Humanity is filled with a new joy

Nativity epistle of the Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops Beyond the Borders of Ukraine. To the beloved clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
beyond the Borders of Ukraine and on her native soil:

Christ is Born! By the grace of God, again this year we can celebrate the great mystery of our faith – the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who “for us and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.” (the Nicene Creed). All creation was waiting for the arrival of the Savior to redeem the human race from sin and death, and to reconcile man with God. Today, humanity, which was in the dark and dwelled in the kingdom of sin, death and despair, is filled with a new joy “which had not existed until now.”

Today, the prophecies of the prophets of the Old Testament about the Savior and the Messiah are fulfilled: “Behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14).

Plast youngsters’ good deed at Soyuzivka

Dear Editor:

One weekend this past summer saw a lemonade stand appear in Soyuzivka’s Main House lobby; it was set up and run by three Plast cub scouts: “novachky” Kalyna Konrad, age 7, and Zoryana Popadynec, 6, and “novak” Marko Skoratko, 7. While their younger siblings were taking part in “Tabir Ptashat” (the Plast day camp for children age 4-6 held at Soyuzivka since 1989), these three “ptashata” alums spent their days roaming the grounds and playing. They soon noticed that a tandem swing they had enjoyed riding last year at the playground was now out of commission. Disappointed but undeterred, they channeled their energy into organizing, advertising and running a lemonade stand, with the goal of raising enough money to buy a new swing for the Soyuzivka playground. Their sale on July 7-8 raised over $125.

The fate of books

One of the secondary lessons of the Putin regime’s persecution of the head librarian at the Ukrainian library in Moscow, which began in 2015 and culminated in her conviction last June, is the continued importance of the printed book. This is also evident in the success of the Lviv Publishers’ Forum, held every September, which displays the extraordinary variety and quality of Ukrainian book publishing. And though we see the electronic “book” everywhere now, the printed book is likely to remain, just as the handwritten note has survived alongside the typewritten letter and the e-mail. There is something comforting about a wall of books – all that information, knowledge and wisdom, all those thoughts and feelings, stories and histories, waiting to be explored. As an undergraduate, I would peer admiringly at the cramped book-lined professors’ offices in Berkeley’s Dwinelle Hall.

Victims of Communism centennial commemoration: “Reflections on a Ravaged Century”

Organized by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation on November 8-9, the conference “Reflections on a Ravaged Century” at the Library of Congress featured an array of distinguished speakers and moderators. Below are some takeaways that struck me as relevant to the Ukrainian diaspora. However, with eight panels and about 35 prominent speakers, it’s difficult to be all-inclusive in the space of this article. For Ukrainians, this conference should have been a significant event. Ukraine was often mentioned, and the Holodomor and genocide against the Ukrainian people were presented as one of the most egregious examples of communism’s evil deeds.

Boston parish marks 110th anniversary

JAMAICA PLAIN, Mass. – The parishioners of Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Parish of Boston celebrated the 110th anniversary of the canonical erection of their parish by Bishop Soter Ortynsky of Philadelphia in 1907 with a pontifical divine liturgy followed by a luncheon in the parish center on Sunday, October 29, which was also celebrated by the church as the Feast of Christ the King.

Los Angeles center’s program focuses on the great daughter of Ukraine, Lesia Ukrainka

LOS ANGELES – The Ukrainian Art Center of Los Angeles presented an original bilingual dramatic play titled “Majestic Woman – Lesia Ukrainka” at the beautifully restored Ukrainian Culture Center on October 22. The play was written in Ukrainian by the artistic director, Victoria Kuzina, and translated into English by Luba Keske, who also served as the English-language narrator. Asya Gorska, who partnered with Ms. Kuzina on the creative elements of the play, narrated in Ukrainian. That Sunday afternoon, arriving guests were treated to “high tea” consisting of flavorful teas and coffee, savory canapes and delicious home baked scones and other delectable sweets. When everyone had settled in, the president of the Ukrainian Art Center, Daria Chaikovsky, briefly greeted Ukrainian and American guests to the center’s first major stage production dedicated to Lesia Ukrainka, the foremost woman writer in Ukrainian literature.

Four waves of Ukrainian immigration celebrate Ukrainian National Museum’s 65th anniversary

CHICAGO – When Lydia Tkaczuk, Marijka Klimchak and Orysia Kourbatov request your help, you just can’t say no. They are president, curator and administrator, respectively, at the Ukrainian National Museum in Chicago – a beaming bastion of pride for Ukrainian Americans. These tireless women nurture and perpetually enhance it as if it were their only child. So, when they told me they were planning a 65th anniversary gala showcasing Ukrainian immigration through music and asked me to MC, I just asked: “where, when and what do I wear?”

On October 5, at 6 p.m. “Ukrainian time” (about an hour later, which our cocktail-sipping guests didn’t seem to notice) Ms. Tkaczuk welcomed a full house of convivial museum patrons. She recounted how, from a few letters, books, magazines, photos and rare documents of historic value, a museum was born, thanks to the foresight and passion of Oleksa Hankewych, Orest Horodysky, Julian Kamenetsky and financier Dr. Miroslav Simenovych.

Ukrainian American Archives and Museum of Detroit celebrates grand opening

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – Two days of celebration marked the much-awaited grand opening of the Ukrainian American Archives and Museum of Detroit (UAAM) at its new location in the heart of Hamtramck on November 11-12. The spacious museum, containing more than 13,500 square feet, was packed with dignitaries, artists and art lovers, who gathered for the ribbon-cutting and official opening ceremony. Perhaps Crain’s Detroit Business helped draw in some locals as the museum celebration made the top five in the “10 things to do this weekend” column. In addition, the Hamtramck Review featured an excellent in-depth interview with Dr. Nadia Juzych, co-chair and board secretary.

Newsbriefs

U.N. on rights violations in Crimea 

The United Nations General Assembly on December 19 approved a resolution strongly condemning human rights violations in Russian-annexed Crimea and referring to Russia as an “occupying power” there. The resolution, put forward by Ukraine and 30 other countries, was approved by 70 states. Twenty-six, including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and China, voted against. Seventy-six countries abstained from voting. Ukraine’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations said that the resolution confirms there is an armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and condemns the retroactive application of Russian laws to the territory, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

Sportsline

This is the conclusion of the final Sportsline update for 2017. This is the second part of a two-part series, prepared by Matthew Dubas. 

Marathon

• Ten Ukrainian servicemen who were wounded in the ATO area of eastern Ukraine and now undergo rehabilitative treatment in the United States ran a 10-kilometer race and a marathon at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington on October 22. Ukraine’s team won 10 medals and earned a congratulatory message from President Petro Poroshenko. Established in 1976, the MCM is currently the fourth largest marathon in the U.S. and the ninth largest in the world. More than 30,000 representatives from more than 50 countries officially participate.