SAINT NICHOLAS

Byzantine Catholic Church
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4700 Metro Parkway, Sterling Heights, Michigan 48310  *   +1-586-791-1052   *   stnicholasdetroit@parma.org

 

 

​​​5th SUNDAY OF THE GREAT LENT

St. Mary of Egypt

 

The Son of Man Has Come To Serve (Mk 10:32-45)

As they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, Jesus walked ahead of them. The disciples were amazed, and those who followed were apprehensive. Once again, he took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what would happen to him. “Behold, we are now going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and put him to death. And after three days he will rise again.”

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Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we request.” He asked them, “What is it that you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Allow us to sit, one at your right hand and the other at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.”

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Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall indeed drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you shall be baptized. But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not in my power to grant. Those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

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When the other ten heard this, they began to be indignant at James and John. Therefore, Jesus called them over and said, “You know that those considered to be rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But this must not be so with you. Instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be the servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

 

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Prayer of Repentance of St. Mary of Egypt

“O Lady, Mother of God, who gave birth in the flesh to God the Word, I know, O how well I know, that it is no honor or praise to you when one so impure and depraved as I look up to thy icon, O ever-virgin, who didst keep your body and soul in purity. Rightly do I inspire hatred and disgust before your virginal purity. But I have heard that God Who was born of you became man on purpose to call sinners to repentance. Then help me, for I have no other help. 

Order the entrance of the church to be opened to me. Allow me to see the venerable Tree on which He Who was born of you suffered in the flesh and on which He shed His holy Blood for the redemption of sinners an for me, unworthy as I am. Be my faithful witness before your son that I will never again defile my body by the impurity of fornication, but as soon as I have seen the Tree of the Cross I will renounce the world and its temptations and will go wherever your will lead me.”

 

 

 

 

Liturgical Schedule: 

 

Sat     Mar    21    5th All Souls Saturday

                                      3:00 pm    Confession

                                      3:40 pm    Rosary

                                      4:00 pm    Vespersal Divine Liturgy 

Sun    Mar    22    5th SUNDAY OF THE GREAT FAST

                                    10:10 am    Moleben to the Theotokos, Confession

                                    10:30 am    Divine Liturgy

                                      4:00 pm    Great Vespers, Confession

Mon    Mar    23    Nicon Martyr

Tue     Mar    24    Zachary Venerable

Wed   Mar    25    ANNUNCIATION OF THE THEOTOKOS

                                      7:00pm    Vespers with Divine Liturgy                                   

Thu     Mar    26    Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel                    

Fri       Mar    27    Matrona Venerable

                                      7:00pm     Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Sat      Mar    28    Lazarus Saturday

                                      3:00 pm    Confession

                                      3:40 pm    Rosary

                                      4:00 pm    Vespersal Divine Liturgy

Sun    Mar    29    PALM SUNDAY

                                    10:10 am    Moleben to the Theotokos, Confession

                                    10:30 am    Divine Liturgy, Blessing of Willows, Procession

 

 

 

 

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Weekly Collections     3/8/2026

“My return to the Lord for all His goodness to me”

Offertory    $   2,227.00              Others    $   806.00

TOTAL: $ 3,033.00

We thank You for Your big generosity!

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Announcements for March 22nd, 2026

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Sunday, 4:00pm, March 22nd — Stational Vespers on the Sunday Evenings of the Great Fast- for the Great Lakes Protopresbyterate: 

Each Sunday afternoon during Great Lent we will celebrate Vespers at 4:00pm at a different parish of the Great Lakes Protopresbyterate (aka Deanery).  A different priest will serve and preach a brief sermon at each Vespers, and the hosting parish will provide a simple meatless Lenten meal of soup and bread after the service.  All deanery parishioners are encouraged to participate.  In addition to being an opportunity for prayer and repentance during the Great Fast, this is also a chance for us to visit the other parishes of our region and for us to all be together and get to know each other better.  Please note that our parish is hosting Sunday, March 22nd.  The remaining schedule is as follows:

 

Mar 22        5th Sunday of Lent- Holy Mother Mary of Egypt        

                                                                  St. Nicholas, Sterling Heights, MI 

Mar 29        Palm Sunday                      St. Michael, Flushing, MI

 

Tuesday, March 24th – Final Choir Rehearsal for Easter Sunday: 

The St. Nicholas Choir will have their final rehearsal to prepare for singing on Easter Sunday this coming Tuesday, March 24th, from 7-9pm in the church.  All choir members are asked to participate, and new singers are welcome (middle school ages and above). 

