On behalf of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the CCCB General Secretariat forwards to you the Message from His Holiness Pope Francis for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which will be celebrated on Sunday, 1st September 2024. The theme, Hope and Act with Creation, is inspired by the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (Rom 8:19-25).
In preparation for the special day, the Dicastery has published a video and resources (Pope Francis’ Message, an infographic, several press releases from the presentation, and a pastoral kit), which can be consulted and downloaded from its website at the following link:
«Євангеліє – сила Божа на спасіння кожному, хто вірує» (Рим. 1, 16)
ПОСТСИНОДАЛЬНЕ ПОСЛАННЯ
Синоду Єпископів Української Греко-Католицької Церкви 2024 року до духовенства, монашества та мирян УГКЦ
А як вони розмовляли та сперечалися між собою,сам Iсус, наблизившись, ішов разом з ними (Лк. 24, 15).
Дорогі брати і сестри в Христі!
Ми, єпископи Української Греко-Католицької Церкви з України та різних куточків світу, від 2 до 12 липня зібралися біля стіп Зарваницької чудотворної ікони Матері Божої на щорічний Синод. Уперше від початку повномасштабного вторгнення всі єпископи нашої Церкви прибули до Зарваниці, щоб бути разом зі своїми вірними, розділити їх біль і тривоги. Щодня ми підносили молитви за справедливий мир і завершення війни, яку злочинно та підступно розпочала Росія проти нашого народу й вільної України. Тими днями, коли відбувався наш Синод, російська брутальність перетнула ще одну межу: щоб зламати нашу волю до опору, ворог вдарив по найбільш незахищених — хворих дітях з усієї країни, які лікуються в центральній дитячій лікарні Києва. Але всупереч цьому ганебному задуму, ми досвідчили солідарність і доброту – тисячі людей розбирали уламки знищених будівель, прихистили постраждалих, і за кілька годин зібрали кошти на відбудову лікарні. У цій трагедії ми побачили все найжахливіше і найвеличніше, на що здатна людина. Ми побачили, що в серцевині нашої волі до опору є людяність і емпатія.
Незважаючи на жахливий контекст, ми шукали відповіді, як у час цих випробувань і страждань проповідувати Христове Євангеліє, як євангелізувати, як бути благовісниками надії для ближніх і зовнішнього світу. Це було головною темою нашого Синоду.
Наш народ продовжує своє паломництво до повної свободи від поневолення з боку імперії зла, яка спершу в образі царської та комуністичної Росії, а тепер у вигляді путінського злочинного режиму заперечувала і заперечує саме право українців на існування і будування власного буття у світлі Божої правди і Божого закону. Ми не забуваємо і не даємо світові забути, що російська окупація несе смерть і злочини проти людяності. Це – повторний геноцид. Це – повторні заборони нашої Церкви, яка знову й знову воскресає зі своїм народом.
У стражданнях українців по-новому виявляється земний шлях нашого Спасителя, якого вороги без причини зненавиділи (пор. Ів. 15, 25), із заздрості видали (пор. Мр. 15, 10), із лютою злобою катували (пор. Ів. 19, 3) і безжалісно вбили на хресті (Мр. 10, 34). Заповідаючи свої терпіння, Ісус Христос дав своїм учням непомильну обітницю воскресіння: «Син Чоловічий буде виданий первосвященикам та книжникам, і засудять Його на смерть, і видадуть Його поганам; і насміхатимуться з Нього, плюватимуть на Нього, бичуватимуть Його й уб’ють, Він же по трьох днях воскресне» (Мр. 10, 33–34). Коли апостоли чули ці слова, то навряд чи усвідомлювали, щó їм доведеться пережити, і, можливо, більше думали про обіцянку Царства, аніж про смерть Учителя. Тому в день Страсної п’ятниці кожному з них здавалося, що це вже кінець. Навіть після перших звісток про Воскресіння двоє учнів дорогою до Емауса тривожаться, їх атакують численні сумніви і питання.
У жахливих умовах війни в українському суспільстві також вирує чимало сумнівів і питань, які ми, душпастирі, не можемо залишити без уваги, хоча й не маємо на них вичерпної відповіді. Часто молитва нашого народу нагадує крик псалмоспівця, який переживає самотність і зневажену справедливість.
Ми маємо відкрити для себе самих присутність Христа в нашому паломництві, як це досвідчили два учні з Емауса (пор. Лк. 24, 13–23). Збентежені і втомлені, вони дозволили просвітити і зігріти свої серця Божим словом, що лунало з уст Воскреслого, а відтак пізнали Його самого на ламанні хліба. Так само і ми, як Церква і народ, покликані просвічуватися Божим словом надії, правди і життя та скріплювати себе небесною поживою – найсвятішими Тілом і Кров’ю нашого Спасителя. У них Господь дарує нам запоруку перемоги і вічного життя, над яким смерть вже не має жодної сили, бо ми носимо в собі завдаток воскресіння, згідно із Христовою непомильною обітницею: «Хто тіло Моє їсть і кров Мою п’є, той живе життям вічним, і Я воскрешу його останнього дня» (Ів. 6, 54).
