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Dormition of the Mother of God
The Dormition Fast -
To the Theotokos, let us run now most
earnestly, we
 sinners all and wretched ones, and fall prostrate in repentance,
calling from the depths of our souls: Lady, come and help us. Have compassion
upon us;
hasten,
for we
are lost in a throng of transgressions; do not turn your servants away
with empty hands, for you alone are our only hope.
-from the Paraclesis: Supplicatory Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos
On Wednesday, August 1st, we begin in our Holy Churches the Dormition Fast-“Spasiwka”.
This Fast begins August 1st and ends on August 14th, and is a time of
preparation for the Feast of the Dormition-Falling Asleep of the Mother of God.
The Service of the
Paraclesis (Gr. Service of Supplication) which is prescribed
during the Fast period consists of hymns and supplications to obtain consolation
and courage. The theme of this Prayer Service centers around the petition: “O
Most Holy Mother of God, save us”.
If you have a problem or if something is burdening your soul, if you feel
 spiritually uneasy and if you are not at peace with yourself and with those
around you, then, you should come to the Church during the first fifteen days of
August and ask for the intercession of the Mother of God. Even if you are
fortunate enough to be one of those very few who are at peace with themselves
and with God, then those blessed ones should come and give thanks to Almighty
God for the blessings that have been bestowed upon you and your family. Since
the Service of Supplication to the Theotokos are primarily
 petitions for the
welfare of the living, let the whole Church pray for you during the first
fifteen days of August and especially on the Feast of the Dormition of the
Theotokos on August 15th. Don’t let your laziness and your apathy cause you to
miss this great blessing and inspiration that the Church can bestow upon you. As
a parish family we invite you to join us during the Dormition Fast for the
following Divine Services at our Holy Church:
Wednesday, August 1: Procession of the Cross/Beginning of the Dormition Fast
7:00 P.M. The Lesser Blessing of the Water
Monday, August 6 The Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord
10:00 A.M. Divine Liturgy & Blessing of Fruit
Wednesday, August 8: Postfeast of the Transfiguration/St. Emilian, Confessor
7:00 P.M. Prayer Service to the Most Holy Theotokos
***Come and celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God***
Tuesday, August 14 Prefeast of the Dormition
7:00 P.M. Great Vespers with Litiya, Procession with the Dormition Shroud
Wednesday, August 15 Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos
10:00 A.M. Divine Liturgy, Blessing of Flowers
7:00 P.M. Roman Catholic Mass, Blessing of Flowers
As a community of faithful let us all again this year praise the blessed passing
of the Mother of God, because: No one is turned away from you, ashamed and
empty, who flee unto you, O pure Virgin Theotokos, but one asks for the favor,
and the gift is received from you, to the advantage of their own request.
-from the Paraclesis
The Dormition of the Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and
Ever-Virgin Mary
Come, all you ends of the earth, let us praise the blessed passing of the
Mother of God. She delivers her sinless soul into the hands of her Son; through
her holy Dormition the world is given new life. With psalms and hymns and
spiritual canticles, the whole world celebrates in joy together with the angels
and apostles. -from the Litiya for the Feast
On Tuesday and Wednesday, August 14-15, 2007, the faithful from our community
gathered at our Holy Church to celebrate the Dormition of the Mother of God. For
the past three years this has been a community event of the faithful from St.
George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, St. Cyril of Alexandria Roman Catholic
Church and Risen Lord Roman Catholic Church. On Tuesday evening we celebrated
the Great Vespers & Litiya with the Procession with the Dormition Shroud.
Participating in this Evening Service of the Byzantine Church were Fr. Michael
Lenz, OFM, of Holy Friary Friary in Bellevue, Fr. Paul-Alexander Shutt, OSB, of
St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Fr. Ihor Hohosha of St. John the Baptist
Ukrainian Catholic Church and Fr. Deacon Jerome Wolbert, OFM, of Holy Family
Friary in Bellevue. On Wednesday morning the Divine Liturgy was celebrated
together by Fr. Valerian and Fr. John S. Custer, Academic Dean of the Byzantine
Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh. In the evening we welcomed the faithful of our
neighborhood parishes who together gathered at the tomb of our Lady for the
Eucharistic celebration which was presided by Fr. James L. Bruney of St. Cyril
of Alexandria parish. At both celebrations the faithful received blessed flowers
which are blessed on this day. This blessing originated from the traditional
belief that after our Lady’s glorious assumption into heaven, her tomb was
filled with a “heavenly fragrance” and flowers. The herbs, used by our people as
natural medicine, are blessed in commemoration of the numerous healings and
extra-ordinary graces bestowed upon the faithful. Following both evening
Services we gathered together in our Church hall to continue with the “Agape”,
that feast of love we shared together with light refreshments. Bellow are some
pictures from this happy event:
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