Message from the President - Ukrainian Catholic Church

ЗМІСТ
2. Message from the President
3. Pastoral Letter of His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk
5. Хресна Дорога/Origin of the Way of the Cross (Ukrainian/ English)
6. Nina Matviyenko: The Great Day of the Soul
9. Найцінніший Скарб - Мова
12. Жінки в Житті Тараса Шевченкa (Ukrainian/ English)
16. Baking Babka without Baba
17. Tribute to Mothers and Grandmothers
18. The Problem with Criticism
20. Important Date for your Calendar
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Message from the President
Slava Isusu Chrystu
I extend warm welcome to all our members, parishioners and friends to the first issue of the In Touch for
2012. We hope that you had a happy and holy Christmas with family and friends. I must admit that these first
two months have gone by quickly and we now find ourselves in the first weeks of the Great Lent.
For many Christians, Lent gives us a perfect opportunity to develop our relationship with God. We can
reflect on our spiritual lives, possibly pray more deeply, reflect on what we have or have not done and be
more generous to those in need. It is a time when we can examines our lives, particularly through the
Sacrament of Reconciliation and pray for forgiveness.
Lent is also the season of being invited by God in a deeply personal way. He calls to us - Come back to
me, with all of your heart. We can achieve this through prayer. More prayer during Lent can bring us closer
to God. Together with fasting and charity, prayer is what links us together during Lent. In our Ukrainian
Catholic Rite during Lent there are more opportunities to gather together in prayer. We may pray at the time
of the Veneration of the Holy Gifts or at the Sorokousty when we remember the deceased in our families and
we pray for their repose.
Fasting, for many of us is the act of “giving something up during Lent”. It could be that muffin at morning
tea, fewer squares of chocolate or another pair of shoes. The money that you have saved then in turn can be
directed towards charity. During Lent we have in our parish small cartons in which we can make donations of
what we have “saved” whilst fasting. This will then be handed over to Caritas to help with their work in
Ukraine where, although there has been a vast improvement in their circumstances, there a still many who
need our support, particularly the elderly and the less fortunate youth.
“Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works” (Heb. 10:24)
“The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian
life: charity.” These are the opening words to the Holy Father’s Pope Benedict XVI message for Lent. Let us
take up this opportunity during this Great Lent. Here is a prayer we may also consider:
“Lord, our world has been deceived. We pray this Lent against the industry of human trafficking, because
when we do we are praying against many sins: greed, lust, materialism, apathy, prejudice, and selfishness.
Lord, we pray for our world which is shackled in the chains of sin and death. In your mercy, Lord, deliver us.”
Members and friends of UCWLA can together continue beyond the Great Lent with helping and having a
better understanding of this significant current social justice issue regarding Human Trafficking. This year one
of our major events is a forum that will be held on Sunday, 17th June 2012 on Human Trafficking. We are
deeply honoured to have as our guest speakers Sr Noelene Simmons sm, Jennifer Burn - Anti-slavery
Australia and Sr Margaret Ng rsj. Please put this date into your diaries and invite your family, friends and
work colleagues to come along with you. More information will be available in the next issue of In Touch by
email and in the parish visti/newsletter.
Other events that we have planned for 2012 include our Mother’s Day Morning Tea and our UCWLA Day
at the end of May. We welcome your contributions to the next issue of the InTouch and we look forward to
seeing you at our functions. Also, may I remind you that it is time to renew your membership for 2012. A
letter has been sent to all our current members and we encourage new members to join us. Come along and
be part of the work being done by UCWLA in our beautiful Church and Parish.
May we celebrate the Ressurection of Christ in peace and harmony with our family and friends.
“Khrystos Voskres!" (Christ is Risen!) "Voistyno Voskres!" (He is Truly Risen!)
Olya Chochula - President
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PASTORAL LETTER OF HIS BEATITUDE SVIATOSLAV
(SHEVCHUK) TO THE FAITHFUL OF THE UKRAINIAN GREEK
CATHOLIC CHURCH FOR GREAT LENT 2012
(Adoration of the Holy Cross – 3rd Sunday of Lent – 27.3.2011)
«Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!» Mt. 4:17
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
With these words of our Divine Saviour, the Church of Christ is calling today each and every one of us to
commence a blessed time of the Great Fast. The name “Great” of this fast is not accidental: it is caused by
those God’s gifts and fruits for our spiritual life, which we can attain during this time, provided we spend it
worthily. The greatness of this time is likewise determined by the depth of a spiritual change of our person
and our life, which will be the result of the meeting with the merciful and loving Heavenly Father.
Hence, how do we live out this period worthily, so as to transform and enrich our lives? First of all, dear in
Christ, we need to remember that fasting does not only mean limiting ourselves in food and entertainment.
Fasting is primarily to keep away from sin, from evil habits and passions. It is also a rejection of indifference,
evil thoughts and selfishness. Lent is an invitation, addressed to each of us, wounded by sins, encumbered
with infirmities and depleted with the daily chores, to surrender ourselves to the Lord’s embrace.
The Fathers and spiritual teachers of the Church, urging Christians to live out the fast worthily, called it a
time of spiritual awakening and renewal of man; they compared it with the spiritual spring, during which the
divine life awakens in our souls: “…When winter ends and we start coming closer to the spring warmth, a
seafarer takes his boat again out into the sea, a soldier cleans his weapons and trains his horse for a fight, a
peasant sharpens his tools, a traveller, having felt a surge of strength, girds and embarks on a journey… And
so let us also, at this time of the coming of the spiritual spring, similarly fix our spiritual weapons as soldiers,
let us sharpen our tools as farmers, and, like the true leaders, let us take into our hands the boat of our spirit
so as to be prepared to endure the heaps of the waves of senseless passions and, as the pilgrims heading
towards our heavenly homeland, let us begin the fulfilment of our spiritual journey” (St. John Chrysostom,
Word to the Antiochian People, 3).
Lent is a special time of repentance and penance. Just as in nature, a normal sign of an early spring is the
awakening of all creatures to a new life, similarly the human soul, through repentance and penance, comes
to life and, having been warmed by the warmness of God’s mercy and love, is freed from the dead stiffness
and produces sprouts of a new life in the Holy Spirit. Whoever honestly admits his sins in the Holy Sacrament
of Penance, feels the good-giving action of the warmth of God’s life-giving love. And just as spring wins over
winter, so the power of the Lord’s forgiveness wins over fear, weakness and disbelief in us, proving that the
Divine love is stronger than our sin and that there is no evil force, which would be able to resist the saving
mercy of the Heavenly Father. That is why Prophet David, in repenting burst, sings to the Lord: “May Your
compassion come to me that I may live, for Your law is my delight” (Ps. 119:77).Revived through repentance
and penance and united with the Lord in the Holy Communion, a believer blossoms with God’s beauty of the
righteous life and becomes the bearer of hope for his environs as well as for the entire society. For just as sin
has a devastating impact not only on a sinner himself, but on all of his environs as well, conversion and
repentance bring healing to our relationship with God, our neighbour and all of the creation.
