8th Annual On-going Deacon Formation Retreat
The Deacons of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat held their 8th Annual On-going Formation weekend on November 3-5, 2023 at the Jesuit Retreat center in Parma, OH. Twenty-five retreatants, including Deacons, Deacon candidates, their wives, and various guests of the Eparchy came from PA, OH, FL, GA, and NC, gathered for this annual retreat. The theme of this year’s on-going formation was ““Is It True? “I Can Love Me Better Than You Can”. Very Rev. Archpriest Vsevolod Shevchuk (Fr. Sal), the Eparchy’s director of vocations and pastor of Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church in Akron, OH and Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Solon, OH, was the Retreat Master and presented four sessions during the weekend.
The retreat began on Friday evening with a Moleben to the Mother of God in the Chapel, attended by His Grace Bishop Bohdan Danylo. Fr. Sal was then introduced, and he began the first formation session. The first formation session, “Improving Relationship with your spouse (wife),” explored the intricacies of marriage. The theme of this retreat (“I can love me better than you can”) was taken from Miley Cyrus’ song “Flowers.” An essential part of the discussion centered around the power of prayer in unifying the thoughts of husband and wife. The session also touched upon common causes of arguments in marriage.
Saturday began with Matins in the Chapel. The morning formation session was “Raising Children in the Church.” This session explored how parents can deepen their bond with their children by being both a parent and a friend. The importance of teaching values to our children was discussed mentioning that there are Catholic books that can help with this. The session recognized the sacrifices involved in raising children. A key part of the session focused on how to guide children when they encounter ideas or influences that differ from Catholic teachings, such as on abortion, whether from school or more liberal viewpoints within the Church.
Later that morning, the retreatants participated in the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral. The third formation session was titled “Deepening Relationship with God.” In this session, a discussion about how to improve prayer life was held. It is important to find a quiet place to pray where there are no distractions. Get rid of anything that might interrupt our prayers, such as our smartphones.
The afternoon sessions split into a wife only session and a Deacon Liturgical practicum led by Fr. Deacon Michael Sudik who is the administrator of the Eparchy’s Holy Apostle’s Institute, the Eparchial Deacon Formation Program. The liturgical practicum covered the details of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, the Presanctified Liturgy, Vespers, and the Typika with Holy Communion. Emphasis was given to the detailed roles and movements of the deacons during the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, which was important for those who served on Sunday. The second day of the retreat finished with Great Vespers at the Cathedral. After that, some fellowship time was enjoyed with Bishop Bohdan.
On the last day of the retreat, the deacons, deacon candidates, and their wives attended an English Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral. After the divine liturgy, some time was spent with Bishop Bohdan discussing the roles of Deacons in the church, the need to catechize our communities, and goals for the next year. The Bishop also discussed the world/people who are hurting, especially because of the ongoing war in Ukraine. He talked about how our churches can help Ukrainian immigrants (who are sponsored by their friends and families in the US). Those in attendance were able to share their thoughts about this ongoing formation weekend and ideas were presented for future formation weekends.
The deacons, deacon candidates, and their wives wish to thank Bishop Bohdan for his constant help and presence during this ongoing formation weekend. The Ninth Annual Ongoing Diaconal Formation Weekend for 2024 will be November 1 to 3 at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Parma, OH.
