Glory to Jesus Christ you are listening to the voice of reason and we are at St Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church in Hillsboro New Jersey and we are here because we are at the 2023 Byzantine National Assembly what that means is that there are priests everywhere just a few minutes ago there
Was a lady amongst all of the chaos there’s hundreds and hundreds of people here and the lady said father and like 80 people you know put their heads up and said yes it was pretty funny so yes we are surrounded by tons of priests and
We are going to try to talk to as many as we can but enough of me welcome to St Mary’s glory to Jesus Christ we are here at the 2023 visiting Symposium at St Mar’s visiting Catholic Church in Hillsboro New Jersey and right now I am joined by none other than Father Paul Vara West Father Paul how are you I’m doing well thank you thank you so much for joining
Us here we’re going to take just a couple of minutes of your time we just had a couple of quick questions that I wanted to ask you for the entire world to see are you okay with that absolutely okay Father tell first of all tell us a little bit about yourself you are
Dressed like a yes like a Byzantine Catholic priest like a Byzantine Catholic priest beautiful you were a Byzantine Catholic priest father how long have you been a priest I’ve been a priest almost 3 and a half years I was yes I was ordained here in this gorgeous
Uh Church in 2020 wow tell us a little bit about this church this is where you were ordained yes yes yes so this uh this church that you see here uh behind us this Temple is like the quintessential Byzantine Temple and indistinguishable from an orthodox Temple and so that’s that’s the whole
Ethos of being Byzantine Catholic is Eastern Christian right we have that Eastern expression right but of this Unity of a greater Universal reality of the church right it’s gorgeous MH and have you always been Eastern Catholic yeah yeah born I was baptized at 2 weeks old at our Cathedral up in Pake New
Jersey and that’s where I spent my my entire life and as I was sharing with you after I got married um in 2009 yes we my wife and I we moved down to this area and started attending this Parish oh that is beautiful and here’s where
You got ordained that is amazing many of our viewers might not know that in the Eastern RS of the Catholic Church uh they do ordain married men to the priesthood so here in the flesh we have a married Catholic priest and that is a beautiful thing father God bless you and
Your priesthood and can you tell us a little bit about what we’re doing here at the Byzantine Symposium what what are we doing here this weekend oh well this is a beautiful weekend where we are basically taking a step back looking at ourselves as a church Capital C right as
The body of Christ and we’re seeing what works what doesn’t but what’s next right that’s the whole theme is what’s next and you know as any type of healthy person would do any type of healthy body you have to go in and check in the doctor sometimes right it’s like what’s
This what’s this what’s that well that’s what we’re doing but for the whole church throughout the entire United States and and and hopefully what we’re doing is like you know it’s a meeting of the minds on a very macro scale and we’re hoping that from all this we can
See where the people are at and where the clergy’s at and together as Church right Body of Christ Capital seed Church how we can move forward and minister to the world in the 21st century that is beautiful so we’re a couple of days in Father what is your assessment of the
Meaning of the mind so far oh oh the the the vineyard is fruitful for growth the the fertilizer has been laid and now we just have to tend that garden and and it’s fit and right for fruit it’s it’s beautiful it is how do we do that father
How do we tell the garden what works prayer prayer prayer prayer prayer prayer on from the clergy end of living the Divine Office and living the life of the church living the life of the Apostles so that we can guide our people how to also live the apostolic life and
I tell everybody I gave this talk to the clergy I’ll give this talk to everybody acts 2: 44-47 read it and live it acts 2: 44-47 read it and live it that’s for all of us that’s for The Universal Church father thank you so much for your time
God bless you God bless your priesthood God bless your beautiful family and can you please give us a blessing yes and God bless you all as well and may the blessing of the Lord be upon you through his grace and loving kindness always now and ever until the ages of Ages amen
Amen thank you so much father God bless you God bless you I am here with Father Thomas Loya Father Tom how are you good good to be here thank you so much for joining us it is a blessing to have you here from what I understand father you’re really big deal on Facebook
You’re what they call a Facebook sensation am I correcting with this apparently you’re super famous well what when the camera start cuts off I’m going to ask for the autograph okay and then I’m going to go sell it on eBay cuz I hear you a really big deal is that okay
Yeah I do live uh live meditation every single day six days a week and seven if you count my homy on Sunday could we live stream the Liturgy and then I get I’ve been getting a lot a lot of hits a lot of uh conversation you know pro and
Con but uh it’s been consistent and where are you from father where do you minister I’m in Homer Glen Illinois which is a suburb of Chicago Illinois excellent what parish it’s Annunciation Byzantine Catholic parish our Facebook page anunciation Byzantine Catholic parish Facebook so any of you are in the
Illinois area and you want to check out a Byzantine Catholic Church you know where to go anunciation Byzantine Catholic Church pastored by the great Tom lawyer so father I have a very simple question to ask you very simple how do we save America how does Byzantine Christianity Christianity as a
Whole how do we save America well first of all your question is valid it probably seems outrageous to people but it’s actually valid because I think that Byzantine Catholic Christianity particular our church our reenan version of it our reinan jurisdiction is the answer in fact we’re standing right here