Дорогі в Христі, кріпімося Божим Словом, бо в ньому – Дух і життя (пор. Ів. 6, 63), джерело і запорука нашої надії! Коли чуємо сирени, коли на нас звідусіль несуться потоки невтішних новин, коли навколо ширяться зневіра, страх і безнадія, – берімо в руки Святе Письмо, виливаймо перед Богом наші жалі й болі, разом шукаймо світло і потрібну силу. Адже св. Павло нас запевняє, а тисячолітній досвід нашого народу та нашої нескореної Церкви-мучениці підтверджує, що «Євангеліє – сила Божа на спасіння кожному, хто вірує» (Рим. 1, 16).
Сила Божа, як животворне дихання воскреслого Спасителя, оживляє нас щоразу, коли Церква проголошує Христове Євангеліє сучасній людині. Це проголошення (керигма) живо уприсутнює Господню дію в нашому сьогоденні. Це живе слово Доброї Новини про воскресіння Христове, Божу любов до нас, прощення гріхів і причастя життя вічного є передаванням кожному, хто вірує, самого Джерела нашої надії та сили християнської стійкості. Воно [проголошення] звіщає нам не про минулі діла Божі, а про те, що Він діє стосовно кожного з нас особисто саме сьогодні силою і діянням Святого Духа. Коли ворог сіє смерть і хоче нас полонити її царством безнадійності та зневіри, Христова Церква несе у своїй проповіді життя і воскресіння, надію на спасіння кожному, хто вірує, та веде його до причастя Святих Таїнств. Ось чому поширення цього євангельського Слова у всіх вимірах нашого особистого і суспільного життя задля того, щоб його сила пронизувала теперішню культуру, а його світло преображало спосіб мислення та діяльність людини (євангелізація), і передавання віри всім, хто ще не пізнав Христа, є осердям місії всіх Його учнів – наших сучасників. Це про нас, особливо тих, хто покликаний до служіння Божого Слова, промовляє св. апостол Павло: «Бо коли я проповідую Євангелію, нема мені від того слави, бо це мій обов’язок; і горе мені, коли б я не проповідував Євангелії» (I Кор. 9, 16).
Закликаємо всіх вірних нашої Церкви щоденно читати Боже Слово і роздумувати над ним у парафіяльних спільнотах біблійного апостоляту. Хай наші родини будуть першим місцем, де передається скарб віри новим поколінням християн, де практикується спільна молитва і читання Святого Письма і де різні покоління укріплюють одне одного свідченням віри і терпеливою та вірною любов’ю. Проте пам’ятаймо, що Боже Слово завжди веде до причастя Святих Таїнств і сповнюється в Літургії Христової Церкви так, як горіло серце учнів на шляху до Емауса, коли Ісус промовляв до них у дорозі, але пізнати Його вони змогли лише на ламанні хліба – причасті Його життя і воскресіння у Таїнстві Євхаристії (Лк. 24, 35).
Наслідки російських обстрілів є очевидними, зокрема у вигляді смертей і каліцтва українців. Однак на тілі нашого народу є рани, про які ми менше чуємо із щоденних новин. Маємо на увазі тягар, який випав на долю українських родин, які хоронять своїх загиблих, доглядають поранених, розшукують зниклих безвісти, розділяють посттравматичний синдром ветеранів. Загрозливою в нашому суспільстві стає статистика розлучень, розірваних сімей, розкиданих по світу членів родин. Тому ми й надалі прагнемо приділяти нашим сім’ям особливу душпастирську увагу. Закликаємо душпастирів і всю спільноту вірних піклуватися про родини загиблих і всіх, хто поруч із нами страждає, почувається самотнім чи покинутим. Тут доречно згадати слова світлої пам’яті папи Венедикта XVI, який наголошував: «Церква – це Божа сім’я у світі. У цій сім’ї не може бути нужденних. Притча про милосердного самарянина передбачає універсальність любові, скерованої до того, хто потребує допомоги, до «випадкового зустрічного» (пор. Лк. 10, 31), хоч би ким він був. Поряд із такою заповіддю церковним завданням залишається, щоб у Церкві як родині не страждав жоден з її членів» (Енцикліка «Бог є любов», 25).
Маючи на душі й тілі глибокі рани, які нам вже завдала і щоденно завдає війна, «приступаймо з довір’ям до престолу благодаті, щоб отримати милість і знайти благодать на своєчасну поміч» (пор. Євр. 4, 16). Зокрема, часто приступаймо до Таїнства Сповіді та не вагаймося нести всі наші рани, недуги і хвороби до милосердного Господа – Лікаря душ і тіл – у Таїнстві Єлеопомазання. Саме в цих Таїнствах, які Церква називає Таїнствами зцілення, наш Спаситель і Господь бажає огорнути нас своєю милосердною любов’ю та вилити на наші зболені душі й серця цілющий бальзам своєї благодаті. Дозвольмо Йому це зробити! Дозвольмо Йому зцілювати нас щоденно, долаючи силою Божої любові наслідки війни і відновлюючи нас до нової надії та нового життя.
