Before the eyes of the world, after a farcical series of pseudo referendums, Russian President Putin, violating all principles of international law, announced the annexation of four regions of Ukraine. Each of these regions is approximately the size of Massachusetts, and together they form 15% of Ukrainian territory that, before 2014, was home to 8.5 million Ukrainians.

We wholeheartedly and unconditionally condemn this escalation and codification of brutal Russian aggression and ask all people of good will to confirm and amplify their active spiritual and material solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Russian imperialistic colonialism, accompanied by gruesome war crimes, the killing of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, and the massive destruction of villages, towns, and cities, enslaves not only the general population but also its Churches and religious communities. The future of the Ukrainian Orthodox parishes, Eastern and Roman Catholic Churches, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim, and other communities of faith that stand up, as they have in unison, for truth and justice will be under a death sentence if these occupied territories of the Ukrainian state are not liberated.

Ukrainians who suffered repeated genocidal waves in the twentieth century with 15 million deaths caused by world wars and totalitarian regimes – both Soviet and Nazi – have no illusions about the consequence of Russian occupation. Every time in the eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, or twenty-first centuries when a Russian regime – imperialist, Soviet, or Putinist – annexes Ukrainian territory, the life of Ukrainian Catholics and Ukrainian Orthodox is suffocated. It can take time, or it can be rapid. The result is always the same. All faiths suffer along with the general population. The discovery of Russian atrocities in Bucha, Irpin, and most recently Izyum lay bare Russian genocidal intentions. It is incumbent on the free world to help the valiant Ukrainians who show inspiring courage to reject and reverse these heinous acts of state terrorism and neo-colonial gluttony.

Russia encompasses 11 time zones. In its imperial embrace it envelopes some 120 ethnic groups and nations. How much more can Russia consume? How much more human suffering will this colonialism cause? Russia is 28 times as big as Ukraine. With your help it will not get a 29th portion. African Americans will never be slaves again. Americans and Canadians will not be the colonial subjects of Great Britain. Algeria and Ivory Coast will never again be a colony of France. The Democratic Republic of the Congo will never be a satellite of Belgium, Mexico and Argentina of Spain, and Brazil of Portugal. 31 years ago, with an overwhelming 90% vote, Ukrainians decided that they will not be colonial slaves of Russia. Now they are defending their God-given freedom and dignity with their very lives.

It is time to renew and reinforce our prayer, advocacy, and aid in supporting the defense of democracy and Biblical truth in Ukraine and the world. We stand with David against the pretensions of Goliath. We stand with Christ the Crucified who always was close to the poor and marginalized. Who became a victim to save the victims of sin. We trust that the victims will not be abandoned by the powerful of the world and that God’s truth will prevail.

Ukraine, which in 1994 was the first country that unilaterally gave up its nuclear arsenal, is today threatened with nuclear weapons by the country that, through the Budapest Memorandum, guaranteed Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity. America was a signatory of this guarantee. The sacrifice of Ukrainians, their prophetic option for peace commands our solidarity.

Ukraine’s stance for and witness to peace is undeniable. Today it needs the world’s help to resist an unprovoked invasion. We encourage all people of goodwill to do their part.

Pray to the merciful Lord, advocate for the defense of the innocent, and help generously the millions of victims. 

In God we trust!

+ Borys Gudziak

Archbishop of Philadelphia for Ukrainians

Metropolitan of Ukrainian Catholics in the United States

+ Paul Chomnycky, OSBM

Eparch of Stamford

+ Вenedict Aleksiychuk

Eparch of St. Nicholas in Chicago

+ Bohdan J. Danylo

Eparch of St. Josaphat in Parma

+ Andriy Rabiy

Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia

“For your sake our Lord Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by  

his poverty you might become rich. It is appropriate for you who began not only to  

act but to act willingly last year: complete it now. Your surplus at the present time  

should supply their needs, so that their surplus may also supply your needs.”  

2 Cor. 8: 9-11, 13. 

December 2021 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

Glory to Jesus Christ!  

