oday we celebrate our excellent teachers. "Teachers Appreciation Week". We thank our teachers for their endless love, dedication, for believing in us, and for pushing us hard to be and do the best we can. We know that you teach not because you have a profession, but because you have a vocation to be our teacher and enjoy it. The best teachers teach from the heart not from the book. Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions. A teacher is like Spring, Who nurtures new green sprouts, Encourages and leads them, Whenever they have doubts. A teacher is like summer, whose sunny temperament makes studying a pleasure, preventing discontent. A teacher is like fall, with methods crisp and clear, Lessons of bright colors and a happy atmosphere. A teacher is like winter, while it's snowing hard outside, Keeping students comfortable, as a warm and helpful guide. Teacher, you do all these things, with a pleasant attitude; you’re a teacher for all seasons, and you have our gratitude! May God bless you and reward you for all you do for each and every one of us, Missing on the picture: Pani Olesya, Ms Max, Pani Oksana and Mr. O.

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Our St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Parish welcomed 13 children ready to enter more deeply into the life of our parish Community through the Sacrament of First Confession and Solemn or First Eucharist. Let us pray thanking God for the lives of these children and the commitment made by their parents during these years of preparation for Holy Communion, that, beginning today, they may bravely, enthusiastically and perseveringly testify to their faith in Jesus, whom they receive. May Jesus bless, protect and lead them as they journey to the Father.

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CONGRATULATIONS to our 8th Grade students for their outstanding performance on the Catholic Math League Pre-Algebra exams nationwide and by division. Our 8th grade class ranked #10 among all other participating Catholic schools nationwide. Stefan Andruch ranked #7 individually overall nationwide. Division #5 nationwide, our school ranked #1. Stefan Andruch and Christina Banya ranked #1 and #4 respectively among all participants in this division. Thank you, Pani Tetyana Fedak, for the excellent preparation you give our students. Thank you to the parents for your support and commitment to a Catholic education and thank you 8th graders, for striving for excellence and making all of us proud!

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Congratulations to our 8th graders at St. Nicholas who scored in the 90th percentile nationally on the High School Placement Test (HSPT) in November. Pictured are (seating) Stefan Andruch (left to right) Khrystyna Kovtun, Victoria Skala and Christina Banya. Seated are ELA and Math teachers Mrs. Mrs. Sonia Lechicky and Tetyana Fedak.

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Catholic Schools Week – January, 28th 2017 – Divine Liturgy

As we gather as one family I invite you to lift up your voices in prayer. Jesus’ call to follow Him is not a call to close ourselves, but the opposite, go out, meet and serve others. Share what we have, support and help those that are in need. We are called to go out and bring Jesus to others. Let us pray that we have the strength to carry out Christ’s call. Today is the start of National Catholic Schools Week, the theme, Catholic Schools “Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service,” will focus on the value that Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to the Church, local communities and the nation.

At this Divine Liturgy: We pray for our civic leaders that they recognize the needs of all the people they serve;

We pray for our students that they can trust God to help them overcome the hurdles that life gives them so nothing holds them back from learning and being the best they can be.

We pray for those in Catholic Schools, that united they can bring forth many gifts that God has given them to serve the school community and the community around them.

We pray for vocations, vocations to the Priesthood and Vocations to Religious Life. That all baptized be open to the vocation which God calls them, so that their vocation can take root and grow.

We pray for teachers, who each day ask God to lead them so that they can help those they teach find their best selves in all aspects of their lives.

And we pray for families, that they may live as in the loving patronage of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. That they may together be rich in virtue and serve as a school of Wisdom.

Also, we pray and we are grateful to all those who through their prayers, support and generosity help us to provide a Catholic Education. We are grateful beyond words for your sacrifice. Many of you are benefactors to the school, donating money, materials, time and prayers in support of the school.

Let us stand and welcome our students, faculty and our celebrant pastor and administrator Rev. Fr. Andriy.

