Orthodixie
Some pics from my recent speaking engagement in Alberta, Canada …
Y‘all? This is a landing pad for interplanetary space ships in St Paul, Alberta!
You can read about it here.
My guide, Caroline and I happened by St Paul’s most famous landmark on a spring-like day (by Alberta standards).
I so wanted to get into the Visitor’s Center — but it was closed in anticipation of warmer temps.
Kinda funky, eh?
Should a visitor from, say, Kgahobuoiuighii, pop in — there’s a trusty map to show them YOU ARE HERE.
What? You didn’t believe me?
Here’s another extraordinary story: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church when it was located in Willingdon …
And here’s the church, loaded on a truck, being hauled 60 miles (over two days of power line disconnect, etc) …
… to its current location: All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church, St Paul, Alberta.
Some saints “pictured” at All Saints.
They even welcome sinners!
A portion of last Friday’s introductory talk can be found here.
Me and Fr Volodymyr Bilous, following Sunday’s Liturgy at All Saints.
FYI: This particular District consists of 8 rural churches, spread throughout Northeastern Alberta. Some churches are very small and will only have 6 services per year, while St. Paul and Bonnyville have larger congregations and have about 16 services per year. Many people travel from church to church in order to participate in regular Sunday services; so they have one “church family” in 8 churches.
Some more saints at All Saints.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Sunday evening, we traveled to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in Spedden for the weekly Passion Service.*
* – Passion Services (Passias), or the Sufferings of Christ, are conducted solemnly throughout Ukraine on the first four Fridays of the Great Fast, but where it is difficult to gather on that day, they are conducted on Sundays after the Divine Liturgy or after vespers.
A “Golgotha” (a tall icon of the crucified Christ) is placed in the center of the Church, and in front but to the sides are placed tall candle holders. A pulpit with the Holy Gospel placed on it is set behind the Golgotha. When a separate Golgotha is not available, then a larger cross, draped in black cloth, is set in its place.
Passion services were introduced into the Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church first during the leadership of the Metropolitan of Kyiv, Petro Mohyla (+1647 AD), in remembrance of the sufferings of Christ and the sufferings of the Ukrainian Church under her oppressors.
Click the pic to enlarge
Most everywhere you find the Ukrainian Orthodox Church you’ll also find a Ukrainian Catholic Church nearby. This pic was taken from the Orthodox church parking lot, looking across the way.
Wonderful, wonderful people in that part of the world!
No doubt, they would be a welcoming community even to those from other worlds …
Slava EEsoosoo Khrïstoo!
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