In 2012, UGCC to reflect on the seven sacraments at the appropriate time of the liturgical calendar

Celebrating the Year of the Holy Sacraments in the UGCC will begin on Christmas fast of 2011 with reflections on the birth of the Son of God. Special attention will be paid to the sacraments of the Baptism and Confirmation from Christmas to the Meeting of the Lord. During the Great Lent attention will focus on the sacrament of Penance, and the week before and after Easter on the sacrament of the Eucharist, Fr. Mykhailo Harvat, chairman of the organizing committee to celebrate the Year of the Holy Sacraments, said during a meeting of representatives of the Catechetical Commission of the UGCC in Ukraine. The meeting was held November 1, 2011, in Lviv. It was attended bytheologians of the Ukrainian Catholic University and members of commissions and catechetical schools in Ukraine. “During the fifty days of the feast of Pentecost the main focus will be on priesthood and the sacrament of matrimony,” said Fr. Mykhailo. “The Sacrament of Anointing the Sick will be reflected on during the fast before the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. As part of the program, events at the church andeparchy levels are scheduled. Ukraine has twelve eparchy centers of the UGCC.” According to Fr. Mykhailo, "the importance of blessings in the Church will be reflected on during the period of fasting during the Assumption (fromAugust14 to 27), and after the Assumption there will be an opportunity to reflect on the Christian meaning of death. With the beginning of the ecclesiastical year (September 14) participants can concentrate on the sacraments as a source of parish life.” This project will also include various activities, including retreats, catechetical classes, conventions, Eucharistic weeks, pilgrimages, seminars and Christian camps. The year 2012 in the UGCC in Ukraine will be the Year of the Holy Sacraments. At the same time, the Synod of Bishops declared that next year in all the eparchies of Europe, Asia, America and Australia will be the Year of Christian Vocation with special emphasis on lay vocation.

UGCC Information Department