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Today January 30th, during this Divine Liturgy, at SNUCS we start National Catholic Schools Week. The theme, “Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service,” will focus on the value that Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to the Catholic Church, local communities and the nation.

First of all, Catholic schools are communities of faith, where we proudly teach students about God. Catholic school students openly pray and worship God on a daily basis. Classroom prayers and regular Divine Liturgy form the minds, hearts and souls of students, helping them to live as committed Christian disciples.

The second characteristic from the theme of National Catholic Schools Week is that Catholic schools are communities of knowledge. As Catholics, we believe that there is no conflict between faith and knowledge. The Catholic intellectual tradition shows us that faith and knowledge each illuminate the other and allow us to pursue truth and reason without fear, because God is the source of all knowledge and truth. Catholic schools educate the whole child, mind, spirit and body.

Catholic schools are communities of faith, knowledge and service. Service is the key to the Christian life, because when Jesus called the disciples, he immediately gave them work to do—fishing for people—and an example to follow—he tough, preached, healed and served. Service is an expression of love and care, and service is an integral part of the life of our school.

We are grateful to all those who through their prayers, support and generosity help us to provide a Catholic Education. We are grateful beyond words for your sacrifice. During this week we pray and we celebrate something special. Sunday - Our Parish; Monday - Our Community; Tuesday - Our Students Wednesday - Our Nation; Thursday - Our Vocations; Friday - Our Faculty, Staff and Volunteers; Saturday - Our Families

I invite you to pray for our Catholic school and its children, parents, staff, benefactors and volunteers. Many of you are benefactors to the school, donating money, materials, time and prayers in support of the school. As we come to the Lord in the Eucharist today, let’s be mindful of Jesus’ call to follow him, to become fishers of people. Jesus asks us not only to follow, but to imitate him, and to take up the tasks of teaching, preaching and healing.

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On September 11, parents joined us for the 9/11 Prayer Service at the beginning of the day. The prayer Service, prepared by Religion teacher Sr. Cecelia Sworin, SSMI, was focused on Peace. Students, teachers, and parents present prayed for Peace in Syria and especially in our motherland Ukraine. Prayers were also offered for the soul of Officer John Skala, who was a parishioner of St. Nicholas and, following the words of Jesus “Love one another as I have loved you,” gave his life saving others that unforgettable day. Our grade 6 students led our school in singing the Prayer of St. Francis: “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace”

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On Sunday, September 21, 2014, the 8th grade class of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School in Passaic, NJ – along with some friends from the younger classes - happily got wet at the Parish Festival while raising funds to help soldiers in Ukraine.

Passersby at the Festival paid $5 for the chance to throw two balls at the target – a photo of Putin’s face – and dunk a student of Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School. The students raised $1,100. The funds raised are being forwarded to ODFFU for the purchase of 11 IFAK kits, as well as Combat Lifesaver training. These kits, along with the training, will help increase a soldier’s chance of surviving critical wounds when in the line of fire while defending eastern Ukraine.

The next day, the 8th graders recorded supportive video messages in Ukrainian, Polish, English, and Spanish to be sent to the troops in Ukraine. The students and faculty of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School sang the Ukrainian national anthem, ending with “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!”

В неділю, 21-го вересня, 2014 року, учні 8-го класу Української Католицької Школи Святого Миколая, що знаходиться в місті Пассейк, штат Нью Джерсі, США, разом із багатьма завзятими школярами молодших класів, з великим задоволенням занурювалися в бак з водою під час парафіяльному фесивалю, збираючи кошти на підтримку Української армії.

Гості фестивалю мали можливість за $5 зіграти в ігру "Попади в ціль", кидаючи по 2 невеличкі м'ячі в спеціальну мішень - фотографію із зображенням Путіна, при попаданні в яку учень-восьмикласник занурювався в бак наповнений водою. Таким чином, школярі зібрали кошти сумою $1100. Усі зібрані кошти були передані до Організації Оборони Чотирьох Свобід України (ООЧСУ) для покупки 11 армійських аптечок першої медичної допомоги (IFAK) разом з військово-медичним інструктажем.

