Glory to Jesus Christ!
Glory to Him forever!
Once again, we are blessed to have a beautiful icon from Britta Prinzivalli for this year’s 2025 Christmas Card. This is an intimate portrait of the Holy Family in the cave of Bethlehem, which is titled "The Nativity of the New Dawn." This tells us that Christ brings the New Dawn of salvation to all humanity, appropriate in this Jubilee Year of Hope!
In the icon, Our Lady and Saint Joseph are both, adoring the Christ Child, with Mary pointing to Him as the One to follow.
In the halo around Jesus’ head are Greek letters that are abbreviations for “I AM WHO AM.” This is what God said to Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 3:14) and tells us that Jesus is both human and divine from the moment of His conception in the womb of Mary. Above the cave the angels also point the way to Jesus, and the half-circle with three rays coming down represents the Holy Trinity. The Second Person of the
Trinity is in Jesus’ divine nature while remaining as the
Eternal God with the Father and the Spirit: there is much happening in this lovely image!
As always, expenses are kept to a minimum, as there are
no salaries paid to anyone, the printer charges us a very low price, and much of the mailing expenses are covered by a donor. As has been the case since 2022, the income from the Christmas Cards will be going directly to the
Eparchy of Mukachevo, which will use it to help over 400,000 displaced persons from eastern Ukraine who have taken
refuge in the Transcarpathian Oblast of Ukraine, which is
next to Slovakia.
Just a reminder, that the Eparchy helps refugees with a multitude of needs: rent for housing; clothing; school supplies for children; psychological support; food parcels; and expenses for firewood for heating. Inflation in Ukraine is currently at 11.4% (in the US it is 3%), so the dollars that we send over go very far. Although this rate is high, it is the lowest all year, so the economy has been stabilizing despite Russia’s
relentless bombing.
We continue to collect Liturgy stipends (Mass offerings) for celebration of your intentions in Ukraine; extend support to the Sisters of Saint Joseph and the Orphanage in Korolevo; and assistance for the Theodore Romzha Seminary.
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Each packet (ticket) of 5 cards sells for $15 and you can purchase multiple packets of cards.
Please submit your order no later than midnight on Monday, December 15th, in order to receive them in time for Christmas giving. The list of names you provide us when purchasing the cards will be prayed for by
Bishop Teodor Matsapula at Holy Cross Cathedral in Uzhhorod, Ukraine on Christmas Day. Please submit the names by completing and returning the prayer list included with your card order OR by emailing them to us at
admin@boronyavo.org. Please encourage family, friends, and other parishioners to order our cards!
Thanks to your generosity and help from our local radio station KKOB, we have collected $219,405 so far,
to help with these refugee projects since the war began in February 2022. In addition, with donations
for Liturgy intentions, orphanage and “greatest needs”, the total so far is $347,795. That is simply
amazing given that we are just a handful of volunteers.
In additional news, I have been recovering from a stroke. I am making “slow but steady” progress,
and I thank those who offered prayers and Liturgies on my behalf!
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Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Christopher Zugger, Chaplain
Mrs. Rafael Plut, Coordinator
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P.S. Please check out the works of Catholic iconographer Britta Prinzivalli at https://www.brittworks.com.