Lent is a time of intensive prayer. Giving up during this period on entertainment, we concomitantly need to
pay more attention to the communication with God: through participation in Lenten liturgical services in the
church as well as through longer and more intense prayer in family circle and solitude. We cannot devoid of
our attention a practice that has recently been introduced in our Church – the reading of God’s Word. Every
day the faithful, whether alone or with the family or gathered in prayer groups in parishes, reflect upon and
pray with some excerpts from the Sacred Scripture. In this way, the Word of God becomes for us a spiritual
nourishment as well as recalls for us that “man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds
out of the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4). I fervently entrust to continue and spread this pious practice. And for those
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who have not started doing this yet, may Lent become an opportunity to begin to get to know the Word of
God as well as to live it out ever more.
Charitable deeds are likewise a necessary condition of Lenten spiritual journey. The Lord, through the
words of the Prophet Isaiah, directs to all of us a special call, showing the meaning of an authentic fast: “Is
this not the fast that choose? … Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor
into the house; when you see the naked to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Is.
58:6-7). Just as in nature, the emergence of fresh green shoots in spring exposes the life of a plant, so the
Christian almsgiving is a sign of the spiritual awakening of man, his openness to God and neighbour as well
as a compelling witness of the living faith, “working through love” (Gal. 5:6). All Christians are called to do the
almsgiving, regardless of wealth or financial capability. St. Pope Leo the Great teaches that “nothing can get
into the way of our charity, with which we fulfil a vocation of the love of God and neighbour… Not only the
rich and wealthy can perform the charity works vis-à-vis their neighbour, but also those that are poor and with
the limited fortunes... Almsgiving transforms inequality in terms of the earthly goods into equality in obtaining
the heavenly gifts” (Word on the occasion of Lent, 6, 1-2).
Dear in Christ! The time of Lent opens for us the way to Heaven. Let’s embark on it in the spirit of
repentance, prayer and almsgiving. Let us walk it together, growing in the grace of the Holy Spirit. Let me
remind you about the obligation to partake in this blessed time in the Holy Sacraments of Confession and
Communion. May Lent grant us with the renewal of the spiritual life, the awakening of the Christian zeal and
love of God and neighbour in our parish communities and monastery ambits! I implore our Father, “who
desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tm. 2:4), to lovingly bring all of you
closer to His merciful paternal heart and, having forgiven your sins, make you, through the power of the Holy
Spirit, the partakers of the glory of the resurrection of His Divine Son.The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
† SVIATOSLAV
Hans Memling worked all the tableaus from the Passion of Christ into a single painting
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Хресна дорога - це свідоцтво вічної незгасаючої любові Ісуса Христа до нас, яка освячена
невинною Кров'ю, нечуваними стражданнями та незліченними Ранами Святого Тіла нашого
Спасителя. В скарбниці молитовних практик Вселенської Церкви, особливе місце займає Хресна
дорога. Ісус Христос почав Свою Хресну дорогу від Преторії римського намісника Пилата, де
засуджено Його на хресну смерть, а закінчив на горі Голгофті, куди заніс хрест, на котрому й помер.
Молитовна практика Хресної дороги походить з розважань і контемпляції страждань Спасителя, бере
свій початок зі Сходу, але поширилася і знана в цілому християнському світі. Пречиста Діва Марія
часто з побожними невістами йшла дорогою, по якій ішов її Син Ісус Христос. Цей приклад Діви Марії
наслідували Апостоли, а відтак і християни відбували численні паломництва з Палестини та інших
близьких і дальших країн, як свідчить св. Єронім, котрий жив в IVст.
Ісус бере хрест добровільно, і нас взиває, заохочує брати свій хрест — з любові і доброї волі. Любити
хрест, нести його, допомогти іншій особі в двиганні того тягара, терпеливо нести свій хрест - для
багатьох це щось нереальне. "В хресті — спасіння, життя, покров від ворогів! В хресті - джерело
небесної благодати, сила розуму, радість духа" (св. Тома). "Зрозумій, грішнику, - каже св. Августин, що Бог є твоїм лікарем, а терпіння є твоїм ліком для твого спасіння, а не карою для твоєї погибелі". В
набоженстві Хресної дороги людина зустрічається з Христом, зі своїми батьками, ближніми,
добродіями і, навіть, з неприятелями і ворогами, має можливість, за допомогою ласки Божої, побачити
духовний стан своєї душі. Бог дає можливість знайти себе, своє місце, свою роль, зрозуміти, хто ти:
Вероніка, киринейчик, сотник, Лонгин? Хрест домінує над цілим людським життям. І в тому
повсякденному житті, через Хресну дорогу Спасителя, людина пізнає справжню вартість хреста і
терпіння. (Source: Молитва)
The Origin of the Way of the Cross - In the early days of the Church, when the spirit of faith was
strong in the souls of Christians, no hardship was deemed too great when spiritual advantages were to be
gained. Vast multitudes of pilgrims undertook the arduous journey to the Holy Land that they might visit the
places that had been sanctified by our Saviour’s sufferings. Tradition had preserved a very accurate
knowledge of these localities, and the devout pilgrims were accustomed to make what we now call the Way
of the Cross, at the places which were the actual scenes of our Lord’s Passion. But Jerusalem became a
Mohammedan city, under the sway of the Sultans; and even when the perilous journey had been made, there
was always danger from the despotic government and from the savage fanaticism of the Moslem people. The
idea, therefore, occurred to several devout persons who had accomplished the pilgrimage, that it would be
well to have some means of performing the same devotion in a safer way and of giving its benefits to those
who were unable to make the journey to Palestine.
The Blessed Alvarez, a Dominican of Cordova, in Spain, is said to have constructed several small chapels,
each containing a representation of some part of our Lord’s sufferings. A similar practice was adopted about
1350 by the Franciscan Minorites, who had been permitted by the Sultan to take charge of the Sepulchre of
our Blessed Lord at Jerusalem, and who erected Stations in many of their European churches, so that all the
faithful who could not become pilgrims might make the journey in spirit. It was immediately seen that this was
a most excellent devotion, well adapted to arouse in the hearts of Christians a fervent spirit of contrition and
love of God; and it was, consequently, soon approved and recommended by the Holy See. Pope Innocent
XII, in 1694, reaffirming the decrees of his predecessors, declared that the indulgences granted for visiting
certain places in Palestine could be gained by all Franciscans and all affiliated to that Order, by making the
Way of the Cross devoutly. Later, in 1726, Benedict XIII extended these indulgences to all the faithful. For
some time afterwards the Franciscan Fathers had the sole faculty of erecting Stations in churches, but this
power is now given to all bishops, and they may delegate it to their priests.
(Chapter XXIX of The Externals of the Catholic Church by Rev. John F Sullivan)
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Nina Matviyenko is a singer and is very well known in Ukraine. Her repertoire is mostly made of
Ukrainian folk songs in traditional and new arrangements. Her interpretation of the songs is uniquely
her own but at the same time it is solidly based on an age-old tradition. She has been awarded an
honorary title of “People’s Artiste of Ukraine” and in her case the title fully reflects her actually being
a people’s singer — of the people and for the people. Lesya Hryhoriva interviewed Nina Matviyenko
exclusively for Welcome to Ukraine Magazine and what follows is the singer’s monologue combined
from her answers. In fact it was mostly a monologue anyway, interspersed with questions.
