Maxim Hermaniuk and the Formation of the Ukrainian Catholic Metropolia of Canada

by Rev. Dr Athanasius D. McVay, HED, FRSA 

November 1, 2021

https://annalesecclesiaeucrainae.blogspot.com/2021/10/maxim-hermaniuk-and-formation-of.html

65 years ago, on 3 November 1956, Pope Pius XII created an ecclesiastical province (metropolia) for Ukrainian Catholics in Canada, elevating the three existing apostolic exarchates to the status of eparchies and the fourth to an archeparchy. In doing so, the Pontiff bestowed canonical recognition on an already existing reality: the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada (historically known as Ukrainian Greek-Catholic – UGCC), in its hierarchy, clergy, faithful, organizations and structures, had reached ecclesial maturity. Yet, a determining factor in implementing this change was the conviction that an ideal candidate had been found to serve as the first metropolitan-archbishop.

            The UGCC began its canonical existence as a Church in Canada in July 1912, with the creation of an apostolic “ordinariate” led by Bishop Nykyta Budka. In the first years of immigration, the faithful were sporadically served by itinerant eparchial priests. From 1902, the Roman Catholic hierarchy enlisted missionary religious orders: Basilians (OSBM), Belgian Redemptorists (CSsR), and Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate (SSMI). Bishop Budka established a distinct UGCC structure and recruited priests and seminarians from Austrian Galicia (western Ukraine). Throughout his tenure, the Church retained its missionary character, while fostering Canadian-born vocations. 

            From the outset, it was obvious that the task exceeded the abilities of a single bishop. Pope Pius X said as much to Nykyta Budka, in an audience granted to the new bishop on his way to take up his charge. It is difficult for a missionary bishop to find the time and energy to attend also to administrative matters. Only a few years into his mission, Budka asked for a second bishop to share the burden, but was told by Church officials that he was too young to be granted an auxiliary. 

In December 1927, a new Apostolic Delegate to Canada, Archbishop Andrea Cassulo, recommended that the Greek-Catholic Ordinariate for Canada be divided in two or three, with additional bishoprics established in Edmonton and Toronto. Bishop Budka formally petitioned for a coadjutor bishop the following year, but Pope Pius XI decided instead to replace him with two younger men. Only one of the nominees, Basilian Father Vasyliy Ladyka, was prevailed upon to accept the onerous charge.

Although Galician born, Ladyka studied theology and spent his entire priestly life in Canada. He understood that a second generation of Ukrainians required clergy better suited to local culture and conditions. In Galicia, UGCC secular clergy were heavily involved in social concerns and politics. Many of them look upon their priesthood as a profession and a means to support their families. Such a model was unsuited to the rigors of the Canadian environment, where congregations provided little financial support for their clergy and church institutions. Bishop Ladyka set about augmenting the number of missionaries from the religious orders, and training his secular clergy to conceive the priesthood as a supernatural, sacrificial mission to their flocks. The Bishop tried to ingrain in them that their first duty was to catechize their poorly instructed flocks, rather than patronizing community and nationalistic initiatives. It was easier to mould rural Canadian recruits along such lines. More challenging were attempts  at convincing European clergy, who were imbued with nationalistic ideology and political causes that dominated Ukrainian life in the homeland.

In his first years, Bishop Vasyliy set about repairing the financial chaos left behind by his dedicated but administratively weak predecessor, as well as restoring the confidence and support of the Roman Catholic bishops and associations. After four years of intense activity, having crisscrossed the country several times, Ladyka had been able to observe the real conditions of the UGCC in Canada. In December 1933, he concluded that the entire Dominion was too vast a jurisdiction to permit effective governance and supervision by a single bishop. In addition to more clergy, he asked Rome to divide his Ordinariate in three, with additional bishoprics to be set up in Edmonton and Toronto. In his report to the Oriental Congregation, dated 28 December, Ladyka also recommended that one of the bishops be granted the distinction of archbishop or metropolitan, to ensure harmony in the UGCC’s governance.

A Second Bishop

It would take another decade before the Vatican machinery was able to provide Vasyliy Ladyka with an assistant, and then only a single auxiliary bishop. In the meantime, a priest was to be deputized as vicar general for eastern Canada. The process for selecting a bishop became prolonged because the Oriental Congregation found each candidate wanting or unsuitable for Canadian conditions. An appointment that seemed imminent, in the spring of 1939, was put off to extend the list. In the meantime, Ladyka agreed to accept the displaced auxiliary of Lviv, Ivan Buchko, who had declined the appointment to Canada in 1928. That plan was never put into practice: Buchko went instead to New York City and was deported after the USA entered the Second World War. 

In 1942, Bishop Ladyka’s health became so precarious that the appointment of a helper could be put off no longer. The Congregation for the Eastern Church invited the general superiors of the religious orders to present candidates. The Basilians presented several while the Redemptorists declined, for lack of a suitable subject. Apostolic Delegate Cassulo composed a terna consisting of two Basilians and a secular priest. The Oriental Congregation recommended the Basilian superior of Mundare, Father Neil Savaryn, who was duly appointed auxiliary bishop by Pope Pius XII on 29 March 1943.

Developments in Canada and Europe

In the meantime, crucial developments were taking place in the UGCC. In Canada, the numbers of priests, religious, seminarians, and faithful, grew steadily in tandem with the number of churches and mission posts. Ukrainian Catholic Schools were established, as well as colleges and academies, hospitals and nursing homes administered by the SSMI. And a second order of sisters, the Missionary Sisters of Christian Charity, was founded in Toronto. Printing presses were set up by the Basilians and the Redemptorists at their respective motherhouses: Mundare, Alberta, and Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Organizations for the laity were formed locally and nationally, including the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood, Women’s League, and Youth. Branches of the Apostleship of Prayer and Catholic Action were set up in many parishes. One of Ladyka’s greatest achievements was restoring the trust of the Roman Catholic hierarchy and its organizations (such as the Catholic Extension Society), which began to heavily subsidize UGCC causes and cover the costs of training of seminarians.

In Europe, the UGCC was being transformed under the leadership of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, who sought to revive its original Byzantine ethos and purify its worship of Latin accretions. This vision was strongly supported by orientalist scholar Eugène Tisserant, who took the helm of the Vatican department for the Eastern Churches in 1936. While the Redemptorists supported Sheptytsky’s program, his suffragan bishops and the Basilians were vehemently opposed to the removal of Latinizations. The introduction of purified liturgical books in the 1940s was heavily contested and made Tisserant distrustful of the OSBM, which were placed under temporary canonical supervision, in 1946.