The answer is right in here everything that’s about this you unpack this you have the answer for America what ises that answer basically the answer basically is we have to help America restore what I’m going to call the sacramental worldview no words where you see everything in light of God
Everything you see everything through the lens of of God whether it’s law government schools education economy everything has to be seen with this I call it the sacramental worldview in other words how does it reveal God how does it participate in God you know laws government all these things all these
Institutions of our life here on Earth are supposed to be reflections of the kingdom of God in heaven that was it’s like making heaven on Earth through government through laws through economy through marriage and family but you have to understand what those things are and how they are manifestations of the
Kingdom of God and so to understand that is the best way then to live out those things in other words if you don’t see those things correctly whether it’s government family economy whatever if you don’t see them correctly light of God then when you approach them you make
A mess of them and we see that in the world today in our country today nothing I love America you know but you know nothing is working right there’s flashes of bra but nothing’s working right let’s face it why because we don’t see we don’t we don’t touch those things with
The Right View we don’t know what they’re really about what they’re really about and we think we know but we don’t really know what they’re about whereas when you take the sacramental worldview which is what this the busy church is genius at through the icons the Liturgy the architecture through the words the
Ritual everything when you see basically that Vision where Heaven has touched Earth heaven is manifested in Earth whether things made by God or us as co-creators with God when when we create things you know good things you know like systems of government and education
And so on and art when you see it that way when you touch those things that all turns to gold and and this is what we’re missing we made this dichotomy in our culture where it’s the separation of church and state which is actually a fiction it’s like here you do your
Little God thing over here between the four walls of your church on Su heresy is what it is actually yeah it’s not even in the Constitution right uh Thomas Jefferson went to church in the capital building how’s that for church and state right and so we separate that out and
Then we go and do the business of life you know government politics economy you know and we wonder why it’s not working because we’ve disconnected it from from really its its true meaning and when you see that’s why I call it the sacramental worldview sacr means to see everything
On Earth in light of heaven or Heaven and Earth meet so you don’t look at anything or touch anything don’t approach anything unless you’re doing so by seeing it how does it participate in God’s order of creation how does it participate or reflect or make present on Earth the Heavenly Kingdom when you
Approach things like that which is the essence of our liturgy our church and we do it like nobody else can do it right when you do that and you approach things through that sacramental view like you see in the church here guarantee is going to turn to gold with without that
You make a mess it’s as simple as that wow the same thing human person look at laws what are laws for laws are for society the the the to benefit society which means human beings if you don’t want a human being is how can you make a
Law for it what what do you base it on just an ideology the latest Trend a fad and try to enforce that right no you have to know what is a human being what are the needs of a human being what is what is what are the what is the essence
And needs of a human Community that’s how you make laws you don’t just make laws separate right you know like abstractly then put them on top of people you start with the people and understanding the why behind us as as human beings and what community life is
Then you make your laws and then they’re going to be good laws just laws right this is one example and that’s what Catholic Social teaching is it’s about the common good and what it really means and what it really is and uh father I could not have there’s nothing that I
Can add to that that was absolutely excellent tell us one more time for the people father what is the name of the show that you do on Facebook it’s uh you just go to our Parish Facebook page Annunciation Byzantine Catholic parish Facebook and you’ll see me there live
Every every day for just about two three minutes just real quick I I tackle all the issues and talk about things like this anunciation Byzantine Catholic parish Facebook page if this is all everything that we got right now 2 three minutes imagine what you can get every
Single day for 2 to three minutes on Facebook so you need to go check out father right now go check out anunciation Byzantine Catholic church right now father thank you so much for your time thank you so much for your ministry as a priest and father could we
All please have your blessing may Lord God bless you adion may you see the Prosper of Jerusalem all the days of your life may Lord God bless your every good intention as is his good will grant you all long life health and salvation in the name of the father and the son
And of the holy spirit amen amen father God bless you thank you so much thank you thank you I would like to introduce you all to brother Simeon brother Simeon how are you doing well yeah happy to be here well thank you so much thank you so
Much glory to Jesus Christ forever thank you so much for being with us uh brother Simeon no I have been interviewing a lot of the priests that we are have here we are at the 2023 uh Byzantine conference in Hillsboro New Jersey but out of everyone that that I’ve interviewed you
Brother Simeon you are dressed a little bit differently why is that why why the why the fashion choice for the today can you explain that to us because they didn’t send me the dress code in time so oh you didn’t send the dress code in you
Know people always say I don’t want to I don’t want to be Catholic cuz I don’t want to be part of an organized religion I say you’d be fit perfect with the Catholic church cuz we’re not organized at all right no so yeah this is the because I
