UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF THE USA

CONSISTORY OFFICE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

PRESS RELEASE

Holy and Great Friday Services at the Protection of the Birth-Giver of God Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Detroit, MI Metropolitan Area

Holy Friday! What a solemn day in the life of any Christian.  On this day the Church commemorates the sufferings of Christ: the mockery, the crown of thorns, the scourging, the nails, the thirst, the vinegar and gall, the cry of desolation, and all the Savior endured on the Cross.

The day of Christ's death is the day of sin. The sin which polluted God's creation from the breaking dawn of time reached its frightful climax on the hill of Golgotha. There, sin and evil, destruction and death came into their own. Ungodly men had Him nailed to the Cross, in order to destroy Him. However, His death condemned irrevocably the fallen world by revealing its true and abnormal nature.

The day of Christ's death has become our true birthday. This is the culmination of the observance of His Passion by which our Lord suffered and died for our sins.

Over 200 parishioners, relatives and members of the community at large gathered in the Protection of the Birth-Giver of God Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, Southfield, MI, in solemn witness of the sacrifice of the Lord in order to participate in the Vespers service, at which the Holy Shroud is brought out of the sanctuary and placed in the midst of the faithful for veneration.

The ruling hierarch of the Western Eparchy of the UOC of the USA, His Grace Bishop Daniel prayerfully led the evening service. In his short remarks, the bishop directed the attention of the faithful to the profound and awesome event of the death and burial of God in the flesh, as it is marked by a particular kind of silence.

Bishop Daniel invited everyone to enter into the mystery of the tomb of Christ, putting our hopes and prayers at His feet, so that we can come out on Pascha morning and proclaim to the world that the Lord has Risen! In conclusion, Bishop Daniel stated: "Let this night be a time for all of us, individually and together to revitalize our spiritual life and to involve ourselves more in the life of our parish community and the world around us!"

Following the services at the cathedral, the bishop joined the youth of the cathedral parish family in preparation of Pascha baskets for the shut-ins of the community.