Following the Second World War, with the annexation of western Ukraine, the Soviets suppressed the mother Church of the Lviv-Halych Metropolia, violently merging it into the state-controlled Russian Orthodox Church. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians had been deported or fled to western Europe. Among these were UGCC faithful, priests, religious, and seminarians. Due to the lobbying by Ukrainian Canadians, including Bishop Ladyka and his representatives (such as Basilian Father Josaphat Jean), the Canadian Government accepted a large contingent of these “Displaced Persons” (DPs). The influx of clergy and faithful swelled the ranks of Church in Canada. In 1945, Bishop Ladyka’s poor health forced him to spend several months convalescing in the Mundare Hospital, making the division of the Ordinariate even more urgent.

Three Apostolic Exarchates 

Following the Second World War, Pope Pius XII undertook to restore the suppressed UGCC with a hierarchy in the lands of immigration. In the summer of 1947, Cardinal Tisserant made an inspection tour of North America, visiting Ukrainian Catholic communities from Montreal to Vancouver. Upon his return to Rome, he told Apostolic Delegate Idelbrando Antoniutti that at least three bishops were necessary for Canada. Antoniutti was instructed to consult Bishop Ladyka, so as to prepare a project for the division of the Ordinariate and a list of episcopal candidates. Edmonton was to be the seat of an apostolic exarchate (a term which replaced “ordinariate” for western Canada); Winnipeg was to remain the seat of the central exarchate; and Toronto was to become an exarchate for eastern Canada. Bishop Savaryn was selected for Edmonton, where the member of his own Basilian Order were most numerous. Two secular priests were selected to fill the other appointments: Isidore Boretsky for Toronto and Andrew Roboretsky (already recommended in 1939) as Ladyka’s new auxiliary. Pius XII sanctioned the division of the Ordinariate into three Apostolic Exarchates on 3 March 1948. The consecrations of Boretsky and Roboretsky took place in Toronto, in June. The new Canadian hierarchy held their first conference and petitioned the Apostolic See to establish an ecclesiastical province, headed by a metropolitan. Cardinal Tisserant judged this step to be premature, conferring instead a titular archbishopric on Ladyka, as the senior hierarch.

With healthy young bishops in place, the new exarchates expanded rapidly, accepting priests from Europe, establishing new missions, building churches, setting up branches of the newly formed lay organizations, holding congresses. But the situation was not all rosy. Ladyka had lacked the willpower to establish either a major or a minor seminary, as the Vatican had repeatedly requested. The task for training the youth fell upon the religious orders, which established their own juniorates. Also, the liturgical reform were not being as implemented as energetically and uniformly as Cardinal Tisserant desired. Ladyka’s suffragan bishops quarrelled with him over the stipulated division-in-three of the former Ordinariate’s liquid assets. The Apostolic Delegate reported that, although the exarchs held regular meetings, “each acts on his own accord.”

Redemptorist Mission in Canada

In 1906, the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (CSsR) had begun its mission to Byzantine-Rite Catholics among the Ukrainians in Canada. However, due to the demands of Bishop Budka, they also set up a community in Galicia under the supervision of Metropolitan Sheptytsky. This mission was to overtake the Canadian venture in number and importance. The Belgian CSsR struggled to convince Canadian Ukrainians of their altruistic motives. A feud with the Christian Brothers in Yorkton and other conflicts convinced the Belgian superiors to transfer Ukrainian recruits to eastern Poland, where the CSsR had been given a mission to former Greek-Catholics in Volhynia. One of their number, Nykolai Charnetsky, was selected as bishop and apostolic visitor over that mission, dubbed Neo Unia. That future Blessed-Martyr ordained Father Maxim Hermaniuk to the priesthood on 4 September 1938.

With the first Soviet occupation of 1939, the Neo Unia mission was suppressed and the CSsR shifted its focus and support back to its original Eastern-Rite mission in Canada. However, more effective superior was needed to put the Canadian mission back on track. Accordingly, at the beginning of 1948, the Belgian Provincial Superior, Father Buys, announced that Father Hermaniuk was to be transferred to Canada. 

Just before the outbreak of the Second World War, in 1939, Maxim Hermaniuk was sent west for higher studies. Initially he was registered at the Angelicum in Rome but, when the war erupted, was redirected to the more prestigious Catholic University in Louvain (Leuven), in Belgium. There, Hermaniuk achieved the highest academic excellence as well as pastoral experience, especially with Ukrainian university students which he served as chaplain. When his reassignment became known, his Ukrainian confreres and Bishop Ivan Buchko (who had become Apostolic Visitor over UGCC in western Europe) complained that his transfer would be a terrible blow to the mission to Ukrainian DPs in Europe. But Hermaniuk was deemed essential for Canada, and the capable young priest was sent packing in October 1948. Shortly after his arrival, Buys named him superior of the CSsR’s Ukrainian vice-province.

Saskatoon, Cathedral, new Auxiliary

Neil Savaryn had been a very deferential auxiliary bishop to Vasyliy Ladyka, and continued to enjoy the latter’s confidence even after he was transferred to Edmonton. Nonetheless, Ladyka entrusted financial matters to his savvy chancellor, Basil Kushnir, who was also parish priest of his tiny pro-cathedral. Kushnir was very much the model of a worldly, politicking European priest. He was successful in raising funds to build a magnificent new cathedral church for the Winnipeg exarchate. Saints Vladimir and Olga Cathedral was opened on 15 April 1951, amidst great pomp. The impressive guest list included civic and religious dignitaries, including Cardinal McGuigan of Toronto (the de facto primate of English-speaking Canada), archbishops and bishops of Latin and Byzantine Rites from Canada and USA, the Premier of Manitoba, mayors, parliamentarians, judges, the president of the University of Manitoba, and 8,000 faithful (10 of which fainted in the massive crowd, during the lengthy ceremony). This achievement consolidated Kushnir’s hold over church administration and won him the papal honorific of domestic prelate (a mid-grade Monsignor).

            Ladyka had presented Fathers Kushnir and Roboretsky among his choices for auxiliary bishop. Kushnir had been excluded for his maverick style and involvement in politics. The zealous and energetic Roboretsky, assuming the charge of auxiliary in 1948, attempted to make order of Ladyka’s administration. He was successful in establishing parish boundaries but ran afoul of the Basilians for insisting that their church, located directly across from the cathedral, be moved to a part of Winnipeg where a Ukrainian Catholic church was still lacking. He also crossed swords with Kushnir, who had retained the office of vicar general, over financial and administrative matters. In doing so, Roboretsky lost the confidence of his Archbishop, whose poor health had made him heavily dependent on others. A project was devised, approved by Ladyka, to split the Central Exarchate in two, creating a new bishopric in Saskatoon to which Roboretsky was to be appointed.

            During the Great Winnipeg Flood of 1950, Archbishop Ladyka abandoned his flooded riverside residence and took refuge with the Basilians in in Mundare. He spent several months, totally incapacitated with a weak heart, in the Mundare Hospital, where hope was lost for his recovery. On 15 August, he petitioned the Pope to appoint Bishop Savaryn apostolic administrator of the Central Exarchate. Cardinal Tisserant suspected that this was done under pressure from the Basilians. Apostolic Delegate Antoniutti, however, recommended that Savaryn remain in Edmonton, where the Basilians were in the majority, and a candidate from the other male religious order be selected. 