“I’ve realized that Velykden it’s all your life that God gives you as a precious gift. It’s
so great that everyone can express through it whatever they are capable of — some
give their selfless work, others give people their voice, still others bring children into
this world… But we, all of us, must learn to love. All of it is so important for me — and
so difficult to be true to it. I want my soul, heart to be fully prepared to celebrate the
Great Day of Easter, I want my eyes, my words to be properly attuned since without
being so prepared I cannot experience fully the feeling of the resurrection of the
soul.” (Nina Matviyenko)
As long as I can remember, some time before Velykden I began to feel as though I were being drawn into a
wonderful fairy tale with everyone around me getting ready for something evidently very important and
exciting. For me, Velykden has always been full of wondrous and amazing moments and revelations whose
nature I could not quite comprehend as a child. There was enough sadness, woe and misery in life in
general, and there were all kinds of things in the life of my parents, both good and bad, there were fights
between them, but, you know, when Velykodniy pist (period of fasting before Easter; Lent) began, there were
no fights, no loud arguments. You could not shout even at the cattle, or any other domestic animals.
Whenever my mother felt she would not be able to contain herself, she would rush out of the house to avoid
the reproving gazes of the holy images in the icons staring at her from the icons’ corner. Before Velykden,
the house was thoroughly tidied and cleaned up, everything that was of no use any longer was thrown away.
I was very curious to know why people would do all these things. I wondered, What was in that God that
made people behave in such a way?
On the morning of Velykden mother would wake us up very early; she would pour water into a basin, put a
krashanka (painted Easter egg) into it and wash us, still sleepy and only half-awake, in that water. I
wondered why mom did it, and she kept saying that we would have rosy cheeks and be healthy. Incidentally,
since those times I’ve always had ruddy cheeks. Afterwards, mom began reciting prayers, and we joined her
in prayer. We prayed devoutly and earnestly, the way only children can. The prayer over, we went to church.
The church in our village of Nedilyshchi, in the land of Polissya, was an old wooden one, with icons from the
times of old in the iconostasis, dark with age. The priest blessed the Velykden cakes, Easter eggs and Easter
food that people brought to church for the priest to bless. The people then would stay in front of the church
for some time, singing Velykden songs and dancing Velykden dances. I remember that when still very young,
I was looking forward to hearing those songs — there was so much vitality in them, there was so much of a
spiritual uplift in them. I loved to sing them, even though I was not allowed to join the grown-ups in singing
and dancing. The Velykden church service, the spring, those songs — everything was full of magic and
mysterious excitement. It was then, back in my early childhood, that the foundation of what I call the
Velykden of the Soul was laid.
When I was about ten years old, an event happened that was very painfully carved into my memory. The
school I went to stood right across the street from the church. One day, shortly before Easter, when I arrived
at school, I saw that the church was being dismantled — right before my eyes! And the man who was in
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charge was our head teacher! The shock was so great that it felt as though the earth began to quake under
my feet. For our village it was like the end of the world had come. A crowd gathered, staring and not believing
what they saw. The icons were ripped out from the iconostasis and hurled into a well — the well in our
schoolyard! It was a deep well too, and the icons made a lot of noise falling down. They seemed to be
groaning and moaning as they hit the water, the water so many of us used. Some people were so
overwhelmed that they fell into a swoon. The man who actually cast the icons into the well died soon
afterwards. Even then, when it was happening, I heard people whisper among themselves that this sacrilegist
was doomed to die a terrible death. Sometime later, he slipped, when he was crossing the railroad tracks, fell
and was run over by a train. The pain and grief I experienced on that Easter entered deep into my heart, and
I think I’ve never been quite free of them.
The church in a neighbouring village survived and we went there to attend the regular services and those on
feast days. Once, on a Maundy Thursday, my sister and I went to that church, about three kilometres one
way. On the way back, we had to walk that distance at night, carrying a burning candle that had been lit in
the church. It was very important not to let the wind extinguish the flame. You were supposed to bring the
candle into the house, to walk around it, exorcising by the holy and inextinguishable flame the evil spirits that
might have crept in. We did manage to prevent the candle from being blown out, but the moment we
ascended the ladder and opened the hatch to the garret to cleanse the attic, we heard a movement and
sudden loud noise, a strong draft began to blow, and then something — something hairy, or so it seemed to
us, whooshed past us. The flame was blown out and we rolled down the ladder, and hid in the corner with the
icons. I can’t actually claim it happened the way I remember it but it does not matter, really — we lived in our
own world of childhood which was full of wonders and frightening moments as well. Even today, some people
continue to believe in magic, retain some beliefs that come from the ancient pagan times — and yet go to
church. I myself did share a lot of these heathen beliefs and feelings, and it was only recently that I began to
leave them behind. I could have tried to keep them longer, to make a fairy-tale world out of them for myself,
but you can’t make it a fairy-tale world for others. God has given us the light of life, and to seek something
alternative in fortunetelling, in black magic — it’s to lose that light, to lose the future. A moment came when I
began asking myself some tough questions, I conducted long talks with my soul, and I realized I had to go up
from the level I had been at before. I did not reject or renounce some of my former beliefs completely, but I
just went further, to a new comprehension and vision of things. There are many traditions of the Ukrainian
people that should never be renounced or rejected — they go back into a very ancient past, they connect us
to the past, and they must be held, they are very sweet and nice.
I came to a realization that Velykden is a resurrection of the soul for me. It was
Christ himself who, through his own Resurrection, made us aware of the
resurrection of our own souls. It’s not accidental that we celebrate Easter in the
spring, at the time when Nature is reviving, when it begins to blossom, when the
bees begin to fly, when the moon becomes so amazingly beautiful in the night sky.
There comes a longing for a universal, omnipotent love. There is love for the body,
there’s love for the heart, and there’s love for the soul — and this love is allpowerful, all-renewing, and all-forgiving. The very essence of a human being is this
potential ability of the resurrection of the soul; it’s Velykden of the soul. We’ve been
placed on this earth — no matter what the circumstances of our individual lives can
be — to rejoice, to love and this joy should be an experience that always stays with
us. I believe that Christ’s Resurrection is based on the beautiful people — beautiful
in a profound, spiritual way, on the people full of the divine light, on the Velykden
people who know how to resurrect their souls. Without experiencing the resurrection
of your own soul, you can’t come to comprehend the Resurrection of Christ. Such thoughts crossed my mind
often — they came and then left, and at last they’ve come to stay. They left me when I sank too deeply into
everyday worries and paid too much attention to petty things, but there was always something that brought
them back. Even now I still get myself into tight corners or walk into blind alleys once in a while, and seem to
lose the sight of the star that leads me to Velykden but I always rediscover it and keep moving with more
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confidence to a moment when I’m fully prepared to face that Great Day, the Velykden morning, the dawn of
Velykden breaking and giving light to life. There’s only one thing I pray for and ask God to give me — it is the
ability to forgive. I want to be able to look people in the eye and pass on love, even if some of them have
done me wrong. I’ve realized I should be open to people, that I should not be affected with any of the
negative emotions, I want to call out loudly, People, open the widows of your hearts, let the angel of your
souls out, be like birds in the spring!