I thank you for your faithfulness in the arduous pandemic circumstances. I thank you because you reach out  to each other. You keep community prayer going. You welcome each other, and me, warmly in our parishes  and schools. You show how the Lord continues to encounter us. God comes to meet us in our real-life joys and  hardships. This is particularly true in Christmas and in the family celebrations and challenges that are before  us.  

All of humanity has suffered. Millions have died. Covid continues to rage in many counties, especially Ukraine.  Here in America, during the first year of the pandemic, our Metropolia lost 22 of approximately 300 clergy  and religious (not all from the coronavirus) — a mortality rate of 7% over twelve months during which we  had no new ordinations nor vocations to our religious orders.  

Last  year’s  Christmas  letter  identified  the  severe  clergy  shortage  as  the  single  greatest  obstacle  to  our  ministry. We all need and want priests to be in our parishes sharing our joys and be compassionately present  in our pain. Many of our priests have had little or no time off for years. We shared the hope of bringing new  clergy from Ukraine to address this dire need. 

Thank God, in the spring and summer, eight new missionaries — six priests, a subdeacon and a lay woman — arrived to begin serving in the Archeparchy, the culmination of almost two years of preparatory work. They  are open to God’s call and have an impressive range of talents. By now, many of you have met at least one of  them.  They  bolster  our  parishes  and  ministries,  gladly  facing  the  challenges  of  new  circumstances.  Their  presence is a blessing and a joy!  

Fathers Ruslan Borovyi, Andriy Chornopysky, Ihor Kolisnyk (CSsR), Yaroslav Lukavenko, Ostap Mykytchyn,  and Roman Oliinyk have served in over a dozen parishes throughout the Archeparchy substituting for pastors  wherever needed. Some have already embraced long-term assignments. Five of the six missionary priests are  husbands and fathers, and their families take active roles alongside them. Mariana Karapinka, along with the  married team of Halyna Vasylytsia and Deacon Andrii Rubel, work to transform and develop the Archeparchial  Communications Office.  Their  professional  output is  prodigious.  It is  recognized  by many  of  you  but  also  outside of our community, especially by our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters. I hope you enjoy following  news from various parishes and communities as much as I do. They are showing the personal and human side  of the Archeparchy, especially through the top-notch videos! 

A key development of the last months has been our Archeparchial Planning, part of the Pastoral Plan of the  global Ukrainian Catholic Church. The four Sobors (councils) conducted in 2019 and 2020 served to collect  your input on topics like communion and unity, catechesis, liturgy and prayer, and service to those in need.

They became the foundation of our first formal planning meetings in August 2021 and led to the creation of  four teams of more that 50 laity, religious, and priests who will ensure the implementation of financial, social,  and ministerial  strategies. These  four  teams are  responsible  for making  “the  rubber  hits  the  road.” These  intentions  will  not  remain  on  paper.  With  the  active  involvement  of  our  clergy,  religious,  and  laity,  the  carefully  recorded  desires  expressed  by  representatives  of  our  parishes  during  the  Sobors  are leading  to  action. 

All aspects of our Pastoral Plan are animated by your voices. The Archeparchy is yours. As Paul teaches, based  on the example of Jesus himself, my vocation as Metropolitan is to be a servant of servants, not an ecclesial or  secular CEO: “For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the  sake of Jesus” (2 Cor. 4:5). In this ministry, I need your help and you deserve to be informed. Transparency  and  frequent  communication  are  top  priorities.  The  Sobors,  the  Archeparchial  Planning,  The  Way are  all  conduits between the pews and the Chancery. I am asking that you follow our progress, especially by reading  The Way, and participate in every way possible. (If you are not on the electronic mailing list and would like to  receive The Way, please write to theway@ukrcap.org or call our chancery in Philadelphia (215) 627-0143) 

Allow me  to share with you a special request. Would you consider giving generously to our Christmas  Appeal  to  support  the ministry  of  our  new  priests  and  lay workers? Your  Christmas  donation will  be  doubled! A  generous  anonymous  donor  has  extended  his  pledge made  in  February  to match  every  donation for the new missionary project. 