Wear the holy habit of St Francis um so I’m a part of The Franciscan friers of the renewals my religious order uh I professed vows there in 2021 the first time W yeah it’s a huge gift so dressed a little bit differently living a little
Bit of a different life as well kind of a sign of that so um our life is marked as consecrated religious by the three vows the the profession of the Evangelical councils right that come right from the gospels of poverty Chastity and obedience um St Francis of
Aisi as our kind of spiritual father and role model in that way of life gives us as a particular inheritance to live the life of poverty to follow him in that way to to follow the poor Christ um and so to to become like unto him uh our
Life practically speaking is a life of fraternity a life of prayer and a life of ministry uh so I live with a group of nine nine brothers in the South Bronx our community follows St Francis not only in living poverty but in living in poverty so um we move into neighborhoods that
Are known for material poverty and we do what we can to to pray to become United To God In Prayer to become United to one another in in fraternity and then to share the fruits of those two great gifts with the neighborhood that we live in through some form of Hands-On work
With the poor uh Ministry to the poor and the pre Ministry of preaching and evangelization so we we travel and we preach missions and Retreats and conferences and whatever whatever the church needs in that regard as well so seeking to follow Christ to become like him in poverty and Chastity and
Obedience um and then to to Bear the fruits of that in the world for his glory yeah that is beautiful so brother simmen you are a frier for that everyone that’s watching at home can you expl explain to us the difference between a frier and a monk
Sure yeah so frier literally comes from the Latin FR which means Brother Francis named his order the order of lesser Brothers um the big difference practically speaking is a difference in stability so a monk would make a vow of stability to a particular Monastery as
Friars we make a vow to the community to the way of life but we live as mendicants as Beggars as as itinerants as pilgrims Francis had the desire that we would manifest that part of the Gospel which is that we are pilgrims and strangers in this world and so as Friars
Rather than being attached to a geographical location we have friaries all over the globe and at the job of a hat we can be assigned to move to a different one and so um that’s the big difference practically speaking in the same way we’re consecrated for a life of
Prayer consecrated for a life of of single Union with God but the difference is this sort of movement aspect and the relationship that we have with the world which is much more to be one of activity amongst the faithful and in the world um so that’s kind of the big difference
There excellent well brother Simeon most people when they see a a monk or a frier especially one dressed much like yourself most people what they know about the friers comes from movies and for them most people don’t really see actual a real true Living frer In the
Flesh and here you are so my question to you is what is it that draws someone a man anyone someone like yourself what draws you to the religious life what is it that Drew you I I mean ultimately we have to we have to rephrase the question
Because it’s not it has to be who is it that Drew you to the religious life the vocation is not real if it isn’t that Jesus Christ himself has drawn me to the religious life um there are a lot of great aspects to the religious life fraternity can be fun and prayer is
Great we love to pray and serving the poor can be a gratifying experience but at the end of the day if I’m not living this life because Jesus Christ not a what but a who has called and drawn me to this way of life I will burn out I
Will fall flat I will not live in the Life abundant that God has prepared for me most fully and so ultimately very simply it is that Jesus Christ is who has drawn me to this life and hearing his voice hearing in the voice of the shepherd and following him wherever he
Goes is ultimately the the only reason that will persevere through all of the challenges that the life will pose throughout many many years for me hearing that voice was a matter of being called into that relationship of prayer um being drawn more and more into a desire for wholehearted belonging to God
Which is ultimately what the consecrated life is for no matter what our ministry is it’s that first and foremost we give witness to the world that God is real and that it matters that we belong to him wow that is beautiful and and a lot of people watching might assume that
Everyone that is dressed in the religious habit is an ordained priest but brother you are not yet a priest is that correct yeah that’s right and that was a huge St Francis of aisi was not an ordained priest as best we could tell historically he was a deacon it seems
Like at some point he preached a homy so probably he was a deacon but he wasn’t an Ord DED priest and actually he didn’t even imagine that priests would enter his order the original group of brothers were brothers they were lay Brothers a lot more simple dedicated to a life of
Prayer life of manual work and eventually priests came to join him he was a little surprised actually um and so in The Franciscan order in The Franciscan life and charism there’s a way that the brother manifests that charism most fully that whether we’re priests or brothers we’re called first
To be brothers to one another and then to all of creation francis’s example of preaching to animals and singing the Praises of brother son and sister Moon that like he came to see all of creation as his brothers and sisters first by seeing his brothers as his brothers um
And some of those Brothers will be ordained priests but the primary vocation being to Brotherhood and then within that some guys are ordained I myself think God is calling me to the priesthood and one day will be ordained but until then I’m living as a brother and then and then there are other
Brothers who live that life of Brotherhood alone for all of their days it’s a beautiful call that is very beautiful and brother there’s something there’s a huge elephant in the room that I do need to point out because we know that the uh uh priers of St Francis ofi
