Fall Work Day, September 27

Join the nuns of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery for a day of work projects (outside and inside), prayer, food and fun at the monastery and the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch on Saturday, September 27. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome! Work projects happening 1-4:15 p.m., followed by Vespers at 4:45 p.m. and a cookout. If you plan to stay for dinner, bring a side dish to share if you can. The monastery is located at 17485 Mumford Rd. Burton, Ohio. Please RSVP by Monday, September 22, by filling out this form. With questions, email christthebridegroom@gmail.com or call 440-834-0290.

Tools and supplies that would be helpful to bring: Trowels, shovels, pruners, garden gloves.

Lifted Up? Or Lowered Down?

A Transfiguration Reflection by Mother Cecilia

One morning last week when I was driving to spiritual direction, the sky was blue and sunny and the temperature was quickly climbing through the 80s, when suddenly I was alarmed by a dark cloud shrouding the highway ahead of me. At first I thought it must be smoke from a large fire nearby! I slowed down a little. But as I kept driving and entered the mysterious darkness, I discovered that it was simply a large, solitary, low-hanging cloud, apparently too heavy and tired to rise up in the sky on this hot mid-morning.

Icon by the hand of Mother Iliana

I’ve lived my whole life in Ohio, but I’ve enjoyed many camping trips in the mountains. The cloud reminded me of driving at high elevations in the mountains, where the clouds are prevalent. In that instant, I felt like I was up on a mountain, and a thrill of joy went through my body! I let my imagination run free: the flowers between the two sides of the highway became mountain wildflowers, and along the edge of the road was a steep drop off!

In reality, I was at a low elevation on a flat highway in Ohio, and the cloud had come down very low…but I felt like I had been lifted up to the level of the clouds. In the Old Testament, when God revealed Himself to Mankind, He often did so in the form of a cloud, such as on Mt. Sinai. Man longed to speak to God face to face, but we couldn’t look at God and live (Exodus 33:20), so when the time came, God became Man. At the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor, God again spoke out of a cloud, but the Incarnate God (Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity) also revealed the glory of divinity through His body—the glory for which we are created to partake of through grace—and the Apostles fell on their faces in awe. In becoming incarnate, God came down to us like that cloud I drove through—except in a much more tangible way—in order to raise us up in glory. The Anaphora of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil beautifully proclaims:

         When the fullness of time had come,

you spoke to us through your own Son,

the very one through whom you created the ages.

Although he is the reflection of your glory and the express image of your person,

sustaining all things by his powerful word,

He did not deem equality with you, God and Father, something to be grasped;

rather, while remaining everlasting God,

he appeared on earth and lived among men.

In becoming incarnate from the holy Virgin,

he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,

conforming himself to the lowliness of our body,

that he might conform us to the image of his glory.

As I drove last week, the cloud was down with me, but it was an image to me of being raised up. On Mt. Tabor, Mankind was shown the glory for which we were made and in which we hope. Were the Apostles Peter, James and John on earth or in heaven? In Jesus, the two are brought together. Let us burst forth with a jubilant hymn of thanksgiving!

Bridegroom's Banquet registration now open!

Click to Register

Enjoy an evening of comedy, enrichment and community at the “Bridegroom’s Banquet,” a benefit dinner for the nuns of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery, on Saturday, November 1, at the Astrodome Event Center in Parma, Ohio. There is no cost to attend the dinner, but registration is required (by October 13).  Adults 21 and older may attend. Featured this year is the premiere of the nuns’ new video, “With Sighs Too Deep for Words: Reflections on Prayer,” comedy by Shayne Smith and Mother Iliana, and Fr. Michael O'Loughlin as our Master of Ceremonies. Learn more about and support the nuns and their life of prayer and hospitality, and help them to begin the first steps of building a larger monastery. Donations can be accepted even if you are not able to attend. For more information, please visit the Bridegroom's Banquet tab. With questions, call 440-834-0290.

Pope Leo receives Mother Iliana's book!, & an EWTN interview with her

Pope Leo recently received a copy of Mother Iliana's book, "The Light of His Eyes," from Mother Iliana's uncle, Bishop Hlib Lonchyna! 