Це нове життя – це життя Христа розп’ятого і воскреслого в нас, яке являє себе світові в наших вчинках милосердної і співчутливої любові. Тож серед усіх випробувань і страждань наших днів не опускаймо рук, а продовжуймо творити добро всім, а передусім «рідним у вірі» (пор. Гал. 6, 10), нашим стражденним братам і сестрам на рідних землях, в Україні. Повторюємо заклик із нашого торішнього послання, яке хай залишиться для нас дороговказом у щоденних рішеннях і діях: «Не дозволь, щоб зло тебе перемогло, але перемагай зло добром» (Рим. 12, 21)! Якщо кожен із нас щодня зробить бодай одне конкретне добре діло, ми невпинно крок за кроком наближатимемо перемогу Божої правди.
Прагнемо висловити глибоку вдячність усім тим, хто вже зараз своїм буттям являє світові життя воскреслого Господа в нашому народі: нашим захисникам, волонтерам, медикам і капеланам, які єднаються в любові та самопожертві з Христом і подають приклад найвищої любові, що віддає життя за своїх друзів (пор. Ів. 15, 13).
Спішимо зі словами християнської розради до всіх, хто оплакує своїх загиблих чи розшукує безвісти зниклих, і запевняємо їх у молитовній близькості. Молимося за поранених і травмованих, за визволення полонених і насильно депортованих, за всіх, хто перебуває під тимчасовою окупацією та за наших братів і сестер в розсіянні сущих.
Дякуємо братам і сестрам у вірі та всім людям доброї волі в усьому світі, які пам’ятають про нас, які підтримують нас і які моляться з нами та за нас, утверджуючись разом із нами в пасхальній вірі і надії. На всіх прикликаємо безмежне Боже милосердя, Божу силу і заступництво нашої Небесної Матері – Пресвятої Богородиці.
Спогадуючи великий дар Хрещення для нашого народу, ми прагнемо відновити обіцянки вірності Христові, а разом з тим – укріпитися в пасхальній вірі та надії. Як Його учні, як діти воскресіння, ми твердо віримо, що неодмінно настане і наш «третій день» – день воскресіння, день перемоги правди і любові над гріхом, ненавистю і пеклом, настане ясний світанок нашого українського Великодня!
Оживлені цією вірою і християнською надією, ми вже тепер посеред випробувань і страждань проголошуємо на весь світ благовість спасіння словами Апостола народів: «Нас тиснуть звідусіль, але ми не пригноблені; ми в труднощах, та ми не втрачаємо надії; нас гонять, та ми не покинуті; ми повалені, та не знищені. Увесь час носимо в тілі мертвоту Ісуса, щоб і життя Ісуса в нашім житті було явним. Нас бо ввесь час живими віддають на смерть із-за Ісуса, щоб і життя Ісуса було явним у нашім смертнім тілі» (II Кор. 4, 8–11).
Хай Божий Дух надалі нас провадить і оживляє, нехай зробить нас знаряддям Божої любові і Божого миру та благовісниками надії і життя! Хай на цій дорозі заступаються за нас Пресвята Богородиця і святі та праведники української землі!
Благословення всемогутнього Бога Отця, і Сина, і Святого Духа нехай зійде на наш народ і перебуває з усіма нами завжди!
Від імені Синоду Єпископів
Української Греко-Католицької Церкви
† СВЯТОСЛАВ
Дано в Києві,
при Патріаршому соборі Воскресіння Христового,
у день Святого рівноапостольного, великого князя Володимира,
Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church 2024
To the Clergy, Religious and Lay Faithful of the UGCC
While they were talking and discussing together,
Jesus himself drew near and went with them (Lk 24:15).
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
We, the bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church from Ukraine and various parts of the world, have gathered at the feet of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God in Zarvanytsya from July 2 to 12 for the annual Synod. For the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, all the bishops of our Church came to Zarvanytsya, to be together with their faithful, to share their pain and trepidations. Every day we offered up prayers for a just peace and an end to a war that was criminally and insidiously initiated by Russia against our people and a free Ukraine. In the days when our Synod was held, Russian brutality crossed another line: in order to break our will to resist, the enemy attacked the most vulnerable – sick children from all across the country being treated in the central children’s hospital in Kyiv. But despite this shameful plan, we witnessed solidarity and kindness—thousands of people sifted through the ruins of destroyed buildings, sheltered the injured, and within a few hours collected funds for the reconstruction of the hospital. In this tragedy, we saw all a person is capable of—the most terrible and the most magnificent. We saw that at the core of our will to resist there is humanity and empathy.
Despite the terrible context, we sought answers—on how to preach the Gospel of Christ in this time of trials and suffering, on how to evangelize, how to be messengers of hope for our neighbors and the outside world. This was the main topic of our Synod.
