Sunday Divine Liturgy

By Brian Cronin

ORLANDO, Fla. Father Sal Pignato, the priest at St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church, declares in his homily the significance of Jesus Christ as our savior as we continue to struggle in the tough economic times as Jesus struggled in the last days of his life.

“Bring your failures to the altar; Jesus will dissolve them, for when you receive the Holy Eucharist you accept Christ as your savior.”

The Divine Liturgy was presented to a crowd of 80 in St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church. The Divine Liturgy is the mystery of the Eucharist, the unbloody sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The purpose of the event is to prepare for the death of Jesus this being the forth Sunday of lent.

In 1984, Fr. Pignato was assigned the second pastor of St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church. In 1991, the church went from mission status to being a full fledge church. Today the church is a haven for travelers near and far because it is in a heavily populated tourist area, 5135 Sand Lake Rd. next to all the attractions.

Marcia Klinock, from Pennsylvania, says, “I am so happy my family and I have a place to worship while we are on vacation.” Then, Andrew Williams said, “My heart and soul is filled with happiness. The mystery and sacredness of the worship is why I go.”

The Divine Liturgy is free and open to the public every Saturday night at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.. The crowd was very calm and everyone departed with a smile on their face.

Fr. Pignato said, “We invite everyone to steep themselves in apostolic tradition and ancient liturgy and to be graced by the presence of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We invite everyone to celebrate with us the mystery of the Eucharist of the Byzantine Catholic Church.