 

Friday, March 27th— Pre-Easter Church Cleaning:

If you have some time this coming Friday between 9:00am and 3:00pm, please consider coming and helping a small group of parishioners to clean our church so that it looks as nice as possible for our upcoming Holy Week and Easter services.  Even if you can only help for a portion of that time, your assistance would be greatly appreciated!  

 

Saturday, March 28th—Volunteers needed for our Pascha project: 

Please join us this coming Saturday, March 28th, as a volunteer in the making of our traditional Easter (Pascha) bread.  We will begin at 9:00am, but any hours that you are available to help that morning and afternoon will be appreciated.  We will need volunteers to help with making the dough (starting ~9:00am), braiding it for a beautiful decorative touch (starting at ~11:00am), and baking it.  We will also need volunteers for cleanup.  No skills necessary!  Just bring your willingness and personality, and come enjoy the camaraderie and fellowship.  There are sign up sheets at all three entrances of the church.  If you have any questions or would like further detail, please reach out to Karen Homer at 586-872-5898 (call or text is ok). 

 

PASCHA AND BUTTER LAMB ORDERS ARE DUE THIS WEEKEND. 

Pascha (Easter bread) pre-order forms have been posted in our church entryways, to help us determine how many loaves of Pascha bread to make.  This year we will have original (plain) and raisin bread options.  Large (~2 lb) loaves will be $15/each, and small (~1 lb)  loaves will be $10/each.  You can also order butter lambs for $3/each.  Orders will be payable upon pick-up, starting in the late afternoon of March 28th (the day they will be baked).  Any orders received after this Sunday will be subject to availability, so please don’t hesitate and place your orders today!  In addition to the paper signup sheets at church, you can also submit a pre-order by sending us an email at stnicksbyzantine@yahoo.com.

 

Next Sunday, March 29th—Pancake Breakfast after Liturgy: 

After next week’s 10:30am Divine Liturgy, we invite all parishioners to come to our St. Basil Hall for a delicious pancake breakfast cooked by your fellow parishioners!  There is no set price to attend this breakfast, but we will be collecting donations to help cover the cost of the supplies and also to support future activities for our youth here at our parish.

 

Also Next Sunday, March 29th— Giant Egg / Pysanka Painting:

Next Sunday we will also try something new and different for our parish children.  As soon as they are done eating their pancakes, we would like all of the parish children to help us decorate a giant wooden Easter egg which we will then display outside during the Easter season.  Each child will have the opportunity to paint decorations of their choice on a portion of the egg.  Parental supervision and a paint shirt or change of clothes may be required depending on the age of the child, but we would like to encourage all children to participate and be a part of this project!  

 

Presanctified Liturgies continue on Wednesday and Friday during Lent (7:00pm):

As usual during Lent, we have the special Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts every Wednesday and Friday evening at 7:00pm.  We invite you to make these Liturgies a part of your Lenten observations this year.

 

Friday Fish Fry Fundraiser: 

Our Lenten Fish Fry fundraiser continues every Friday throughout Lent, from 4:30-6:45pm in the Church Hall.  All parishioners and guests are welcome!  If you would be interested in donating a dessert from time to time for us to sell, or perhaps making a monetary donation—please see George Nagrant.  Please see the menus posted on our bulletin boards for more details.  Note:  We are now able to accept credit card payments in addition to cash/checks (*a small service charge will be added).  The Fish Fry is co-sponsored by the GCU (Greek Catholic Union).

