UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
Brantford, Ontario
Preparation for Divine Liturgy
In an effort to foster a more prayerful environment for those
arriving at church for Divine Liturgy, we plan to introduce a variety of prayers to be chanted.
We seek volunteers to read or chant these various services, which will include the Third
Hour, the Rosary and the Jesus Prayer. We plan to alternate these in Ukrainian and English,
subject to availability of volunteer readers.
We will ensure you have the materials you need. Please note, no experience is necessary will be happy to coach you through what you need to do.
A signup form is available, please click the link below
Holodomor Awareness
Sunday, November 21st
Тhe term Holodomor (death by hunger, in Ukrainian) refers to the starvation of millions of Ukrainians in 1932–33 as a result of Soviet policies. The Holodomor can be seen as the culmination of an assault by the Communist Party and Soviet state on the Ukrainian peasantry, who resisted Soviet policies.
On Sunday, November 21st, we will gather for a humble meal after Divine Liturgy, we
acknowledge the tragic events, honour those who suffered and fell victims of this mass
assault on the Ukrainian people, commemorate their sacrifice and pray for them.
We do this to inspire resolve against oppression and indignity to humans, for political, religious or other reasons.
Preparation for Nativity
Our preparations for the Feast of Nativity traditionally start with Phillips Fast, one of four
fast periods each year on the Church calendar, and which begins on November 15th. In our
contemporary world, we often find we are at odds with what is going on in life outside our
church community, where preparation for Nativity features gift buying, parties and
festivities. While it may be difficult to join in these, we are encouraged to deepen our
spiritual growth during this period of preparation through focussed pray, fasting and
almsgiving.
In keeping with our tradition, we will be celebrating Great Compline with Lytia, followed by
Divine Liturgy, on Christmas Eve, starting at 10:00pm. By attending “midnight Mass”, you
will be fulfilling your obligation for this great Feast Day. Accordingly, we will not be
celebrating Divine Liturgy during the day on December 25th. Anyone wishing to attend
Divine Liturgy on Christmas Day is invited to attend one of our neighbouring parishes, such
as Sacred Heart, in Waterford, ON.
In order to ensure a solemn and joyous celebration, we invite interested parishioners to
attend a series of practices, to (re)learn the music and rubrics for these services. The
practices will take place on Mondays, starting November 18th, at 7:00pm. We will try to
keep the sessions to no more than 90 minutes. No musical training is required and all are
encouraged to participate.
Preserve Our Heritage
Assure Our Future Fundraiser
Please consider donating to help us restore our church
Our small Ukrainian Church in Brantford is seeking $85,000 to help us maintain our church and the broader Ukrainian identity in Brantford.
Even though we are a small parish, our plans are ambitious and our needs great.
Sadly, we have had to make substantial repairs to our buildings due to aging infrastructure and vandalism. We funded these through a combination of our own resources, insurance claims and government grants.
We have always tried to be prudent in our expenditures and proactive in seeking out available funding. These repairs inspired new pride in our church and inspired our goal to restore degrading infrastructure and make needed upgrades.
We invite you to register with our Parish
For more information regarding
registration, its benefits as well as the protocols we have in place to secure your information please, contact Fr.Don
Telephone: 519-751-3990
Presentation in the Temple of the
Mother of God and Blessed Virgin
Mary
November 21st
Divine Liturgy (7:00)
Although this feast has no basis in history, it stresses an important truth about Mary: From the beginning of her life, she was dedicated to God. She herself became a greater temple than any made by hands. God came to dwell in her in a marvelous manner and sanctified her for her unique role in God’s saving work.
Mary was the only child of her parents Saint Anne and Saint Joachim. Though it was not obligatory to present a first-born daughter to the Lord, as it was with a first-born son, many Jewish parents did follow this custom. Girls were presented at about the age of three, where they studied the Word of God and performed temple service.
When Mary was presented, she was received by St. Zacharias, the father of St. John the Forerunner, as he was the High Priest at that time. He took her by the hand and led her into, not only the Holy Place, but into the Holy of Holies. This was the place that only the High Priest was to enter, and only on the Day of Atonement. The only explanation for this is that he was moved by the Spirit of God.
Her presentation at the Temple meant that Mary later probably learned to read sacred Scripture and also to write, in addition to learning traditional feminine skills, such as weaving, sewing, and cooking. When she was 14, Mary was betrothed, following a religious custom, to Joseph. She went to Nazareth with Joseph, where she continued her religious life of prayer and study. It was there, in Nazareth, that Mary was visited by the angel who told her she would be the mother of Jesus, God’s Son. We see the faith and obedience of her “fiat” at the time of the Annunciation as especially poignant and significant, for she would then have been well aware of the prophesies concerning the coming Messiah, including those foretelling His painful Passion and death.
This feast reminds us of our fundamental vocation, which is the call to holiness. We are all called to be holy. Like Mary, our first and foremost mission in this life is to live our lives to the fullest. To live a holy life is a tall order but it is not impossible. It is through God’s grace that we can fulfill this vocation and mission. The Letter of Paul reminds us of this sublime reality: The grace of the Lord is enough for those who strive to live good and holy lives (cf. 2 Cor, 12:9).
May the Feast of the Presentation of Mary urge us all to strive to live our lives in fulfillment of this vocation to holiness. May the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary inspire us to always do the will of God even in difficult situations. Pray for us, dear Mother of God, so that we may remain faithful to the will of God and also be worthy bearers of the Word of Life. Pray that the Holy Spirit will come upon us and that we too shall become the temples of the living God!
With thanks to Saints Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church
Saskatoon, SK Canada
ANNOUNCEMENTS
June 12, 2025
Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada
Our Eparchy is proud to be launching “Road to Emmaus”
Our Eparchy is proud to be launching “Road to Emmaus” together with The Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies which provides a propaedeutic year of preparation for those discerning a vocation to ordained ministry within the Church, as well as a discernment year for those interested in lay-leadership in Church ministries. For more information, speak to your pastor.