We know that that is a Roman Catholic religious order but we are here at St Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church uh uh brother Simeon what the heck are you doing here are you yeah are you telling me that you or well I don’t have a cell phone so I
Didn’t have a GPS and I ended up at the wrong Church you ended up at the wrong Church yeah Sor I think it was I think it was the will of God we’re going to have to start over oh you’re at the wrong he’s at the wrong place this is
Very awkward this is very actually brother I think there’s something you haven’t told what is all this what do we what why is there a Franciscan frier here at this Byzantine Catholic church so my my father was ruthenian Byzantine right my mother is Roman right so I was
Raised kind of in the Middle with both of the two so as I experienced a call from the Lord to live for him in consecrated life I was mostly involved with the Roman Catholic Community at at my University but at the same time living in personal devotion and lurgical
Prayer The Riches of the Byzantine tradition that I inherited from my father and so I obtained permission to make vows as a frier to live according to the Roman right so that I could live the The Franciscan life but uh I live The Franciscan Life as a Byzantine right
Catholic and so it’s a joy to is amazing to do that yeah so what you are revealing to the world uh brother Simeon is that you can be a Byzantine Catholic you can be an Eastern Catholic and you can take vows uh when a Roman right religious order that’s right yeah Thomas
Thomas meron Thomas meron says that before we can understand unity in the church on the universal level I myself must hold in my heart the unity of the church and so I just I hear those words as a personal call to myself because of
The way that God has led me uh to be a witness to the world of what it means to hold in my heart the unity of of God’s people of God’s church so well well brother that is everything all the words that you’ve spoken are beautiful and I
Feel very good that you’re here with me don’t tell anybody this brother but I myself oh it’s okay I’m sure they won’t tell anybody I am actually a Roman right Catholic and I have infiltrated the byzantin church I’m a spy because it’s so beautiful that I just had to be here
Because I’m a Roman right Catholic that loves the Eastern tradition so uh that makes uh we’re like the reverse you are the Byzantine Catholic that love the Roman tradition I’m a Roman Catholic that love the Eastern tradition and um that is a beautiful thing well brother Simon thank
You so much for your time know that we will be praying for you I’m sure that all of the viewers will be praying for you as you discern the priesthood and thank you so much to your service to God’s Church to God’s people as a uh a frier in uh the beautiful religious
Order of St Francis brother thank you so much for your time God bless you and your work yeah glory to Jesus Christ glory to Jesus Christ forever God bless you brother thank you so much thank you thank you I am joined by the great Father Andrew summerson father how are
You I’m great how are you I’m doing excellent thank you so much for uh giving us a little bit of your time now last night you gave an amazing talk to the entire Symposium from right here can you please tell us a little bit about what it was that you talked about what
Was the message and what would you like the world to know so my topic was what is a Byzantine Catholic culture and to answer that question I looked at one of our Saints blessed Theodor ramja he’s one of the finest Martyrs of the 20th century who made of Bishop young after
Studying in Rome 33 years old in Western Ukraine and he was poisoned uh by the Communists and beaten to near death uh he died in 1947 uh and John Paul II named him blessed when he went to Ukraine in 2001 he really I think identifies for me the
Genius of the Eastern Catholic church and our Byzantine ruthenian Church in particular particular because he knew how to adapt to every situation he was Multicultural from the time he was born he grew up in the austr Hungarian Empire by the time he left for Rome to study he
Was in Czechoslovakia after he came back to transcarpathia it was annexed by the Soviet Union so he always kind of lived betwix and between and he used that I think to his advantage to make sure that he could reach as many people as possible for the message of the Gospel I
Didn’t get into fights between ethnicity and language but wanted to make sure that he could preach to folks uh that could all hear him so he would use Russian when people asked for language that only one small pocket of the population uh could understand he’s like
Well if I speak Russian you all can hear me yeah another great thing about him is he saw in our tradition our lurgical or theological and our spiritual tradition uh something that is given to a particular people but is meant for the whole world he was trained to be a
Missionary in Russia he never got to do that uh but that Russian Mission at the rum the college that trained those missionaries taught him that the genius of the Byzantine right it’s it’s not just for a village it’s not just for your Parish or my Parish but it has
Tools that can preach the gospel beautifully and uniquely to the entire world so that he was able to adapt our liturgy to that Evangelical mandate I think that’s really great he was also able to adapt his own desires to the will of God his uh desire was to be a
Missionary outside of his native land in Russia and yet his Bishop insisted that he’d come home but when he came home the Soviet Union annexed that part of Ukraine so de facto he became a Russian missionary right and he inspired and encouraged everybody to think of their lives against the horizon
Of that Divine will of God he did it in word and deed he would tell his people that to die for Christ means to live forever so this oppressive circumstance that sought to blot our church out from the face of the Earth was not an obstacle for our church but really was
The way forward for tremendous witness for tremendous courage for tremendous virtue for tremendous martyrdom and so he practiced that unto the shedding of blood uh and gives that gift of us now in the United States because we’re Sons and Daughters of ramja we’re Sons and Daughters who are meant to adapt to the
