Patriarch Iosif (Slipyj) in Canada

The Patriarch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church visited the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada.

Here is the Video:

This video was taken in 1968, at that Time the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Canada is His Excellency Maxim Hermaniuk, C.SS.R

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HIS BEATITUDE SVIATOSLAV SHEVCHUK (1970) The Youngest Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

It;s been a Year since the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church elected His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who was the Apostolic Administrator of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Santa Maria de Patrociñio en Bueños Aires as the new Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych though he is entitled as Patriarch accorded to him by the Bishop. At the age of 40 He is the Youngest of all Hierarchs not just of the Catholic Church but at the same the Youngest head of a Sui Iuri Eastern Rite Catholic Church

Here is what Rev. Fr. Athanasius Mcvay of the Annales Ecclesiae Ucraiane Blog has observed as the very first with the Enthronement of His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

1. To be Enthroned in the Ancient City of Kyiv since the Eighteenth Century

2. To be Enhtroned in the yet In Complete Sobor (Arch Cathedral) of the Ressurection, the Seat of the Major Archiepiscopate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

3. To have other Eastern Catholic Patriarchs and Primate flanking him at the Ceremony, notably Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III Laham and Slovak Greek Catholic Metropolitan Jan Babjak

4. To have present at his Enthronement Representatives from all Three Orthodox Churches of Ukraine, namely the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church

For more is the Autobiography of His Beatitude and the Commentray regarding his Election as Patriarch. May the Major Archbishop have more years, Нехай добрий Бог грант багато років Блаженніший нашої Пресвятої ПатріархСвятослав і пастви Української Греко-Католицької Церкви

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Enthronement of a Romanian Greek Catholic Eparch

Episcopal Enthronement of His Grace Most. Rev. Vasile Bizau as the New Eparch of the Romanian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Maramures after the Dead of its former Bishop, His Grace Most. Rev. Ioan Sisestean. And we can see the main rubrics surrounding a Episcopal Enthronement and a Episcopal Ordination. He was enthroned by His Beatitude Cardinal-Designate Lucian Muresan, Major Archbishop of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church. Bishop Vasile Bizau was previously the Bishop of Curia of the Romanian Greek Catholic Major Archdiocese of Fagaras Si Alba Iulia

Here below are the few Pictures of the Enthronement:

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A Defence of using Vernacular in the Sacred Liturgy from a Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch during Vatican II Sessions

"Christ offered the first Eucharistic Sacrifice in a language which could be understood by all who heard him, namely, Aramaic. … Never could the idea have come to them [the Apostles] that in a Christian gathering the celebrant should read the texts of Holy Scripture, sing psalms, preach or break bread, and at the same time use a language different from that of the community gathered there … because this language [Latin] was spoken by the faithful of that time, Greek was abandoned in favor of Latin. … Why, then, should the Roman Church cease to apply the same principle today?"

His Beatitude Cardinal Maximos IV Sayegh

______________________________________

One friend of mine told me before ( He is not anymore my friend, he is a Latin Traddie) that Eastern Catholic Hierarchs has nothing to do during the Sessions of the Vatican II Ecumenical Councils and should interfered on issues involving the Latin Rite. Well by these we can see totally how Eastern Rite Catholic Hierarchs championed reforms and even influencing the Sacred Liturgy of the West. Ooppsss it has nothing to do with that celebrated  Archbishop Annibale Bugnini or those Modernist and Freemasons Boo boo but the very old Traditions of the East being introduced in the Latin Rite, namely Concelebration and the use of the Vernacular. Seemingly there are some case of Latin Rite Traddies who are denouncing using the Vernacular in the Pauline Mass but attending Eastern Rite Divine Liturgies in Vernacular, look at this One sided Foolishness. Anyways i will thank Hierarchs like His Beatitude Maximos, who even defeated in a Debate the famous Traditionalist Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani after he has lost the time to make a rebuttal, well can you beat that, so will you say Latin is the OFFICIAL Liturgical Language of the Whole Church if you have Church Slavonic, Arabic, Greek, Malayalam, Armenians and others to be named eh  :P