I’m looking forward to Velykden; I want to experience the great uplift. Memories are a nice thing to cherish,
but they are not enough, you have to keep gaining new uplifting experiences. You have to come to Velykden,
cleansed bodily and spiritually. God gives each of us a burden that we can carry, no matter how difficult it
may seem sometimes. Our burdens have been carefully weighed and all we have to do is to carry them with
dignity. I’ve realized how important it is to wake up in the morning and smile, how important it is to experience
joy. I want people who will listen to me sing to feel an overflowing joy that comes from my heart. It’s my own
Velykden, Velykden of every day of my life. Give your worries to the realm of worries, and prepare yourself
for Velykden.
Христос Воскрес! Воістину Воскрес!
Ясніє сонечко. Радіє світ увесь.
Нехай у серці віра і добро панує.
Хай щиру радість писанки дарують!
Хай в кошик вам ляжуть баранчик і паска,
Шматочок сальця, запашная ковбаска
І писанок пару з корінчиком хрону,
Хай плине достаток до Вашого дому!
“Це день, що його створив Господь, возрадуємося і возвеселімся в нім.”
“Спаси нас, Сину Божий, що воскрес із мертвих, співаємо Тобі: Алилуя!”
A Little Story with a Big Moral
There was once a repentant sinner, who spent time in prayer and meditation, searching for the
reasons that motivated his sinfulness. Tearfully, he turned to his spiritual director for help in
addressing this issue. “Father, I feel like there are two opposing forces living within me. One
part is like a majestic eagle, capable of soaring to the greatest heights in service to God. When
I am like the eagle I am filled with love and praise for God and love for others. The other part of
me is like a wolf from hell. When I am like the wolf I am hateful, rebellious, selfish and prideful.
Which one am I?” The wise old priest answered, “You are the one you feed”.
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У всіх народів мова - то засіб спілкування, у нас же, з важкої руки імперії - це ознака
націоналізму, сепаратизму, причина конфліктів і моральних травм.
А мова - це найцінніший та найбільший скарб, що дав людяні Всевишній. „Маємо витворену протягом
віків мову дивовижно багату, одну з найбагатших в світі, барвисту, заливну, розмаїту, здатну активно
жити-розвиватись, придатну для найскладнішої художньої та наукової творчості.
Дослідники вважають українську мову одною з найстаріших мов Європи. У 1880 році. в Одесіі вийшла
книга Михайла Красуського „Древность малороссийского язька". Вона шокувала російський царизм, бо
доводила найдавніший вік пригніченої української мови. Автор застерігав царських сатрапів, що
українську мову треба не забороняти, не нищити, а навпаки, плекати й охороняти, бо вона є давнішою
не тільки від грецької, латинської чи навіть давньоєгипетської, а й від самого санскриту, котрий,
власне, походить від праукраїнської мови IV-IV тисячоліть до нашої ери. У словнику санскриту найдавнішій пам'ятці нашої прамови, є всі прадавні слова, котрі живуть понині в українській мові.
Недруги з переляку почали гонитву за книгою, а потім за автором.
У мові закодована пам'ять усіх поколінь, історія народу, анкета його родоводу, закони предків,
моральні цінності. Але не мала наша мова в минулому нормальних умов для свого розвитку. Згадаймо
деякі факти.
1720р. - цар Петро І видав указ про заборону а Україні друкувати книги;
1753р. - указ Катерини ІІ про заборону викладання українською мовою;
1768р. - указ Синоду російської православної церкви про вилучення у населення, українських букварів;
1775р. - російські війська зруйнували Запорозьку Січ; були закриті українські школи.
У 1830-1840 роках русифікація України посилюється. Навіть саму назву „Україна" перестали вживати.
Лівобережну Україну назвали Малоросією, Правобережну - Юго-Западним краєм, а Південну Новоросією. 1863р. - заборона друкування українських книжок, циркуляр міністра внутрішніх справ
Валуєва: „Ни какого особенного майороссийского язька не било, нет и быть не может".
1889р. - у Києві на археологічному з'їзді дозволено читати реферати «сіма мовами, крім української;
1895р. - заборона української дитячої літератури;
1914р. - заборона української преси;
1938р. - запроваджено обов'язкове вивчення російської мови по всій Україні. І водночас розпочалося
масове закриття національних шкіл, престиж української мови знизився.
1926-1939р.р. - фізичне депортації українських діячі, звинувачених у націоналізмі.
1960 роки - арешти, винищення молодого покоління української інтелігенції.
134 заборони на українську мову, починаючи з царських і до брежнєвських часів.
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Яка ще мова витримала таке переслідування? Її зживали зі світу, плюндрували, зневажали,
принижували, відтісняли на другий чи - десь аж на десятий чин. Загальновідомо, що мова - то душа
нації, її повітря й етнічний код; зникає мова - зникає і народ. Вдумаймось у слова І.Опаска, першого
ректора Кам'янець-Подільського університету, професора, митрополита Іларіона , чия просвітницька
робота, для України прирівнювалась до подвижництва Петра Могили та Івана Мазепи. Ще в далекому
1918 році він писав: „Мова - «є наша національна ознака, в мові наша культура, ступінь нашої
свідомості... Мова - душа кожної національності, її святощі, її найцінніший скарб. І поки житиме мова житиме й народ якої національність. Не стане мови - не стане національності: вона геть
розпорошиться поміж дужчим народом". Ніби про теперішню мовну ситуацію в Україні. Якщо, не дай,
Боже, узакониться двомовність, якої добивається чимало „народних обранців", то україноненависники
у свої кабінети і на поріг не пустять українську мову.
Мова - це основа культури. Неповноцінне функціонування мови призводить до неповноцінного
функціонування культури, а останнє веде до неповного функціонування держави. То чому ж ми тоді
дивуємось, що за 15 років не можемо підняти ані економіки, ані законності, ані добробуту. А про
духовне? Теж держава? Не помічається щось. Наша держава взяла на озброєння гасло: „Хліба і
видовищ".
Хіба після Другої світової війни економіка України була ліпшою, ніж зараз? Заводи, фабрики були
зруйновані, у полі орали коровами. А держава все-таки фінансувала пресу, видавництва, бібліотеки.
„Всі ми, інтелігенти післявоєнної пори, виросли з сільської бібліотеки. Завдяки її книгам ми,
напівголодні, босі сільські діти, прилучилися до вершин людської мудрості і культури..." (Б. Олійник).
Література вчила любити Україну. І не тільки любити, вона вчила, як її, Україну, не втратити і не
зрадити.
А що сьогодні? Прилавки міських книжкових магазинів заповнені перекладною „макулатурою", яка
пропагує бездуховність, жорстокість, жахи, насилля. Кожний, хто здатний аналізувати обставини
сучасного життя, розуміє, що йде „тиха війна", знищення нашої духовності, мови. 90-95% телепередач
ведеться російською мовою. На одну людину в Україні припадає 47 книжок російською мовою і лише
одна -українською. На телеекранах - нескінченні серіали (чого тільки варта низькопробна „Моя
прекрасна нянька"!); гордони з кисельовими, коротичами, що принижують національну гідність
українців, Вєрка Сердючка і всякі „зірки", „зірочки" і „зіркуни", які співають, що в голову збреде, бо самі
слова і музику пишуть, самі і виконують на зразок: „женіха хатєла, вот і залєтєла" і т.п. Російська попса
у шалених дозах звучить в Україні! Як ніде!