 

Bishop Robert will be celebrating Easter with us this year! 

We are excited to announce that our bishop, Most Reverend Robert M. Pipta, will be joining us here at St. Nicholas Church for our Easter services this year—both the Saturday afternoon service as well as Easter Sunday morning (April 4-5).  On Saturday, April 4th, at 4:00pm, we will celebrate the Paschal Vigil.  On Sunday, April 5th, we will celebrate Resurrection Matins starting at 8:30am, followed by Divine Liturgy with Mirovanije starting at approximately 10:00am.  On both days we will have the Blessing of Paschal Foods.

 

Special Parish Celebration after Easter Sunday Liturgy: 

Because of Bishop Robert’s presence at our parish on Easter, we would like to do something a little different than in previous years, and have our parish Easter celebration on Easter Sunday itself instead of our usual St. Thomas Sunday luncheon.  For this special occasion, we are asking you to consider partaking of your Easter basket foods immediately following the Liturgy and Basket Blessing, in our hall, and surrounded by your fellow parishioners including our bishop, as we all celebrate together with great joy the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We will provide some supplemental foods and beverages as well, along with plates, utensils, etc.

 

Pilgrim Vocations Icon Program: 

We are inviting all of our parishioners to sign up to spend a week at home with a special pilgrim vocations icon that we have recently received.  We would like for this icon to travel among our parish households, every weekend changing hands and visiting a different parishioner’s home, as an inspiration for families to pray for vocations and reflect on God’s call to serve.  The icon will be accompanied by prayer books and “Harvest Helpers” materials to help provide guidance and supplemental enrichment while the icon is at your home.  Please sign up on the sheet posted in the vestibule to take your turn with the icon.  Additionally, please check out the new vocations website, byzantinecatholicvocation.com, a central hub for resources, prayers, and support for those discerning a call to the priesthood, diaconate, or monastic life.  Let us all open our homes and hearts to Christ and support those discerning His voice.

 

Sunday, April 19th— Parish Event Planning Meeting open to ALL PARISHIONERS: 

There will be a meeting in the hall after Liturgy on Sunday, April 19th, for all parishioners who would like to help with upcoming events that we would like to have at our parish, or if you have any ideas you’d like to share for new events that you think might be good for helping to grow our parish.  We are looking for men, women, and young adults who are willing to help organize and plan the following events:  Mother’s Day (May 10), Spring Cleaning (Saturday, May 16 or 23), Flag Day and ECF Picnic (June 14), Father’s Day (June 21), and even a possible Octoberfest (Oct 4).  We are open to having more events throughout the summer and into the future, so please bring your ideas, your energy, and your skills.  Come and help our parish grow, and have fun while doing it!

 

Stewardship 2025-2026:

This year’s Stewardship Appeal officially runs through May 31, 2026. All parishioners within the Eparchy of Parma should have received Stewardship Appeal information in the mail by now.  If you did not receive the mailing, please contact Fr. Mykhailo so that he can provide you with the pertinent information, and confirm that your address information is listed correctly with the Eparchy.  This year’s Stewardship Appeal will support the following important needs in the Eparchy: Sustaining our Parishes; Caring for our Clergy; Nurturing Vocations; Preserving our Faith for the Future; and Extending Christ’s Love and Renewal as we continue our Lord’s mission.  Please visit parma.org/stewardship-appeal for more information and to make secure, one-time or monthly donations through the website.  Thank you for your past support and for your continued generosity with this year’s campaign.  Bishop Robert’s goal is 100% household participation.

 

Reminder:  Request for Feedback (Eparchial Statutes):

We would like to hear what suggestions you might have for improving, clarifying, or otherwise enhancing our Eparchy’s list of statutes.  Please see Fr. Mykhailo to obtain a copy of the current statutes if you don’t already have one; then read, pray, and reflect upon them, and submit any suggestions in writing to Fr. Mykhailo.  Bishop Robert’s intention is to finalize the next edition of our statutes at the next Eparchial Assembly in Fall 2026. 