Our people continues its pilgrimage to full freedom from enslavement by the empire of evil which, first in the form of tsarist and communist Russia, and now in the form of Putin’s criminal regime, denied and continues to deny the very right of Ukrainians to exist and to build their own existence in the light of Divine truth and Divine law. We do not forget and do not let the world forget that Russian occupation brings death and crimes against humanity. What we have is recurring genocide. What we have are recurrent prohibitions of our Church which nonetheless rises again and again with its people.
In the suffering of Ukrainians, the earthly journey of our Savior is revealed once again, a Savior whom enemies hated without cause (cf. Jn 15:25), betrayed out of envy (cf. Mk 15:10), tortured with fierce malice (cf. Jn 19:3) and mercilessly killed on the cross (Mk 10:34). Foretelling his passion, Jesus Christ gave his disciples an infallible promise of resurrection: “The Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise” (Mk 10:33-34). When the apostles heard these words, they hardly realized what they would have to go through, and perhaps they thought more about the promise of the Kingdom than about the Teacher’s death. Thus, on the day of Good Friday, it seemed to each of them that it was already the end. Even after initial reports of the Resurrection, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus are distressed, they are assailed by numerous doubts and questions.
In the terrible conditions of war, within Ukrainian society there are also many doubts and questions which we, pastors, cannot ignore, even though we do not have an exhaustive answer to them. Often the prayer of our people resembles the cry of the psalmist who experiences loneliness and injustice.
We must discover for ourselves the presence of Christ in our pilgrimage as the two disciples from Emmaus experienced (cf. Lk 24:13-23). Confused and tired, they allowed their hearts to be enlightened and warmed by the word of God that came from the mouth of the Risen One, and then they recognized Him in the breaking of bread. In the same way, we, as a Church and a people, are called to be enlightened by God’s word of hope, truth, and life, and to strengthen ourselves with heavenly food – the most holy Body and Blood of our Savior. In them, the Lord gives us the pledge of victory and eternal life over which death no longer has any power because we carry within us the deposit of resurrection according to Christ’s infallible promise: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn 6:54).
Beloved in Christ, let us be strengthened by the Word of God, for in it is the Spirit and life (cf. Jn 6:63), the source and pledge of our hope! When we hear sirens, when streams of disheartening news come at us from everywhere, when despondency, fear, and hopelessness surround us, let us take the Holy Scriptures in our hands, pour out our sorrows and pain before God, and together look for light and the necessary strength. After all, St. Paul assures us, and the thousand-year experience of our people and our unyielding martyr-Church confirms that “the Gospel is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Rm 1:16).
The power of God, like the life-giving breath of the risen Savior, revives us every time the Church proclaims the Gospel of Christ to each person today. This proclamation (kerygma) vividly makes the Lord’s action present in our daily reality. This living word of the Good News about Christ’s Resurrection, God’s love for us, the forgiveness of sins, and the communion of eternal life conveys to everyone who believes the very Source of our hope and the power of Christian perseverance. It [this proclamation] informs us not of past works of God, but of the fact that He acts in relation to each of us personally this very day by the power and action of the Holy Spirit. When the enemy sows death and wants to imprison us in his kingdom of hopelessness and despair, the Church of Christ in its proclamation brings to each person who believes life and resurrection, hope of salvation, and leads them to communion of the Holy Mysteries. That is why spreading this Word of the Gospel into all dimensions of our personal and social life, so that its power might permeate contemporary culture, and its light transfigure the way of human thinking and acting (evangelization), and transmitting the faith to all who have not yet come to know Christ, is the core mission of all His disciples – our contemporaries. It is about us, especially those who are called to serve the Word of God, that St. Paul the Apostle speaks: “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).
We call on all the faithful of our Church to read God’s Word daily and meditate on it in parish bible apostolate communities. Let our families be the first place where the treasure of faith is passed on to new generations of Christians, where praying together and the reading of the Holy Scriptures are practiced, and where different generations strengthen one another through a witness of faith and through patient and faithful love. However, let us remember that God’s Word always leads to the partaking of the Holy Mysteries and is fulfilled in the Liturgy of Christ’s Church in the same way that the hearts of the disciples burned on the way to Emmaus, when Jesus spoke to them on the way, but they could only recognize Him in the breaking of bread—in partaking of His life and resurrection in the Mystery of the Eucharist (Lk 24:35).
The consequences of Russian shelling are obvious, in particular in the form of Ukrainians being killed or maimed. However, there are wounds on the body of our people that we hear less about in the daily news. We speak of the burden that has fallen on Ukrainian families who bury their dead, care for the wounded, search for the missing, and share the post-traumatic syndrome of veterans. Statistics of divorces, of broken families, of family members scattered around the world—all represent threats to our society. Therefore, we continue striving to give special pastoral attention to our families. We call on the parish clergy and the entire community of the faithful to care for families who have lost loved ones, and for everyone who is suffering near us, who feels alone or abandoned. Here it is appropriate to recall the words of Pope Benedict XVI who emphasized: “The Church is God’s family in the world. In this family no one ought to go without the necessities of life… The parable of the Good Samaritan remains as a standard which imposes universal love towards the needy whom we encounter ‘by chance’ (cf.Lk 10:31), whoever they may be. Without in any way detracting from this commandment of universal love, the Church also has a specific responsibility: within the ecclesial family no member should suffer through being in need” (Encyclical Deus caritas est, 25).