Дуже прикро констатувати, що сьогодні по радіо і особливо по телебаченню ми не чуємо виступів
українських колективів: ні оркестрів, ні відомих хорів, ансамблів, солістів. Все заступила також масова
європейська „культура", але не елітарна, а та, яку називають „охлосом", яка зневажає все світле.
Невже ми не втямили досі, що наша мова?:, наші моральні чесноти - це наш хребет і надійний рубіж.
Народ український довго був бездержавний. Хто тільки не топтався по його душі, а він вистояв, не
розчинився між чужинців як етнос, зберіг свою мову, свої звичаї, свій національний характер. Збагнули
чому? Та тому, що не зрікся своїх святинь. Не зрікся народ у селі... Як же можна тепер, коли Україна,
здобула незалежність, зрікатися цього. Ніде правди діти ми, українці змінилися. І не на краще. Нам
байдуже, якою мовою розмовляти. „Какая разніца!" - чуємо від багатьох українців, вчорашніх селюків,
що якось зачепилися в місті, одягнулися в міські костюми і, зіпсовані цивілізацією, засвоїли дикий
суржик на зразок: „А мінє какось всяравно, какім язиком разгаварівать аби колбаса діщовая в
магазінах била". Задля ковбаси і ще оковитої зліліпутили свою душу. "Якщо російська мова стане
другою державною, цікаво, а українці тоді будуть „в качєствє каво?" Іноземців, напевно. Іноземців у
своїй рідній державі. А якщо татари захочуть другої державної - татарської, а поляки - польської? Що
тоді?
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І таки українська мова першою державною, можна сказати, ще й не була. А їй вже підсовують
„вторую"... Ми забули, хто ми є. Поляк знає, що він поляк. І німець знає, що він німець, латиш знає, і
фін знає, а ми - „какая разніца". Українці, хто вас зазомбував? Нащо нам І вороги? Ми самі вороги''
(Іван Драч). І Огляньмося навколо і прислухаймося. І Діти України не знають, що робити з її
найбільшим дарунком Божим - Волею. І для багатьох це непотрібний дарунок. І ступивши на дорогу
випробувань, і застогнали точнісінько так, як стогнали і ті, кого Мойсей вів з єгипетського полону.
Невже рабство таке живуче і солодке?! Категорично не сприймаю урядовців, які звертаються до
українських громадян мовою чужої країни.
Не можу збагнути тих „народних" депутатів, які склавши присягу на вірність Україні, українській
Конституції, не дотримуються цієї присяги. Не можу збагнути тих росіян, які обрали своєю
батьківщиною Україну, але не поважають її народ, його мову, культуру. Адже українці, де б вони не
жили, в яку країну їх доля не занесла, поважають закони і звичаї тієї країни. Є святе правило
цивілізації: „Наслідуй говірку краю, якщо прийшов туди з добром і миром". Якже це так, знають
англійську, німецьку, французьку, японську мови, а українська ніяк не дається російськомовному
населенню.
Населення України на 80% складається з етнічних українців. Якщо вони заговорять рідною мовою, то
відновиться національне біополе. „Рідна" від слова „рід", тобто всі попередні покоління. Комплекс:
"рідна" мати, "рідний" батько, "рідна" земля, "рідний" край розірваний, бо відсутня "рідна" мова. Тому
українці такі слабкі і нещасні, перестали розуміти один одного, їм важко планувати спільні дії. Чужа
мова руйнує цілісність національного біополя, підриває його життєспроможність. Саме тому могутні
держави дбають про збереження власної мови. Настав час цю істину зрозуміти й українцям. До такого
висновку дійшли працівники Інституту метафізичних досліджень і його директор І. Каганець.
Читаймо, українці, то звідаємо те, у чому наша сила, і відродимось. Читаймо Шевченка! Дух його
творів і нині повинен тримати нас. Місце Шевченка сьогодні не стільки на покуті у вишитому рушничку і
„Кобзар" на полиці, як у серцях і головах наших. Він Пророк, Великий Патріот! Незрівнянно
геніальніший від кожного з нас! Його „Кобзар" для нас, як Євангеліє, як слово Христа до християн.
Прочитаймо уважно такий довгий заголовок лише одного твору і постараймось збагнути суть: „І
мертвим, і живим, і ненародженим землякам моїм в Украйні і не в Украйні моє дружнє посланіє".
Помітили, що перед нами апостольське послання до українців, як Павлове до римлян, коринфян,
солунян..., що це Об'явлення, в якому застереження нас од катастрофи. Шевченко передбачив, що
„гірше ляха" розіпнуть Україну „свої діти". Він підкреслив, що у нашій біді винні насамперед ми, ота
„братія", що „мовчить собі, витріщивши очі!" Будьмо гідними "слова Тарасового, долучімо до його
любові до України свої серця і пам'ятаймо, „хто ми і чиї ми діти". Робімо все, щоб українська мова була
престижною, пишаймося наший, рідним, українським. Чуже берімо, але своє вознесімо!
Ми - країна українців, усім іншим націям ми раді і поважаємо їх, вони, живуть у нашій хаті, тож хай не
забувають, що господарями на цій землі є все ж таки українці.
Галина Медведчук - Провідний науковий співробітник Державного історико-культурного заповідника
„Меджибіж", лауреат обласних премій ім.Т.Шевченка ім.К.Широцького. 30 березня 2006 року.
(Інтернет Сайт – Гарбуз)
11
(Наталія Петрівна – Науково - Техічна Бібліотека)
(English Version – ‘Welcome to Ukraine’)
Історія зберегла імена жінок, які полонили серце Тараса. Незавжди почуття поета лишали слід у
поезії. Але ж і сказати, що жінки і світлі почуття до них не відіграли значної ролі в житті і творчості
Шевченка - це, значить, погрішити проти істини.
Першим сильним почуттям Тараса було його дитяче кохання до Оксани Коваленко. Вона стала
Шевченковою Беатріче, а її особиста трагічна доля стала трагедією його серця. У віршах, присвячених
Оксані, ''Мені тринадцятий минало'', ''Ми вкупочці росли'', ''Не молилася за мене'', створених на
засланні, доторкаємося до особисто пережитого Шевченком.
Shevchenko knew Maryana whose real name was Oksana Kovalenko since childhood. It was she who
in later years became his first love. For Shevchenko she must have been what Beatrice was for Dante
— she inspired him to write poetry. Oksana was of a short stature, curly-haired, gentle and full of
cheer; whenever they met, she shared this cheer with Shevchenko who preserved the memory of this
girl for all his life. It is not known for sure why he called her Maryana in his poetry but this name
features in many of his poetic works. The image of Oksana was an inspiration for him for many years
and served as a sort of benchmark against which he measured other women he met in later life.
Кохання до вільної дівчини, чорнобрової Дуні Гусиківської, розбилося об пута кріпацтва. Будучи
студентом Академії мистецтв у Петербурзі, Шевченко переживає захоплення Амалією Клоберг,
дівчиною-натурницею, яку вивів під ім'ям Паші в повісті ''Художник''.
