Detroit committee's myriad events marked year 2000 Christian jubilee (02/25/01)

Detroit committee's myriad events marked year 2000 Christian jubilee

by Irene Pryjma

DETROIT - One year ago, what began as an idea for a Ukrainian Christian Jubilee Year celebration became reality in the metropolitan Detroit area. Working together, some 61 Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox participants formed the Ukrainian Committee of Michigan to Celebrate the 2000th Year of the Nativity of Jesus Christ and determined to have several major events during the course of the Jubilee Year to honor Our Savior's Birth. It appears that the scale of this program is unmatched by any other major Ukrainian American community. Committees formed to carry out the plan were drawn from the parish priests, church representatives and volunteers from the Catholic and Orthodox communities.

Committee co-chairs were: executive - Dr. Paul Dzul and George Korol; litugical - Stefan Fedenko, Adrian Bluj and M. Liskiwskyj; organizational - Jaroslaw Duzyj and Lubomyr Lypeckyj; program - Roma Dyhdalo and Vera Petrusha; financial - Alexander Serafyn and Olha Maruszczak; public relations - Wasyl Kolodchin and Irene Pryjma, concert - Wolodymyr Dyhdalo and Olga Solovey; secretaries - Lydia Gulawsky and Natalie Maruszczak; treasurer - Zenon Wasylkevych.

The opening event for the Jubilee Year's celebrations was a two-part bilingual lecture on March 20 by the Rev. Bernard Panchuk OSBM on "What does it mean to be a Christian?" In the first part he explained how the Holy Spirit influences the life of a Christian who seeks to renew himself in Christ: in the second part, he emphasized how every Christian is bound to continue - with the Holy Spirit's guidance - that which Jesus Christ taught. The lecture was very well attended with some 300 persons present.

On May 20 there was a Children's Day prepared by Myrosia Baranyk and the Very Rev. Roberto Lucavei, hegumen of Immaculate Conception Church. During this half-day workshop 25 grade schoolchildren learned about the stained glass windows at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church, and about the important feast days of the liturgical year. The children sang and drew pictures, and each was given an icon souvenir.

The next event was an ecumenical moleben with a specially prepared text for the occasion. It was held outdoors on a bright, sunny Sunday afternoon, June 18, with about 700 people of all ages attending, many in Ukrainian embroidery, including numerous schoolchildren and the full choir participating. At its conclusion the people were invited to view a display (prepared by Roma Dyhdalo and Myrosia Baranyk) of 36 icons - some originals painted by local professional artists and - reproductions. This was followed by a lecture, with slides, about icons, their history and their influence given by the Rev. Deacon Slavko Nowytski, famous for his prize-winning film documentaries on pysanky and woodcuts.

The next of the Jubilee Year was the Grand Concert on November 19, 2000. Mr. Dyhdalo was the guiding force in organizing, planning and executing this special event. The 80-member ecumenical choir, drawn from the major churches and undergoing nine months of intensive rehearsals, opened the special program of liturgical music with a rousing rendition of the traditional carol "Boh Predvichny" (God Eternal) and appropriate religious selections, under the professional direction of conductor Maestro Volodymyr Schesiuk, and his assistant, Olga Solovey.

The second part of the program featured the students of Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Grade School. These children, dressed in beautiful costumes, recited, sang and acted in a two-scene presentation, "Vyfleyemska Nich" (A Night in Bethlehem) by I.Y. Lutsik, which told the story of the birth of Christ.

The choir opened the third part of the program, singing a riveting "Pomolimosia" (Let us Pray) by M. Hayvoronsky, words by Y. Klen - a heart-rending summation of the 20th century's horrors of Communist persecutions, exile and death in the snows of Siberia. Then followed Christmas carols sung in Ukrainian and English, concluding with "Bozhe Velykyi Yedynyi."

This unique and memorable concert was a total success not only due to its content and execution, but also becuase of the high attendance - 900 persons - including many Fourth Wave Ukrainian immigrants and their families.

The last event of the Jubilee Year was a moleben followed by a lecture in English by the outstanding religious speaker and author, especially well known to listeners and viewers of the Catholic Radio and TV Hour programs, Rev. Dr. Benedict Groeschel, OSF, director of religious education and spiritual development for the Archdiocese of New York. His subject was "Who will Christ be to us in the new Century?" He spoke from personal experience about his past encounters with Communists and also of his prayerful hopes for the future. The Rev. Groeschel endeavored to explain the dual nature of Jesus Christ - man and God - to a capacity crowd, which included numerous Roman Catholics, many of whom had participated in a moleben for the first time, and had an opportunity to see the beautiful decorated Ukrainian Catholic Church of St Josaphat.

Irene Pryjma is public relations co-chair of the Ukrainian Committee of Michigan to Celebrate the 2000th year of the Nativity of Jesus Christ.

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