The international Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church met at the Marian shrine of Zarvanytsia, Ukraine, July 1-10.
The focus of the gathering was the pastoral care of vocations to the priesthood and monastic life. During plenary sessions, the 49 bishops in attendance analyzed the state of vocations in their church around the world, discussed local experiences and looked for common ways to deal with issues arising from war, migration and social change.
A statement from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said particular emphasis is to be placed “on creating an environment in which young people can hear God’s voice, discern their vocation, and receive appropriate spiritual guidance on their journey toward the priesthood or consecrated life.”
The gathering began on June 28 with a massive outdoor Divine Liturgy in Lviv marking the 25th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s visit to Ukraine.
As head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s catechetical commission, Archbishop-elect Michael Kwiatkowski, named metropolitan archbishop of Winnipeg during the synod July 9, presented Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, with a newly published Ukrainian edition of the Jerusalem Bible with commentary. The gift was a sign of catechists’ continuing ministry. Kwiatkowski asked for the major archbishop’s prayers for their work.
On the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the bishops celebrated the Divine Liturgy in parishes throughout the region with local faithful. They later gathered at the Marian shrine in Zarvanytsia to invoke the guidance of the Holy Spirit before starting their working sessions.
The synod included a youth pilgrimage organized by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic youth commission, headed by Bishop Bryan Bayda, CSsR, of Toronto and Eastern Canada.
Other Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops from Canada attended, including Bishop David Motiuk of Edmonton, Bishop Michael Smolinski of Saskatoon, and Auxiliary Bishop Andriy Rabiy of Winnipeg.
Each day of the synod included a national prayer for those killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine, reflecting the conflict’s ongoing impact on the Church’s life and ministry.
During the gathering, the Canadian bishops also met with Nazar Duda, director of the Catechetical-Pedagogical Institute, to discuss the life and ministry of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Canada.