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2 Eastern Catholic Hierarchs named member of the Sacred College of the Cardinals

Pope Benedict XVI announced on 2012.01.06 that he would elevate the following 22 prelates to the Sacred College of Cardinals in a consistory on 2012.02.18.  And among this list of this Ordinaries two Heads coming from 2 different Sui Iuris Eastern Catholic Churches, namely His Beatitude George Alencherry of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church and His Beatitude Lucian Muresan of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church. Below are the Information regarding this 2 Heads of their respective Sui Iuris Eastern Rite Churches.

Source cited from Wikipedia

"Cardinal-Designate Mar George Alencherry [Malayalam: മാര്‍ ഗീവര്‍ഗിസ് ആലഞ്ചേരി (Mar Giwargis Aalancheri)] (born 19 April 1945) is the current Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly succeeding Varkey Vithayathil as head of the Eastern Catholic Syro-Malabar Churchsince his confirmation by Pope Benedict XVI on 25 May 2011.^[1]. According to Syro-Malabar tradition, he should be granted the title of "Patriarch of Mar Thoma Nasranis and the Gate of All India." On Friday, January 6, 2012, it was announced that he would be among the list of prelates to be raised to the cardinalate by Pope Benedict XVI in a consistory scheduled for Saturday, February 18, 2012.

Alencherry was born in Thuruthy, Changanacherry. He was ordained a priest on 19 November 1972. He was secretary of the Archeparch of Changanacherry and assistant pastor of the cathedral as well as director of "Sunday Schools" in the archeparchy.

He studied at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Seminary of St Joseph in Alwaye and earned a doctorate at the Institut Catholique de Paris, where he specialised in catechesis. On his return from Paris, he was appointed director of the Centre for Catechesis. He then directed the Pastoral Orientation Centre, Cochin, inter-ritual, which depends of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Conference (KCBC).

He served as a professor of Pastoral Counselling and Systematic Theology at the Faculty of "Paurastya Vidyapitham, Pontifical Oriental Institute of Religious Studies of Vadavathoor, Kottayam, and at the Pontifical Institute of Theology and Philosophy in Alwaye. He was vicar general of the archeparchy from 11 November 1996 until he was appointed first eparch of Thuckalay and was ordained on 2 February 1997.

On 24 May 2011 he was elected Major Archbishop. Pope Benedict XVI confirmed the election on 25 May 2011. Major Archbishop Alencherry said his services will be for all people of India. He stressed inter-rite relations, inter-faith harmony and ecumenism.

He is the first head of the Syro-Malabar Church to be elected by its synod. When Pope John Paul II made the Syro-Malabar Church a major archiepiscopal church in 1992, appointing Cardinal Antony Padiyara as its first major archbishop, he reserved the power to appoint the major archbishop and bishops. However, in 2004, the Holy See granted full administrative powers to the church, including the power to elect bishops."

"Lucian Mureşan (born on 23 May 1931) is the Major Archbishop of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia(based in Blaj) and thus head of the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic.

Lucian Mureşan was born in the village of Firiza (now the Ferneziu district of Baia Mare),Romania, the tenth of Peter and Maria Mureşan's twelve children. He attended primary school in Firiza and secondary school in Baia Mare. He was initially unable to pursue his dream of becoming a Catholic priest because the Romanian Church United with Rome had been outlawed in 1948.

On 6 January 2012 Pope Benedict XVI named him cardinal. He will be created cardinal in the consistory on 18 February."