Changing circumstances and I think um that Byzantine Catholic culture is something that uh is good for us to continue look at fed or the icon and apply that to our own American context yeah so practically speaking father how do we adapt how do we follow in the footsteps of blo RAM
How do we do what he did in the context of what is the greatest country in the history of the world we have so-called religious freedom yet there’s an underlying tension in this country with the faith and the values of the world in Practical terms how do we do
What theod ramcha did I think his Clarity of vision fundamentally comes through the theology that he prayed in the Liturgy and long industrial strength doses of Prayer in our church WIll expose us to that robust culture that we can then bring to this culture one of
The things that I said last night and while you have many many many issues in contemporary America that militates against the faith the one beautiful thing of the American genius is its industrious nature it is a city a country that is founded on Crea ativity Ingenuity hard work labor productivity
I’m from the city of Chicago it’s the city of big shoulders it’s the city that made its way as the second city of the new world precisely through the large hard work and creative Ingenuity of the members of its city right it even reversed its own river right we have a
Power much greater than Chicago’s big Brawn to make itself one of the major capitals of the world we have the power of God right we have what Paul says the gospel he calls it the dam to the calls it the very Dynamite of God you know we’re walking around with dynamite in
Our hands and so we can have that Cavalier attitude we can have that industrious Spirit Just Like An American in fact more than an American because it’s wedded to the power that ramja knew it’s wedded to the power that our church knows and so when you put together you
The dynamite of the Gospel together with with the industrious nature that is America I think you got something that can explode uh and pill over into really powerful things for our church for the people in the United States and we are definitely seeing the explosion here in
The Byzantine Catholic Church um from my experience with the Byzantine Catholic Church it is full of people that are nothing but faithful and devout who rais their children in the faith and I can see why there is an explosion going on with Eastern Catholicism here in this
Country um because it all emanates here it all starts with the worship of God and doing it well and doing it according to the apostolic deposit of faith and uh I think that that is what we come here to do when you worship god well you can
Go out into the world and you can live the Christian Life well and I think this right here is the the secret to success is the key to success and I’m sure you would agree with that father that’s really what you’re talking is about it all starts and originates from here and
Um your message last night was was beautiful and uh father are there any parting words that you’d like to tell the audience here I just I I stand together with blessed Theodor do not be afraid to die for Christ because it means you live forever amen blessed
Theodore Ramia pray for us amen amen and father can we please have your blessing in the name of the father son the holy spirit amen the blessing of the Lord be upon you through his grace and loving kindness always now and ever and forever amen amen God bless you father bless you
Thank you so much father thank you so much for joining us how are you for having me I’m doing wonderfully thank God a great event it has been fantastic and you know what I got to be honest with you father of all of the priests that I have talked to today and I’ve
Talked to a bunch of them you are the one this whole weekend that I have been the most excited to talk to you because I’ve been watching you for quite some time because you’ve appeared on p with the quietness you’ve appeared on all of these channels that I’ve been following for years now
And um I’m Star Struck I’ve never been Star Struck before by a priest and I’m star stroke with you Father Michael L and what’s even what makes it but blows my mind even more you are from where I am from we are two Albuquerque New
Mexico Boys how the heck did we end up here in Jersey Father Here We Are Holy Spirit by the Holy Spirit glory to Jesus Christ Father tell us a little bit about yourself how how long have you been a priest I’ve been a priest 18 years now
Which caught me off guard this past May when I did the math born and raised in Albuquerque New Mexico up until Del I was 18 I went off to college then in California came back to New Mexico then out to Stubenville graduated there went straight to Seminary four years in
Pittsburgh at our Byzantine Seminary got ordain the priest and spent their first 14 years of my Ministry in Denver Colorado and then uh got moved four years ago by my Bishop to Los Angeles where I serve now wow and father did you grw up as a byzantin Catholic I didn’t I
I discovered the church and then part began participating when I was 16 wow so did you come from a different Christian tradition before Roman Catholicism oh Roman which I loved I wasn’t running away from anything I was just running to something that I have my my temperament
And my lack of attention if you will are are very helped by the Byzantine prayer that was my first discovery and then later on by the uh the deeper spirituality and ecclesiology that I studied later on to learn um basically this is my thought the the in in my
Understanding the Eastern Church tends to be more feminine the rounded architecture the Liturgy is not as as structured and so I have found that that many men are attracted to the Byzantine way because they’re attracted as it’s a romance and then in the in the Roman Catholic tradition many men are
Attracted to that because it’s like a fraternity and so I have found that that whether you’re attracted to to prayer is it in a romantic way or in a fraternal way kind of tends to be which one you’re attracted we both love both as well of course father that is such an amazing
