Church

In the last year of her life Hildegard had to undergo a very severe trial. In the cemetery adjoining her

convent a young man was buried who had once been under excommunication. The ecclesiastical

authorities of Mainz demanded that she have the body removed. She did not consider herself bound to

obey since the young man had received the last sacraments and was therefore supposed to have been

reconciled to the Church. Sentence of interdict was placed on her convent by the chapter of Mainz, and

the sentence was confirmed by the bishop, Christian (V) Buch, then in Italy. After much worry and

correspondence she succeeded in having the interdict removed. She died a holy death and was buried in

the church of Rupertsberg. Hildegard was greatly venerated in life and after death. Many miracles are said

to have been wrought through her intercession.

Hildegard was one of the first persons for whom the Roman canonization process was officially applied, but

the process took so long that four attempts at canonization were not completed and she remained at the

level of her beatification. Her name was nonetheless taken up in the Roman Martyrology at the end of the

16th century. Her feast day is 17 September. Numerous popes have referred to Hildegard as a saint,

including Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Hildegard of Bingen also appears in the calendar of

saints of various Anglican churches, such as that of the Church of England, in which she is commemorated

on 17 September.

November 30, 2014 On 10 May 2012, Pope Benedict XVI extended the liturgical cult of St. Hildegard to the entire Catholic

Church in a process known as "equivalent canonization," ]thus laying the groundwork for naming her

a Doctor of the Church. On 7 October 2012, the feast of the Holy Rosary, the Pope named her a Doctor of

the Church, the fourth woman of 35 saints given that title by the Roman Catholic Church. He called her

"perennially relevant" and "an authentic teacher of theology and a profound scholar of natural science and

music."

Hildegard's parish and pilgrimage church in Eibingen

near Rüdesheim houses her relics.

The Pilgrim Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaiv

The Icon will be in the homes of the following parishioners:

November 30-December 6

December 7-13

December 14-20 Noelle Richardson

December 21-27 Doreen Musick

December 28-January 3 Cathy Stoyansky

If anyone wishes to receive the Sacrament of Confession or Holy Communion at home or in the hospital or nursing home please contact the parish office at 204-837-4180.

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE WHO NEED OUR PRAYERS

Oh God our Father we pray You restore to physical health, those who are weakened with

illness. Give peace of mind to those troubled with worry and comfort those discouraged with

problems. Help them find their inner strength, a faith and trust in you and a love for one

another to guide them through any health challenges or troubles they may face. Amen.

Please pray for the health of Jack Lysak. Please pray for the health of Harvey Lysack. Please pray

for the health of Stan Shymanski. Please pray for the health of David Sutherland & for God’s

blessings upon Shantaya, Siona & Cynthia for faith & wisdom. Please pray for the health of Fran

Chobotar. Please pray for the health of Deacon Nicholas Kohuch.