Below is an interview with Mother Iliana on EWTN's "Franciscan University Presents," hosted by Fr. Dave Pivonka, Dr. Regis Martin, and Dr. Scott Hahn. She speaks about her book as well as her martyred great-grandfather and other topics. The interview was aired last fall, but we are finally getting around to sharing it with you! (Also, happy feast day, Mother Iliana!--July 20, the Holy Prophet Elijah)

"Show us to be thrones of His spiritual fire"

A Pentecost reflection by Mother Cecilia

Each person has particular weaknesses into which he or she habitually falls. One of mine is scrupulosity. I periodically get stuck in mental circles considering my actions and thoughts, worrying about whether God and others are pleased with me. If the thought “I’m doing it wrong” enters my mind, I’m ensnared! I immediately try to figure out how to do it “right.” And this mental wrestling turns my gaze away from the Lord. I become like Peter, called by Jesus to come to Him across the water, distracted from the face of his beloved Teacher because of the waves, sinking into them even though the face of Love is right there. 

In my recent Confession, I said, “I need to ask for greater love, so that I will want to fulfill God’s will in love, rather than acting in fear—wondering if I’m ‘doing it right.’” This has been my request of the Lord for the Feast of Pentecost, that the Holy Spirit would increase the flame of my love, so that no matter what I am doing it may be for love, and that my concern would be about loving, not about pleasing. I am praying that love would be so stirred up in me that the questions, “Am I doing it right? Am I pleasing to God?” would be only faint, distant echoes because of the roar of the bonfire of love in my being. 

And in praying for this, I’ve realized that sometimes the love that needs to be stirred up is a loving gentleness for my own self! I am loved by the Trinity, and in loving myself I am united to the love of God. “Man was created because the three divine Persons wished to communicate to him some measure of their own intimate life” (“The Year of Grace of the Lord” by a Monk of the Eastern Church, p. 216). I can actually cooperate in God’s love for me by loving myself with Him. 

I was moved by this line from the ambon prayer for the Divine Liturgy of Pentecost: “Show us to be thrones of [the Holy Spirit’s] spiritual fire, like Your apostles who received His first-fruits, that, by His support, we may be led into the holy land of Your immortality and blessed promise.” My prayer for you is that no matter your particular weaknesses and sins, the fire of the Holy Spirit may be reinvigorated in you, so that in becoming “thrones of His spiritual fire,” love may be what overcomes them all. And I also pray for you for the grace to love yourself with Him.

Thank you Spring Work Day volunteers!

A huge thank you to our largest-ever Spring Work Day crew of volunteers (down to the littlest helper)! We accomplished an amazing amount of work at the monastery and shrine, from gravel-moving to weeding and cleaning, and many projects in between. The evening concluded with Vespers and dinner at the shrine. Our Fall Work Day will take place on Saturday, September 27.

Here are more photos from the work day.

Pope Leo XIV's address to the Eastern Churches

This morning, Pope Leo XIV addressed the bishops and other members of the Eastern Catholic Churches who are gathered in Rome for the Jubilee of the Eastern Churches (one of the events of this Jubilee Year). We thought about highlighting a few passages, but the entirety of the address is so powerful that we've included the whole text here. The photo is our bishop, Bishop Robert Pipta, meeting the Holy Father this morning!

Address of the Holy Father

Your Beatitudes, Your Eminence, Your Excellencies,

Dear priests, consecrated men and women,

Dear brothers and sisters,

Christ is risen. He is truly risen! I greet you in these words that Eastern Christians in many lands never tire of repeating during the Easter season, as they profess the very heart of our faith and hope. It is very moving for me to see you here during the Jubilee of Hope, a hope unshakably grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Welcome to Rome! I am happy to be with you and to devote one of the first audiences of my pontificate to the Eastern faithful.

You are precious in God’s eyes. Looking at you, I think of the diversity of your origins, your glorious history and the bitter sufferings that many of your communities have endured or continue to endure. I would like to reaffirm the conviction of Pope Francis that the Eastern Churches are to be “cherished and esteemed for the unique spiritual and sapiential traditions that they preserve, and for all that they have to say to us about the Christian life, synodality, and the liturgy. We think of early Fathers, the Councils, and monasticism… inestimable treasures for the Church (Address to Participants in the Meeting of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches [ROACO], 27 June 2024).

I would also like to mention Pope Leo XIII, the first Pope to devote a specific document to the dignity of your Churches, inspired above all by the fact that, in his words, “the work of human redemption began in the East” (cf. Apostolic Letter Orientalium Dignitas, 30 November 1894). Truly, you have “a unique and privileged role as the original setting where the Church was born” (SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Orientale Lumen, 5). It is significant that several of your liturgies – which you are now solemnly celebrating in Rome in accordance with your various traditions – continue to use the language of the Lord Jesus. Indeed, Pope Leo XIII made a heartfelt appeal that the “legitimate variety of Eastern liturgy and discipline... may redound to the great honor and benefit of the Church” (Orientalium Dignitas). His desire remains ever timely. In our own day too, many of our Eastern brothers and sisters, including some of you, have been forced to flee their homelands because of war and persecution, instability and poverty, and risk losing not only their native lands, but also, when they reach the West, their religious identity. As a result, with the passing of generations, the priceless heritage of the Eastern Churches is being lost.