Insight I have never thought of it like that ever i i i invented it so maybe wred it just thought it up yeah father you should trademark that because now people are now people have seen this I’m sure You’ said it before on your podcast but you need to trademark that that is
Excellent that is such a deep and profound um insight into the uh the richness in the differences of our great tradition of of the great Catholic tradition that is amazing so you’ve been a Byzantine Catholic priest for 18 years you are now working in Los Angeles are
You a pastor I am pastor of St Mary’s and Sherman Oaks St Mary’s and Sherman Oaks that is beautiful so if you are in the Sherman Oaks area if you’re in the Los Angeles area you need to stop by and see the wonderful Father Michael oin at
St Mary’s and also Ventura County in Santa Paula California we have a new Mission there we bought a building we don’t have a name yet we’re too new we’ll have a community there as well Saturday nights at Five that is amazing see and they say that us ALU cookie boys
Don’t don’t don’t up places but look Pro and wrong father that is amazing so we are here at the 2023 uh Byzantine assembly um what are we doing here father what is this for why do we do this and how’s it going so this is the first time in years maybe even decades
That all four byzantin R and eparchies have come together as one body and basically this the theme of this year was to look at the past where we all came from most of us in especially in the west coast and the Byzantine church are all we we were attracted to this it
Wasn’t what we knew growing up and so we were drawn to it and so many of us don’t know the rich history that the church had and the generations that came that pass us along their children we’re also in a place in our church which I think
All the churches are where we’re certain struggling in certain ways with numbers with vocations with Zeal and so the the many that the Holy Spirit has called into the church to learn about the Zeal that was there kind of tap back into that re enliven that among those the the
The older ones who can teach us and inform us and guide us and give us the wisdom and the Young ones who have the energy to actually carry it out it’s a meeting of those groups as well so that we can understand our history and then then really make sure that our parishes
And our communities are thriving in the way the Holy Spirit intends that is an incredible so we’re a couple of days in we have one day left what do you think father what is your assessment of this assembly so far so far so good so far so
Good I I’ve noticed that the we’ve brought in various speakers and various Ministries from from kind of the best of what the church has to offer right now to all make sure that keeping a connection with each other and they were spreading out so it it’ll be it’ll tell
I know that they’re planning on doing it again in a couple years and then will test was their fruit that was intended is actually get carried out in our parishes wow well I cannot wait from from my perspective it has gone incredibly well um I think that the
Eastern tradition as as the way that I’ve seen it I think that it is uh it seems like it’s booming I think that the median age at my Parish back home in Albuquerque is like 7 years old probably because we have nothing but a beautiful young married couples that are having a
Whole bunch of children and I think that that’s a sign of a healthy parish and from what I understand that’s what it looks like in a lot of uh in Eastern right uh churches so that is a beautiful thing uh father we cannot thank you enough for the time that you have uh
Given us like I said it is so good to be able to be talking to a fellow uh New Mexican and uh I was very excited to be able to meet you father thank you so much for everything you do thank you for your ministry as a priest and father
Could you please give all of us blessing bless you and keep you cause his face to shine upon you have mercy on you may he soften and strengthen your heart to understand his will may he give you courage to carry it out may he send you as an earth and vessel carrying within
You the Light of Christ himself to Those whom he sends you too and Those whom he sends to you may our Lord truly allow you in in his weakness to find his strength may you carry this light to those around you may our Lord give you everything you need especially the
Salvation of your soul may he bless you and your family name of the father and the son and the holy spirit amen amen father thank you and God bless you thank you brother thank you so much of course who am I talking to Adam kimner Adam
Kimner what are we about to see right now we are about to witness we’re in the middle of this assembly for the Byzantine Catholic Church talking about our past and our future where we’ve been where we’re going as place of future growth I’m about to speak in a few
Minutes about why about some of the strengths we have in our small communities what tracks people what works in spreading the gospel throughout uh this beautiful country of ours I cannot think of a more important message I am so excited to hear it well thank
You so much for your time God bless I’m going to go sit right now I don’t know why I’m holding this you should be holding this I’m just too excited I can’t wait to hear your talk thank you for your time but let you go get ready
All right God bless you we are with a very special guest we are with Father Bishop elect Robert pipta father pipta how are you doing I’m doing pretty well thank you very much well thank you so much for joining us today for giving us a little bit of your time we are here
Outside of St Mary’s bantine Catholic Church we are in Hillsboro New Jersey and father pipta I understand that in a couple of days we will no longer be addressing you as father pipta you will have a different title we will be addressing you as your Excellency
Because in a couple of days you will be ordained you will receive the fullness of the priesthood which which means that you are going to be a bishop tell us about that father what does that mean what is a bishop first of all I think I’m going to miss being
Called father yeah I I’ve reflected over the last couple of months since the Holy Father announced my my new ministry that when I was young and and Discerning service in the church I I wasn’t Discerning being anything but a priest and you you mentioned the fullness of