The work  of  the new missionaries is  only a part  of  the Archeparchy’s activity. Our dedicated experienced  priests, with your help, have kept our parishes running despite formidable obstacles. We have established a  growing food pantry and social ministry bringing the light of Christ to the darkest corners of Philadelphia. Our  new Commission for Youth Ministry is headed by a wonderful laywoman from Philadelphia, Sofia Zacharczuk,  who at 28 became my new chief-of-staff and coordinator of the Archeparchy’s pastoral planning. We have a  new head of the Vocations Office in deacon Volodymyr Radko, who will be ordained a priest in February. We  have a new seminarian  from our Northampton parish, with  two others already in  formation, and 11 more  candidates  from  Ukraine  who  have  begun  a  year-long  virtual  preparation  program  to  come  to  our  Archeparchy. Please pray for them all! 

God draws souls to Himself especially in troubling times. New life is proof of this. A newborn child in the  harshest of circumstances gives us perspective and hope. Mary gave birth to Jesus in a den for animals,  not in a sparkling and sterile maternity ward. The manger, our Lord’s crib, was a trough  for livestock. The  challenges only mounted! Herod sought to kill the infant Jesus. The Holy Family became homeless refugees in  Egypt. The life of the Lord on earth began in dearth, dung, and danger…but He is the Son of God who brings  hope and salvation to the world! 

Soon we will celebrate God’s closeness in the Nativity. We will greet one another exclaiming CHRIST IS BORN!  God’s love never shies away from our hardships. Let us extend and multiply that divine gesture and continue  to reach out to each other. Please help the Archeparchy develop new missions serving those in need by giving  to the Christmas Appeal that this year will be generously matched one for one. I sincerely thank you for your  prayers, for your spiritual and material support. 

May the peace of the Lord and the joy of the Savior’s Nativity be with you and your loved ones this Christmas  and throughout the New Year.  

Христос раждається! Славіте Його! 

Christ is born! Glorify Him! 

Gratefully yours in the Newborn Savior,

+Borys

Donate now

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

On September 11, 2001, the United States of America experienced the darkest hour in its recent history — the deadly terrorist attack that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people.

Twenty years have passed, but we still feel the consequences of the tragedy that shook the world and caused profound trauma in the global community. In one day we lost our sense of invulnerability. After September 11, we — our nation and all humanity — became a deeply wounded people.

But this is not where the story ends.  After September 11, 2001 we saw suffering and death, pain and sorrow but also courage, sacrifice, unity, and resurrection. During the attacks, evil manifested itself to be conquered by heroic love.

“Here in New York, we just don’t remember 9/11 — we celebrate 9/12,” commented Cardinal Timothy Dolan quoting one of the New York priests. This is our most precious memory — we remember the unspeakable tragedy and we remember what happened next. We remember solidarity, witness, prayer, service, and hope. In his appeal issued right after the attacks Metropolitan Stefan Soroka focuses on hope. “Christians are called to be primary instruments of hope and comfort to our fellow brothers and sisters… as opposed to be avenues of despair”. “Choose to be messengers of compassion and hope,” he asked our fellow faithful of Philadelphia Metropolia. We believe that this call is relevant today. The world has changed but many challenges remained, particularly the struggle for basic human rights and human dignity. Just as 20 years ago, we need peace and justice, which cannot be attained without repentance and forgiveness, faith and sacrifice.

Today the whole world is united in prayer for those who lost their lives during the attacks. We join the global supplication remembering in a special way before God twelve 9/11 victims of Ukrainian descent.

We encourage our priests and faithful to join together in prayer to remember those who died, were injured, or lost loved ones. Let us pray for strength, healing, and consolation. Let us pray for hope that conquers despair, peace that overcomes war, good that is stronger than evil, love that lives longer than hatred, life that triumphs over death. Let us put our hope and faith in Him who trampled death by death and gave eternal life to those in the tombs.

Eternal memory!

+ Borys Gudziak

Archbishop of Philadelphia for Ukrainians

Metropolitan of Ukrainian Catholics in the United States

+ Paul Chomnycky, OSBM

Eparch of Stamford

+ Вenedict Aleksiychuk

Eparch of St. Nicholas in Chicago

+ Bohdan J. Danylo

Eparch of St. Josaphat in Parma

+ Andriy Rabiy

Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia

REQUIEM PRAYER SERVICE FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

AKATHIST SATURDAY,  MARCH 20, 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Glory to Jesus Christ!