November 30, 2014

SANCTUARY LIGHT

WEEK OF INTENTION OFFERED BY

NOVEMBER 30TH

+SOUL OF JOHN LABAY ANDY & LINDA LABAY

DECEMBER 7TH

HEALTH OF FATHER ISIDORE DZIADYK TONY & VICKY STASTOOK

DECEMBER 14TH

+SOUL OF AGNES BILOWUS TONY & VICKY STASTOOK

DECEMBER 21ST

+SOUL OF STANLEY STOYANSKY ANGELA & CATHY STOYANSKY

DECEMBER 28TH

+SOUL OF JOE SWEREDA TONY & VICKY STASTOOK

JANUARY 4TH

+SOULS OF MIKE & NICKOLAS REBENCHUK ANNE REBENCHUK

JANUARY 11TH

+SOULS OF MIKE & ANNIE SKLAR SKLAR FAMILY

JANUARY 18TH

+SOULS OF WIELGOZ & LITWIN FAMILIES CASPER & VIOLET STOSKI

JANUARY 25TH

+SOULS OF STOSKI & POTURNAK FAMILIES CASPER & VIOLET STOSKI

FEBRUARY 1ST

+SOULS OF PARENTS ANNIE & HARRY HUMINICKI DOREEN MUSICK

FEBRUARY 8TH

+SOULS OF SISTERS CHRISTINE MARY & PEARL DOREEN MUSICK

FEBRUARY 15TH

+SOULS OF BROTHERS PAUL WALTER & NICHOLAS DOREEN MUSICK

FEBRUARY 22ND

+SOUL OF J.R. ALLARD THERESA ALLARD

MARCH 1ST

+SOUL OF LARRY FEDORCHUK PHYLLIS FEDORCHUK & FAMILY

MARCH 8TH

+SOULS OF THEODORE & MARIE LUTZ ROSE SWIDINSKY

MARCH 15TH

+SOULS OF CATHERINE & DMYTRO MANDZIE FAMILY

MARCH 22ND

+SOUL OF EUGENE KOLOCHUK (20 YEARS) BETTY KOLOCHUK & FAMILY

MARCH 29TH

+SOUL OF ALEX BUGERA VICKI BUGERA & FAMILY

APRIL 5TH

+SOUL OF DARLENE BUGERA VICKI BUGERA AND FAMILY

APRIL 12TH

+SOUL OF NICK KURYK ANNE LAMOTHE

APRIL 19TH

+SOUL OF MICHAEL TANCHAK ANNE TANCHAK & FAMILY

APRIL 26TH

AVAILABLE

MAY 3RD

+SOUL OF JOHN SWIDINSKY ROSE SWIDINSKY

MAY 10TH

FOR ALL MOTHERS LIVING AND DECEASED ANNE LAMOTHE

A Sanctuary Light burns eternally to indicate the presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist in the

Tabernacle. It is a marvelous thing that we can actually be in His presence!

***Please note that the sanctuary light is completely booked for 2014. We are taking requests for 2015***

November 30, 2014

LITURGIES & INTENTIONS

INTENTION OFFERED BY

November 30th 10:00 am Health of Emerson Tchir John & Leona Solomon

Health of Patricia Gerelus Mary Gerelus

+Souls of Alex & Darlene Bugera Vicki Bugera & family

December 1st 10:30 Funeral of Ann Samaniuk

December 2nd

NO MASS

December 3rd 8:30 am Health & Blessings Cam, Judy & Fred Angela & Cathy Stoyansky

+Soul of Paul Kowal Mary Turko

December 4th 6:45 pm +Soul of Larry Fedorchuk Tony Sklar

+Soul of Josephine Hafichuk Roxy & Max Melnyk

December 5th 8:30 am +Soul of Josephine Hafichuk Cathy Stoyansky

+Soul of Peter Yaskiw Father Walter

December 7th 10:00 am +Soul of Michael Tanchak John & Leona Solomon

+Souls of Darlene & Alex Bugera Vicki & Alex Bugera

***PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: IN ORDER TO ALLOW FATHER WALTER TO HAVE SOME REST TIME PRIOR TO HIS

SURGERY (THE DATE OF WHICH HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED) WE SHALL NOT BE HAVING WEEKDAY LITURGY ON MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS, UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Mary’s Memorial Angels will be available again this year beginning November 2nd.

Remember your loved ones at Christmas with the purchase of an angel. The names of those being remembered will be read at a Divine Liturgy in the Christmas season. They may also be purchased as gifts. The proceeds from the sale of the angels are divided between the Children of Mary and

The Marian Hour on CKJS. We thank you for your support. Gwen Dankewich

UCWLC Christmas Bake Sale

We will be assembling several baskets for a Silent Auction at our Christmas Bake Sale, and would appreciate any donations our parishioners are able to make, so the baskets will be filled and look beautiful. Suggestions for donations could include homemade jams or jellies, new kitchen and household items, or anything you may wish to donate. We thank our first donor for the beautiful hand knitted hat and mitts. For donations, you may contact me, Gwen Dankewich at 204-889-3104.

November 30, 2014

FROM THE UCWLC Submitted by Diane Pinuta

Donations of non-perishable food items for the ‘Welcome Home’ are being accepted. You will

find a barrel for your items at the back of the church. Monetary donations will also be gratefully

accepted. Monetary donations can be placed in an envelope marked ‘Welcome Home’ and the

envelope can be put into the collection basket on Sunday. Please be sure to include your

envelope number on the envelope for income tax receipt purposes.