Over a century ago, Leo XIII pointed out that “preserving the Eastern rites is more important than is generally realized”. He went so far as to decree that “any Latin-Rite missionary, whether a member of the secular or regular clergy, who by advice or support draws any Eastern-Rite Catholic to the Latin Rite” ought to be “dismissed and removed from his office” (ibid). We willingly reiterate this appeal to preserve and promote the Christian East, especially in the diaspora. In addition to establishing Eastern circumscriptions wherever possible and opportune, there is a need to promote greater awareness among Latin Christians. In this regard, I ask the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches – which I thank for its work – to help me to define principles, norms, and guidelines whereby Latin Bishops can concretely support Eastern Catholics in the diaspora in their efforts to preserve their living traditions and thus, by their distinctive witness, to enrich the communities in which they live.

The Church needs you. The contribution that the Christian East can offer us today is immense! We have great need to recover the sense of mystery that remains alive in your liturgies, liturgies that engage the human person in his or her entirety, that sing of the beauty of salvation and evoke a sense of wonder at how God’s majesty embraces our human frailty! It is likewise important to rediscover, especially in the Christian West, a sense of the primacy of God, the importance of mystagogy and the values so typical of Eastern spirituality: constant intercession, penance, fasting, and weeping for one’s own sins and for those of all humanity (penthos)! It is vital, then, that you preserve your traditions without attenuating them, for the sake perhaps of practicality or convenience, lest they be corrupted by the mentality of consumerism and utilitarianism.

Your traditions of spirituality, ancient yet ever new, are medicinal. In them, the drama of human misery is combined with wonder at God’s mercy, so that our sinfulness does not lead to despair, but opens us to accepting the gracious gift of becoming creatures who are healed, divinized and raised to the heights of heaven. For this, we ought to give endless praise and thanks to the Lord. Together, we can pray with Saint Ephrem the Syrian and say to the Lord Jesus: “Glory to you, who laid your cross as a bridge over death… Glory to you who clothed yourself in the body of mortal man, and made it the source of life for all mortals” (Homily on our Lord, 9). We must ask, then, for the grace to see the certainty of Easter in every trial of life and not to lose heart, remembering, as another great Eastern Father wrote, that “the greatest sin is not to believe in the power of the Resurrection” (SAINT ISAAC OF NINEVEH, Sermones ascetici, I, 5).

Who, better than you, can sing a song of hope even amid the abyss of violence? Who, better than you, who have experienced the horrors of war so closely that Pope Francis referred to you as “martyr Churches” (Address to ROACO, ibid.)? From the Holy Land to Ukraine, from Lebanon to Syria, from the Middle East to Tigray and the Caucasus, how much violence do we see! Rising up from this horror, from the slaughter of so many young people, which ought to provoke outrage because lives are being sacrificed in the name of military conquest, there resounds an appeal: the appeal not so much of the Pope, but of Christ himself, who repeats: “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19, 21, 26). And he adds: “Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you. I do not give it to you as the world gives it” (Jn 14:27). Christ’s peace is not the sepulchral silence that reigns after conflict; it is not the fruit of oppression, but rather a gift that is meant for all, a gift that brings new life. Let us pray for this peace, which is reconciliation, forgiveness, and the courage to turn the page and start anew.

For my part, I will make every effort so that this peace may prevail. The Holy See is always ready to help bring enemies together, face to face, to talk to one another, so that peoples everywhere may once more find hope and recover the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace. The peoples of our world desire peace, and to their leaders I appeal with all my heart: Let us meet, let us talk, let us negotiate! War is never inevitable. Weapons can and must be silenced, for they do not resolve problems but only increase them. Those who make history are the peacemakers, not those who sow seeds of suffering. Our neighbours are not first our enemies, but our fellow human beings; not criminals to be hated, but other men and women with whom we can speak. Let us reject the Manichean notions so typical of that mindset of violence that divides the world into those who are good and those who are evil.

