His Beatitude Sviatoslav placed the Ukrainian people under the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God

Tuesday, 08 April 2014, 12:36

The Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav (Shevchuk ) renewed the Act of Consecrating Ukraine to the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God. “Unto Your Holy Intercession Blessed Virgin, receive your children, oh, Most Holy,” said the Church Primate.

See also:

Appeal of His Beatitude Sviatoslav to the Sons and Daughters of the Ukrainian People in Ukraine and Abroad, and to all People of Good Will
His Beatitude Sviatoslav congratulated Sisters of the Incarnate Word Order with on holding Cathedral Chapter
A patriarchate for the UGCC is not only a title. Above all, it’s a way of existing, — His Beatitude Sviatoslav

The renewal of the Act of Consecrating the Ukrainian people to the Intercession of the Virgin Mary is taking place during a tough historical period of the Ukrainian nation. So was it done in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, when over the lands of Kyiv State, there lay a threat of an attack by nomadic tribes of the southeast. His Beatitude Myroslav Ivan (Lubachivsky) repeated this Act at the dawn of the rebirth of Ukraine as a nation.

The renewal of the Act took place on April 6^th, the fifth Sunday of the Great Lent, during the Pontifical Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav is convinced that since the time that Prince Yaroslav the Wise placed the Ukrainian people under the Intercession of the Mother of God in 1037, the Virgin Mary has protected us. “And since those times, here in Kyiv, among pious people there is passed on a holy message that as long as the wall of the Oranta stands firm, the Ukrainian people will remain on these blessed hills. The Intercession of the Most Holy Virgin Mary does not only bring God closer to people, but also brings the people under His Almighty Care. The Mother of God is the first one who prays to her son for her people,” states the preacher.

During the sermon, the Church Head noted that always at critical moments of history it seems that time speeds up. This is what we observe also today in our time. “In the last few months so many events have taken place that we almost feel as if we are not capable of comprehending all of them. Fear and uncertainty is creeping into the heart of a Ukrainian. It is exactly at these critical moments of the history of our people and each one of us individually, that Christ’s Church always lifts its eyes to the Mother – the Mother Church, the Mother of our Savior and the Mother of every believing individual --- to the Blessed Virgin Mary,” claims UGCC Primate.

According to the words of the Head of the Church, we, today, as thousands of years ago, Prince Yaroslav the Wise, lift our hearts to the Virgin Mary since she is the one who will explain and assure us that God is with us. It is she, through her motherly intercession, who will reveal to us the truth about that God who protects His people and cares about their lives.

“We believe that through the renewal of this Act, the protection of the Almighty God will touch all of us. And we will receive such a protection, which cannot be provided by neither arms nor diplomats nor human strength,” concluded UGCC Primate.

The Act of the Consecration of Ukraine to the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God took place in all the churches of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Ukraine and abroad.

Concelebrants with His Beatitude Sviatoslav were Bishop Josyf (Milian) and Bishop-Nominee Mykhailo (Bubniy).

UGCC Department of Information