The Superior the Ukrainian Redemptorists, Maxim Hermaniuk, received august praise from leading Canadian and European churchmen and religious superiors, including the Basilian General Superior and Bishop Boretsky. Hermaniuk was deemed to be the most educated UGCC clergyman in Canada. He was a devout religious, held a wide view of affairs, and spoke English better than any Ukrainian bishop. On 3 March 1951, Pius XII approved the division of the Central Exarchate into Winnipeg and Saskatoon Exarchates. Hermaniuk was appointed coadjutor to Ladyka and Roboretsky– Exarch of Saskatoon. However, the Apostolic Delegate asked that Hermaniuk’s office be commuted to Auxiliary bishop, since he was still untried, and on condition that he be appointed Ladyka’s Vicar General. The bishop-elect attempted to decline the appointment but to no avail. Maxim Hermaniuk was consecrated bishop during the celebration of a Ukrainian Catholic Eucharistic Congress, on 29 June 1951, in the new Saints Vladimir and Olga Cathedral. 

Storm before the Calm

The Edmonton and Toronto Exarchates began with great energy and enthusiasm and, after only a few years, were transformed with the influx of DP clergy and faithful. The Western Exarchate held a provincial synod in 1952 but, the following year, a feud began between Bishop Savaryn and the Basilians, which was actually a conflict between European and Canadian-born clergy. Savaryn had begun to replace OSBM with secular clergy, in the parishes, and initiated the liturgical purification envisioned by Metropolitan Sheptytsky and Cardinal Tisserant. Nevertheless, under the influence of a small group of DP priests, this reform was carried out in an clumsy and imprudent manner, without catechizing the faithful. The same group tried drive the Basilians out of youth formation, targeting their summer camp, and demanded the OSBM be removed from Saint Josaphat’s Cathedral. Rural Canadian-born folk resented the unfamiliar language and style of the European Fathers, and organized petitions and protests in an attempt to remove them.

The outcome of this battle, which ended only in 1959, was twofold: After much negotiation and protests, the OSBM finally gave up the cathedral in exchange for canonical rights of four churches in Mundare, Edmonton, Vegreville, and Vancouver. Savaryn lost much prestige over the affair, especially after Hermaniuk was called in to perform an apostolic visitation, which resulted in the removal of two of the DP ringleaders from the chancery. The Basilians also abandoned plans to run the UGCC minor seminary in Edmonton, turning their energies to a private high school in Toronto. The Canadian hierarchs had to approach the Redemptorists to start a minor seminary, which opened in 1956, in Roblin, Manitoba. St. Vladimir’s College was a tremendous success for the forty years it was administered by the CSsR. It provided numerous vocations to the priesthood and to a number of religious orders, as well as religiously educated laity that maintained a strong, enduring Ukrainian Catholic identity. 

Ladyka’s final illness

Bishop Maxim Hermaniuk’s first years as auxiliary bishop of the Winnipeg Exarchate were tranquil. In December 1954, Archbishop Ladyka became incapacitated once more. The exarchate’s affairs ground to a halt as Hermaniuk was unable to access finances, which the Archbishop had kept entirely to himself and his private advisors. The time had come for Hermaniuk to be made coadjutor, which would give him a right to assume the governance of the Exarchate, leaving Ladyka as titular head, out of consideration for many years of dedicated service. Hermaniuk was appointed coadjutor on 25 February 1955, but Ladyka refused to give him access to the finances and blocked an attempt to purchase property. As a result, the new apostolic delegate, Giovanni Paníco, recommended that Hermaniuk be given exclusive governance. On 19 January 1956, a decree was issued by the Oriental Congregation naming Maxim Hermaniuk Apostolic Administrator of the Exarchate. When informed, in April, the Archbishop meekly accepted “the will of the Holy See,” under obedience. Vasyliy Ladyka lived for another five months, cared for by the SSMI at the Exarchate’s summer camp, finally succumbing to his illness on 1 September 1956.

Metropolitan Province with Three Eparchies

In August 1951, newly-consecrated Bishop Hermaniuk informed the Apostolic Delegation in Ottawa that the Ukrainian Orthodox had elected Archbishop Ilarion (Ohienko) as Metropolitan-Archbishop of Winnipeg. That act led to the unification of two jurisdictions into a single Ukrainian Greek-Orthodox Church of Canada, and to the founding of bishoprics in Edmonton and Toronto. That December, Archbishop Antoniutti repeated his recommendation to Rome, that the UGCC be raised to a full ecclesiastical province headed by a metropolitan. The Apostolic Delegate reasoned that that new arrangement would foster greater unity and uniformity in the Canadian UGCC. But Cardinal Tisserant did not want to confer the dignity on Archbishop Ladyka, whose lacklustre performance in implementing of the purified liturgical books and establishing a distinct UGCC seminary he strongly castigated. 

In the 1950s, Bishops Savaryn, Boretsky, and Roboretsky, committed serious blunders, and only Bishop Hermaniuk avoided censure. The Oriental Congregation watched his performance closely, while he took over the administration of Winnipeg from Ladyka. Having handled the transfer with great tact, and given his superior intellectual qualities, Hermaniuk was recommended for the office of metropolitan. The elevation of the UGCC in Canada was to take place at the end of celebrations of the millennium of the baptism of Saint Olha, grandmother of Prince Volodymyr and ruler of Kyivan-Rus (a precursor of modern Ukraine) and co-patron of the Winnipeg Cathedral.

On 3 November 1956, a decree was issued raising the Apostolic Exarchates of Edmonton, Toronto, and Saskatoon to eparchies (full dioceses), and Winnipeg to an Archeparchy and head of a Metropolitan ecclesiastical province. On that day, Hermaniuk was visiting his Redemptorist confreres in Newark, New Jersey. He returned to Canada on 14 November, to take part in the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Just after noon on the following day, 15 November, Archbishop Panico informed him of his elevation. Later that day, the other bishops received the news with great joy, despite the fact that their junior had been selected for the highest dignity. 

Metropolitan Maxim’s enthronement ceremony took place on 12 February 1957 at Saints Vladimir and Olga Cathedral. After initially declining to attend, out of fear of Winnipeg’s “Siberian temperatures,” Archbishop Panico accepted the invitation to perform the ritual. In his remarks, he noted that the Apostolic See of Rome had founded a new Metropolia in Lviv in 1806, when the Catholic Kyivan Metropolia was suppressed by the Russian Empire. The same Russian State had suppressed the Lviv-Halych Metropolia in 1946, but only a few months previously, word had reached the west that Metropolitan Yosyf Slipyi was still alive in Siberian captivity. Panico also honoured the memory of the first bishop, Nykyta Budka, news of whose death in the gulag had only recently reached the west.

