From a 2016 sermon of His Beatitude Sviatoslav of Kyiv and Halych:
Today’s question is: What does it mean to be a faithful member or believer of the UGCC? This is a question of identity of the Church and us. The Kyivan Church of the third millennium—who are we? What do we do as members of this Church?
Here in our midst are members [of the Church] from the whole world. We have with us brothers and sisters from Australia here today. This question has broad answers. What makes us Ukrainian Greco-Catholics? Being Ukrainian? Today about 1/3 of our parishes in the diaspora [in North and South America, Western Europe, Australia] are comprised of members not of Ukrainian heritage and who don’t speak Ukrainian. This is why we translated our new Catechism into languages they understand: English, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, many others….
What is the mark of identity of the UGCC? To be Galician? I tell you as the Major Archbishop of Kyiv, no! There are many who want to make our Church into a Galician enclave in the Western part of Ukraine. His Beatitude Lubomyr once said something very interesting: “we need to put aside the heresy of being just Galician.” [Let me assure you, I say this with all respect, being a Galician myself.] Our identity, the identity of our Church is faith in the salvific things that our God has placed in the history of the Kyivan Church and all the good things and gifts and treasures from God: theological, liturgical, artistic.
Today we must spread these to the whole world.
And today when our missionaries leave the Lviv Theological Seminary [where the homily is being given] to occupied areas, in Crimea, or to Melbourne or to India, they can think to themselves… I am going to find [seek out, like lost sheep] Ukrainians, I am going to call back the lost sheep of Ukraine.
But Christ is calling us to something higher. He says go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to be Greco-Catholic, faithful member of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church.
Within the richness of the Kyivan Church there is much to be found, there are such deep roots. We need to open the Kyivan Church to other languages, other cultures, other peoples—this gift of the Spirit that the Lord gave to our once suffering, crucified, but today resurrected and glorified Church.
We invite everyone to a farewell reception for our wounded soldier Kostya Shkapoyed and his wife Iryna. The reception will be in St. Michael’s Church hall 569 George St, New Haven on Sunday, October 27th at 12:00 noon. Kostya’s treatment at Yale has been completed and he and Iryna are returning to Ukraine. Let’s give him a nice send off and wish him and Iryna well as they return home.
UNWLA #108 invites all women to a coffee social on Sunday, October 27, 2019 after each Divine Liturgy at St. Michael’s Ukrainian church hall to meet current members and others who may be interested in continuing the vital work of the local, regional, and national Ukrainian women’s organization.
The 2019 Holodomor Remembrance in New York City will take place on Saturday, November 16
On Sunday, October 13th Senator Richard Blumenthal addressed the Ukrainian American community at St Michael’s Church hall in New Haven . His presentation focused on current efforts in Congress to support Ukraine. For the upcoming fiscal year $250 million is being authorized for defense -related assistance. Another $140 million is being allocated for non defense aid through USAID programs in the State Department. While he touched briefly on the House impeachment investigation he was clear that this political activity had no bearing on the ongoing support for Ukraine on Capitol Hill. In Congress Ukraine continues to enjoy strong bipartisan support.