The priesthood and one of the very wonderful things about being ordained a bishop is continuing to be able to celebrate the Liturgy and somewhat in a different manner than than a priest does and there’s a lot of beauty to to the Liturgy in the Byzantine tradition when when a bishop serves with con
Celebrating priests and deacons but yes I am looking to my ordination to the order of Bishop and that is to be on the the 8th of November which is the holy synxis of the Holy Archangel Michael Gabriel and all the incorporeal beings or simply the Feast of Holy Angels on
The Byzantine Christian calendar 8th of November 8th of November that is incredible father I have to be honest with you as soon as you utter those words I’m going to miss being called father I had to uh fight tears back because immediately as soon as you order
Those words I can feel your heart you have the heart of a pastor and that’s uh very very moving and that’s very beautiful father so you are the perfect man to be the bishop because the word Bishop uh it has a specific meaning right the word Bishop means that you are
In the word means overseer overseer and it’s very appropriate that we’re doing this interview right here because uh right now we are overseeing this entire church father you are going to be the overseer of an entire group of churches you are going to be the bishop of what
We call an entire group of churches in the Eastern tradition is in eparchy a lot of the Western Christian know it as a dicese you are going to be the bishop of which eparchy father it’s the eparchy of Parma and Parma is a city in Ohio just south of downtown Cleveland
Excellent and and how many uh how many local parishes are you overseeing it would be around 25 is is my recollection my recollection from the website my my ministry will be as Bishop of the Byzantine Catholic parishes in the US Heartland the US Heartland wow Ohio Kansas Michigan Illinois Indiana Iowa the dtas
Minnesota Wisconsin and probably if I didn’t mention Nebraska uh Missouri and I think I’m I’m forgetting at least one but um that’s a lot of places to remember and we don’t have parishes in all those all those States but most of them we at least have
One and in the Detroit area the Chicago area and the Cleveland area each of those areas we have several parishes wow well that is a lot of perishes that you will be overseeing but I can’t think of anyone better for the job so uh Father tell us exactly uh this uh office of
Bishop where does it come from is it something that the church later on made up or is it an institution that goes back to the time of Jesus and the apostles tell us about the office of Bishop the diac which is the first of the major orders before presbyterate or priesthood and
The episcopacy the order of Bishop are are very clearly established in the New Testament and we we read about them in the Acts of the Apostles and other letters of the Holy Apostle Paul uh when he writes to Timothy he he’s writing to a young man
Who is going to have this sort of leadership responsibility in the church church or who has and and needs to be encouraged and and guided and and um strengthened in that Ministry so the episcopacy the diaconate have existed from the earliest times as the presbyterate but and sometimes
It’s not always easy to discern in the early church what was the role of the bishop and and what was the role of the the pries or the preser and here’s why in the early church Church in many ways the Episcopal Ministry would look a lot
Like what we see in our priest today and the presor those who assisted the bishop would almost be like an advisory Council in a parish today they would they would pray and and assist the bishop but as the church grew the bishop then needed to rely on and ordained for this service
Priests presor to do the work in the particular communities but in the early church the the bishop was the bishop of a city so it’s an interesting reality when when a Byzantine uh Christian Bishop is ordained and this will be heard on on the 8th of November um God willing I I
Stay healthy for for that day and for many many years after on the 8th of November at my ordination what would be heard is ordained for the God saved City of Parma so when you hear that the idea sounds like I’m only going to serve this one
City but that’s because in the early church that is basically what The Bishop’s Ministry was it was for a particular City and then as the church grew the Bishops were not ordained for each and every city but there might be a parish in every city isn’t it in uh
Louisiana even today that what we typically call a city they call parishes and that that’s based on that that par Tokyo grouping of of a particular uh territory and and group of people so the the church is still um very traditional and and still ordains a bishop for a
City but the territory could even be as big as an entire country right um but in our Byzantine uh Catholic church or Byzantine ruthenian Church there is one Arch eparchy and three eparchies in the country so we each take a portion of that and my portion is is the US
Heartland but you had asked is this something the church made up well it does come from the ancient church and and very much from what what St Paul taught about in the ministry of teaching and shepherding the work of the Apostles is continued in the episcopacy um the work of
Prophets really is is continued in the episcopacy and and then the the the teaching Office of the church is is formally Guided by the shepherding of the bishop in the tradition of the church at least in the East Bishops typically came out of monasteries and that is why well in in
Our Eastern uh Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church um there is the ordination of married men not only to the diaconate but to the priesthood married men are not or ordained Bishops and this is from the tradition of a bishop coming out of a monastery and I I
Like to think that in monasticism we have the continuation of of the prophetic role in in in the preaching of the gospel and the radical living of the gospel and the the bishop cannot forget that although in many ways his role is Administrative and he is um considered
