The President of Ukraine rewarded representatives of UGСC on Independence Day

The President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko signed decree № 622/2009 “Honoring the religious figures of Ukraine with State rewards.” This document allows for the “honoring of personal contributions to the development of spirituality in Ukraine and for the strengthening of the Church’s activities, on this special occasion – the 18^th anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine.”  A few representatives from the clergy of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, in particular, received rewards. The honorable order “For your service” of the III degree was presented to Bishop Mikhail (Koltun), Eparch of Sokal'-Zhovkva eparchy of the UGCC, Bishop Vasyl’ (Semenyuk), Eparch of Ternopil'-Zboriv eparchy of UGCC, and Fr. Oleksandr Ostgaym-Dzerovich, General vicar of the Greek-Catholic of the Byzantium rite of Austria. The “For work and victory” was rewarded to mit. proto-presbyter Oleksa Petriv, Head of the Secretariat of the Patriarchal curia of UGCC. Another decree signed by the President of Ukraine, № 657/2009 “Honoring cultural preservationists and artists,” acknowledges the importance of rewarding the people that strive to maintain and develop our national-cultural Ukrainian inheritance and present it to the rest of the world, including professionals within their trade and the active voice of representatives of the Ukrainian Diaspora who organize Ukrainian Festivals. In particular, mitered proto-presbyter Zenon Khorkavyj, curator of the Museum of Ukrainian Art in the name of Bishop Ivan Prashko (in Melbourne, Australia), was honored with the title “Accomplished worker of Ukrainian culture.”

Information Department of the UGCC