In Kyiv the Rizdviana Prosfora, Christmas Leaven Bread with the Patriarch, took place

The evening was led by the former Minister of Culture, Yevhen Nyshchuk.  The Christmas atmosphere was created by the numerous choirs and collectives, both children and adult.

Among the guests was: Apostolic Nuncio Thomas Edward Hallickson, Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk with his wife and daughter, Mr. Ivan Vasiunyk with his family, Mr. Petro Tokach with his wife, Bishop Bohdan (Dziurakh), Bishop Joseph (Milian), Bishop Vasyl (Tuchanets), numerous  national deputies,  cultural and community activists, entrepeneurs and active UGCC parishioners in Kyiv.

In his welcoming words, His Beatitude Sviatoslav mentioned that always when the family gathers around the Christmas Eve dinner, they first thank the Lord that he permitted them to live to this year and this Feastday of the Nativity. He permitted us to experience this Christmas Joy.  In beginning the Christmas Eve supper, we also remember all those who passed away during the past year.  We also remember those, who perhaps  do not have a  festive table at which to dine and do not have those with whom to share the joy. However, in this year, we realized many new things  and we  discovered a lot for ourselves.

The Head of the Church reminded the guests that traditionally for the Patriarchal  Christmas Leaven Bread, it is the Patriarchal  Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ which gathers us.  "I think, that this year for the first time we realized in a new manner what this Patriarchal Cathedral on the left bank of Kyiv means not only for us, but for all the Ukrainian people,"  he noted.

The host related that in the history of God's people, patriarchs always built offering altars to the God of Israel as a sign of some very important event, as a sign of some special moment of a meeting with God.

The offering places were always a visible sign of the union between God and His people.  "Perhaps," said his Beatitude Sviatoslav, "last year, as never before, we realized that this Cathedral of the Resurrection  of Christ is a visible sign of a renewed union between the Ukrainian people and our God.  The Cathedral which we blessed remembering the 1025-th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine.  It is exactly this year when all the allies of Ukraine, all those, who guaranteed our safety and the permanence of our borders, they all betrayed us.  And the only ally with whom we renewed our union, by blessing this Cathedral, remained with us.  That is our God.  And this cathedral stands as a sign of the permanenet union, a testament between usand our God, who is always with us."

The Church Head  remembered how the Pariarchal Cathedral became for many the father's home.  In its basement every night close to 800 people spent tne night during the revolution of Dignity. 

One other  characteristic which the Cathedral discovered -- is what it became for our neighbors, for Kyiv. UGCC Head remembered how several hundred people, even those who were not UGCC faithful, gathered to protect the Cathedral from thugs.

"Today we will ask that God blesses all of us. He assures his assistance to us and his  presence among us.  The Cathedral is a sign that He is with us,"  said the Prelate of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.

UGCC Department of Information