New Rectory Blessed at St. Stephen Church

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TOMS RIVER — Twenty-one years after they celebrated Easter Sunday Mass in a borrowed church, parishioners of St. Stephen Ukrainian Catholic Church opened an important addition to their own: a rectory that will allow the parish administrator, the Rev. Ivan Turyk, to be at the church full-time.

Bishop John Bura, Rev. Robert Hitchens rector St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Washington, D.C. and seminarians joined Fr. Turyk for a ceremonial dedication. After Liturgy the clergy and congregation made a short procession outside to the rectory's front door, where Bishop Bura conducted a traditional blessing accompanied by hymns.

The stone-and-stucco faced rectory includes pastoral living quarters, an office, guest room, kitchen and dining area, and a great room. The $325,000 project is an emblem of community growth for the parish, which started on Easter Sunday 1986 with services at a nearby Methodist church, before building St. Stephen's on White Oak Bottom Road in 1993.

It also comes at a time when the Ukrainian Catholic Church — the largest Byzantine Rite church in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church — is seeing growth in the United States and moving to groom a new generation in the faith.

"We have a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) class now, which we hope will grow," said parishioner Jessie Kaciuba. CCD students presented flowers for Bishop Bura's visit, while church trustees carried bread and salt, the traditional Ukrainian greeting to an honored guest.

The hymns were led by rector the Rev. Robert Hitchens and seminarians from St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Washington, D.C., which trains the church's American clergy. The crowd concluded with an old Ukrainian blessing: "God grant you many, many blessed years."

Earlier this month, the church concluded a historic synod of bishops in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., which also marked the centennial of the arrival of the first Greek Catholic bishop in America. It was the start of the church's American community, one of some 30 national churches around the globe.

In New Jersey, Ukrainian Catholics are part of the Philadelphia Archepapy, which counts some 100,000 faithful around the region. The community is in need of clergy — Turyk has been commuting to Toms River from his home at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Millville, where he will continue to serve until church leaders can rebalance parish assignments, said parishioner Helen Fedoyk.

The Toms River parish reflects demographics in northern Ocean County. "We had a lot of Ukrainians here," enough to establish a local Ukrainian-American club, Kaciuba recalled. A group of families appealed to church leaders for help in establishing a parish, and held their first services at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church before acquiring their own property, she said.

In Toms River, St. Stephen's parishioners are known for another aspect of Ukrainian culture: their monthly fundraising sale of varenyky, also called pyrohys, dough pockets filled with potato and cheddar cheese that are sold for $5 a dozen. This month's batch is being delivered Thursday, "and we'll be doing it again for Nov. 18," Kaciuba said.

Highlights from the Rectory Blessing

In Toms River, Sunday, October 14th, St. Stephen Ukrainian Catholic Church celebrated the blessing of the new rectory home for Pastor Fr. Ivan Turyk and guests of the parish. The Auxiliary Bishop John Bura was welcomed to the parish of St.Stephen with the traditional greeting, with red carnations by the younger CCD students, Madison Meise and altar boys Christian and Nicholas Kushner, and Nicholas Meise.

Bread and salt were offered by Trustees Wasyl Chech and John Dzera. Assisting Bishop Bura in the Divine Liturgy were Fr. Ivan Turyk and Fr. Robert Hitchens. Seminarians from St. Josaphat Seminary in Washington, DC, sang the hymns and responses of the Liturgy.

Immediately following the Divine Liturgy the procession, led by usher Ihor Dworjan, carrying the cross, then following came: the flag of the United States of America, carried by George Shevchuk and the flag of Ukraine, carried by John Bortnyk. Bishop John Bura was followed by Fr. Ivan Turyk and Fr. Robert Hitchens, rector of St. Josaphat Seminary of Washington, DC.

Seminarians, Joseph Matlak, Paul Makar, Taras Stasiuk and Pavlo Myts sang several hymns at the entrance of the rectory as Bishop John Bura blessed the entrance before entering and blessing each of the rooms. As he exited, on the door frame he made the sign of the cross for all to know Christians live here.

Following the blessing parishioners, visiting friends and church families enjoyed a banquet arranged and prepared by Mrs. Anna Dzera and her sisters in Christ.

At the banquet Fr. Robert Hitchens reflected on the sermon of Bishop Bura that our thanksgiving today also goes to St. John Damascene. It was he, at the Nicene Council that urged recognition of the fact that the icon is a symbol that we must become more like Christ ('put on Christ') in our daily living.

At the conclusion of the banquet Fr. Ivan thanked Bishop John Bura and Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka for their encouragement, support and interest in helping St . Stephen’s to complete a fine building for the future use of the Church. He thanked Walter Powzaniuk the head of the building committee, who was his ‘right arm’ and ‘advisor’ for all aspects of the entire project. Thanks giving also went to the present parishioners and the founders of this parish who worked for the church, starting our parish family in 1986, and again in 1993 when the parish center was built. Fr. Ivan also mentioned that many people sacrificed a lot to make the building happen. Everyone was behind it and came together and worked very hard to make this possible. The building process really brought the parish together and it will continue to bring the parish together through the various ministries and activities he will be able to offer there.

The congregation was then invited to view the house and examine how much of an asset the New Rectory is to St. Stephen Church.

Prepared by Jessie Kaciuba

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