“Serving youth is not ruling them, but assisting them to grow in loving God…” Lviv Archbishop and Metropolitan Ihor (Vozniak)

Sunday, 16 December 2012, 14:07
“Is UGCC Commission on Matters of Youth – a ruler? No! It is serving your fellow men, which is based on helping young people to grow in the love of God through an authentic love for neighbors. We thank God that He blessed through responsible people in the Church the creation of a Youth Commission that today celebrates its fifteen years of existence. Young people, as all others, need God; the lack of communicating with Him sentences one to the loss of an eternal life of joy,” said Bishop Ihor (Vozniak), Lviv Archbishop and Metropolitan during the Divine Liturgy taking place in the Holy Eucharist Church in Lviv on December 12th in celebration of the fifteenth anniversary of the founding of the Patriarchal Commission on Matters of Youth.

Bishop Ihor thanked all former heads of the Youth Commission, especially Bishop Joseph (Milan) who was “a youth leader for many years.”  “Thank you for your service, for organizing youth groups, for you joining in providing spiritual services at churches, and the greatest gratitude I express to those who strive toward a pure spiritual life, to the one who cares about one’s soul and avoids sordidness of sin, which defiles the human soul.”  In his sermon the hierarch mentioned army and student chaplains who “exert a lot of effort to carry God and His Word to young souls, cadets and students so that they deepen their knowledge of God.”

“I assume that we still have n enormous amount of work in spiritual services to youth.  It is unquestionable that we need trained young volunteers who would carry the Word of God to many, who do not know Him or know Him very little. Let us remember that God conquered the world not through power, but through suffering, through his death on the cross, and finally, through his resurrection from the dead,” stated the preacher.  Concelebrant with Metropolitan Ihor of the Divine Liturgy was Bishop Joseph (Milan), Auxiliary Bishop of UGCC Kyiv Eparchy, and the heads of the eparchial youth commissions.

At the end of the Liturgy, Rev. Rostyslav Pendiuk, head of the Patriarchal Commission on Matters of Youth thanked Bishop Ihor for heading the Liturgy and Bishop Joseph for initiating the development of the youth apostolate and for teaching others how to do it.

Afterwards, there was a celebratory reception in the Building of Scholars and a meeting of the heads of the eparchial commissions and guests.  At the beginning of the gathering Rev. Rotyslav summarized the history of the creation of UGCC Commission on Matters of Youth.  “Right after the emergence of UGCC Church from the catacombs, an active rebirth of the youth apostolate began.  Thus, on September 7-9, 1990 the Congress of Ukrainian Youth for Christ took place in Lviv which numbered some 40,000 young people and continued the tradition, introduced in 1933 by Metropolitan Andrey (Sheptutsky).  Later there were local congresses of youth, the beginnings of the work of youth communities and youth work at parishes.  Eventually in 1996, by the decision of UGCC Synod of Bishops, a UGCC Patriarchal Commission on Matters of Youth was formed, with a focus on building a youth apostolate.”

Bishop Joseph Milan urged all eparchial youth commission heads not to spare themselves and their time and not to feel embarrassed by their initiatives: “Simply try to do everything, which is possible for you, and then God will double your reward in heaven.”  Also during the gathering the greeting from Rome by Rev. Andriy Hovera, who was the head of UGCC Youth Commission in Ternopil-Zboriv archeparchy, was read.

 

 

In conclusion, a greeting was also given by Oleksandr Yarema, director of the Department of Youth Policy of Ukraine’s Ministry of Families, Youth and Sport Education and by Rev. Rostyslav Mukhovsky, head of UGCC Youth Commission in Donetsk-Kharkiv Exarchate.

 

 

UGCC Department of Information

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