On the second working day of the V session of the UGCC Patriarchal Sobor

On 2 September 2011 the delegates of the V session of the Patriarchal Sobor, which is being held in Prudentopolis, Brazil, reflected on the mission of religious people. The Major Archbishop of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, read out the first presentation of the second working day, “What the Church expects of religious people in modern world”, prepared by His Beatitude Lubomyr (Husar). The Major Archbishop-retired noted that “for the Church to live, grow up and serve its people, it needs foremost people with moral authority. And actually religious people should be such people in our religious community as an encouragement to truly Christian way of life”. He also underlined that “moral authority is not an honorary title, but a result of a very persistent and consistent toil on ourselves”.  The spiritual leader of the UGCC paid his attention also to the issue of decrease in number of vocations. He noted that in some parts of our Church this problem is particularly acute, because “we lack live examples of religious life, which, similar to magnet, would attract faithful to our monasteries, orders, congregations and institutes”. Ms. Eugenia Osatchuk in her co-presentation on the expectations of lay people from religious people stressed out that religious people should be “an example of life, people of prayer enlightened by the light of Christ’s Gospel” in order to encourage lay people to a better life. Rev. Borys Gudziak, Rector of the UCU, in his co-presentation encouraged religious people to a more active involvement in the field of culture and education. He presented some data on Catholic universities and the role of religious people in their establishment. Sister Lidia Savka, OSBM, talked on the ministry of religious people in schooling. In the afternoon session, Rev. Mario Maryniuk, OSBM, presented to the Sobor delegates an experience of missionary work of religious people in Brazil. The first co-presenter, Most Rev. Danyil (Kozlinskyi), Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy of the Protection of God’s Mother in Argentina, indicated the mission of religious people in serving one’s neighbour and in  building up God’s Kingdom through ministry which is a sign of charity. Next co-presenters (Ms. Maria Magdalena Loza, Sister Beatrice Oribko and Sister Mavrykia Hajovych, SSMI) talked on “Social ministry”. The focal point of the assembly’s meeting is a daily Divine Liturgy which unites in a visible way around Christ all the members of the Patriarchal Sobor from different countries and continents. On 2 September the Divine Liturgy was presided at by Archbishop-Metropolitan of Philadelphia, Stefan Soroka.  

Secretariat of the V session of the Patriarchal Sobor