Having deep wounds, which the war has already inflicted on us and inflicts each day on our soul and body, “let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need” (cf. Heb 4:16). In particular, let us often approach the Sacrament of Confession and not hesitate to bring all our wounds, ailments, and diseases to the merciful Lord – the Physician of souls and bodies – in the Sacrament of Anointing. It is in these Sacraments, which the Church calls the Sacraments of healing, that our Savior and Lord wants to embrace us with his merciful love and pour out the healing balm of his grace on our aching souls and hearts. Let us allow Him to do it! Let us allow Him to heal us daily, overcoming the effects of war with the power of God’s love, and restoring us to new hope and new life.
This new life is the life of the crucified and risen Christ in us, which reveals itself to the world in our acts of merciful and compassionate love. Therefore, in the midst of all the trials and sufferings of our days, let us not give up, but let us continue to do good to everyone, and above all to “those who are of the household of faith” (cf. Gal 6:10), to our suffering brothers and sisters in our native lands, in Ukraine. We repeat the call from our pastoral letter of last year, which should remain a guide for us in our daily decisions and actions: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good!” (Rm 12:21). If each of us does at least one concrete good deed every day, we will steadily step by step bring closer the victory of God’s truth.
We want to express our deep gratitude to all those who by their very being are already showing to the world the life of the risen Lord in our people: our defenders, volunteers, doctors and chaplains, who are united with Christ in love and self-sacrifice, and provide an example of the highest love, which lays down its life for its friends (cf. Jn 15:13).
We hasten with words of Christian comfort to all those who are mourning their dead or searching for those missing without trace, and we assure them of our prayerful closeness. We pray for the wounded and traumatized, for the liberation of those in captivity and forcibly deported, for all those under temporary occupation, and for our brothers and sisters scattered across the globe.
We thank our brothers and sisters in faith and all people of good will throughout the world who remember us, who support us, and who pray with us and for us, being confirmed together with us in Paschal faith and hope. Upon all we invoke God’s boundless mercy, God’s strength, and the intercession of our Heavenly Mother – the Most Holy Theotokos.
Remembering the great gift of Baptism for our people, we strive to renew our promises of fidelity to Christ, and, at the same time, to strengthen our Paschal faith and hope. As his disciples, as children of the resurrection, we firmly believe that our “third day” will certainly come—the day of resurrection, the day of victory of truth and love over sin, hatred and hell, that the bright dawn of our Ukrainian Easter will come!
Invigorated by this faith and Christian hope, we are already now, in the midst of trials and suffering, proclaiming the good news of salvation to the whole world in the words of the Apostle of the Nations: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor 4:8-11).
May the Divine Spirit continue to guide and revive us, may he make us instruments of God’s love and God’s peace, and heralds of hope and life! May the Most Holy Theotokos, and the saints and righteous of the Ukrainian land intercede for us on this path!
May the blessing of the Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, descend upon our people and abide with us all forever!
On behalf of the Synod of Bishops
Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
† SVIATOSLAV
Given in Kyiv,
at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ,
on the day of Saint Volodymyr, named Basil in Holy Baptism,
Grand Prince of Kyiv, Equal-to-the-Apostles,
On the 15th day of July in the 2024th year of our Lord
On Tuesday 13 August 2024, we will remembering in prayer our dear priest, the late Reverend Father Steven Basarab who reposed in the Lord on 5 July 2024.
The funeral services were held with a full ‘priestly parastas’ on Saturday 25 July and a funeral Divine Liturgy on 26 July – both at St. Joseph’s Catholic church in Fr. Steve’s hometown of Chemainus, BC. The Ukrainian Catholic Bishop of New Westminster, His Excellency Michael Kwiatkowski presided at both services and was joined by a good number of priests from around the province. An inspiration to everyone present was the great number of faithful that attended the services, especially the filled the church on the day of the funeral and interment. Bishop Michael preached at the Divine Liturgy, while long-time friend, Archpriest Joe Ostopowich from Vancouver preached at the parastas. At the reception – which was very graciously hosted by the good people of St. Joseph Parish – Father Steven’s family spoke and a number of friends and former parishioners shared stories and memories.