THE HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO:

HARRY WILLIAM FEDIUK who will celebrate on November 30th

ROBERT HOTEL who will celebrate on December 2nd

MARILYN SLOBOGIAN who will celebrate on December 2nd

LARRY CHUCHMACH who will celebrate on December 4th

VERONICA HOTEL who will celebrate on December 5th

ELLA FEDORKIE who will celebrate on December 6th

ALEXANDER ZYLA who will celebrate on December 7th

MERVIN CHEREWYK who will celebrate on December 8th

MNOHAYA-MNOHAYA LITA! GOD GRANT YOU ALL MANY HAPPY YEARS!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO

DAVID & JO ANNE ILKEW who will celebrate on December 2nd (1973)

RICHARD & SVITLANA KWAITKOWSKI who will celebrate on December 4th (1999)

May your marriage be blessed with love, joy and companionship for all the years of your lives.

HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY TO

STEVE & GWEN DANKEWICH who will celebrate on December 2nd (1964)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is

not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not

delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always

perseveres.” (Corinthians 13:4-8)

November 30, 2014

CHRISTMAS BAKE SALE

Christmas is fast approaching and with it our annual bake sale. Just a

reminder that everyone in the parish is invited to volunteer in all

preparations for the sale.

We would be very grateful for 2 or 3 bakings for the bake table.

If you prefer, monetary donations will be greatly appreciated.

On Friday, December 5, please bring your baking to the hall between

10:00 and 3:00 as early as possible for packaging.

If you need advertising posters for your apartment buildings or know of places where you could have them

displayed, please help yourselves to as many as you need. Posters will be on the shelf in the vestibule.

Please help make this event a success. Yours in Christ Veronica Darichuk – convenor

From The Parish Council:

PLEASE NOTE: CHRISTMAS EVE LITURGY THIS YEAR WILL BE AT: 4:45 pm God is with us Complines, Followed by Children’s Divine Liturgy and Myrovania The earlier time for the Christmas Eve Liturgy, is to give families with young children an opportunity to experience the wonderful liturgy steeped in tradition, Submitted by John Bazarkewich, parish vice-president

TACZA COUNTERS FOR DECEMBER

Submitted by Sylvia Martyniuk

JoAnn Ilkew Pat MacDonald

CHURCH CLEANERS FOR DECEMBER

Submitted by Iris Sawchuk

Sam & Sylvia Szwaluk Bill & Brenda Morant

A great big thank you to all of the wonderful

parishioners, who volunteered, for the perogy bee,

it was heart warming, to see so many parishioners

working together, as a family in Christ, for the good

of the parish

November 30, 2014

Parish Christmas Pageant

The catechism program is starting to rehearse for the pageant, which will be held on Sunday, December 14th, following the divine liturgy. As always, the congregation is encouraged to join in singing everyone's favourite Christmas carols. If you feel like getting a bit more involved, you can bring your favourite bathrobe and be a 'resident of Bethlehem'. We have plenty of shepherd and angel costumes for any children who also want to be involved. Even though the catechism students are rehearsing, all parish children are invited to join in on the day of the pageant - just visit us downstairs right before liturgy and

we'll get you fitted for a costume. All youth are also invited for hot dogs and a visit from St. Nicholas, or Sviatyij Mykolai, after the liturgy.

Winter Clothing Drive Many thanks to the families who have already dropped off donations of winter wear. We’ve already delivered some jackets to Siloam Mission. We will continue collecting until February. Please share this important lesson in giving with your child(ren).

KUCA (Knights of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy) Youth Winter Games

Yes, it’s that time of year again. The first event of the KUCA Youth Games will be Bowling at Rossmere Lanes on Saturday, January 24th, from 3:30-6:00 pm. Father Filipow/St Anne's Councils are sponsoring this event. We encourage all parish youth (5-16) to participate and to bring a friend along. As we get closer to the date, we can begin to arrange car-pooling if needed. Parents are welcome to watch, but the bowling is limited to the youth, as we have bowlers coming from all over the city. Tentative events will be Indoor Soccer/Hockey on Feb.28th, Outdoor Ball Hockey on March 28th, and the Wind-up on April 18th.

