Patriarch Sviatoslav in Kirovohrad: ‘If each of us finds the way to the church, then in our Ukraine there will be many new churches’

Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), head of the Greek Catholic Church, went on a pastoral visit to Kirovohrad. From December 3 to 5, the head of the UGCC met with local clergy and laity, the mayor, and heads of the oblast. On Sunday, His Beatitude Sviatoslav led the Hierarchical Liturgy in Greek Catholic parish chapel. During the sermon, the primate expressed hisjoy from visiting Kirovograd and announced his desire to personally consecrate the Greek Catholic church which is now under construction in the center of Kirovohrad. His Beatitude Sviatoslav wished each of the faithful for “to find his way to the church” and named the three stages needed for this. “Today, especially in Ukraine, which for so many years was devastated spiritually, everyone, whether he knows it or not, is seeking the way to the church.This path can be short or long or even discovered at the end of life, but all seek. Today this way of the Virgin is the icon of our way to the church.However, to cross the threshold of the church, one has to be cleansed and converted. Crossing the threshold of the church is the first stage ofspiritual growth. It is called conversion, repentance, cleansing... The second step, which we take inside the church, which is called the church ofthe faithful, is enlightenment. Because here, inside, we read the Scriptures, see the light. The third step taken by the Virgin Mary is the step toward the Holy of Holies. This is the third phase of spiritual life, which the fathers call unification with God. The virgin took this step, because in her womb God was to unite with man forever,” said Patriarch Sviatoslav. The preacher wished everyone not only to find his path to the church but to take it to the end: to personal conversion, enlightenment and union with the Lord God. “And if we will go down this path, then rest assured, our Ukraine will have many new churches,” said the head of the church. Fr. Ivan Tretiak, the deacon of Kirovohrad, the priest of the parish chapel, where the Hierarchical Liturgy was celebrated, on behalf of the faithful ofthe Greek Catholic Church, welcomed the UGCC head to Kirovohrad: “We are very pleased that it was you the Lord gave us for our patriarch. We will pray for you and support you in your responsible ministry. Today especially we thank God for the generous gifts to our Church in Kirovograd Oblast, for its revival, for the gift of the parish community, for the gift of land for the church.” The priest is convinced that this pastoral visit will promote the development of the Church in the city of Kirovograd and the region. So that this day was memorable for the primate, the faithful and clergy of Kirovohrad gave him an icon of Virgin Mary with Infant Jesus in her arms,called the Immortal Blossom. He was also presented with a painting of the city of Kirovohrad. In Kirovohrad, three others priests minister together with Fr. Ivan Tretyak. They have five communities – two in Kirovograd, one in the village Chervonovershka where there live people whose parents were deported from the Lemko region during Operation Wisla, one in the village Volodymyrivka, and one in the district center Znamenka. There, the local Greek Catholics have for seven years tried to acquire a land plot from the government, but received negative responses. “Our community develops actively in Kirovohrad. In 2008 the regional center received  a land plot and we built the Church of St. John the Baptist.  The church was consecrated by the then head of the UGCC Lubomyr (Husar). With the support of Bishop Milan (Shashik), we built the first wooden chapel. Now we are erecting a new church in this place. The church in Kirovohrad, in general, has good prospects, but our people unfortunately are dispersed. It would be good for His Beatitude Sviatoslav to evaluate the religious situation in our area and make appropriate conclusions,” said Fr. Ivan Tretiak. We remind that the pastoral visit of the UGCC head to the Odesa-Crimea Exarchate started in Kirovohrad. The visit includes also a visit to Kherson and Odesa. The visit will end on Sunday, December 11, with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the Church of Saint Andrew the Apostle in Odesa.

UGCC Information Department