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Many of our Eastern Catholic brethren has criticized some heads of these different Eastern Catholic Sui Iuris Churches for receiving the Cardinalate, being a title only use in the Latin Rite by those who received it and that Eastern Catholic Major Archbishops and Patriarchs should not be named into such, though in the History some Eastern Catholics who have become part of the Sacred College of the Cardinal has contributed a lot in the Catholic Church, even one almost being elected Pope in 1958 by named of Gregory Peter Agagianian, Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church. Being named as a Cardinal did not necessarily mean that they are becoming Subordinates in the Latin Church but rather being given more privilege, namely the right to participate in future Papal Conclave to elect the Pope. Now we have 5 living Eastern Catholic Hierarchs who are part of the Sacred College of the Cardinals, and they are the following: His Beatitude Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, Major Archbishop Emeritus of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; His Beatitude Cardinal Antonios Naguib, Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church; His Beatitude Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud, Patriarch Emeritus of the Syrian Catholic Church and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation of the Eastern Churches; His Beatitude Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, Patriarch Emeritus of the Maronite Catholic Church and His Beatitude Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. It will make them 7 to be precised though it is certain that most of them reached the Age of 80, losing their right to Vote in Conclaves. If you say that they do not elect the Pope because it is the only duty of Cardinals from the Roman Church, not the Eastern Church, well we are talking about the Catholic Church as a whole and not divided into Churches

On behalf of this Blog, including the Facebook Group and Fan Page, we congratulate the Eastern Catholic Hierarchs being named as members of the Sacred College of the Cardinals. AXIOS!!!!! 

His Beatitude Cardinal George Alencherry

Major Archbishop of Ernakulam Angamaly of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church

His Beatitude Cardinal Lucian Muresan

Major Archbishop of Fagaras si Alba Iulia of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church

For the Story of their Nominations to the Cardinalate, click at this link for more information

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Ukrainian Greek Catholic Metropolitanate of Ternopil established

Source from Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU):

On December 22, during the hierarchical liturgy led by Patriarch Sviatoslav of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) in concelebration with Greek and Roman Catholic clergy, the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy of UGCC and the Ternopil Metropolitanate of UGCC were proclaimed.

The event was held in the ecumenical spirit with the participation of the clergy and hierarchs from Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, USA and the Vatican, including Archbishop Metropolitan Mieczyslav Mokrzycki of Lviv of the Roman Catholic Church and Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine, Archbishop Thomas Edward Gullickson. The event was also attended by representatives of the Orthodox Churches, including Bishop Nestor (Pysyk) of Ternopil and Buchach of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate.

The proclamation of the metropolitanate took place on the patronal feast of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and on the day of the anniversary of the priestly ordination of Metropolitan Vasyl (Semeniuk) of the Ternopil Metropolitanate. Therefore, the events were held under the sign of the Virgin Mary, which fact was repeatedly mentioned by Patriarch Sviatoslav.

It was repeatedly stressed during the liturgy that the changes in the church are not only institutional.

“It is in the church where one can revive. Another very important center of the revival of the person and Ukrainian nation is opened,” said Patriarch Sviatoslav.

Metropolitan Vasyl (Semeniuk) of Ternopil explained that the activity of the metropolitanate will facilitate the improvement of the church cooperation not only at the general church level but also between the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy and Buchach Eparchy of UGCC, which are now united under one jurisdiction.

“I encourage everyone to pray zealously for the good work of the newly established metropolitanates and fulfillment of dreams of our fellow-countryman Patriarch Josyf. To ensure that the success of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church should be crowned with the recognition of the patriarchate,” said the metropolitan.

 Video clip of the Enthronement of the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Ternopil, Vasyl Semeniuk, by the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk

Проповідь митрополита Василія Семенюкa 
Video clip Link of the Homily given by His Excellency Vasyl Semeniuk, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Ternopil 

Many years to His Excellency Vasyl, Mnohaya Lita!!!