Christmas Poster Contest The Knights of Columbus’ "Keep Christ in Christmas" poster contest has officially begun. Some of our parish children have already started to make their posters. The contest is open to all parish youth, and the rules will be posted on the bulletin board (paper no larger than 8½ x 14). The deadline for poster submissions is January 10, 2015.

Family Movie NightWe’re pleased to report that over 60 parishioners participated in Family Movie Night last Friday. The floor was covered with the blankets of 38 children, while parents and grandparents sat back and enjoyed the show. Everyone was treated to pizza and salad, while the popcorn popped in the background. With success like this, a second event can’t be far behind.

November 30, 2014

Operation Christmas Child Our Christmas shoebox collection was a huge success this year. We opened up the request for donations to the entire parish, and even though we gave fairly short notice, we managed to fill 18 boxes with toys, hygiene items, craft and school supplies, mitts, socks and toques. Many thanks to our parishioners for their generosity, and to the catechists who packed the boxes after class on Saturday. These shoeboxes were packed with notes of love from our catechism students, and are bound for Ukraine, in the hopes of raising the spirits of children living in difficult areas. This is the real spirit of Christmas. Bless you all.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Knights of Columbus

Father Filipow Council $8944

Christmas CharityMeat Bingo

“Hams Turkeys Hams Turkeys Hams Turkeys”

Sunday December 14, 2014

St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church

737 Bannerman Avenue

2:00 pm. to 5:00 pm.

50/50 Draw Hot Canteen Grocery Hamper Draws

Tradition Chip Bingo’s 20 Games Event Sponsors “Neumann’s Market” Tenderloin Meat & Sausage North Winnipeg Credit Union

Tickets $7 each Doors Open 1:30 pm.

Everyone Welcome

November 30, 2014

The St. James Knights of Columbus invites you to our Keep Christ in Christmas Concert to be held at St. John

XXIII Church at 3390 Portage Ave., on December 15th from 7-9pm

We have an all new program this year featuring the:

Violin Ambassadors composed of students from St. Charles Catholic School

St. John XXIII Choir under the direction of Danielle Defries

Wrapping up the evening will be the popular Murray Riddle Big Band with a wide range of classic swing tunes

which never grow old

There will be coffee and light snack available & ADMISSION IS BY DONATION

Everyone is welcome for this wonderful evening of music and song

This Holy Season you can help provide comfort and joy by making a gift to

the Holy Family Home – Festival of Lights Campaign

Being a faith-filled place is an essential feature of why many choose to come live at Holy Family Home. In addition to

caring for the physical and emotional needs of residents, Holy Family Home emphasizes the importance of nurturing

these spiritual needs. With the support of Spiritual Care, residents and their families participate in regular chapel

services. Many find comfort, peace and tranquility in the Chapel.

Over the years, Holy Family Home has been able to maintain the Chapel, largely because of the support of generous

donors. The Chapel is beginning to show signs of its age, and now requires significant upgrading. It is for this reason

that the Festival of Lights Campaign has been designated to the Chapel Project – a multi-year plan to renovate and

expand the Chapel.

For more information about the importance and impact your gift can make especially for the residents, pick up a Festival

of Lights envelope at the back of the church or visit www.holyfamilyhome.mb.ca.

On behalf of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, Holy Family Home and the Lubov SSMI Foundation, thank you for

considering our invitation. May you be blessed with the spirit of Christmas which is peace, the joy of Christmas which is

hope, and the heart of Christmas which is love.

St. Andrew’s College Faculty of Theology Evening Course. Old Testament 211 The Face of Christ in the Old Testament.

Taught by V. Rev. Fr. Roman Bozyk. Classes held Mondays 7:00-9:45pm. First class, Monday, January 12, 2015. All those

interested are welcome to audit this course. Tuition $400.00 Auditor $200.00. For further information please contact 204-

474-8895, fax 204-474-7624, e-mail st_andrews@umanitoba.ca. All are welcome. St. Andrew’s College in Winnipeg, 29

Dysart Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2M7

On our bulletin board, you will find information on the following courses to be held at the University of Manitoba:

Making of Modern Ukraine; Politics, Government and Society in Ukraine; Ukrainians in Canada; Later Byzantine Art &

Architecture

An event for the whole family, you’ll be able to sing your heart out along with others who have a similar love of classical

music. The audience is arranged by voices: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. If you’d rather sit with friends or family, there’s

also a section for mixed voices. Come and share your beautiful voice! Friday, December 12th, 2014. 7:30pm

Please share this email with your choir members. We want to fill the beautiful hall with your gifted voices. Call our Box

Office at 204-949-3999 to reserve your seat! Quote the code 2CANSING to get this special offer.