The Church will never tire of repeating: let weapons be silenced. I would like to thank God for all those who, in silence, prayer and self-sacrifice, are sowing seeds of peace. I thank God for those Christians – Eastern and Latin alike – who, above all in the Middle East, persevere and remain in their homelands, resisting the temptation to abandon them. Christians must be given the opportunity, and not just in words, to remain in their native lands with all the rights needed for a secure existence. Please, let us strive for this!

Thank you, dear brothers and sisters of the East, the lands where Jesus, the Sun of Justice, dawned, for being “lights in our world” (cf. Mt 5:14). Continue to be outstanding for your faith, hope, and charity, and nothing else. May your Churches be exemplary, and may your Pastors promote communion with integrity, especially in the Synods of Bishops, that they may be places of fraternity and authentic co-responsibility. Ensure transparency in the administration of goods and be signs of humble and complete dedication to the holy people of God, without regard for honors, worldly power or appearance. Saint Symeon the New Theologian used an eloquent image in this regard: “Just as one who throws dust on the flame of a burning furnace extinguishes it, so the cares of this life and every kind of attachment to petty and worthless things destroy the warmth of the heart that was initially kindled” (Practical and Theological Chapters, 63). Today more than ever, the splendor of the Christian East demands freedom from all worldly attachments and from every tendency contrary to communion, in order to remain faithful in obedience and in evangelical witness.

I thank you for this, and in cordially giving you my blessing, I ask you to pray for the Church and to raise your powerful prayers of intercession for my ministry. Thank you!

Today is the 30th Anniversary of Orientale Lumen

On this day thirty years ago, May 2, 1995, St. John Paul II published his Apostolic Letter, Orientale Lumen (Light of the East), which was a significant inspiration for the foundation of our monastery! 

The letter was written for the purpose of enlightening all Catholics about the riches of the Eastern Churches, as well as for the purpose of unity within the whole Church. St. John Paul II explained,

Our Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters are very conscious of being the living bearers of this tradition, together with our Orthodox brothers and sisters. The members of the Catholic Church of the Latin tradition must also be fully acquainted with this treasure and thus feel, with the Pope, a passionate longing that the full manifestation of the Church's catholicity be restored to the Church and to the world, expressed not by a single tradition, and still less by one community in opposition to the other; and that we too may be granted a full taste of the divinely revealed and undivided heritage of the universal Church which is preserved and grows in the life of the Churches of the East as in those of the West.

The central chapters of the letter explain Eastern Christian spirituality in light of monastic life, giving a poetic synthesis of the essence of Eastern monasticism and inspiring our founding bishop, Bishop John Kudrick, in 2008, to invite interested men and women to consider participating in the foundation of monasteries in the Eparchy of Parma. He wrote,

Pope John Paul II’s apostolic letter "Orientale Lumen" ("The Light of the East") devotes considerable attention to monasticism as a necessary "reference point for all the baptized" (9). He states that monasticism is the "very soul of the … church" (9) [All such numbers are references to "Orientale Lumen"].

We cannot deny the blessings of monastic experience, past and present, here and elsewhere in our church, but we must be open to re-visioning. This may take the form of extending a present experience or taking a totally new approach. I envision either a men’s or women’s monastery, or both, that will be based on the spirit of "Orientale Lumen." We must take advantage of the "extraordinary flexibility" of Eastern monasticism to "personalize (it to) the times, rhythms and ways of seeking God … to fulfill the expectations of (this particular) church in (this) period of its history" (13).

Mother Cecilia was moved by Bishop John's invitation, especially the quotes from Orientale Lumen, and though she didn't know much about Eastern monasticism, she soon wrote to Bishop John with her interest. 

Orientale Lumen continues to inspire the nuns of our monastery, especially during our current process of revising our monastic typikon (rule of life) which uses the chapter titles of the Apostolic Letter as its outline. The three nuns involved in the revisions are entering deeply into the letter, seeking to more fully understand it and allow it to breathe new breaths of the Spirit into our foundational document.

The photo above is from our "JPII Room," a sitting room in the monastery with books, images and relics of St. John Paul II, a beloved "father" of our monastery. The two books pictured are two original copies of Orientale Lumen, one in English and one in Ukrainian, handed by St. John Paul himself to Fr. Dennis Hrubiak in 1995, who donated them to our monastery a few years ago. 

We think that anyone can benefit from reading Orientale Lumen, regardless of their particular Tradition or vocation. It's not a long read. May it help you to more fully understand the Church and her beauty, as well as the gift of monastic life to the Church and to your life.

