Eparchy of Parma

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — The 85th Annual Pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help will be held at Mount St. Macrina, Aug. 31-Sept. 1. This year’s theme is “Mary, Cause of Our Joy.” The pilgrimage holds the distinction of being the oldest and the largest Byzantine Catholic pilgrimage in the country. READ MORE.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — “One city equals one bishop” was the topic discussed at the 23rd Orientale Lumen Conference in the nation’s capital June 17-20. The phrase refers to canon 8 of the Council of Ephesus (AD 431) which prohibited a bishop or metropolitan to infringe on the territory of another bishop by ordaining or otherwise exercising authority in the other’s territory. It also made reference to the apostolic canons (numbers 35/36) which forbade a bishop from ordaining in cities or places not subject to him. Canon 8 of the Council of Nicea (AD 325) also stated that there should only be one bishop in one church. READ MORE.

Sacred Heart Byzantine Catholic Parish in Livonia, Michigan, now houses a specially designed reliquary for the Shroud of Turin theca, which contains a 5-by-1-millimeter thread from the burial linen of Christ. The reliquary was placed in the church’s All Saints Shrine. The troparion for Good Friday, which mentions Joseph of Arimathea, is etched onto the reliquary. Tours are available by appointment. Call the pastor, Father Joseph Marquis: (313) 282-4327.

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — Americans work hard for everything they have, said Father Michal Bucko, the new administrator of St. Michael Parish in Merrillville, Indiana. The 36-year-old Slovak priest said the American work ethic was the most significant impression he formed in his first year in the United States. “I’ve seen the life of people in America and the American reality. People in America have a hard life. Life is harder here than in Slovakia,” he said. “Here, people need to work more to have goods and services that in Europe are normal to have, like maternity benefits.” READ MORE.

FLUSHING, Mich. — St. Michael parishioners Elizabeth and Ernest Harbin were honored last month for being the longest-married couple in the state of Michigan. The Harbins have been married 73 years. Father James Batcha, parish administrator, blessed the couple before the entire congregation during the Divine Liturgy June 30. It was just after the Ambon prayer during the Divine Liturgy. The Harbins were presented with a certificate from Worldwide Marriage Encounter, the Catholic marriage enrichment apostolate that recognized their marriage as the longest in the state. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops voted on several proposals “to hold bishops accountable for instances of sexual abuse of children or vulnerable persons, sexual misconduct, or the intentional mishandling of such cases” at their June 11-14 general assembly in Baltimore. According to a memorandum issued by the USCCB June 13, the bishops “specifically committed to involving and utilizing lay professional experts” in their new policy. The bishops agreed that “independent lay oversight is crucial” in holding bishops more accountable in cases of abuse. They also established a “new, independent mechanism for the reporting of such cases.” READ MORE.