A year has passed and we continue to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic. Each and every one of us knows Covid-19 victims, their families, the sick, health care workers, volunteers, and all those on the front line during this perilous time.

During the Great Fast, we ask all of our Ukrainian Catholic parish communities in the United States of America to gather in liturgical prayer for the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic.  We ask our priests to celebrate with the participation of our beloved faithful, the Requiem Divine Liturgy for the souls of the victims followed by the Panakhyda Service on Akathistos Saturday, March 20, 2021. Let us pray to the Lord our    Savior that He may place the souls of the Coronavirus pandemic victims:  “in a place of light, a place of verdure, and a place of tranquility, from which pain, sorrow, and mourning have fled” (Panakhyda service).

Let us remember in our prayers, the bereaved families and all those who are still suffering from the virus.  Let us continue to remember, pray and be thankful to all those who devote themselves to those in need. We support them with our words, and above all, with our prayers.

May the memory of the Covid-19 victims be eternal!

Вічная Пам’ять!

+Borys Gudziak

Archbishop of Philadelphia

Metropolitan of Ukrainian Catholics in the United States

+Paul Chomnycky, OSBM

Eparch of Stamford

+Benedict Aleksiychuk

Eparch of St. Nicholas in Chicago

+Bohdan J. Danylo

Eparch of St. Josaphat in Parma

+Andriy Rabiy

Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

A year ago, at the beginning of Great Lent, the world was hit by an unprecedented pandemic. Unprecedented not so much in ferocity or scope but in global consciousness: we became aware that we are in this together. In a stroke, the world was humbled. Our sense of control, modern technological hubris, and the frivolous pursuit of pleasure had to take a back seat to the reality and mystery of life and death. In our Metropolia we experienced considerable losses. Three weeks into the lockdown, during Holy Week, Metropolitan-emeritus Stephen Sulyk succumbed to COVID. As the year progressed, the virus took from us priests, religious and many parishioners—our grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, children, relatives and friends. We have been humbled. We are subdued. Some of us still remain confused, lonely, and depressed.  However, St. Paul encourages us, telling us to “not grieve as others do who have no hope.” (1 Th 4:13).

Indeed, many of us were able to recognize authentic blessings, we experienced a renewed awareness of family, a peace that comes with authentic humility, a peace that comes with wakefulness to God’s presence and guidance in the face of hardship. This past year we have seen some of the best of humanity: heroic acts of authentic solidarity, examples of inspiring mutual service, medical care in dangerous circumstances, chaplaincy work in hospitals, the service of first responders. We adapted in order to make sure that community worship could be safe for the faithful and clergy. We found new ways to teach and educate, to visit the sick and housebound, to provide food and donations in kind for the poor, to support those with crisis pregnancies, and more. There is much to make us ponder and wonder, be thankful for and give praise.

In a certain sense, last year’s Lent had an old-time quality. It is said that in pre-modern centuries in Ukraine and other Christian countries there was a “social hush” during Great Lent. Everything quieted down. Individuals and families focused inward, judging themselves in the light of the Gospel, rather than judging others. Towns and villages as communities, and nations as cultures entered together into a spirit of penance: a recognition of and remorse for transgressions, violence and greed, deceit and betrayal, individual and social sin. Indeed, last year we had a Great Lent without parties and galivanting. We stayed home. And while we were unable to receive each other into our homes, we were able to welcome the Lord into our lives, and remind ourselves that each and every household is called to be a domestic church, a place of growth in faith, prayer, and caring for others.

In the end, our home is much more than a physical place. It is a spiritual and moral reality. Our home is with the Lord, who invites us to “come and see” and be with Him (see Jn 1:35-39). It is where we work and serve, where we become a blessing to others, where we are free to be ourselves, have a sense of being where we belong, are not full of ourselves. We are at home when we fulfill our calling, follow God’s will. We are at home when we are pure in thought, action and word, long-suffering, kind, and gentle, as God is with us.

