The Head of the UGCC in Argentina: “We will go wherever our faithful are”

Friday, 15 April 2011, 21:23
“Our faithful who are nowadays spread out all over the world have the right for pastoral care. For this reason we will give a proper response to these needs. We will go wherever our faithful are today, whether it is in Russia, Kazakhstan, whether it is in Western Europe, Latin America, Africa or Australia. We will try to do our best to provide these people with a proper and efficient pastoral care”. These words were said by His Beatitude Sviatoslav during his visit to Argentina in his interview to the Press Office of the Argentinean Eparchy of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“Our faithful who are nowadays spread out all over the world have the right for pastoral care. For this reason we will give a proper response to these needs. We will go wherever our faithful are today, whether it is in Russia, Kazakhstan, whether it is in Western Europe, Latin America, Africa or Australia. We will try to do our best to provide these people with a proper and efficient pastoral care”. These words were said by His Beatitude Sviatoslav during his visit to Argentina in his interview to the Press Office of the Argentinean Eparchy of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.   In his time my predecessor His Beatitude Lubomyr called on to missionary activity of our clergy, to missionary revival of our Church. The fact that I as a young bishop was sent to Argentina for missionary activity and I was followed there by other young missionaries – that is probably one of many examples of missionary revival of our Church,” – stated the Church leader answering the question if there is a top priority plan as to pastoral care of our parishes and eparchies abroad and if the Head of the UGCC will be inviting clergy and religious by his own word and example to serve outside of Ukraine.   According to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, today the missionary activity is directed foremost toward providing with a pastoral care the faithful of the UGCC: “This missionary activity is in no way a kind of proselytism directed toward other Christian Churches and communities” - emphasized the Head of the UGCC.   His Beatitude Sviatoslav also confirmed his intentions, declared in his Enthronement sermon, to pay special attention to work with youth: “We are the renewed and rejuvenated Church. The Church comes out renewed after many years of persecutions. And her spring is starting to become apparent not only in Ukraine but all our the world where our Church is present and where she has her structures. I think that this sign [the election of the youngest of the Bishops as the Head of the UGCC – Ed.] is a great sign for youth, especially for the youth in Argentina” – said the Primate of the UGCC.   I hope that the revival of the Ukrainian youth in Argentina, this reverential trepidation observed among the young faithful of our Church, will yield very interesting fruits in the future, because youth are our future. Thus, I hope and I am convinced that it is a sign of God, God’s appeal to the youth of our Church” – stressed out His Beatitude Sviatoslav.    At the end of the talk the Head of the UGCC appealed to clergy, religious and faithful of the UGCC with the words of St. Paul: “Don’t extinguish the spirit!” Burn with this Holy Spirit that you feel in your hearts; don’t be indifferent to your neighbours, let us not seek our own benefit, but that of the people God sends us” – observed His Beatitude Sviatoslav.   Addressing his pastoral word to the descendents of the Ukrainians living nowadays in Argentina, the Primate of the UGCC called on to youth to foster their roots and not to hold aloof of their Church and their Ukrainian language but to be united around their parishes: “Usually a young person looks for many answers to the questions asked by modern world and not finding them, a person very often becomes desperate and gets closed in himself/herself. I would like to pay your attention and appeal to you: you can find the answers to all your questions in the person of Jesus Christ, and you can meet this person in a church community where He remains as incarnated Lord and Savior” - said in his interview to the Press Office of the Argentinean Eparchy of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary His Beatitude Sviatoslav.   UGCC Information Department
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