Maxim Hermaniuk’s enthronement happened 65 years after the first Ukrainian Catholic immigrants reached Canada, in 1891. It was attended by 21 Canadian RC archbishops and bishops and the entire Ukrainian Catholic hierarchy in Canada, USA, and Europe, the Manitoba Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the Mayor of Winnipeg, and a personal representative was sent by Canadian Prime Minister, Louis Saint Laurent. For the historic occasion, Cardinal Tisserant deputized Archbishop Buchko to represent of the Oriental Congregation. The event was felt by Ukrainians around the world and would be the first of many. The following year, the American exarchates were also raised to eparchies headed by a Metropolitan in Philadelphia. From 1957 to 1961 Apostolic exarchates for Ukrainians were established in Britain, Brazil, Australia, France, Germany, and Argentina. 

Metropolitan Hermaniuk held the first Conference of the worldwide Ukrainian Catholic hierarchy at his enthronement. The same Conference, at his initiative, actively lobbied for the release of Metropolitan Yosyf (Slipyi) at the Second Vatican Council, to the great embarrassment of certain Vatican bureaucrats, who had agreed to supress criticism of the Soviet regime in exchange for the presence of Russian Orthodox advisors. Slipyi’s release and euphoric acclamation by the Council Fathers permanently altered the Catholic landscape and led to profound changes within UGCC itself. Among the UGCC hierarchs, Hermaniuk was the most important contributor to the theological preparation and discussions at the Council, during which he made at least 22 interventions. His contributions to the teachings on collegiality and ecumenism were particularly valuable. While the Council was still in session, he lent his authoritative voice in petitioning the Pope for synodal governance and for a Ukrainian Catholic patriarchate.

Metropolitan Maxim shepherded the Winnipeg Archeparchy for 36 years. During his term, the UGCC in Canada underwent many changes and challenges. In the 1950s, the UGCC started using “Ukrainian Catholic Church” as its official name. Many parishes were founded and new church buildings replaced older structures. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral was adorned with icons, frescos, and stained glass windows depicting the history of the Church. A modern Immaculate Heart of Mary School building, administered by the SSMI, replaced Saint Nicholas parochial school in 1962. In June of the same year, Hermaniuk held a provincial synod for the entire Metropolia, with delegates from all 4 eparchies. In the early 1970s, Ukrainian and English vernaculars replaced Church Slavonic as the language of liturgical worship. In 1973, he invited to Winnipeg Bishop Vasyl Velychkovsky, who had been released from the Soviet Gulag, That Confessor of the Faith died the following year and was beatified in 2001. A fifth eparchy for British Columbia and Yukon was established in 1974. And the Ukrainian Catholic seminary, so ardently desired by the Apostolic See, was finally established in Ottawa in 1981. 

Upon reaching the age of 75, in 1986, Hermaniuk tendered his resignation to the Roman Pontiff, in accordance with Canon Law. The same year, he hosted a Ukrainian Youth For Christ Rally, which harkened back to a gathering he had attended in Lviv, in 1933. The Metropolitan was permitted to return to his native Ukraine, for the first time, in 1989. His resignation was finally accepted by John Paul II on 16 December 1992. Rosary in hand, Maxim Hermaniuk died on 3 May 1996 in the room which he had occupied since 1951, at the episcopal residence built by his predecessor on the banks of the Red River.

In 2012, an English translation of Hermaniuk’s Second Vatican Council journal entries was published by Jaroslav Skira, following by an accompanying volume in 2020. The prelate was also mentioned, numerous times, in the diaries of the secretary of the Council’s influential theological commission, Father Sabastiaan Tromp, SJ, which historian and theologian Alexandra von Teuffenbach began publishing in 2006. Thanks to the support of Hermaniuk’s successors, the Ukrainian Catholic Bishops of Canada, and a lively interest by historians and theologians, we can look forward to new research on this fascinating historical figure, in the upcoming years.

Лист співчуття від Блаженнішого Святослава з нагоди смерті Владики Северіана Якимишина

Преосвященному владиці

Давидові Мотюку,

єпарху Едмонтонському,

апостольському адміністратору

Нью-Вестмінстерської єпархії

Преосвященний Владико Давиде!

Всесвітліші та преподобні отці!

Преподобні сестри!

Дорогі в Христі вірні нашої Церкви на терені Нью-Вестмінстерської єпархії!

Із великим сумом сприйняли ми звістку про те, що після  хвороби перейшов по вічну нагороду до нашого Господа владика Северіан Якимишин, владика-емерит Нью-Вестмінстерський, другий правлячих архиєрей цієї єпархії. 

 

Владика Северіан отримав єпископську хіротонію 25 березня 1995 року Божого. Його служіння відзначалося великою ревністю у проголошенні Доброї новини, турботою про вірних єпархії. Цей архиєрей докладав усіх зусиль, щоб навіть найменші парафії мали свого душпастиря. Чимало покійний владика зробив для належного функціонування парафіяльного життя, запровадивши програму «Проєкт Надії». Його увагою втішалися діти і молодь єпархії, для яких він у співпраці із сестрами організовував просвітницькі табори, школи. Тож можемо ствердити, що життя і служіння новопресталеного єпископа було цінним даром для нашої Церкви. 

 

Нещодавно ми вітали владику Северіана із славним ювілеєм  90-річчям із дня народження. У подячному листі він написав прекрасні слова, які сьогодні хочемо процитувати як підсумок його життя та своєрідний приклад для наслідування кожному з нас: «Я старався все зробити якнайліпше для Божої слави, нашої Української Церкви і рідного народу. Я за Вас завжди молюся, щоб добрий Господь благословив Вас ласками, потрібними в патріаршому служінні».

 

Щиро віримо, що владика Северіан вже перебуває в обіймах люблячого Спасителя, для слави якого Він жив, а до всіх нас промовляє своє останнє слово, що є виявом великої надії на вічну нагороду від Господа Бога для тих, хто вірний Йому. «Я змагався добрим змагом, свій біг закінчив, віру зберіг» (2 Тим. 4, 7), – вкладаємо ці слова апостола Павла в уста новопреставленого єпископа.

 

Господь відкриває перед ним небеса, даруючи йому радість споглядати Свою славу, а вашу єпархію наділяє ще одним небесним заступником, який випрошує для всіх вас потрібні ласки.  

 

Віддаємо душу новопреставленого владики Северіана в руки безмежного Божого милосердя та з вірою промовляємо: «Несказанної слави Твоєї  сподоби, Христе, того, що до Тебе переставився, де є житло тих, які веселяться, і голос чистої радості». Вічна йому пам’ять!

 

З молитвою

+ СВЯТОСЛАВ

Passing of Bishop Severian Yakymyshyn, osbm (1930-2021)


Most Rev. Severian Yakymyshyn, OSBM, Bishop Emeritus of the Eparchy of New Westminster, reposed in the Lord on September 6, 2021, in Vancouver, BC.

 

Bishop Severian was in his 92nd year of life, 75th year of monastic life, 67th year of priestly service, and 27th year of episcopal ministry.

 

Funeral arrangements:

 

Wednesday, September 15

7:00 pm Monastic/Priestly Parastas

Holy Eucharist Cathedral, New Westminster, BC

 

Thursday, September 16

10:00 am Funeral Divine Liturgy

Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish (St Mary’s), Vancouver, BC

 

Interment to follow at Saints Peter and Paul Parish Cemetery, Mundare, AB (to be preceded by funeral Divine Liturgy)

(Date and time to be determined – details to follow)

 

Grant O Lord eternal life to your servant Bishop Severian!   Vichnaja pamjat.

On the Sanctity of Human Life

Bishop David’s Message on the Sanctity of Human Life and the Annual March Of Life

Annual March for Life

“Upholding the Sanctify of Life, A Sacred Duty”

As we celebrate life, God’s gift to us, let us reflect on the Sanctity of Life, from the perspective of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

 

The Sanctity of Life:  Yesterday’s Perspective:

United States

January 1973

  • The Supreme Court of the United States invalidates 50 state laws and made abortion legal – on demand – throughout the United States in the decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton.

January 1974

  • The first March for Life walks on Washington to lobby Congressional leadership to find a legislative solution to the Supreme Court’s decision. Soon after realizing congressional protection of the unborn was not on the horizon, a March for Life every year until Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Canada

The National March for Life in Ottawa, in our nation’s capital, typically the largest annual protest on Parliament Hill, takes place each May to mark the passing of the 1969 omnibus bill which decriminalized abortion. Since then, pro-lifers rally in front of our Parliament building and march through downtown Ottawa, demanding that our political representatives fight for the right to life of every human being.

Over the years, not only in Ottawa, but throughout Canada, in towns and cities small and large, March for Life has brought together hundreds of thousands of Canadians of all ages.

 

The Sanctity of Life:    Today’s Perspective:

March for Life has necessarily grown over the years in regards to its prayerful intent and desire.  The protection of the unborn is still first and foremost on the minds and hearts of the organizers and participants.  At the same time, March for Life seeks to transform the hearts of all, including our elected officials, to enact laws that protect life from conception until natural death.

From conception to natural death.

Today another storm is on the horizon, indeed, is already here. Medical Assistance in Dying. The passage of Bill C-7 into law on March 7, 2021 by the Government of Canada, greatly expands the eligibility criteria within Canada’s “MAiD” legislation, allowing euthanasia and assisted suicide for those whose death is not reasonably foreseeable.  In our recent Message from the Catholic Bishops in Canada on this matter, we write, “The possible pressures that will be placed on persons with mental illnesses or disabilities resulting from the most recent legislative changes are all too real, perilous and potentially destructive.  Our position remains unequivocal. Euthanasia and assisted suicide constitutes the deliberate killing of human life in violation of God’s Commandments; they erode our shared dignity by failing to see, to accept, and accompany those suffering and dying. Furthermore, they undermine the fundamental duty we have to take care of the weakest and most vulnerable members of society. Human life must be protected from conception to natural death, at all stages, and in all conditions.

 

The Sanctity of Life:   Tomorrow’s Perspective

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, celebrates the Sanctity of Life from conception to natural death, and everything in between. He writes, “How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure but it is news when the stock market loses two points?”

In Pope Francis’ latest book, “Let Us Dream, the Path to a Better Future,” he offers a path to a better future. He sees hope coming out of the crisis of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The Holy Father writes:

We must redesign the economy so that it can offer every person access to a dignified existence while protecting and regenerating the natural world.

What is the greatest fruit of a personal crisis? I’d say patience, sprinkled with a healthy sense of humour, which allows us to endure and make space for change to happen.

When I speak of change I mean that those people who are now on the edges become the means of changing society.

We do not possess the truth so much as the truth possesses us, constantly attracting us by means of beauty and goodness.

Sin is a rejection of the limits that love requires.

Our greatest power is not in the respect that others have for us, but the service we can offer others.

 

The Sanctity of Life:   God’s Perspective

Perhaps I’ve led you astray up until now, intentionally albeit. In reflecting on the Sanctify of Life under the context of yesterday, today, and tomorrow’s perspectives, one could almost come to the conclusion that everything that has happened in the March for Life movement has been accomplished by ourselves, and by ourselves alone. In our reflection thus far, I’ve intentionally left out another perspective.  And in reality, the only one that counts:  God’s perspective.

God’s perspective reminds us today of the story of creation and the original meaning of the Sanctify of Life.  As we read in the Book of Genesis, “God created humankind in God’s image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).  Created in the image and likeness of God, our vocation then, our calling, is to become like God, to grow in holiness, to accept God’s invitation, and original plan, to grow in loving communion with God and with one another.

Let us not reject God’s plan to be holy, to respect the sanctify of life that God’s self, the Author and the very Giver of Life, bestows upon us. Adam and Eve of old did just that, and it didn’t turn out all too well for them. They were tempted by a false holiness, a false divinization, suggesting the thought of becoming God but without God, by means of one’s own efforts.

Rather, let us accept God’s plan for us, God’s love, God’s mercy, and let us acknowledge anew, respect, support and defend the Sanctify of Life, from conception to its natural death.

Indeed, the message of Easter, the message of the Resurrection, is the message of hope. Jesus comes into the world as one of us to tell us of God’s love and to invite us to follow him. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, he offers us the hope of a new life, eternal life, in communion with God as God had intended, from the very beginning, when he first created us.

 

A word of thanks and gratitude

In conclusion, we truly wish to acknowledge and support all those individuals and communities who continue to support and defend the Sanctify of Life, in prayer and in action.

Let us renew our involvement wherever we live, and to partner with members of our parish or other faith groups and organizations to continue lobbying our elected officials about these matters.

Above all, as the Catholic Bishops in Canada write, “we need to pray earnestly for a new outpouring of grace, so that the fear and despair experienced by many will give way to courage and hope and that all may welcome the call to support [the Sanctify of Life] in ways that reflect the loving and compassionate gaze of Jesus, the risen Lord who lives forever.”  Amen.

Bishop David’s Message on the Sanctity of Human Life and the Annual March Of Life

Pastoral Letter of His beatitude Sviatoslav to Youth

Beloved Youth in Christ—in Ukraine and abroad!

Palm Sunday, the Feast of our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem, is the day when our Church with special attention embraces you in her thoughts and prayers. Our tradition of engaging with you in prayer is a most important experience, especially now, when, because of quarantine restrictions and social distancing, we must make an even greater effort to keep our connection vibrant and strong. COVID-19 has impacted all of us: the old and the young, families and communities—which is why the Church wishes to stand by every human being. However, we especially want to accompany young people, who are growing and being formed in this time of immense challenges and trials.

If you are 21 years old, you have spent a third of your life under the shadow of war in East Ukraine, and for the last year and a half you are experiencing a pandemic, which the world has not seen for a century. If we add political polarization, economic hardship found in many countries where our faithful have settled, and personal restlessness, which is typical for every young person, the result is—a twisted ball of knots, or even an explosive mixture.

And yet, the Good News of Christ reassures us that in the events which we remember today, in spite of the fact that they took place two thousand years ago, there are subtle answers to the challenges of today. What is it that we celebrate and experience anew this day?

After three years of preaching and teaching in different corners of Israel, after healings, miracles, and conflicts with teachers of the law, Jesus together with his disciples goes to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover there. This practice—to celebrate Passover in the city of the temple—was for the People of God of that time the spiritual event of the year! Let’s imagine Jerusalem in the day—the capital of the country, a great city, a sea of pilgrims from all over the world, Roman legionaries, customers and merchants, all searching for their role and place. Similar to our globalized world, is it not? And here Jesus appears. He had just resurrected Lazarus. Many inhabitants and pilgrims know Him through his preaching, healings, and miracles, which he had performed earlier, and so the news of His appearance is immediately carried through the city, and the people come out to greet Him.

Whom do they greet? Christ’s entry into Jerusalem is called triumphant, regal. Various signs indicate this—palm branches, which in the ancient world was considered a symbol of victory; the ass, which for the Jews embodied the fulfillment of prophecies about the Messiah, who will come to liberate the people from enslavement; the crowd, that greets Christ with exclamations of “Hosanna!” and calls him a king.

In biblical understanding, the king of Israel is the one who creates and protects the fullness of life for his nation, and is the intermediary between God and His people. In other words, through the king God continuously creates, gives life to and cares for His people. At the time of the events of which we speak, there had not been a king for centuries—captivity evolved into enslavement, revolts suffered defeats, the people grew accustomed to ever new invaders, and began to cooperate with them in order to survive. But the Jews do not lose hope, they expect a warrior-king, who will liberate the people, will end Roman rule, will restore the glory of the past, and establish prosperity.

And what ultimately happens? The king does come, but He is different from what the Jews expected and what we imagine today. The one who comes is not an intermediate, but the Lord Himself, not a warrior, but God the Creator and Saviour, who willed to become a servant for His creation. He grants victory, but enslaves no one. In His camp there are no prisoners, and the prize is for all. He conquers not a land, city or throne, as Romans and the Jewish leadership feared, but the hearts of the people—He Himself wins them over, enthrals them with His example, moves them with His Word, calls them to follow Him!

Where is Christ going and calling others to follow? Jerusalem archeologists have reconstructed the Lord’s path through Jerusalem. They suggest that He entered the city through the south gate near the Pool of Siloam, a place known as “the lower city.” It was a gathering place for the outcasts, the poor, the sick and crippled, those deprived of a chance at life and even the possibility to climb up the temple hill and offer sacrifice, to celebrate along with others. He goes to the downtrodden, to the ones rejected by the people, in order to open up for them the fullness of life and health, and the gift of Passover. These people are precisely the first who—together with the enthralled and excited youth—greet Him as Saviour and Messiah.

The expression, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” in the language of today we might translate as “Blessed is the one, who gives me a chance, the possibility to rise up from the depths, where life has thrown me, to rediscover myself in this huge and foreign megapolis.” The divine power of Christ finds expression in His making the impossible possible for these people—healing those, whom the medicine of the day was unable to help, allowing those whom society and even the priestly order would denigrate and reject, to see themselves as worthy in God’s eyes, and, through the resurrection  of Lazarus, demonstrate that He has the authority to bring back to life those, who lack the hope and strength to live.

Christ gives all a chance! A strange King is He! He does not take the lives of His opponents; to the contrary—He offers His own life. For the final destination of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem is Golgotha, and His throne—the Cross. From there He reigns not only over Judea, as the Roman soldiers mockingly inscribed, but over the entire world, conquering not earthly enemies, but sin and death itself.

The King, whom we greet today with willow branches, collects nothing from us, but gives and returns to us everything. He grants and protects “the fullness of life” for all, He fulfills all dreams of the young person of today. He not only opens up the meaning of life, as a great teacher or prophet, but gives it in a way that only God can. Today, when our world trembles because of a pandemic that has made us hostages to fear, it is so important to remember this divine power and authority—to heal and grant life. The virus kills and cripples without mercy—it is likely that each one of us has friends, family members or acquaintances, who became its victims. In addition, it targeted the very heart of human relations—today in our human imagination  another person represents not mystery and possibility, but danger and threat. The world of coronavirus has already changed our reflexes and customs. Humanity has lived under a regime of self-preservation for more than a year. Strangers are no longer able to exchange the occasional smile in public transport or supermarkets, and friends refrain from spontaneous hugs of support and fellowship. In protecting our elderly family members from the disease, we unintentionally increase the boundaries of their loneliness.

Let us not doubt that the world will be freed from the captivity of the pandemic. We, Christians, believe that rescue comes from God. However, He acts gently through the intellect, heart, and hands of others, granting them all the necessary means. Our neighbours not only represent danger, but also salvation. We think of the doctors, who selflessly fight for each life; of the volunteers, who purchase ventilators and oxygen  concentrators; of benefactors, who assist with funds and materials; of those, who by following guidelines preserve humanity; of our neighbours and friends who, in spite of all the restrictions, support us with their kind thoughts, sincere prayer, daily service. The pandemic teaches  us to not fear, and on the contrary—to understand that, in spite of our fragility, we are, in fact, strong.

At the same time, we do not fully comprehend how wounded we are because of the present experience, and how deep this global trauma may be. The coronavirus laid bare and sharpened the emotional and social problems of many people. We will take off our masks, but will we be able to trust others? Will not our automatic reflex be to shut off our homes and hearts to the pain of another, the moment a shadow of fear suggests that the other may be a threat? We don’t have ready answers to these questions. Dear young people, it is together with you that the Church will search for them and seek to heal the wounds inflicted  upon humankind by the pandemic and other challenges and problems, which the global disease has brought to the fore.

Humanity needs a Healer. Only He is capable of swooping us up, moving us, filling us with meaning, granting us the sense that we are capable of overcoming this tempest. The Lord silences the storm and at the same time teaches us to row.

“Fear not, daughter of Sion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” (John 12:15; see Zech 9:9). Dear Ukrainian Youth, together with the entire world, you are going through so many difficulties! Possibly, because of the pandemic and quarantine, some of you have lost your job or part-time work as a student. Maybe you’ve been unable to enroll in the university you dreamed of joining  or travelling to study abroad. Maybe you’ve been forced to completely change your plans and place your dreams on hold. Maybe you’ve suddenly lost family members and friends…

However, let us not fear. In this time of challenges our King, our Lord, is by our side, as He was with Mary and Martha when they mourned their brother Lazarus, or as He was with the rejected at the pool of Siloam. Where there is pain, fear, and hopelessness, He is there, to heal the wounds, restore hope, and create the fullness of life.