November 30, 2014

You are cordially invited to attend a very special 3 day pre-nativity preparation at St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic church with:

The Rev. FR. GREGORY KEVIN HRYNKIW, ASTH On the theme of The Joy of the Gospel

Sunday December 7, - 10:00 am Praznyk Divine Liturgy Theme: The Joy of the Liturgy

(Special Children’s Activity to be part of the Liturgy) Monday December 8, 7:30 pm

Theme: The Joy of Encountering: Christ and Pope Francis Tuesday December 9, 7:00 pm Divine Liturgy Feast of the conception of Anne

Theme: Joy of Serving My Neighbor To learn more about Fr. Gregory go to http://www.asketerion.com/ or

https://asketerion.academia.edu/GregoryHrynkiw/CurriculumVitaeSt. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church, 35 Marcie St.

204-667-9588

UR Youth and Young Adults Sun. Dec. 14, 2014

3-5pm - Youth & Young Adults! Come to the Gift Wrapping Bee!

Come help us wrap 60 Christmas presents for The Welcome Home and enjoy a pizza supper.

St. Andrew's Ukrainian Catholic Church Hall, 160 Euclid Ave (Use the Maple Street side entrance)

RSVP to Michelle at rymcssr@gmail.com or call/text 204-799-1060.

UR Youth Sunday Dec. 7, 2014, 10am in the youth room at St. Joseph's Ukrainian Catholic Church. UCY/YA Guest Speakers: Meet this group of vibrant young adults. Learn what UCY is all about and find out how you can get involved!

Sunday Dec. 14. 2014

5-7pm - U R Youth Christmas Wind-up at The Welcome Home 188 Euclid Ave.

Enjoy a multitude of Christmas festivities! Please bring a present ($5 value!) for the gift exchange! For those who are coming to wrap gifts at St. Andrew's, we will walk over to Welcome Home together once we are finished.

(New people are welcome, for Gr. 8-12!) RSVP to Michelle at rymcssr@gmail.com or call/text 204-799-1060.

Christmas Fair with Ukrainian Flair OSEREDOK BTIQUE 184 Alexander Ave. East Friday Dec 5 10 am to 8; Saturday dec

6 10 am to 4 pm. Jewelry, artwork, toys, ceramics, music, accessories, ornaments and more! For Ukrainian Christmas

Eve: vareneky, holubtsi, kolach, pyrizhky and borshch.

2015 ALL INCLUSIVE MALANKA Saturday, January 17th Victoria Inn, Winnipeg, 1808 Wellington Avenue. Music by

Sloohai. Reserved seating for dinner. Formal attire. Cocktails 6 pm. Dinner 7 pm. Zabava until 1 am. $120 Open bar. To

reserve your table call Lesia Szwaluk 204-470-4095 or Irka Semaniuk 204-296-9496

November 30, 2014

◄ Nov 2014 ~ December 2014 ~ Jan 2015 ►

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

NOVEMBER 3O Arrange tables & chairs; K of C coffee house

1

2

3 Cook Borscht &

put in sealers

4 Help arrange

baking on trays; Knights of Columbus Meeting 6:45pm

5

6 BAKE SALE

9:30 – 2:00

7 Knights of

Columbus Pancake Breakfast

8

9

10 UCWLC

Meeting & Wind up 7:00pm

11

12

13

14 Christmas

Pageant

15 Parish Council

Meeting 7:00pm

16

17

18

19

20 Christmas

Confessions 10:30-Noon Visiting Priest

21

22

23

24 Christmas Eve

Service 4:45 pm

25 Christmas

Day Divine Liturgy & Myrovania 10:00 am

26 Synaxis of the

Blessed Virgin Mary & St. Joseph 10:00 am

27 Feast of St.

Stephen Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

28

29

30

31 New Years

Eve Divine Liturgy of Thanksgiving & Benediction 10:00 am

Notes: