Eastern Catholic Bishops Gather in St. Louis

Most of the Eastern Catholic Bishops of the United States gathered in St. Louis, Missouri, March 22-23 to discuss issues of common concern including catechesis, evangelization efforts, and temporal issues. Participants included Ukrainian Catholic, Byzantine, Maronite, Melkite, Syro-Malabar, and Chaldean bishops.

Archbishop Borys Gudziak made a presentation to the bishops on the situation in Ukraine and the Metropolia Humanitarian Aid Fund. The bishops present pledged their spiritual solidarity with the suffering people of Ukraine, and their financial support. They issued a joint appeal for peace in Ukraine. A Ukrainian Catholic Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the evening of March 22 in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis with Archbishop Borys presiding. St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski gave a stirring homily.

Bishop Bohdan Danylo of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma presented the 2030 Pastoral Program of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ‘The Hope to Which the Lord Calls Us’ and provided bishops with materials for its implementation. He focused on three points: closeness and practical attention to the poor and marginalized, the path to curing wounds and healing traumas, and the Christian family – a domestic Church.

The group thanked Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, for his leadership during the six last years. At that meeting, the bishops chose a new board. Bishop Bohdan Danylo was elected as the new president of the association of Eastern Catholic Bishops. Vice-president will be Bishop Frank Yohanna Kalabat of the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas in Detroit. Bishop Paul Chomnycky of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford will serve as secretary, and Bishop Francois Beyrouti of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton – as treasurer. Bishop Kurt Burnette is a trustee of the Eastern Catholic Association.

The Eastern Catholic Bishops will gather as a group in November at the annual meeting of all Catholic Bishops in the United States, and again next March in St. Louis.

Mykola Bychok ordained bishop

 

Vladyka Mykola (Bychok), the newest bishop of the UGCC consecrated today on the Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit to be Bishop of the Eparchy of Australia and New Zealand.

May God grant many years.

Several episcopal changes

Today, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of pastoral governance of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians (Australia) presented by Bishop Peter Stasiuk, C.Ss.R. At the same time the Pope nominated a new bishop of the eparchy Father Mykola Bychok, C.Ss.R., until now the parochial vicar of the parish of St. John the Baptist in Newark, NJ.

Father Bychok was born on 13 February 1980 in Ternopil, Ukraine. He entered the Redemptorist order in July 1997 and received his formation in Ukraine and Poland and earned a Masters in Pastoral Theology. Bychok professed his perpetual vows on 17 August 2003 and ordained priest in Lviv on 3 May 2005.

After ordination he served as a missionary in Russia, a local Redemptorist superior, pastor of a parish in Ukraine, Treasurer of the Redemptorist Province in Lviv and since 2015 in St. John the Baptist Parish in Newark, NJ.

Prayers for Father Mykola Bychok as he begins a mission for God and the Church.

Additionally, Pope Francis nominated as bishop of the Eparchy Holy Family of London of the Ukrainians in Great Britain Bishop Kenneth Anthony Adam Nowakowski, transferring him from the Eparchy of New Westminster of the Ukrainians in Canada.

Bishop Kenneth Anthony Adam Nowakowski was born on 16 May 1958 in North Battleford in Saskatchewan (Canada).

The Bishop’s initiation formation for priesthood was with the Redemptorist order in Toronto and in Rome at the Angelicum. He was ordained a priest on 19 August 1989 for the Eparchy of Saskatoon. Later he studied Canon Law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute (Rome) and directed the Ukrainian Catholic Refugee Office in Italy.

After several points of service for the Church as vice chancellor in Ukraine, rector of the Ottawa Seminary, Caritas Ucraina, he was elected bishop of New Westminster on June 1, 2007.