Закохане серце Варвари Рєпніної, дочки російського державного
діяча, відчуло великий поетичний талант Шевченка. Княжна
першою назвала його генієм нехтуючи людськими забобонами,
сміливо простягла руку через соціальну безодню між нею і
поетом. Чи соціальна нерівність, чи відсутність справжнього
почуття з боку Шевченка стали на шляху до поєднання його долі з
долею В. Рєпніної? Ця таємниця назавжди схована в їхніх серцях.
Але вже той факт, що Шевченко подарував їй свій автопортрет,
присвятив поему російською мовою ''Тризна'', є свідченням
глибокої симпатії до цієї неординарної жінки. Згодом вона стала
близьким другом, сестрою і сумлінням поета.
Varvara’s mother was the granddaughter of the last Hetman of
Ukraine, Kyryl Rozumovsky; her father was the once governor of
Malorosiya (Ukraine), Prince Mykola Repnin-Volkonsky. Varvara
Repnina was a woman of excellent education and of various
talents, one of which was the gift of creative writing. When she
met Shevchenko she was not slow to appreciate his talents. “I
know he is great and I want him to be always great. He is saintly, he is resplendent, I want him to
spread truth through the power of his incomparable talent — and I wish he could do it with my help,”
she wrote in a letter. She was 35 and he was 29. She fell in love deeply and she wanted to be his
muse but at the same time she wanted to “put him on a righteous way of living.” Shevchenko fancied
another woman, Hanna, at that time. He also resented Varvara’s lecturing him on his “having had too
much to drink at a party,” and yet he called her “my angel,” “my protectress”. In a letter to her, he
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confessed, “Oh my good angel, I pray and weep before you, you have confirmed my belief in the
existence of saints on this earth!” In his Poem “Trizna” (Funeral Feast), it was to her that he
addressed these words, “It was for you/ That I surrendered my fetters,/ I worked a miracle/ Of turning
tears into words…” Varvara and Shevchenko remained friends and he kept corresponding with her
until his death.
''Ганні вродливій'' (так називав Тарас дружину полковника Платона
Закревського, власника села Березова Рудка, що на Полтавщині)
поет присвятив поему ''Слепая'', а також поезії ''Г.З.'' та ''Якби
зустрілися ми знову...'', своєму ''єдиному великому коханню''. В цих
віршах і відвертість, і щедрість серця поета, і шляхетність почуття, і
зрілість майстра слова. У рядках любові звучить біль самотності.
Зболене тугою любові серце зберегло чарівне почуття до заміжньої
жінки, ''свята чорнобривого''.
Hanna Zakrevska was the wife of Platon Zakrevsky, a squire, owner
of the village of Berezova Rudka in the Land of Poltavshchyna.
Shevchenko was enchanted by the beauty of Hanna and he got
himself invited to the Zakrevskys’ estate. He bitterly complained in
a letter that his visit had been delayed for a week by a snowstorm
and the absence of an overcoat warm enough to protect him from
the freezing temperatures. The Zakrevskys’ house and its wing,
where Shevchenko stayed, survive today. Shevchenko not only
painted a portrait, he wrote verses dedicated to Hanna: “You are
like the glow/ That rises from the mist/ Above the sea/ At dawn…
Під час перших відвідин України, у Кирилівцях Шевченку сподобалась донька попа Григорія Кошиці –
Феодосія. Після того, як Тарас отримав посаду у Київському університеті, він вирішив одружитись і
влаштувати своє особисте життя. Приїхав він на храмове свято свататися, але батькам Шевченко не
сподобався і отримав гарбуза. Молода попівна не наважилася йти проти волі батьків, невдовзі
збожеволіла і в 1884 році померла.
Зрозуміти і всім серцем підтримати Тараса Григоровича у
далекому
засланні
змогла
дружина
коменданта
Новопетровського укріплення Ускова Агата Омелянівна. В листі
до Залеського (10 лютого 1855 р.) він писав: ''Я полюбил ее
возвышенно, чисто, всем сердцем и всей благодарною моей
душой. Не допускай, друже мой, и тени чего-либо порочного в
непорочной любви моей''. На жаль, місцеві плітки порушили
безпосередність цих взаємин, а але й у наступні роки вони
підтримували дружні стосунки.
The years spent in very harsh conditions in exile, aged
Shevchenko physically but his soul remained young and eager
for love. He hankered for beauty and was overjoyed when he
met one. Shevchenko painted several portraits of Agata
Uskova, the wife of the commandant of a fort — a beautiful
woman of great civility and charm, mother of three children.
Shevchenko portrayed her, her children and her husband. His
love for her seems to have remained unrequited. Shevchenko
insisted that he loved her “with all his heart…and there was absolutely nothing sinful in that love, my
love was chaste and pure.”
13
Після всього пережитого на засланні почуття самотності ще
більше заполонило душу Кобзаря, і він остаточно наважився
одружитися. В дорозі до Петербурга і Москви обставини змусили
Тараса Григоровича зупинитись у Нижньому Новгороді. Він дуже
швидко знайомиться з оточенням, зокрема, з молодою і дуже
вродливою
16-річною
артисткою
Катрусею
Піуновою.
Закохавшись, Шевченко попросив батьків віддати за нього дочку.
Мати намагалася довести, що Катруся ще дитина, а Шевченко
значно старший, щоб пом'якшити відмову. Змучений самотністю,
поет мріє про пару. Боляче і сумно перегортати сторінки останніх
його романів.
The portrait of Kateryna Piunova was painted when Kateryna was
seventeen and Shevchenko was forty four years of age. In the
portrait, Kateryna, whom Shevchenko happened to befriend, is
wearing a blue dress and a red flower in the luxuriant dark hair.
Kateryna was an actress of a theater in the town of Nizhny
Novgorod. Friendship on his part developed into a fully-fledged love. He proposed — but was turned
down, the difference in age probably being the main reason for rejection.
Коли із Петербурга їхав на рідну Україну, щоб купити садибу,
пошукати наречену, затримався на кілька днів у Москві, де
відвідав родину Максимовичів. Там Шевченко і познайомився
з його молодою дружиною Марією, якій того ж вечора
подарував автограф одного з найкращих своїх ліричних
віршів “Садок вишневий коло хати”.
Тарас Шевченко і Марія Максимович листувалися. Поет
навіть в одному з листів вислав їй своє перше фото. Ось
кілька фраз із листа Тараса до Марії.
“Спасибі вам, моє серденько, що ви мене згадуєте і не
забуваєте моєї просьби".
“Мій любий, мій єдиний друже! Спасибі вам, моє серденько,
за ваше щире, ласкаве письмо... Утекти хіба нищечком до
вас та одружитись у вас і заховаться".
Уже на Україні Шевченко після відвідування Максимовичів
пише поему „Марія". І Варвара Рєпніна і Марія Максимович
мріяли назватися Тарасовою дружиною. Вони не тільки
ронили “одну сльозу", читаючи його натхненні твори, а й
пішли б за ним і на Сибір.
