Celebration of Holy Days

Celebration of Holy Days in Ukrainian Catholic Church in the USA

HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION

  1. All Sundays of the year
  2. Theophany of Our Lord, Jesus Christ – January 6th/ January 19th
  3. Annunciation of the Mother of God – March 25th/April 7th
  4. Ascension of Our Lord, Jesus Christ – June 2nd
  5. The Apostles, SS. Peter & Paul – June 29th/July 12th
  6. Dormition of the Mother of God – August 15th/August 28th
  7. Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ – December 25th/January 7th

On these days, one of the Divine Liturgies is to be celebrated for the faithful (Pro Populo or For the People). A homily is to be preached on these days at all Divine Liturgies. The tradition of celebrating Vespers should also be re-introduced to enrich the liturgical life of the parish.

OTHER FEAST DAYS

  1. Circumcision of Our Lord, Jesus Christ – January 1st/January 14th
  2. Pratulin Martyrs – January 23rd/February 5th
  3. Three Holy Hierarchs – January 30th/February 12th
  4. Encounter of Our Lord, Jesus Christ
  5. Bright Monday
  6. Bright Tuesday
  7. St. George the Great Martyr
  8. Pentecost Monday
  9. Nativity of St. John the Baptist
  10. Bl. Nykolai Charnetsky & Others – June 27th/July 10th
  11. St. Volodymyr the Great – July 15th/July 28th
  12. St. Elias the Prophet – July 20th/August 2nd
  13. Transfiguration of Our Lord, Jesus Christ – August 6th/August 19th
  14. Beheading of St. John the Baptist – August 29th/September 11th
  15. Nativity of the Mother of God – September 8th/September 21st
  16. Exaltation of the Holy Cross – September 14th/September 27th
  17. Falling Asleep of St. John the Theologian – September 26th/October 9th
  18. Protection of the Mother of God – October 1st/October 14th
  19. St. Demetrius the Great Martyr – October 26th/November 8th
  20. St. Michael the Archangel – November 8th/November 21st
  21. St. Josaphat the Hieromartyr – November 12th/November 25th
  22. Entrance into the Temple of the Mother of God – November 21st/December 4th
  23. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker – December 6th/December 19th
  24. Conception of St. Anne (Immaculate Conception) – December 9th/December 23rd
  25. Synaxis of the Mother of God – December 26th/January 8th
  26. St. Stephen the Protomartyr – December 27th/January 9th

The faithful are not obligated to attend Divine Services for these days. The clergy are not obligated to offer a Divine Liturgy for the faithful but should preach a homily on these days. These days are not to be transferred to Sunday. On all feast days and holy days, anointing/myrovannya should be celebrated with the faithful.

BINATION STIPENDS

If more than one Divine Liturgy is celebrated in a day during the week on these holy days and if three Divine Liturgies are celebrated on a weekend for the Sunday obligation (Saturday included), then the second stipend is to be forwarded to the chancery.

LITURGY OBLIGATIONS

A Bination Divine Liturgy is to be offered on the Sunday closest to the date of death of each of the following Hierarchs, with mention made in the parish bulletin:

  1. +Metropolitan Constantine Bohachevsky – January 6th
  2. +Bishop Soter Ortynsky, O.S.B.M. – March 24th
  3. +Bishop Jaroslav Gabro – March 28th
  4. +Bishop John Stock – June 29th
  5. +Bishop Walter Paska – August 16th
  6. +Bishop Michael Kuchmiak, C.S.s.R. – August 26th
  7. +His Beatitude, Josyf Cardinal Slipyj – September 7th
  8. +Metropolitan Ambrose Senyshyn, O.S.B.M. – September 11th
  9. +His Beatitude, Myroslav Ivan Cardinal Lubachivsky – December 14th
  10. +Metropolitan Joseph Schmondiuk – December 25th

In each parish a Divine Liturgy is also to be celebrated for the repose of the soul of a priest of the Archeparchy upon his falling asleep. No stipend is to be drawn from the parish accounts or taken for any of these memorial Divine Liturgies.

GREAT FAST

The weekdays of the Great Fast are aliturgical whereas no Divine Liturgy should be celebrated except for the Feast of the Annunciation. On Wednesday and Friday of the Great Fast, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is to be celebrated. Typika may be used the other days. For funerals, the text used by the New Jersey Protopresbyterate may be utilized.

The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is to be celebrated for Sunday Liturgies during this time.

During Holy Week, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts are to be celebrated Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. There is no Divine Liturgy celebrated on Good Friday and Holy Saturday. On Holy Saturday evening, Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is to be celebrated.

FASTS

The following are Days of Fast and Abstinence (abstaining from meat, eggs, and dairy products) in the Ukrainian Catholic Church:

  1. Monday of the First Day of the Great Fast
  2. Good Friday

The following are Days of Fast (abstaining from meat):

  1. Eve of Theophany
  2. Holy Saturday
  3. Beheading of St. John the Baptist – August 29th/September 11th
  4. Exaltation of the Holy Cross – September 14th/September 27th
  5. Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, – December 23rd (due to the celebration of Royal Hours on December 24th morning)/January 6th
  6. Every Friday during the year.

This is obligatory for all Ukrainian Catholics between the ages of 14 and 59

Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia