St. Volodymyr's Parish

"With this Divine Liturgy we, the bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, begin our synod,” Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk said August 11 during his homily in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv.

The synod takes place in Kyiv from August 11 to 18. The main theme of the synod is "The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the New Evangelization.”

Patriarch Shevchuk said that the beginning of the synod begins "a historical moment that will never happen again.” "We pray in the Patriarchal Cathedral, which, like a bride who is preparing for marriage, is waiting for its consecration. Look at how bright and white it is...” the Primate said to the bishops and laity.

Talking about the theme of the synod, the hierarch said that the central issue is how today "to make a modern man see, how to share the faith, how we, the believers of the twenty-first century, can know the Word of God in today's culture.”

Patriarch Shevchuk asked the faithful Greek Catholics to pray for the synod.

According to him, the synod will pray to Jesus Christ to bless us, our people, our church, our country, so that we were a faithful and well-developed people, and spoke words of faith to our neighbors.

At the end of worship, according to canon law, Bishop Bohdan Dziurakh, Secretary of the Synod, read the decree to convene the next Synod of Bishops.

Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine Edward Thomas Gullickson said he, as the representative of the pope, "has the honor” to stand next to the Greek Catholics before the throne of God's Greatness to plead for the gift of the Holy Spirit to discuss the affairs of the synod, which begins today. He also "assured the blessing of the Holy Father” for all Greek Catholics, the work of the synod, the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the baptism of Rus-Ukraine, and the consecration of the Patriarchal Cathedral.

At the end of the Liturgy, Patriarch Shevchuk presented to the faithful each of the bishops who have already arrived at the synod, the Information Department of the UGCC informs.

source: RISU