(Ірина Соколова)
“If I had a wife like that, I’d be ready to die in peace,” said Shevchenko of Mariya Maksymovych, the
wife of Mykhailo Maksymovych, the first president of the newly opened University of St Volodymyr in
Kyiv. Mariya was half the age of her husband. Her looks charmed both the poet and the artist in
Shevchenko. Her portrait done by Shevchenko in pencil, seems to have been created at one sitting
by a greatly inspired Shevchenko. He emphasized the nobility of her appearance, but made her wear
a traditional Ukrainian dress, with a necklace around her neck and a translucent veil over her
elaborately done hair. One of Shevchenko’s poems is called “Mariya” but it is difficult to say whether
it was Mariya Maksymovych who was the source of inspiration for it.
14
Молода, свіжа, не дуже красива, зате з чудовим русявим
волоссям, тонка у стані Ликера зачарувала його. Ця
зовнішність приховувала звичайне самолюбство, лінощі,
жадобу до подарунків. Але закоханий не бачить темних плям
на сонці свого кохання.
Нареченій шили посаг, а Шевченко старанно готувався до
весілля, до сімейного життя. Навіть сповіщає свого родича
Варфоломія, що прийде до нього в гості з жінкою-сиротою і
наймичкою. Та не судилося. Розрив трапився через
дріб`язкову сварку. Втрачене вже неможливо було повернути,
не дається, видно, особисте щастя людям, покликаним
служити людству. Згодом вона виходить заміж за перукаря
Яковлева.
Тарас, який особливо вмів розважати жінок, після невдачі у
сватанні з Ликерою взагалі почав недружелюбно ставитися до
них. В душі поетовій поселяються біль і смуток за втраченими
ілюзіями, адже це була його остання спроба створити сім`ю,
про яку так довго і палко мріяв. Заповітна мрія стала
нездійсненною, як сон, про що з гіркотою пише Тарас Григорович у вірші, присвяченому Ликері.
Лише в 1904 році, по смерті свого пиячка-чоловіка, Лукерія Яковлєва-Полусмак, залишивши дітей в
Петербурзі, приїхала до Канева і щодня приходила на могилу Шевченка. Відвідуючи меморіал, у книзі
відгуків одного разу вона залишила розпачливий запис: ... травня 1905 року приїхала твоя Ликера,
твоя люба, мій друже. Подивись, подивись на мене, як я каюсь…". Але було вже запізно. Прикро, але
справжня народна слава і жіноча любов прийшли до Тараса Шевченка тільки після його смерті.
There was a woman in Shevchenko’s life who accepted Shevchenko’s proposal to be his wife. Her
name was Lykera Polusmak, and she was of Ukrainian descent. Lykera, a former serf and housemaid
at the household of a friend, was much younger than Shevchenko, and there is evidence that
suggests that had they married, it would not have been a happy marriage. Lykera admitted to her
friends that she did not love the poet who was “too old and not good looking, and too serious” for
her liking. She was light-headed and frivolous but very good-looking. The engagement was broken
several months before Shevchenko’s death. It is not known for sure what caused the split but it is
known that Shevchenko was very much upset by this failed attempt to have a family. At the early
stages of the romance Shevchenko expressed his feelings for Lykera in a portrait of her that he
painted and in poems that he wrote inspired by her. In one of the poems, “Lykeriyi” (“To Lykeriya”)
he wrote: “I’ll build a house,/ I’ll plant a garden I’ll take a nap in the garden… /And in my dreams
you’ll come to me…”
Lykera married a hairdresser and lived for some time in the village of Tsarskoye Selo near St
Petersburg. In 1904 she moved to Kaniv in Ukraine, a town on the outskirts of which Shevchenko had
been buried, and was seen regularly visiting his grave.
А серце поета переповнюють біль, розпач, безнадія від усвідомлення страшної, всепоглинаючої
самотності. У поетичних рядках відчуваємо радість кохання і крах надій, невимовний душевний біль.
Любовні поезії сумні, а подекуди й трагічні, як і його доля. Та навіки залишився з нами той, ''хто зробив
своє велике діло, хто не зазнав щастя живим і кого ждало інше щастя вже по смерті, тяжко зароблене
щастя, безсмертне слово во віки і віки...''
15
BAKING BABKA WITHOUT BABA
(by Lidia Wasylyn - UCWLC Magazine Наша Дорога – March 2010)
Below is a recipe for a babka and paska I developed for my bread machine. It is a huge timesaver requiring
much less elbow grease than traditional methods. The recipe makes 2-3 medium-sized loaves, enough for
today’s family. And what’s really wonderful is that the end product is one you can be proud of! While never a
substitute for mama’s or babtsia’s beautiful baking, I offer readers this simplified, contemporary version of our
Ukrainian Easter breads. Smachnoho!
Lidia's Bread Machine Babka
1/4 cup lukewarm water + ½ cup warm milk
3 whole eggs + 2 egg yolks at room temperature, well beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
3-3/4 cups white flour
2/3 cup white sugar
½ cup softened, unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon orange or lemon rind or a combination of the two
1 tablespoon + ¼ teaspoon dry yeast for bread machines.
Put ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturer’s directions; however, generally put in the wet
ingredients first followed by the dry. The yeast goes in last.
Combine the water, milk, beaten eggs and yolks, salt and extracts in the mixing tub in the machine.
Add the flour, sugar, unsalted butter and rind. Top off with yeast. Set the bread machine on the dough cycle.
Prepare baking tins or cans. Spray insides with PAM (cooking spray) then butter the insides with some
unsalted butter. Line the tins with wax paper if that is your practice and spray again.
Crack an egg into a small dish; beat well with a teaspoon of water and bring to room temperature. You will
use this to glaze your babka before baking.
When the dough cycle is complete, remove the dough and divide among baking tins.
Let the dough rise until about double in size.
Preheat oven to 350o F. Brush the beaten egg over the top of each babka. Bake for about 15 minutes. Turn
temperature down to 325o and bake for about 30-40 minutes more. If the tops start to darken too much,
cover the babkas with aluminum foil and continue to bake. The babkas will be done when they sound hollow
when lightly tapped.
Let the babkas cool in the tins on a wire rack for no more than 5-10 minutes and then gently remove and lay
them on their sides on a clean kitchen towel set over the wire rack.
Decorate with a sugar glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of liquid such as lemon juice or
rum to make a thick, spreadable paste.
Paska variation: Increase salt to 1 teaspoon; reduce sugar to ¼ cup. Decorate paska with traditional dough
designs – braids, leaves, crosses and rosettes.
16
У нашім раї на землі
Нічого кращого немає,
Як тая мати молодая
З своїм дитяточком малим.
(Тарас Шевченко)
The sweetest sounds to mortals given
Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.
(William Goldsmith Brown)
I remember the day they entered my life. They brought gifts of love, joy confusion, challenge and
humour. I committed myself to guiding them along the paths to success and happiness. Now they have
evolved to maturity and welcomed their own children to the adventure we call life. As for me, my roles
have changed to adviser, comforter, baby sitter, referee and playmate.
I offer wisdom as I have been where they are going. I am a caretaker, a keeper of the flame of family
traditions. I am a historian sharing memories of ancestors who had paved the way. I can turn a
refrigerator door into an ‘art gallery’ and family chores into ‘fun filled activities’. I offer a lap that is
always availablel, ears that listen carefully with understanding, a voice that encourages, eyes that see
accomplishments and humour that lightens tense situations. Where others just see small bodies, I see
gigantic potential that will lead to greatness. Where there are tears I offer hugs. Where there are
‘homemade’ jokes I offer laughter. I love being invited to tea parties with stuffed animals. I stimulate
dreams with bedtime stories.
