St. Volodymyr's Parish

Pastoral letter of His Beatitude Sviatoslav (Shevchuk)
to the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
for Great Lent 2012

«Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!»
Mt. 4:17

Dear in Christ!

Most Reverend Archbishops and Metropolitans,
God-loving bishops, reverend clergy, reverend monks,
Beloved brothers and sisters, in Ukraine and in the diaspora

To the clergy,religious and the faithful of the Eparchy of Ss. Peter and Paul Melbourne,

Christ is Born,Glorify Him.

PASTORAL LETTER
OF HIS BEATITUDE SVIATOSLAV
TO THE CLERGY, RELIGIOUS AND ALL THE FAITHFUL
OF THE UKRAINIAN GREEK-CATHOLIC CHURCH

 "The Vibrant Parish – a place to encounter the living Christ”

APPEAL of His BEATITUDE Sviatoslav

Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych of UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH

On the occasion of the Saint Grand Duke Volodymyr AND RESTORATION religious vows

 Reverend Fathers, Reverend Monks, Dearly Beloved in Christ, laity of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and all people of good will, blessings and peace in the Lord!

Dearly Beloved in Christ!

 It has become a good tradition in our Church on the feast of St. Volodymyr the Great, Confessor of Rus-Ukraine, to celebrate in solemn worship and restoring our baptismal vows. In these liturgical acts we firstly thank God for "the great gift of baptism" (Beat. John Paul II) that our ancestors received a thousand years ago and to pay tribute to the many generations of our people who have throughout their Christian history saved in their hearts the holy faith and handed it on to us, their descendants. This year on the feast of St. Volodymyr the Great, we call upon the clergy, religious orders and faithful of our Church, to continue to support our custom, and make this solemn act of gratitude to God in restoring the baptism’s vows. In common liturgical prayer, we glorify God for the fact that the light of the Gospel of Christ was planted in Kyiv mountains, and then - all over our motherland, and even far beyond its borders, and we want to thank Him for the grace of holy Baptism. At the same time in restoring our baptismal vows we want to express to our Creator and Savior, that we will publicly acknowledge our faith, defend it and live it in our personal, family, professional and social life.