His Beatitude Sviatoslav during the funeral of Bishop – from the Diocese Sambir-Drohobych: “Bishop Julian, we thank you for all the years of prayer, service and suffering”

With these words on March 5^th, in the chapel in the yard of the Sviato Uspensla Univska Lavra [monastery] His Beatitude Sviatoslav bid farewell to the first bishop of Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy and the Father Superior of the Studite Order, Bishop Yulian (Voronovsky).

On that day UGCC Head celebrated a Memorial Liturgy for the soul of the late hierarch.  Concelebrants were:  Bishop Yaroslav (Pryriz), Sambir –Drohobych Eparch, Bishop Bohdan (Dziurakh), UGCC Synod of Bishops Secretary; Bishop Joseph (Milan), Auxiliary  Bishop of Kyiv Archeparchy; Bishop Taras (Senkiv), Apostolic Administrator of Stryi Eparchy;  Bishop Leon (Malyi), Auxiliary Bishop of the Lviv Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine.   Some 200 priests and several thousand faithful came to Univ  to accompany their spiritual father with prayers on his final trip.  The liturgy was attended by Petro  Kolodiy, Head of the Lviv Region Council, accompanied by some deputies, according to the Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy Press Service

“The life of His Grace was the life of a committed and caring shepherd who gives his life for his sheep,” emphasized Bishop Yaroslav in his sermon.  According to the bishop’s words, Bishop Yulian was always a good shepherd: he did not fear and run away from those who wanted to destroy Christ’s herd. The fact that he became a priest, and moreover, a bishop in the midst of the realities of the underground existence and the on-going persecution of that period, already testified to his readiness to sacrifice everything for Christ and his Church, even his own life (view: full sermon).

At the end of the Divine Liturgy his Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked all the faithful who took part in the funeral services.  In the name of the whole church, UGCC Head thanked Bishop Yaroslav, the current  Sambir-Drohobych Eparch for his many years of dedicated service to Bishop Yulian by fulfilling the duties of auxiliary-bishop, then becoming  his successor on the bishop’s throne. With him he could share all his joys and sorrows, all his pains and victories.

HIS Beatitude thanked all the clergy, monastic orders and faithful of the Sambir-Drohobych  Eparchy  who collaborated with the hierarch to  develop the eparchy and helped to bear the cross of the hierarch’s  service during the establishment of this young church structure.  UGCC Primate also thanked the rectorate and seminarians of Drohobych Spiritual Seminary for their service and love which they daily expressed to the departed.  He also thanked the physicians who attended to his health.  Finally UGCC Head underlined the service of Christian charity and love expressed by fathers and brothers of the Studite Order as well as the sisters Studites from the Holy Intercession Monastery.

Hierarch Teodor (Martyniak), Father Superior of the Sviato-Uspenska Lavra noted  that during the five days of funeral services  all had a chance to  experience recollections since the hierarch “silently spoke to us the words of eternal life.”  “Today to all, in the name of Bishop Yulian, one wants to say one word which he so often said in his life: “Thank you!”  Today the bishop is embracing and kissing all of us, as he often did, saying “My child!”  added the superior of the monastery where Bishop Yulian spent the last part of his life.

During the farewell at the cemetery on Chernecha Hora [Hill of Monks] Bishop Joseph (Milan) became tearful as he spoke right before the internment.  “We often are lost in our own issues: thoughts, honors, positions, ambitions, hierarchy;  we spend so much useless efforts in proving to someone that we are worth something in this world, “ said Bishop Joseph.  “He managed to walk through life on a path of the perfect center between himself and God.”  According to the speaker, Bishop Yulian did all that was possible for his Church and his people, thus becoming a real priest-servant as exemplified by Christ.

UGCC Department of Information