According to our ancient and very popular tradition, we come together on the 40th-day after the death of Father Steven, who served the Lord and His People to the best of his ability as a priest for almost 35 years. The 40-day tradition certainly calls to mind the 40-day periods mentioned in scripture… the 40-day fasts of Moses (Exodus 34:28) and Elijah (1Kings 19), the 40 days during which Jesus fasted in the desert (Matthew 4), the 40 days Jesus remained upon the earth after His Resurrection, before finally ascending into heaven (Acts 1:3). It surely is also a practical tradition that after 40 days – matters have been settled, close friends and relatives have moved somewhat back into their routine of life, and now all can gather in a peaceful manner to commemorate the deceased, to reminisce and offer encouragement to each other.
What follows is the text of the eulogy spoken by our Chancellor, the Very Rev. Yuriy Vyshnevskyy, at the “tryzna” – i.e. funeral luncheon – prior to Fr. Steven’s interment.
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A Eulogy of a Brother Priest
I would like to thank the local pastor, Fr. Joseph Thomas and the entire St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish community for having us here today. Thank you for preparing such a reception for all of us. Thank you for welcoming Fr. Steven into your parish one last time.
Fr. Steven suffered from many illnesses and this was how I met Fr. Steven shortly after I was ordained a priest and arrived in Vancouver some 15 years ago. I think I met him on one, maybe two, occasions, but I could tell that he was suffering.
I didn’t see much of Fr. Steven as he was getting medical treatments. He spent some time in Saskatoon when he was under the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph who were looking after him until he was well enough to return home.
After Fr. Steven returned home, he settled in Duncan where I visited him along with our Bishop at the time, M. Rev. Ken Nowakowski. But I wouldn’t necessarily say that we kept in touch much as much as we would have liked, as I lived in New Westminster at the time. And besides being brothers in priesthood, our friendship was more professional as pertaining to our ministry.
Everything changed when I was transferred to St. Nicholas parish in Victoria (Fr. Steven was ordained at St. Nicholas on June 3, 1990) and after that I was appointed to St. Michael parish in Nanaimo.
So, about 6 years ago I started taking weekly trips from Victoria to Nanaimo. And guess what’s halfway between Victoria and Nanaimo? Duncan. And guess who lived in Duncan? Fr. Steven.
Duncan became home to Fr. Steven. He settled in Duncan Manor. He found a community at St. Edward the Confessor parish and started to attend meetings of the Knights of Columbus and serve as their Chaplain. I want to say thank you to all of you for welcoming him and for making him feel at home.
There was only one thing that Fr. Steven was missing and that was his Ukrainian heritage. Something that was “in his blood”, as he would often say. And what he was missing is an opportunity to celebrate Divine Liturgies and other services in a Ukrainian Catholic setting. And that opportunity became a reality 6 years ago when I was appointed at St. Michael’s parish in Nanaimo.
Shortly after that I reached out to Fr. Steven and we made arrangements for a Saturday pickup. Communication was a bit of a challenge as Fr. Steven didn’t have a cell phone until a year ago. It took another month or so for him to figure out how to send text messages from his phone. He was a late bloomer 🙂
Having Fr. Steven with me was like having an assistant priest. Sometimes he was an assistant priest and sometimes I was. And when I was under stress, Fr. Steven was always there for me. Even when I was not asking. But he knew. After all, Fr. Steven had so much more pastoral experience than I did.
Before going on medical leave, he served in a number of parishes across BC including Kamloops, Vernon, Grindrod. He substituted in many others. And over the years, when I would meet his former parishioners, they all had only good things to say about Fr. Steven.
St. Michael’s parish in Nanaimo became like home to Fr. Steven and the parishioners became this family. Thank you for caring for Fr. Steven all these years, for driving him on Saturdays to the parish, especially more recently after I was transferred from Nanaimo.
Fr. Steven was a completely different person from the person I met 15 years ago. And to me this was the real Fr. Steven, and not the one from the past. I remember one Saturday Fr. Steven became a part of my homily when I was talking about people we meet and changes they make in our lives, and I said something like “Fr. Steven was hitchhiking to Nanaimo … and I picked him up because he looked so harmless …” When I carefully turned around, I saw him laughing, genuinely laughing. Later it became our go-to joke.
But besides missing being a part of the parish life there was one other thing that he was missing and that was time together with his brother priests. So, he was always looking forward to spending time with us at conferences and retreats, to be in our company and he was always excited. Dear Bishop Michael, dear fathers, all I can tell you is that Fr. Steven had a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for you all.
Fr. Steven was a kind, gentle, loving and caring priest. Those who knew him, especially those who would receive an email from him can confirm that Fr. Steven would always finish his emails, or Facebook posts and text messages with the phrase “God is love”. That’s the message that he was preaching with his life.
So, I think that it’s only appropriate to conclude this chapter of Fr. Steven’s life with the words “God is love”, because now he’s beginning the next chapter of his life where the God of love will be his companion for eternity.
“Grant, O Christ, that Your servant Steven who has gone from this life to You, may be received in Your unspeakable glory where happiness reigns and the sound of pure joy is always heard.”
The Resolutions of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (Zarvanytsia, July 2–12, 2024 A. D.).
