WHAT WE BELIEVE
We worship God in the Holy Trinity, glorifying equally the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, begotten before all ages, and that He is of one essence with the Father. We believe that Christ incarnate is truly man, like us in all respects except sin.
We worship the Holy Spirit as Lord and Life-giver who proceeds from the Father. We also believe that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. Jesus Christ was without sin, but He was crucified for the sins of the whole world. Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave to give eternal life to all those who believe in His Resurrection.
THE DIVINE LITURGY (The Mass)
The Divine Liturgy is the principal liturgical service of our Church. The Liturgy consists of two parts, the Liturgy of the Word, in which the Gospel is preached, and the Liturgy of the Faithful, in which the Holy Eucharist is offered.
THE HOLY EUCHARIST
The Holy Eucharist (also known as Holy Communion) is the rite that Christians perform in fulfillment of the instruction that Jesus gave to do in his memory. The Holy Eucharist is consecrated at every Divine Liturgy, and the faithful partake of the newly consecrated Gifts.
We believe that when the bread and wine are consecrated in the Eucharist, they cease to be bread and wine, and become instead the body and blood of Christ: although the empirical appearances are not changed, the reality is changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
BYZANTINE SIGN OF THE CROSS
Blessing oneself with two fingers brought to the thumb represents the Trinity. The last two fingers held to the palm represent the two natures of Jesus--God and man. For the first 1,200 years of the Church, in making the Sign of the Cross, the hand was typically brought from the right to the left shoulder. In the East this is still the practice, to signify Christ enthroned at the right hand of the Father.
INCENSE
We use incense as a sign of reverence for the sacred place and the sacredness of the people who are made in God’s image and as a sign of preparing for something important about to happen in the Liturgy. It is our prayer ascending like the smoke of incense before the throne of God.
SEASONAL GREETINGS
Throughout our church year we greet other with special greetings that reflect the holy seasons. Every greeting reinforces our faith. See the appropriate greeting followed by the response in the link to this document: Seasonal Greetings.
Seasonal Greetings in the Ukrainian Catholic Church