This Great Lent let us build on the lessons learned this past year. Our journey home is well on its way. This precious, yet fragile gift of life we share, is one of pilgrimage, of repentance, of living up to the faith that God has in each one of us, in deep humility. Let us be guided by the ancient Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem:

O Lord and Master of my life, drive from me the spirit of indifference, despair, lust for power, and idle chatter. 

Instead, bestow on me, Your servant, the spirit of integrity, humility, patience, and love.

Yes, O Lord and King, let me see my own sins, and not judge my brothers and sisters, for You are blessed, now and forever and ever. Amen.

St. Ephraim’s prayer encapsulates the striving of the season, one that leads us to the triumph of Pascha, the victory of the Savior over our shame, fear, and death itself. Let it be our personal and community prayer as we fall down before the Lord of mercy, confident of His love and hospitality. On our Lenten journey let us remember how the disciples followed Jesus. For them home was not a place, but a Person—the same One who calls out to us today: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17).

We will be praying with you and for you!

Christ is in our midst! He is and always will be!

+Borys Gudziak, Archbishop of Philadelphia,

Metropolitan of Ukrainian Catholics in the United States

+Paul Chomnycky, OSBM, Eparch of Stamford

+Benedict Aleksiychuk, Eparch of St. Nicholas in Chicago

+Bohdan J. Danylo, Eparch of St. Josaphat in Parma

+Andriy Rabiy, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia

“GOD’S WORD AND CATECHESIS”

Pastoral Letter of the 2018 Synod of Bishops of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

to the Clergy, Religious and all the Laity

For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting.

For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

(1 Cor 9:16).

Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers!

Venerable Brothers and Sisters in religious and monastic life!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Following His glorious Resurrection on the third day, our Saviour Jesus Christ entrusted His Apostles with a particular mission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28, 19-20). To be Christians means to be followers of Jesus Christ, the only Teacher, bearers of His Spirit, heralds of His Good News and witnesses of the Truth, that is Jesus Himself. As a member of the Church of Christ, every Christian is called to grow in the discipleship of Jesus: by the Power and action of the Holy Spirit to know our Divine Teacher, who is present in the community of the Church, ever deeper, and to share this experience with his or her neighbour.

Fulfilling His promise, “I am with you always, to the end of the age”, the Risen Christ abides in the Body of His Church in the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) and in the Word of God. Every time we read the Holy Scriptures, we can hear the Word of our Teacher, who instructs us through His Holy Spirit, educates and leads us to all good things. In his Apostolic Exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel), His Holiness Pope Francis stresses the intricate relationship between the Word of God and the study and passing on of faith, which is catechesis: “The study of the sacred Scriptures must be a door opened to every believer. It is essential that the revealed word radically enrich our catechesis and all our efforts to pass on the faith. Evangelization demands familiarity with God’s word, which calls for dioceses, parishes and Catholic associations to provide for a serious, ongoing study of the Bible, while encouraging its prayerful, individual and communal reading” (par. 175).

In reading the Word of God, reflecting upon it and praying with it, we meet Christ, come to know Him and accept Him. This is the task of catechetical ministry—not only to bring a person to an encounter with Jesus Christ, but also, having met Him, to believe in Him, to live in unity with Him and, in the words of St. Paul, to mature to the fullness of Christ.

When the apostles, who on the way from Jerusalem to Emmaus were talking and arguing among themselves about all that had happened, Jesus approaches them, guides them and interprets for them the Scriptures (see Luke 24:13-35). A person today also needs that kind of guidance in faith throughout his or her earthly journey following Christ. The Church provides this guidance in many ways, especially through its catechetical ministry. “The goal of catechesis, as the essential work of the Church, is to teach and to form Christians in the faith, leading them into fellowship with Jesus Christ and the Church community” (Catechism of the UGCC, “Christ our Pascha”, 54). Providing continuous catechesis to children, youth, adults and the elderly throughout their life—that is an essential element of a vibrant parish as a place to encounter the living Christ.

We wish to emphasize that being a disciple of Christ is a task that requires us to be engaged throughout our entire life. This is precisely why the teaching and transmission of the faith (catechesis)—is not merely the preparation of children for their first Confession and solemn Holy Communion, but a constant and continuous growth in the faith for all the faithful of Christ’s Church—children, youth, adults.