DECREE
Вих. ВА 24/202 ENG
To the glory of the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-creating and Undivided Trinity, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and for the good of the People of God entrusted to us. Amen
BY DIVINE GRACE AND IN FULL COMMUNION WITH THE ROMAN APOSTOLIC SEE
SVIATOSLAV, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
To the Most Reverend and God-loving Bishops, the reverend clergy, venerable monks and nuns and lay faithful of the particular Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
I DECLARE AND PROMULGATE
The Resolutions
of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
Zarvanytsia, July 2–12, 2024 A. D.
1. To acknowledge the state of implementation of the decisions of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in 2023.
2. To bless the continuation of the work of the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission of the UGCC on the updated text of the Great Arkhieratikon and the Hierarchical Trebnyk, involving in this work the most reverend bishops: Ihor Isichenko, Hlib Lonchyna, and Ivan Kulik.
3. To bless the continuation of the work of the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission of the UGCC on the updated text of Trebnyk.
4. Having reviewed a summary of the proposal to update the Molytvoslov:
A. To express gratitude to the Order of St. Basil the Great for preparation of the Molytvoslov and for diligence regarding the liturgical heritage of our Church.
B. To create a working group of representatives of the Order of Saint Basil the Great and the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission of the UGCC to prepare an updated edition of the Molytvoslov.
C. To bless the principle of adapting the Molytvoslov to the liturgical texts approved by the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC.
5. To give consent to the appointment of the Most Reverend Bishop Mykhailo Kwiatkowski as head of the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission of the UGCC.
6. To give consent to granting church-wide status to the Commission of the UGCC on Family and Laity Affairs.
7. To give consent to the appointment of the Most Reverend Bishop Arkady Trochanowski as head of the Patriarchal Commission of the UGCC for Family and Laity Affairs.
8. To give consent to granting church-wide status to the UGCC Commission for Youth Affairs.
9. To give consent to the appointment of the Most Reverend Bishop Bryan Bayda as head of the UGCC Patriarchal Commission for Youth Affairs.
10. To give consent to granting church-wide status to the Council for Evangelization under the Head of the UGCC.
11. To give consent to the appointment of the Most Reverend Bishop Yosaphat Moschych as head of the Patriarchal Commission of the UGCC for Evangelization.
12. To give consent to the creation of the 2025 Jubilee Committee.
13. To give consent to the appointment of the Most Reverend Bishop Yaroslav Pryriz as head of the 2025 Jubilee Committee.
14. To give consent to the appointment of Fr. Theodosiy Hren, OSBM., as vice-head of the 2025 Jubilee Committee.
15. To give consent to the appointment of the Most Reverend Bishop Bohdan Manyshyn as head of the Department of Military Chaplaincy of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC.
16. To take into account the report of the General Director of the Administration of Justice on the state of the judiciary in the UGCC.
17. To establish the Award of the Father and Head of the UGCC for Clergy: «The Order of the Blessed Priest-Martyr Omelyan Kovch.»
18. To approve, with additions and amendments, the Statute of the Father and Head of the UGCC for clergy, «The Order of the Blessed Priest-martyr Omelyan Kovch.»
19. To enter changes to the Statute of the General-Church Fund of Priestly Solidarity of the UGCC.
20. To add the title «Social ministry» to the structure of the Code of Canons of the UGCC.
21. To acknowledge the state of work on the Code of Canons of the UGCC.
22. To acknowledge the report on the activities of the Department of Social Ministry of the UGCC during the war.
23. To acknowledge the report on the activities of the International Charitable Fund «Caritas of Ukraine.»
24. To acknowledge the state of implementation of the «Healing the Wounds of War» program for clergy.
25. In implementing the evangelistic mission of the UGCC:
I. At the general church level:
A. To encourage the faithful of the UGCC:
1) to pass on the faith and bear witness to the Christian life in the family circle;
2) in accordance with Resolution 7, D, 3 of the 2015 Synod of Bishops and Resolution 6, C, 3 of the 2018 Synod of Bishops, to read the Word of God daily (e.g. the Gospel reading of the day);
3) to nurture the practice of common prayer in the family;
4), to have a common meal in the family circle on Sunday after the Divine Liturgy, and share the Word of God heard in the church.
B. To task the Patriarchal Commission for Evangelization:
1) with creating a «School of Evangelization» at monasteries, pilgrimage sites, church educational institutions and parishes, which would be consistent with the spiritual tradition of the UGCC, and would conduct activities under the guidance of the Eparchial Commission for Evangelization in accordance with the program of the Patriarchal Commission for Evangelization;
2) with completing work on the evangelization program «We want to see Jesus;»
3) with publishing scholarly materials on the topic of evangelization and the preparation of kerygmatic sermons;
4) with preparing a course on the proclamation of the kerygma for introduction into seminary education and ongoing priestly formation;
5) with preparing a course on kerygmatic proclamation of the Gospel for military chaplains (priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful).
C. To instruct the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission to update the Program of Lectio Divina of the Holy Scriptures with comments for daily use in families and parish Bible groups and communities.
