The Reverend Father Alex Shuter, Pastor
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The Great Fast
The original purpose of the pre-Pascha fast (now known as The Great Fast, or Lent) was the fasting of catechumens who were being prepared for baptism and entry into the Church. However, it quickly became a time for those who were already Christian to prepare for the feast of the Resurrection of Christ. It is the living symbol of man's entire life which is to be fulfilled in his own resurrection from the dead with Christ. It is a time of renewed devotion: of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time of repentance, a real renewal of minds, hearts and deeds in conformity with Christ and his teachings. It is the time, most of all, of return to the great commandments of loving God and neighbors.
it is important not to overlook the physical requirements of fasting, it is even more important not to overlook its inward significance. Fasting is not a mere matter of diet. It is moral as well as physical. True fasting is to be converted in heart and will; it is to return to God, to come home like the Prodigal to our Father's house. In the words of St. John Chrysostom, it means 'abstinence not only from food but from sins'. 'The fast', he insists, 'should be kept not by the mouth alone but also by the eye, the ear, the feet, the hands and all the members of the body': the eye must abstain from impure sights, the ear from malicious gossip, the hands from acts of injustice. It is useless to fast from food, protests St. Basil, and yet to indulge in cruel criticism and slander: 'You do not eat meat, but you devour your brother'.
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This Week's Liturgical Scripture Readings
Beginning March 17, 2019
| Readings | ||
|---|---|---|
2nd Sunday of the Great Fast |
Heb 1:10-2:3 | Mk 2:1-12 |
| 3rd Week of the Great Fast |
||
| Monday |
Gen 6:9-22 | Prov 8:1-21 |
| Tuesday |
Gen 7:1-15 | Prov 8:32-9:11 |
| Wednesday |
Gen 7:6-9 | Prov 9:12-18 |
| Thursday | Gen 7:11-8:4 | Prov 10:1-22 |
| Friday | Gen 8:4-21 | Prov 10:31-11:12 |
| Saturday | Heb 10:32-38 | Mk 2:14-17 |
Lectionary
of the Byzantine Church for the entire year_____________________________
Many people have requested additioinal copies of the 25th Anniversary Divine Liturgy Booklet. A link is provided below, to a PDF edition.
25th Anniversary Divine Liturgy Book (pdf)
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About Us
Ascension of Our Lord is a Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church, located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The church's ancestral origins are from Eastern (Slavic) Europe. The Byzantine Catholic Church follows the Holy Traditions of the Byzantine East, with roots in Constantinople, while maintaining union with the Catholic church of Rome. All services are conducted in English. Roman Catholics in good standing with the Church are free to receive the Holy Sacraments.
A Brief History
As the first Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholic Church in Southeastern Virginia, the parish family first came together with a Divine Liturgy celebrated at St. Mary Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia on November 4, 1984, when Father John Lazarek began his missionary work. For four years, Fr. Lazarek travelled from Annandale, Virginia, to the Tidewater area to celebrate the Divine Liturgy.
In September of 1987, the mission purchased Greensprings Community Chapel. On February 4, 1988, Bishop Michael J. Dudick, D.D., The Eparchy of Pasasaic, granted canonical status to the newly-named Ascension of Our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church. On October 25, 1988, Father Edward G. Cimbala was assigned as the parish's first resident pastor.
In October of 1989, Father Edward Cimbala began his missionary work in Virginia Beach by founding Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church while continuing to serve the Williamsburg parish.
Today
Ascension parish has grown from a parish formed to meet the needs of the ethnic Byzantine Catholics of the area into a parish home for many residents who have come to love the Catholic traditions of the Christian East. God has blessed our parish over the years and we look forward to all that He has in store for us in the years to come!
To read more about Byzantine Catholics follow this link.
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!