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St. Philip’s Fast – Pilipiwka
St. Philip’s Fast is a time to prepare us to receive Christ into the world and into our hearts.
On each Sunday of the Fast in our Ukrainian Catholic Church we celebrate a different
figure who has helped to show us the way.

• (Sunday, November 13) The first holy person we encounter is the Evangelist St.
Matthew whose feast is celebrated on November 16. St. Matthew is the first
Evangelist to give us the infancy narratives in the Gospels, the first to announce the
“Good News” of salvation. He begins us on our journey.
• (Sunday, November 20) We celebrate the entrance of the Theotokos (The God
bearer – Mary) into the temple on November 21. Mary goes into the Temple to
prepare her heart for God. She is the Temple where the Son of God will make His
home until His birth. She shows us how to be true servants of the Lord so that we
may also become worthy dwelling places for our Saviour.
• (Sunday, November 27) St. Andrew who is celebrated on November 30, was the first
apostle called by Jesus. Tradition tells us that he travelled to Slavic territories to bring
the light of Christ’s message to the Slavic people. He encourages us to be the
bearers of the light of Jesus to others.
• (Sunday, December 4) The Feast of St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker, is on
December 6. The story of this Saint is well known. St. Nicholas’ life is an example to
us all of preparing our hearts by doing loving acts for one another.
• (Sunday, December 11) This week we commemorate the ancestors of our faith; the
great men and women of the Bible who kept the promise of the Messiah alive through
the ages; the prophets, and we especially admire the Prophet Daniel and the faith
and courage of the three children who went into the fiery furnace. They teach us to
be courageous in our faith.
• (Sunday, December 18) This week, we remember the ancestors of Jesus. These
holy people waited and prayed with hope in their hearts that God would send the
promised Saviour to the world. They remind us to wait for the Saviour with hope in
our hearts.