D. To instruct the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission to continue preparing for the clergy the series of short explanatory texts of all divine services, church rites, and our traditions in an evangelistic way.
E. To task the Patriarchal Commission for Monastic Affairs with recommending to the general superiors of institutes of consecrated life that annual retreats for consecrated persons have a kerygmatic dimension.
II. At the metropolitan level, to ask the metropolitans, in cooperation with the Patriarchal Commission for Evangelization, to organize inter-eparchial formation courses for communities and schools engaged in evangelization on the territory of the metropolia.
III. At the eparchial level:
A. To ask eparchial bishops:
1) to establish a commission for evangelization in eparchies where this has not yet been done;
2) to introduce to ongoing priestly formation a special course on the proclamation of the kerygma according to the program of the Patriarchal Commission of the UGCC for Evangelization;
3) to ensure that the annual retreats for priests and their wives have a kerygmatic dimension;
4) to nurture healthy popular piety through prayer vigils, pilgrimages, church singing, explanation of the meaning of icons for a deeper understanding of our spirituality;
5) to regulate the canonical status of existing lay communities and schools involved in evangelization in the eparchy (deaneries, parishes) and oversee their formation.
B. To instruct the heads of eparchial Commissions for Evangelization to engage appropriately trained lay faithful in evangelization projects in the eparchy.
C. To task seminary rectors with introducing a section on kerygmatic preaching into the homiletics course, and with ensuring that the lecturer has personal experience of such preaching.
D. To task the clergy:
1) with using every opportunity for kerygmatic proclamation of the Gospel in the context of the celebration of the 2025 Jubilee Year;
2) with delivering daily in the church a short kerygmatic sermon based on the texts of the Gospel and the Epistle proclaimed at the Divine Liturgy, in accordance with Resolution 7, D, 1 of the Synod of Bishops of 2015;
3) with regularly conducting Lectio Divina of the Holy Scriptures in the parish community;
4) with offering a reading and brief commentary on a text of the Holy Scriptures at the beginning of all parish community meetings;
5) with regularly explaining worship services, church rites and traditions to the faithful in an evangelistic manner, based on materials developed by the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission, in accordance with resolution 7, F, 3 of the Synod of Bishops of 2012,
6) with evangelizing and proclaiming the Word of God during the celebration of holy mysteries (sacraments), paraliturgical services, blessings and stole services (treby), in accordance with Resolution 7, D, 1 of the Synod of Bishops of 2012
7) with encouraging existing and, if necessary, creating new parish communities to receive and accompany newly evangelized and newly converted persons for their growth in faith; with directing animators of these communities to the diocesan commission for evangelization for training;
8) with encouraging existing and creating new parish communities to pray for preachers of the Gospel and for the development of the evangelistic mission of our Church;
9) with conducting annual parish kerygmatic retreats and missions, enlisting the cooperation of persons who have such experience;
10) with evangelizing through works of mercy, providing help to those in need.
26. To acknowledge the report on the activities of the Andrew’s Pence Fund.
27. To acknowledge the report on the activity of the Missionary Fund of the UGCC.
28. To acknowledge the report on the activities of the church-wide Priestly Solidarity Fund.
29. To acknowledge the report on the activities of the UGCC Patriarchal Foundation «Wise Deed» («Mudra Sprava»).
30. To acknowledge the report on the development of military chaplaincy in Ukraine.
31. To acknowledge the report on the activities of the Pastoral Council of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC.
32. To acknowledge the summary reports of commissions and departments at the church-wide level for the past year.
33. To acknowledge the report on youth apostolate in the UGCC.
34. To acknowledge the report on cooperation with the papal New Martyrs — Witnesses of the Faith Commission.
35. To acknowledge the report on the activity and mission of the Ukrainian Catholic University.
36. To acknowledge the report on the beatification process of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky.
37. To acknowledge the report on the activities of «Transfiguration House.»
38. To acknowledge information on the care and dignified accompaniment of the bishop-emeritus.
39. To approve the Instruction on the Presence of Church Structures, Institutions, Clergy, Consecrated persons of the UGCC in Ukraine in the «Internet.»)
40. To adopt the base text of the Post-Synodal Pastoral Letter of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC of 2024 with amendments and corrections.
41. To hold the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in July 2025.
42. To establish as the main theme of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in 2025 — «Family ministry in conditions of war.»
43. To entrust responsibility for the preparation of the main topic to the Most Reverend Bishop Arkady Trochanowski and the Patriarchal Commission of the UGCC for Family and Laity Affairs.
44. To approve the Communiqué of the Synod of Bishops in 2024.
† SVIATOSLAV, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
† ANDRIJ KHYMIAK, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
Given in Kyiv, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, on the day of Saint Volodymyr, named Basil in Holy Baptism, Grand Prince of Kyiv, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and the holy martyrs Cyricus and Julitta, On the 15th day of July in the 2024th year of our Lord
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