Responsibility for the Proclamation of God’s Word and Catechesis

Having examined the state of the proclamation of the Word of God and catechetical ministry, we thank God for all the good and abundant fruits, which the proclamation of Christ’s Gospel has brought through the pastoral ministry of our Church, both in Ukraine and throughout the world. We wish to acknowledge and thank our priests, religious, catechists and parents—everyone who is sincerely dedicated to the proclamation of God’s Word and participates in the teaching and transmission of our holy faith.

The entire Church is responsible for the Christian formation of its faithful, for, as a mother, she cares for the birth into a new life in Christ, and nurtures the growth in faith of every person. The whole Church is called to share her faith and preach the Gospel of salvation. However, each member of the Church fulfills this mission according to their particular calling in the Body of the Church. Our hope is that all the faithful, filled with the joy of encountering the living Christ and of membership in the church parish community, would live and share their faith in the Risen Christ.

The Family—Local Church, Parents—the First Nurturers of the Faith

We wish to express our deepest gratitude to the parents, grandparents and godparents who hand down the living treasure of faith from one generation to the next. We remember that throughout the difficult decades of the communistic regime, it was our families who became the place where the Holy Spirit would act, beyond the reach of atheistic propaganda—the place, where faith in God and faithfulness to the Church of Christ were nurtured and preserved.

At all times, no matter what the external circumstances, the family, as the local Church, was, is and shall be the first locale for the nurturing and passing on of the faith. Therefore, also today we focus our gaze and attention on the family, in order to help it, and especially the parents, to deepen their own spiritual life, so that they might be capable of transmitting the gift of holy faith to their children and grandchildren. In this important task the parents should be supported by godparents, grandparents, family members, friends, school and parish community. We say “support” because in this responsible task no one can replace the nuclear family unit.

Dear Families! Our Venerable Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky said: “The family home is the first and most important school, where your children are to learn to love God and others. As will be that school, so will be the learning” (Khrystianska rodyna [The Christian Family], 13). Raise your children in a Christian spirit, create a particular atmosphere of family prayer—pray as a family before the holy icons, celebrate Sundays and holy days by participating with your children in the parish Divine Liturgy. When celebrating together, cultivate Christian family traditions and practices, instill in your children a Christian outlook on life and develop in them a sense of belonging to the parish church community and native people.

Dear Parents! You are the first teachers of faith for your children. Teach them by the example of your everyday life and by the word of prayer. Proclaim to them the Gospel, read the Word of God, the lives of the Saints and especially the lives of our new martyrs who are models of a faith that is received, lived and witnessed. Begin your day with morning prayer and end the day with evening prayer, encouraging your children with the words: “Come, let’s pray.” Bear witness to your faith with your life.

Learn the Language of Faith

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans states that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (10,17). The “textbook” from which we learn the language of faith is the Bible and Catechism of our Church. Therefore, we encourage you to treat the Holy Scriptures and the Catechism of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, “Christ our Pascha,” as the most important books in every family.

Our Venerable Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky teaches us how to read the Bible in the family: “It is necessary for every Christian to clearly understand the value of reading and knowing the Bible. The Holy Gospel is what sanctifies every home and showers it with grace, for it is bestows faith and love on its inhabitants. The Gospel protect them from harm, shows them the path in life, uplifts their hearts to heaven and cleanses their souls of stain. I would not hesitate to say that it heals all wounds of their bodies. The practice of reading the Holy Scriptures every day, even briefly, ought to become the practice of every Christian family. Such reading should be seen as daily nourishment. It is a healthy, healing and strengthening food…” (On Venerating the Holy Cross).

The Priest in the Name of the Bishop is the Chief Catechist and Teacher of Faith in the Parish

We turn our attention to you, dear Reverend Fathers, brothers in the Priesthood. Help us organize, properly and with good content, and with a sense of your sacred obligation, the entire process of Christian teaching and education of children, youth and adults, to bring the Word of God and the truths of faith to all the faithful.