The Lord God is the kind of leader and guide who does not humiliate and conquer by force, but grants a sense of dignity and gives wings. And so, in seeking out earthly authority and teachers, give note to those, in whom there is something of Christ, who does not fear pain, but rather seeks to ease it, who does not rule, but serves, who calls others to follow by their personal example, and does not enslave. And you be the same. May the Lord in today’s feast win over and touch our hearts, lead us to follow Him and grant us the strength to sing: “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

The blessing of the Lord be upon you!

† SVIATOSLAV

 Given in Kyiv at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ,  on the Day of the Our Holy Mother Matrona of Thessalonica, April 9 (March 27), 2021 A.D.

ПОСЛАННЯ БЛАЖЕННІШОГО СВЯТОСЛАВА ДО МОЛОДІ 

Дорога в Христі молоде в Україні та на поселеннях!

Вербна неділя, свято Господнього входу в Єрусалим — це той день, коли Церква з винятковою увагою огортає вас своїми думками і молитвами. Наша традиція молитовного спілкування є надзвичайно важливим досвідом особливо зараз, коли, у зв’язку з карантинними обмеженнями і соціальним дистанціюванням, ми мусимо докладати ще більше зусиль, щоб зберігати наші стосунки живими і міцними. COVID-19 завдав удару всім: старшим і молодим, родинам і спільнотам – тому Церква бажає бути поруч із кожною людиною. Однак зокрема ми хочемо супроводжувати молодих людей, які зростають і формуються в цей час величезних викликів і випробувань. 

Якщо вам зараз двадцять один рік, то третина вашого життя пройшла огорнена мороком війни на Сході України, а останні півтора року ви переживаєте глобальну пандемію, якої світ не знав уже століття. Додаймо ще політичну поляризацію, економічні негаразди в багатьох країнах нашого проживання та особисту турбулентність, яка притаманна кожній молодій людині, – отримаємо заплутаний клубок, а часом майже вибухову суміш. 

Проте Христова Благовість запевняє нас, що в події, яку згадуємо сьогодні, незважаючи на те що вона відбулася дві тисячі років тому, є чимало тонких відповідей на виклики сучасності. Що ж ми святкуємо і заново переживаємо цього дня?

Після трьох років проповідування і навчання в різних куточках Ізраїлю, зцілень, чудес і конфліктів з учителями закону, Ісус разом із учнями йде до Єрусалиму, щоб там святкувати Пасху. Така практика — святкувати Пасху в храмовому місті — була для тогочасного Божого народу духовною подією року! Уявімо собі тогочасний Єрусалим — столицю країни, велике місто, море прочан з усього світу, римські легіонери, купці й торговці, кожен із яких намагається знайти собі роль і місце. Схоже на наш глобалізований світ, чи не так? І тут з’являється Ісус. Він щойно воскресив Лазаря, багато мешканців і паломників Його добре знають завдяки проповідям, зціленням і чудам, які Він учинив раніше, а тому новина про Його появу миттю облітає місто, і люди виходять Його зустріти. 

Кого вони зустрічають? В’їзд Христа в Єрусалим називають тріумфальним, царським. На це вказують різні знаки — пальмове гілля, яке в стародавньому світі вважалося символом перемоги; ослятко, яке для юдеїв уособлювало здійснення пророцтв про Месію, що прийде визволити народ від поневолення; натовп, який вітає Христа вигуками «Осанна!» і називає царем.

У біблійному сенсі цар Ізраїлю — це той, хто створює і захищає простір життя для свого люду і є посередником між Богом і Його народом. Тобто через царя Бог постійно творить, животворить свій народ і ним опікується. На час подій, про які чуємо, царя вже немає багато століть — полон змінився на поневолення, повстання зазнають поразок, народ звикає до щоразу нових загарбників, починає співпрацювати з ними, щоб вижити. Та юдеї не втрачають надії, очікують царя-воїна, який визволить народ,  припинить римське панування, поверне минулу славу і дасть достаток. 

Що ж, зрештою, відбувається? Цар таки приходить, але Він інший, аніж сподівалися тоді юдеї і уявляємо сьогодні ми. Приходить не посередник, а сам Господь, не завойовник, а Бог-Творець і Спаситель, який захотів стати слугою для свого створіння. Він дарує перемогу, але нікого не поневолює. У Його обозі немає полонених, трофеї ж отримують усі. Він захоплює, але не країну, місто чи трон, як цього боялися римляни та юдейська верхівка, а серця людей, — захоплює собою, приваблює власним прикладом, зворушує своїм Словом, кличе йти за Ним!  

Куди, куди йде Христос і кличе інших? Єрусалимські археологи відтворили Господній шлях через Єрусалим. Вони стверджують, що Він входив у місто через південні ворота при Силоамській купелі, місце, відоме також як «Нижнє місто». Там збиралися знедолені, бідні, хворі та каліки, позбавлені шансу на життя і навіть можливості піднятися на Храмову гору та принести жертву, щоб святкувати, як усі.  Він іде до упослідженого, відкиненого народу, щоб відкрити йому простір життя і здоров’я та дарувати Пасху. Саме ці люди першими – разом із захопленою та зворушеною молоддю – вітають Його як Спасителя і Месію. 

Вислів «Осанна! Благословен, хто йде в ім’я Господнє, Цар Ізраїлів!» мовою сучасної людини можна перекласти як «Благословенний той, хто дає мені шанс, можливість піднятися з дна, куди мене закинуло життя, віднайти себе в цьому великому чужому мегаполісі». Божественна сила Христа проявляється в тому, що Він робить для цих людей можливим неможливе — зцілює тих, кому тогочасне лікарське мистецтво не здатне допомогти, дозволяє відчути себе гідними в очах Божих тим, кого суспільство і навіть священнослужителі принижують чи відкидають, а через воскрешення Лазаря показує, що має владу повертати життя тим, хто не має надії і сили жити. 

Христос дає шанс усім! Дивний цей Цар! Він не забирає життя в опонентів, а навпаки — віддає своє життя. Адже фінальною точкою тріумфального в’їзду Христа в Єрусалим є Голгота, а Його троном – хрест. Звідти Він царює не лише над Юдеєю, як глузливо написали римські воїни, а над усім світом, звідти перемагає  не земних ворогів, а гріх і саму смерть.