To be a successor of the apost OST Les carrying on the apostolic leadership that’s needed in the church to preserve Unity to preserve the the the teaching of the true Faith to preserve Oneness and and that connection to the teachings of Christ through that which was given to us by the
Apostles one of the one of the petitions that that is repeated in the ordination of the bishop is the importance of his being holy right and that really struck me when when I um was announced to be the new bishop of Parma and spent some time praying reflecting learning a little bit
About the eparchy and and um considering you know what will I what will I share with with people who are interested in my ordination I um I spend some time studying the prayers of ordination and the call to Holiness is prevalent and it in many ways it is
It is a call to an even more radical Ministry and and I have to keep that that monastic reference point very much in mind in in my Ministry I think in a way more more than I did as much as I might have tried uh more than I did what
I have been in my years as a priest right well we all know that we want everyone in the who is ordained um all of these of the Apostles of course it only makes sense that they be holy and father like I said I can’t think of
Anyone better for the job than you because from the very first words that you uttered father again the most important thing uh for a bishop is to have the heart of a pastor and I believe that that’s the heart that you have and I can’t think of a a better endorsement
Than that of the Holy sea of the Pope the bishop of Rome Pope Francis because it is true that the pope of the Holy sea um ordinations to the episcopacy is reserved to uh the pope so Pope Francis himself has selected you right father to be the overseer of the churches in Parma
The pope Works through through the different dicasteries right um in in in the Holy sea and when it comes to Eastern Catholic churches most of of the Pope’s interaction with our churches is through the dicastri for the Eastern churches so they had a lot to do with
With the work and our our own local Bishops um have something to say and and the apostolic inature um in Washington DC also has a role in the process and they all work together in a way that I I myself am not completely clear about perhaps I’ll learn more about that in
The future right but but in the end yes it it’s the the Holy Father Who Um who is the one who appoints um men to serve as Bishops in the church and in patriarchal churches the the melite church and other other Catholic churches that have Patriarchs the process is a little bit different
But there is there is certainly an an affirming um by the Holy Father and it I think the election process works a little bit differently and again I’m not I would have to pull out the code of canon law and we don’t need to get into
That now oh that would be a whole it’s very important and this is all because of unity Unity um we’re not always comfortable in our society today with with leadership being in a single person we’re a Democratic Society here and it is important the voice of the people is
Incredibly important and we we hope it’s the voice of of of a well-formed faith-filled populace that that is is voting and and um helping our country do that which is in accord with God’s will but when in the church we have a a sing a single pastor of a parish or a single
Bishop of an eparchy or a single Pope for an entire church the reason for that Singularity is for the sake of unity exactly it’s it’s not one who’s a a despot and is trying to order everybody and um you know Force everybody into into submissiveness that is um not one
That respects God’s Gift of Free Will and trying to form the conscience but it’s for the sake of unity and so at all the levels of the church when when there’s a singularity in leadership it’s because God is one right Jesus is one there there’s one baptism in God’s eyes there’s one Church
We’ve messed it up because because we we we divide from one another and we we get into arguments but God is one and ultimately there’s only one church and so the best way our church knows how to to to bring the church to that greater
Reality and um to have a a sign of the unity is is in the ordination of um Bishops and and also at the parochial level the priests father I think of the words of St Ignatius of Antioch those great words that he wrote when he said follow the bishop and how you would
Follow Jesus Christ and you follow his his presbyter the way that we follow the apostles so father you as a bishop you are going to be the representative of Jesus Christ for that entire um eparchy and when we talk about the importance of the episcopacy and of this office of
Bishop we know that it goes all the way back to Jesus Christ and his Apostles that it is a Divine institution and that being united to the bishop is how we are united to Jesus Jesus Christ himself so uh because we know that Grace comes through the church for all who believe
In Jesus Christ so father we cannot thank you enough for your time thank you for your marvelous explanation know that we and all of the viewers we are going to be praying for you father we know that um there’s no better person for the job than you and uh we our prayers are
With you father and we ask that you please uh pray for us and we thank you for your ministry as a priest you will always be a father now as a bishop you’re going to be a father to a lot more people and uh you know as a bishop
You’re still a priest still a father and now you get to oversee beautiful churches uh not this one in particular this is a different eparchy but you’re going to oversee all of the beautiful churches in all of those places that huge territory that you listed so father
We are praying for you we are so happy for you congratulations by the time this comes out you will already be called your Excellency and father if we could uh get one of your final uh blessings that you will give as to being just a regular Parish priest let us pray to the
Lord may the Lord bless you and keep you may he cause his countenance to shine upon you and have mercy on you may the Lord bless you and give you his peace in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen amen God
Thank you for your prayers thank you very much father thank you so much father thank you for your ministry as a priest God bless you
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