Ці аптечки та відповідні практичні заняття допоможуть бійцям зберегти своє життя при важких критичних пораненнях під час бойових дій на Сході України. Наступного дня восьмикласники також записали відеозвернення українською, польською, англійською, та іспанською мовами, яке буде надіслане украінським військовослужбовцям. Учні та вчителі Української Католицької Школи Святого Миколая заспівали Гімн України, завершивши його вигуками "Слава Україні! Героям Слава!"

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The National Catholic Schools Week, “Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service,” focused on the value that Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to the Catholic Church, local communities and the nation. First of all, Catholic schools are communities of faith, where we proudly teach students about God. Catholic school students openly pray and worship God on a daily basis. Classroom prayers and regular Divine Liturgy form the minds, hearts and souls of students, helping them to live as committed Christian disciples.

The second characteristic from the theme of National Catholic Schools Week is that Catholic schools are communities of knowledge. As Catholics, we believe that there is no conflict between faith and knowledge. The Catholic intellectual tradition shows us that faith and knowledge each illuminate the other and allow us to pursue truth and reason without fear, because God is the source of all knowledge and truth. Catholic schools educate the whole child, mind, spirit and body.

Catholic schools are communities of faith, knowledge and most importantly, service. Service is the key to the Christian life, because when Jesus called the disciples, he immediately gave them work to do - fishing for people - and an example to follow - he went about Galilee teaching, preaching and healing. Service is an expression of love and care, and service is an integral part of the life of our school.

Grade 7 - Miss Hruscik and her students share with us some of their comments about CWS: - “This was my first Catholic Schools Week, and I was excited for it. I was so happy to be able to spend the afternoons with the whole school enjoying fun activities! Planning a school-wide “Minute to Win It” event took a lot of planning, but it was worth it to see how much fun that the kids were having. The event was special because the kids were so excited, having fun, and working together! I’m so happy to be a part of a special school that is full of so much love and friendship! Now, I can’t wait until the next Catholic Schools Week!” - “Catholic schools week was fun because I got to be with friends and participate in fun activities. Although we missed two of the activities it still was fun being on the “game show” “Minute to Win It” and being able to pet a wolf! The activities were fun and you could tell the time and effort the teachers and principal put into organizing the activities. It was a very fun Catholic Schools Week and I thank all the people who took the time to set up the events.” - “CSW is something I look forward to every year. I enjoy getting to have fun with not just my friends but also with the kids I do not normally talk to. I appreciate all the hard work the teachers put in to this week so the students can have a blast. Catholic Schools Week is a great time to cheer on others, get comfortable, and even hang out with some exotic animals.” - “CSW was amazing. I thank many people, teachers, and students for their generosity to make the activities so much fun! I was really eager, excited, and nervous for it. I thought that it was going to be fun, but the week was more amazing than I imagined. To me, Catholic Schools Week means having fun, being thankful for everything we have, and to unite with the school.”

As part of Catholic Schools Week and in keeping with the theme “Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service,” the students of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School in Passaic, NJ held a “Socks for Ukrainian Soldiers” drive. They collected 419 pairs of socks, 50 hats, and 19 pairs of gloves, which will be sent to Ukraine by the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (OOL) as part of their “Zihriy Heroya” warm clothing drive. Along with the warm items, the students send their prayers for the soldiers and their families.

Our CSW daily was filled with activities as: Pajama and story day. Bring a friend for hot chocolate and desert. Minute to Win It. Movie day with socks, hats and gloves drive to the Ukrainian Soldiers and to end our week a Family Bing Night.

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Congratulations to 8th graders all of whom scored in the 90th percentile or above nationally in the following subjects: Math, Language arts or Reading. This means that 89% of our graduates this year have scored in the 90th percentile (or above), placing them in the top 10% of all students who took the COOP exam in the nation.

Congratulations to our students, their teachers – past and present - and their parents for all the dedication and hard work that went into this achievement. Students, we are so proud of you! God bless you with continued success in all your endeavors!