Proclaim the Word of God with zeal and passion. Support and lead the faithful to understand it and pray it. Establish Bible study groups in your parishes. Encourage your faithful in the practice of prayerful reading of the Word of God in the church community and in the family. Prepare your homilies carefully and in prayer, grounded in the Word of God, so that it might be “alive and active” in the lives of the faithful. Organize and personally lead study groups on the Catechism of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in your parishes, so that the reading of this work might leads the people of God to an encounter with the Risen Christ, nourish their faith, provide answers to the problems of everyday life and inspire them to service.

You, dear priests, are responsible for the quality of catechesis in the parish. Take care that catechetical teaching be suited to each age group. Guide the children, youth and adults in their continuous growth in the faith. Together with your catechists plan catechism classes, meetings and other activities, paying attention to the gradual and systematic aspects of learning and education in the faith.

Remember the importance of transmitting the Christian faith with a sense of how people communicate today. Therefore, utilize new methods and means in the process of Christian learning and education. Take care of your catechists, ensuring their foundational and ongoing formation. Support their ministry both spiritually and materially.

Foster the task of catechesis and encourage others to do the same. Inspire and support the zeal for service, so that your parish can truly be a place of encounter with the Living Christ—a place of growth in the faith and of passing it on to the next generations.

Catechists—”Reliable Helpers of Priests in Catechetical Ministry”

We turn to you, dear catechists—laity and consecrated men and women, and we thank you sincerely for your dedicated service in the parishes. You are the reliable helpers of priests in the mission of Christian teaching and educating the next generations of the faithful of our Church. The Church highly values your vocation and ministry.

Your vocation to pass on the faith in the living Christ stems from the joy of your personal encounter with Him and your membership in the church parish community. Your desire to share this joy with others, to help others encounter Christ, is the response to the strivings of a person today, who seeks “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” Help the child, youth and adult of today encounter Jesus, recognize His teaching and be nourished by the Word of God and the Blessed Eucharist.

On behalf of the Church, awaken, inspire and support the fervour to discover the Word of God and the truths of the faith, to live by them. Nurture in yourselves a life of personal prayer and lead to prayer those whom you are forming. Take care of your personal ongoing formation, in order to better serve God’s purpose and better respond to contemporary challenges. Be active and creative in your parish community. Be people of prayer and witnesses of Christian life.

Parish Community

We address all the faithful of our Church, for indeed, all members of the church community are called to be transmitters of faith. The development of the parish, the Church and society depends on the conscientious fulfillment of this right and obligation by every Christian. A parish community ought to care for the spiritual-moral development of each of its members, and also to preach the Gospel to all people. The Parish community is to be the inspiration and motivation of catechesis, and the main source of its actualization.

We, therefore, call upon you to nurture vocations to the religious life, to the priestly and catechetical ministry. Show an appreciation for those who preach the Word of God, lead others to encounter Christ, educate and guide others in the faith. Pray for them, show them your appreciation and support.

Grow ever deeper in the knowledge of the Word of God, allow it to transform you. Read the Catechism of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, “Christ our Pascha,” in order to learn the truths of the faith and to live by them. Share the joy of meeting the Risen Christ and take active part in the community and prayer life of the parish. Bear witness to your faith in your personal, family, professional and social circles. Live every day with faith, prayer and good works.

The Most Holy Theotokos is Mother and Disciple of Christ, who heard His Word and believed in Him, received Him and gave Him to the world. For us, she is the model of how to be followers of Christ and lead others to Him, so that in response to our faith witness people, who today call out, “We wish to see Jesus” (Jn 12:21) can recognize, accept Him, and live in unity with Him.

May the Most Holy Theotokos lead us in the mission of listening to the Word of God and incarnating it into our daily lives, so that ever more profoundly we may know the teaching of Christ, grow in the faith and pass it on to others with joy and fervour.

The blessing of the Lord be upon you!

On behalf of the Synod of Bishops of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

+SVIATOSLAV

Given in Kyiv

at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ,

on the Day of the Holy Martyrs Paramon and Philomen

the 12th of December in the 2018th Year of our Lord

The parish clergy is instructed to read this Pastoral Letter following each Divine Liturgy on Sunday, December 23rd in the 2018th year of our Lord.