 

Non-perishable Food Collection: To further assist those in need, we are accepting donations of canned and other non-perishable foods.  Please place any donations in the baskets that are located in the main vestibule.  Thank you!

 

Happy Anniversary this week to Haley and Joshua Richards (3/27)!  May God grant you many more happy, healthy, and blessed years together!

 

Happy Birthday this week to Pat Culyba (3/25)!  May God grant you many more years of peace, health, and happiness!

 

 

RAYER LIST:

Pray for our Shut-ins: Vincent Weiss

 

Pray for good health of:

Bob Kampo, Gerald May, Barb Polisuk, Kristen Mischk, Gene Didyk, Mike Serafin, Petar Jarnovic, Ralph Tye, Nick May, Katie Cpak, Drew Cipa, Chris Kovalcik, Kyle Pituch, Cynthia Popp, John Thomas, Abigel Egressy, Kathy Roby, Marcino Shamoo, Ted Weston, Zita Solianyk, Donna Rozmarynowycz, Fr. Mychail, Jack Kovalcik, Joyce Morang, Corrine Latcha, Derek Burnham, Marcia Polyak, Kity Marchione, Chris Laclave, Peter Rozmarynowycz, Sandra Hermez, Eleanor Cipa, Kevin Hermez, Olivia Cpak, Mary Lynn Burns, Ken Morris, Tom Laclave, Vasile Sidau, Jenna Gibbons, Bill Sawzcuk, Chuck Clogg, Joseph Dawson.

 

Remember in your prayer our deceased:

John Tocarchick Sr., Alex Bromley, Dorothy (Zavell) Stanley, Sue Poholsky, Pauline McMahan, Anna

Magusin.

    Grant, O Lord, eternal rest to your departed servants and make their memory eternal.

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Pray for:

- Monastic, diaconal & priestly vocations for the Byzantine Catholic Church in the USA and throughout the world; St. Sabbas Monastery

- The restoration of families, renewal of monastic, religious life & priesthood, and the conversion of Russia; peace in Ukraine; people of the United States, and whole world. Please keep in prayer all those who are considering joining the Catholic church and also for those who have fallen away from the Catholic church.

 

 

 

From elsewhere within the Eparchy of Parma:

 

SUBMISSIONS DUE MONDAY 3/23— Encouragement Card for our Seminarians:  How to Participate:  During the Great Fast, join the entire Eparchy in supporting our seminarians—Fr. Deacon Joseph Hnat, David Varga, James Hartung, and Patrick Kilroy—as they continue their formation and discernment.  Visit https://parma.org/seminarian-appreciation to write a message of prayer, encouragement, or gratitude today!    This card will be sent to the seminarians in time for Pascha, reminding them that their Eparchy walks with them in faith and love.  

 

If you feel moved, you may also speak to Fr. Mykhailo about sending a modest donation or “pocket money” to help support their daily needs during formation.  This is entirely optional but deeply appreciated.  Another option is to donate to the Eparchy’s Society of Blessed Hieromartyr Theodore Romzha, which aims to inspire, support, and nuture vocations (see:  https://parma.org/investinvocations)

 

The next Byzantine Youth Rally will take place July 9-12, 2026, at John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH: 

The Byzantine Youth Rally provides Eastern Catholic faith formation and fraternity for all teens (ages 13-18) growing up in the Byzantine Catholic tradition.  This is an opportunity to make new friends, form lasting relationships, pray, grow spiritually, listen to inspiring talks from our Byzantine Catholic leaders, support one another in the Faith, and just have fun!  The cost to attend the rally is $380/person, although there are sibling and early bird registration discounts.  There are also volunteer and chaperone opportunities for parents and others that want to help out.  For more information, including registration details, please check out the Eparchial website: parma.org/byzantine-youth-rally.

 

Save the Date—Eparchial Assembly in Columbus, Ohio: 

A pre-Assembly, open to all of the faithful of the Eparchy will be held October 17-19, 2026.  The formal Assembly will be held October 19-22, 2026, but attendance will be by invitation only.

 

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