Цар, якого сьогодні вітаємо вербовими галузками, нічого в нас не забирає, а все нам подає і віддає. Дарує і захищає «життєвий простір» для всіх, здійснює всі мрії сучасної молодої людини. Він не просто відкриває сенс життя, як великий учитель чи пророк, а дає його, як може лише Бог. Саме про цю Божу силу і владу — зцілювати і давати життя — так важливо пам’ятати сьогодні, коли наш світ тремтить через пандемію, що зробила нас заручниками страху. Вірус немилосердно вбиває і калічить — мабуть, у кожного є друзі, родичі чи знайомі, які стали його жертвами. Крім того, він поцілив у саме серце людських стосунків — сьогодні інша людина в нашій людській уяві являє собою не таїну і можливість, а небезпеку і загрозу.  Коронавірусний світ вже змінив наші рефлекси та звички. Людство вже понад рік живе в режимі самозбереження. Незнайомці в громадському транспорті чи супермаркеті не можуть обмінятися випадковими усмішками, а друзі стримуються від спонтанних обіймів підтримки та приязні. Захищаючи своїх старших родичів від хвороби, ми мимовільно розширюємо межі їхньої самотності. 

Не сумніваймося, світ визволиться з полону пандемії! Ми, християни, віримо, що порятунок приходить від Бога. Проте Він делікатно діє через розум, серце і руки людини, надавши їй усі необхідні засоби. Наші ближні – це не лише небезпека, а й порятунок. Йдеться про лікарів, які відчайдушно борються за кожне життя; про волонтерів, які купують апарати штучного дихання та кисневі концентратори; про доброчинців, які допомагають коштами і продуктами; про тих, які, дотримуючись правил, зберігають людяність; про наших ближніх і друзів, які, попри всі обмеження, супроводжують нас своїми зичливими думками, щирою молитвою, щоденною послугою. Пандемія вчить нас не боятися, а навпаки – розуміти, що ми, незважаючи на свою крихкість, все ж таки сильні.

Однак ми ще не повністю усвідомлюємо, наскільки зранені теперішнім досвідом і наскільки глибока ця глобальна травма. Коронавірус оголив і загострив емоційні та соціальні проблеми в багатьох людей. Ми знімемо маски – та чи зможемо довіряти? Чи не буде нашим автоматичним рефлексом замкнути домівку і серце перед болем іншого, лишень пробіжить тінь страху, що він може бути загрозою? На ці запитання немає готових відповідей. Дорогі молоді люди, саме разом із вами Церква їх шукатиме і намагатиметься гоїти рани сучасної людини, спричинені пандемією та іншими викликами й проблемами, які увиразнила глобальна хвороба. 

Людство потребує Цілителя. Лише Він здатний нас захопити, зворушити, наповнити змістом, дати відчуття, що ми спроможні і цей шторм пережити. Господь стишує бурю і водночас вчить нас веслувати. 

«Не бійся, дочко Сіону, ось іде твій цар верхи на жереб’яті ослиці» (Ів. 12, 15; пор. Зах. 9, 9).Дорога українська молоде, разом з усім світом ти переживаєш так багато труднощів! Можливо, через пандемію і карантин хтось втратив роботу чи студентський підробіток, хтось не зміг вступити до омріяного університету чи поїхати вчитися за кордон, хтось змушений повністю змінити свої плани чи поставити мрії на паузу, хтось раптово втратив рідних і друзів… 

Проте не біймося, у час цих викликів наш Цар, наш Господь є поруч із нами, так само як Він був разом із Марією та Мартою, коли вони оплакували свого брата Лазаря, чи з відкинутими біля Силоамської купелі. Він там, де біль, страх і відчай, щоб загоювати рани, заспокоювати, обнадіювати та творити простір життя.  

Господь Бог є лідером і провідником, який не принижує і не захоплює силою, а дає відчуття гідності та окрилює. Тому, шукаючи земних авторитетів і вчителів, звертайте увагу на тих, у кому є щось Христове, хто не лякається болю, натомість старається його полегшувати, хто не панує, а служить, хто кличе за собою, приваблюючи власним прикладом, а не поневолює. І самі будьте такими. Нехай Господь у сьогоднішньому святі захопить і зворушить наші серця, поведе за собою та дасть силу заспівати: «Осанна во вишніх! Благословен, хто йде в ім’я Господнє!».

Благословення Господнє на вас!

† СВЯТОСЛАВ

Дано в Києві, при Патріаршому соборі Воскресіння Христового,
у день Святої Матрони, що в Солуні, 9 квітня 2021 року Божого

Bishop David’s Easter Message

This is the day that the Lord has made;let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24)

The Easter event is filled with much dramatic activity! The women go to the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed. We are told that there was a great earthquake. An angel appears to the women telling them not to be afraid. Jesus is not there. Jesus has been raised. The angel then tells the women, “Go quickly and tell his disciples, He has been raised from the dead, and indeed He is going ahead of you in Galilee. There you will see him” (Mt 28:7). The women began to run from the tomb. They suddenly meet the Risen Christ who tells them not to be afraid. Jesus tells them to “go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me” (Mt 28:10). That same message to go and tell others of what you have seen and heard, that Jesus, the Messiah, our Saviour, has risen from the dead is repeated again and again in our Easter Sunday Divine Liturgy.

When the eleven disciples went to Galilee, the Risen Christ greets them and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:16-20).

This great commandment is directed not only at the disciples. It is directed to all of us, to the followers of Jesus Christ. All of us share in the duty and privilege to announce the Gospel. All of us share in the mission to preach the Good News to all people. Our nature as Church, as the people of God is always missionary. We are all called to evangelize and to give witness to Christ’s presence in the world through action and love. This is why the Gospel message is read in so many languages during the Easter Divine Liturgy.

Let us begin by telling our family members of God’s love. Many of our family members experience God’s presence through the light of a dimly lit candle. Sometimes this happens through one’s own choice. At other times, it can happen through circumstances beyond one’s control. Yet, even with a dimly lit candle, there is always hope. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. Christ can fan the light of that dimly lit candle into a light that burns brightly and is inextinguishable.

With confidence and courage, let each of us share our faith with others. Our faith is a precious gift that has been given to us by Jesus Christ to be shared. It should not be kept to ourselves but shared with others, beginning with our family members whom we love. Together, we are on a mission. May we find hope and courage to go out and preach the Good News. Take as an inspiring example the creativity of many who have provided online sharing of worship and prayer as we responded to the challenges of this pandemic. While the light from gathering in our parishes was dimmed, the light of sharing our faith was illuminated through the internet.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, that we do not walk alone in this mission. Jesus Christ promises, “I am with you always until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). May your hearts be aflame with passion to know the Risen Christ. May you be inspired to share your faith in Jesus Christ with others. May your hearts be filled with overflowing joy on realizing the presence of the Risen Christ within you. May you know the peace of the Risen Christ. May your Easter celebrations be filled with much joy, inner peace, and heartfelt love shared with your family and with all whom you love and meet in the exciting journey of life.

God’s choicest blessings be upon you, because Christ is Risen!

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

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