I am a
GRANDPARENT
(Excerpt from ‘Gifts by the Side of the Road’ by John Wayne ‘Jack’ Schlatter
17
the problem with criticism
When we speak angrily in negative criticism about a person, we attack that person's greatest
strength, or gift, to hide that very wrong or flaw in ourselves.
"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own
eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank
is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:3-5)
The problem with criticism is that it challenges our sense of value. Criticism implies judgment and we all
recoil from feeling judged. Threats to our esteem in the eyes of others are so potent they can literally feel like
threats to our very survival. The conundrum is that feedback is necessary. It's the primary means by which
we learn and grow. So what's the best way to deliver it in a way that it provides the greatest value?
1. The first mistake we often make is giving feedback when we are feeling that our own value is at risk.
That's a recipe for disaster, and it happens far more commonly than we think, or are aware. If we're feeling
threatened or diminished by another person's perceived shortcomings, providing "constructive criticism"
becomes secondary to getting our value back. We're more likely to be reactive, insensitive and even hurtful.
If it's about us, it's not truly about them. Any time we provide feedback with the goal of getting someone to
better meet our needs, rather than being responsive to theirs, it's unlikely to prompt the desired outcome. A
classic example is the parent who confuses his own worth with his child's performance, and reacts to the
child's missteps with harshness and judgment rather than sensitivity and compassion.
2. The second mistake we make in giving feedback is failing to hold the other person's value in the process.
Even the most well-intentioned criticism will, more often than not, prompt us to feel our value is at risk, and
under attack. When that happens, the primal impulse is to defend ourselves. The more the person you are
criticizing feels compelled to defend her value, the less capable she becomes of absorbing what she's
hearing.
3. The third mistake we make is to assume that we're right about whatever it is we're inclined to say. Like
lawyers, we take a series of facts and weave them together into a story that supports and justifies the case
we're seeking to make. The problem is that our stories aren't necessarily true. They're simply one
interpretation of the facts. It makes much more sense to think about offering feedback in a spirit of humble
exploration rather than declaration, dialogue rather than monologue, curiosity rather than certainty.
Ultimately, we'd be better off eliminating concepts like "feedback" and "constructive criticism" from our
lexicons altogether. They're polarizing, and mostly destructive. We need to think of these interchanges
instead as opportunities for honest inquiry and genuine learning.
(By Tony Schwartz - best-selling author and professional speaker)
18
How to Accept Criticism with Grace and Appreciation:
Stop Your First Reaction - If your first reaction is to lash back at the person giving the criticism, or to
become defensive, take a minute before reacting at all. Take a deep breath, and give it a little thought.That
cooling off time allows me to give it a little more thought beyond my initial reaction. It allows logic to step in,
past the emotion.
Turn a Negative into a Positive - Find positive things in things that most people see as a negative.
Sickness forces me to stop my exercise program? That’s a welcome rest. Tired of my job? That’s a time to
rediscover what’s important and to look for a better job. You can do the same thing with criticism: find the
positive in it. Sure, it may be rude and mean, but in most criticism, you can find a nugget of gold: honest
feedback and a suggestion for improvement.
For example, this criticism: “You write about the same things over and over and your posts are boring and
stale” can be read: “I need to increase the variety of my posts and find new ways of looking at old things.”
Thank the Critic - Even if someone is harsh and rude, thank them. They might have been having a bad day,
or maybe they’re just a negative person in general. But even so, your attitude of gratitude will probably catch
them off-guard. And even if the critic doesn’t take your “thank you” in a good way, it’s still good to do — for
yourself. It’s a way of keeping yourself humble.
Learn from the Criticism - After seeing criticism in a positive light, and thanking the critic, actually try to
improve.That’s a difficult concept for some people, because they often think that they’re right no matter what.
But no one is always right. So see if there’s something you can change to make yourself better.
Be the Better Person - Too many times we take criticism as a personal attack, as an insult to who we are.
Take it as a criticism of your actions, not your person. If you do that, you can detach yourself from the
criticism emotionally and see what should be done. If you can rise above the petty insults and attacks, and
respond in a calm and positive manner to the meat of the criticism, you will be the better person. (Excerpts
from Leo Babauta – Creator of Zen Habits)
What's Wrong with Change? The number one reason for
resistance to change is fear. None of us want to
acknowledge that we doubt our ability to integrate new
ideas, use new technology, or adapt to new organisations.
We know that we won't be quite as proficient at our tasks
while we're in the process of learning to do things a new
way. We may not know what the future will bring, but we
are responsible for what we bring to the future.
The more we fight and resist the change, the more painful
and frightening the changes will be. Resisting doesn't keep
a new idea from taking hold; it simply makes the process
longer and more painful. Change will happen no matter
what. We will handle it better when we learn to move with
the change - not against it.
Many people are content to live their lives by playing it safe. They might be good at giving all the bestsounding reasons why this particular change is not right for the department, the organisation, the team, or the
customer. However, their underlying concern may be their fear about how the change will affect them - their
job
their
lives.
(Excerpts
from
Connie
Podesta
author,
counsellor,
educator)
19
IMPORTANT DATE FOR your CALENDAR
UCWLA – SYDNEY BRANCH - FORUM
‘HUMAN TRAFFICKING’
SUNDAY, 17TH JUNE 2012
St Andrew’s Church Hall
57 Church Street
Lidcombe
Starting with light lunch at 12.00 noon
Finishing approx. 5.00 pm
SPEAKERS: Sr Noelene Simmons sm
Jennifer Burn – Anti Slavery Australia
Sr Margaret Ng rsj
FAIR TRADE SALE
(Goods made by women who have avoided,
or are recovering from trafficking)
More information in Winter Issue of ‘In Touch’
20
UCWLA MISSION STATEMENT:
The Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League Australia is committed to the
mission of the Church and to the nurturing of our cultural heritage. It is
dedicated to providing the resources and ongoing spiritual support,
education and development of its members to realise their own
vocation and live a Christian life as contributing members of Church
and society.
UCWLA MOTTO: “FOR GOD AND PEOPLE”
On behalf of the Executive Committee we would like to thank ALL our members for being part of the
Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League Australia, as well as Bishop Peter, Priests and Bascilian
Sisters for their support and encouragement.
Even if you are unable to be active members for various reasons, we are grateful for your
membership and cherish and pray for each one of you. One way that all members can support the
UCWLA is by your prayers so that we are able to carry out our mission with joy and enthusiasm.
Please encourage your family and friends to join our ranks so that we can continue to live Jesus’
Gospel message of faith, love and evangelisation.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Minutes Secretary and Archives
Treasurer
Spiritual Programme Officers
Welfare
Events Co-Ordinator
Internal Publicity Officer
Media Liaison
Editor “In Touch”
Olya Chochula
Helen Kuzyk
Marika Huopainen
Anna Jacenko
Trish Coltan
Olya Chochula, Anna Parasyn
Ivanka Garan, Anna Parasyn
Olga Kovas
Marie Kuzyl
Olya Chochula
Anna Parasyn
21