Pulled up by the Wrist

 A Paschal Reflection by Mother Cecilia

My favorite part of the icon of the Descent into Hades is the way Jesus is pulling up Adam and Eve by their wrists. This depiction communicates that He is the one doing the action, not the first-created couple by their own ability to grasp hold of Him with their hands. This gives me so much hope. He comes to me in my Hades, my sin, my despair. He comes into my hopeless situations, and then there is hope, because He is our hope. 

But, it is also a challenge. If I want Jesus to come and pull me up by the wrist, I have to let myself be needy. I have to acknowledge that He is God and not me. I have to stop trying to control everything. I have to stop acting like I can pull myself up. I have to cry out, "Help!," and then wait for Him to help, in the way He chooses to help. His idea of help, with my eternal salvation and the salvation of my brothers and sisters in mind, isn't always my idea of help. I'd like immediate solutions, according to my preference. I don't want to wait, and I don't want to remain in my weaknesses. Faith, which is given to us as a gift, tells me that He is helping me. Some days it is easier to believe than others. He knows. It's ok. 

As we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ and praise Him for pulling us up from Hades, you may not feel a lot of joy. Maybe there are very difficult situations happening in your life right now. You don't have to manufacture Paschal joy in order to be a good Christian. Joy, like faith, is also a gift. The Lord is not sitting there judging how much joy we have. However, He is inviting us to let Him give us joy. His joy, like His help, comes as He chooses. It is often a surprise. And His joy is deep and steady, welling up like a spring from within us where He resides. 

Please be assured that even nuns struggle to let Jesus pull them up by the wrists and give them His joy. You are certainly not alone! Let's sing together in faith these words from ode 8 of the Paschal Canon:

Come, on this glorious day of resurrection, and partake of the fruit of the new vine, the divine joy of Christ's kingdom, ever praising Him, our God! 

The Coming of the Bridegroom

It's the week of the Bridegroom (Great & Holy Week). Bishop Robert and a chapel full of guests joined us this morning for Bridegroom Matins, our patronal commemoration.

Enjoy this reflection written by Mother Gabriella for the Hope's Garden blog: 

The Coming of the Bridegroom in the Byzantine Tradition

A message for the Great Fast from our hegumena, Mother Cecilia

“In this short time You have arranged to heal the great wounds of our soul.”

I typically dread the start of the Great Fast; this ascetical season is so incredibly difficult, beyond my strength—the fasting, the long services, the spiritual combat. Last week, I was already struggling so much with all my responsibilities, and I couldn’t imagine how I could possibly add to the struggle by taking on the disciplines of the Great Fast. I had a little breakdown. And on the other side of my breakdown I realized that I was trying too hard!—trying too hard to be virtuous, to be a good leader, to pray well, etc. That’s why it was too hard for me: the Lord wasn’t asking me to try so hard. 

I’m not sure what the Great Fast is going to look like for me, as I try to not try so hard in a time of year that is seen as a time to try harder! But what I do know is that I was deeply moved by this line from the Ambon Prayer (a prayer near the end of the Divine Liturgy) on Cheesefare Sunday (the day before the start of the Great Fast): “In this short time You have arranged to heal the great wounds of our soul.” It is God’s work, and He has planned out our healing! Yes, I need to cooperate, but all too often my efforts are a result of thinking it’s all up to me.

During these forty days, I invite you to join me in looking at the Lord and how He is loving us, rather than focusing on our ascetical efforts and whether or not we are doing them well. Join me in ignoring those condemning voices that tell us we are failing, that we are not good enough—those voices of the enemy that cause us to look only at ourselves (or at our neighbor, comparing ourselves and judging them). Let’s bring our wounds to the Divine Physician so that our ascetical practices (or, our inability to do them) will be healing medicine in His hands.

I also invite you to pray the Ambon Prayer, below, in its entirety. May God be with you on your Lenten journey!

“We thank you, O Lord Jesus Christ, that You have brought us to this opportune time of fasting towards salvation, for in this short time You have arranged to heal the great wounds of our soul, and to bring about the rejection of our many sins. Good Master, we pray You, remove from us any pharisaical hypocrisy in fasting, and banish all false sorrow. Drive from us all pride in our self-denial and moderation in deeds, words or thoughts. Fill us with light and the truth which You have taught. Strengthen us in the struggle against passions and in the war against sin. By alienation from passions prepare us to follow You by our fasting. Show us victory over the devil, that we may partake of Your death and resurrection, and rejoice in the joy which You have prepared for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. For You are the God of mercy, and glory is Yours, together with the Father and the Son and Your all-holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.”