Analysis Of The Hero's Journey By Joseph Campbell

In “The Hero’s Journey,” Lynne Milurn produces a Campbellian overview of monomyth. Joseph Campbell outlines the fundamental stages or arrangement of narrative followed in a wide variety of myth and other texts in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell breaks stories in mythology into three stages called Separation, Initiation and Return in which the Hero gains some form of wisdom or new understanding that changes them in a profound way. I experienced my own Hero’s Journey on a trip to Philadelphia’s Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception during which I recognized what was missing in my life. While we are overly concerned with the trivialities of our apprehension, it is hard for us to recognize what we are missing in our

The current cathedral was not the original cathedral on the site. The original structure was a Baptist Church purchased by Bishop Soter Stephen Ortynsky, the first bishop of all Byzantine Catholics in North America. The cathedral that stands today was built in 1966 and was designed by Julian K. Jastremsky, a well-known Ukrainian architect. Jastremsky modeled the Ukrainian Cathedral after the Hagia Sophia, a formerly Greek Orthodox church in Constantinople. Upon entering, the most prominent feature is the Iconostas, a large structure that serves to separate the main place of worship, or the Nave, from the sanctuary. This particular Iconostas features on the Royal Doors the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel brought the Gospel of the Immaculate Conception. The Iconostas also shows depicts the Gospel writers St. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. After leaving the church lobby and entering the body of the church, worshippers are continually impressed by the Cathedral’s central dome. The dome portrays an impressive mosaic of the Pantocrator, or Christ, the Almighty ruler. The dome sits atop 32 windows, each representing the coat of arms of the regions of Ukraine as well as the Popes, bishops, and religious orders that organized the Ukrainian sect of the Byzantine Catholic Church. Each architectural element or portrait in the Cathedral

In this case, the call manifested itself in the form of an assigned project, which would allow me to connect to my spiritual identity. As a non-denominational Christian, I was fascinated with Catholicism, yet repelled by my unfamiliarity with the practices of the Catholic Church. This fact, paired with my walk in solitude made me apprehensive to cross the threshold of the Cathedral doors. However, my pedantry pushed me along on my journey as I was reminded that I must complete the assignment. Upon reaching the cathedral, I was beckoned by a Sister waiting outside of the doors. She put her hand on my back and gently guided me through the church doors as she sensed my apprehension and reluctance. As I entered, I was taken aback by the beauty and ornament of the church. I positioned myself in an empty back pew as to allow for observation of the other worshippers. As the Byzantine service started, I quickly found myself falling into step and participating in the Divine Liturgy. My apprehensions fell away as I realized that the spiritual practices were not so unlike my own. I began to connect with my spiritual self, a part of my being that I regrettably ignored for an extended period of time. The Rector of the cathedral, Rev. Ivan Demkiv called all of the children to the altar in preparation to receive a blessing for the new school year. As I quietly sat in my pew, watching as the children made their way down the