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Year 2011: Eternal Memory and Blessed repose to the Souls of Eastern Catholic Hierarchs

His Beatitude Hovhannes Bedros XVIII Kasparian (1927-Jan. 16,2011)

Patriarch Emeritus of Cilicia, Armenian Catholic Church

His Grace Most. Rev. Julian Gbur, SVD (1942-Mar. 24,2011)

Eparch of Stryj, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

His Grace Most. Rev. Ioan Sisestean (1936-Apr. 12, 2011)

Eparch of Maramures, Romanian Greek Catholic Church

His Excellency Salim Ghazal, B.S (1931-Apr. 29, 2011)

Bishop of Curia of the Patriarchate of Antioch and Archbishop ad Personam, Melkite Greek Catholic Church

His Beatitude Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, C.SS.R (1927-Apr. 1, 2011)
Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, Syro Malabar Catholic Church

His Excellency George Gutiu (1924-May. 8, 2011)
Eparch of Cluj-Gherla and Archbishop ad Personam, Romanian Greek Catholic Church

His Grace Most. Rev. John Perumattam, M.S.T (1921-Jun. 18, 2011)
Eparch of Ujjain, Syro Malabar Catholic Church

His Grace Most. Rev. Slavomir Miklovs (1932- Jul. 21, 2011)
Eparch of Krizevci, Croatian Byzantine Catholic Church

His Grace Most. Rev. Andrew Pataki (1927- Dec. 8, 2011)

Eparch Emeritus of Passaic, Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church

Before this Year end, this Blogspot remembers the following Hierarchs from different Eastern Catholic Churches that have fallen asleep to our Lord in this year. Rest assured that we lift our prayers for the Blessed repose of their Souls. Vichnayat Pamyat (MEMORY ETERNAL!!! +)

"O God of spirits and of all

bodies, who trampled down
death and overcame the devil,
and bestowed life on your
world, yourself O Lord set to
rest the soul of your servants

who has fallen asleep, in
a place of light, in a place of
green pastures, in a place of
rest whence all pain, sorrow
and sighing have been driven
away. Forgive him every
transgression committed in
word, in deed, or in thought,
for you are a good God, the
Lover of mankind; yet there is
no man born who does not"

- Panikhida

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New Metropolitanate (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)

From the UGCC Information Department:

On December 13, 2011, the day of St. Andrew, the primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), His Beatitude Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) in Ivano-Frankivsk announced the formation of the Ivano-Frankivsk Metropolitanate of the UGCC and enthroned its first metropolitan – Bishop Volodymyr (Viytyshyn).
The metropolitan received powers and obligations under Canons 131-139 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. He will convoke the metropolitan synod and prepare useful questions on the activity of church in a particular territory to be discussed in it, will have the right to ordain and enthrone bishops in his metropolitanate, oversee that the faith and ecclesiastical discipline are accurately observed, conduct a canonical visitation, if the eparchial bishop neglected it, and also erect a metropolitan tribunal.
“The UGCC is heading toward the approval of the patriarchal system and opportuneness of these efforts is recognized by the Roman Pontiff,” Patriarch Sviatoslav said in the Decree on the Proclamation of Three New Metropolitanates of the UGCC. And to further strengthen the patriarchal structure of the Church of Kyiv and Halych, the Synod of Bishops resolved to establish on land of the Kyiv and Halych Church three new metropolitanates, namely, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Ternopil-Zboriv – and raise the Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil-Zboriv eparchies to the dignity of archeparchy. These decisions are blessed and approved by Pope Benedict XVI.
The decree on the proclamation also mentions the history of the UGCC, its difficult path, the legalization of the UGCC and the return of the see of UGCC head to Kyiv.
Archbishop Volodymyr (Viytyshyn), Metropolitan of Ivano-Frankivsk, thanks God and Pope Benedict XVI, Patriarch Sviatoslav, and the Synod of Bishops for the creation of Ivano-Frankivsk Metropolitanate and for their trust in him. The metropolitan also gave “special thanks” to his “dearest” people who were present in the church – his father and mother. “They gave me life, a Christian upbringing, and supported my choice to become a priest in the time of the underground,” said Bishop Volodymyr.
He also said that the creation of the Ivano-Frankivsk Metropolitanate was the “crowning of work of people of different generations, their vicissitudes, suffering and persecution for their commitment in serving God and His holy Church.”
To the newly created Ivano-Frankivsk Metropolitanate consists of the Ivano-Frankisk Archeparchy and the Kolomyia and Chernivtsi Eparchy. The cathedral of the metropolitanate is the Cathedral of the Holy Resurrection of Christ in Ivano-Frankivsk.
As we reported earlier, on November 29, 2011, the head of the UGCC Patriarch Sviatoslav raised the dignity of Lviv Archeparchy to a metropolitanate. The metropolitanate is headed by Archbishop Ihor (Vozniak). It consists of the Lviv Archeparchy, and the Sokal-Zhovkva, Sambir-Drohobych and Stryi eparchies.
On December 22 the creation of Ternopil-Zboriv Metropolitanate will be proclaimed. It will include the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy and the Buchach Eparchy. The cathedral of the metropolitanate will become the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ternopil, and its archbishop will be Bishop Vasyl (Semeniuk).
Now the UGCC will have seven metropolitanates. In addition to the newly created ones, the other metropolitanate of the UGCC in Ukraine is the Kyiv and Halych Metropolitante, headed by His Beatitude Sviatoslav. It consists of Kyiv Archeparchy and the Donetsk-Kharkiv, Odesa-Crimea, and Lutsk exarchates. In addition, the UGCC has the Przemysl and Warsaw Metropolitanate in Poland, the Philadelphia Metropolitanate in the United States, and the Winnipeg Metropolitanate in Canada.
Historical Background
Since Kyivan Rus’ adopted Christianity in the Byzantine Rite, its church had the status of metropolitanate of the Constantinople Patriarchate with a See in Kyiv. The head of the church was given the title Metropolitan of Rus' (later Kyiv), with whom all the bishops of the Kyivan state concelebrated. In 1303, the Galician Metropolitanate appeared in the Galician-Volyn principality, and from 1401, the head of the Church of Kyiv received the title Metropolitan of Kyiv, Halych, and All Rus'.
Metropolitan Isydor, who participated in the Ferrara-Florence unification council in 1439, bore the title of Metropolitan of Kyiv and Halych. Metropolitan Mykhailo (Rahoza), who confirmed the unification of the Kyivan Church with the Roman Apostolic See in Brest in 1596, was also Metropolitan of Kyiv, Halych and all Rus’.
In view of the persecution the Uniate Kyiv-Halych Church under Tsar Peter I and Catherine II, Pope Pius VII in 1808 blessed the regular division of the Kyiv-Halych metropolitanate. The Greek Catholic eparchies of Galicia – Lviv, Przemysl and Kholm – were removed from under jurisdiction of the Uniate Metropolitan in Tsarist Russia, the Galician metropolitan was restored, and the titles of Galician Metropolitan, Archbishop of Lviv and the Bishop of Kamianets-Podilsk with the See in the Cathedral of St. George in Lviv were recognized.
In this way, through the recognition of all rights and powers which belonged to the Metropolitan of Kyiv and Halych, the legal continuity of the UGCC was secured, which later gave grounds to Galician primates, in particular, Metropolitan Andrey (Sheptytsky), to regard themselves as administrators of the temporarily vacant throne of Kyiv and its episcopate, and St. Pope Pius X confirmed this right of the Galician Metropolitan in 1908.
In 1939-1941 Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky appointed exarchs for pastoral care of the faithful on the lands of Great Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, and worked in trying to return the title of Metropolitan of Kyiv and Halych. Similar requests were repeated by a UGCC delegation in December 1944. Unfortunately, all these efforts led to the imprisonment of the hierarchs and started the era of martyrdom, underground activity and the heroic confrontation with the wicked totalitarian regime, which lasted almost half a century.
Galician Metropolitan Josyf (Slipyj), after his release from 18 years in prisons and his arrival in Rome in 1963, was recognized as the Major Archbishop, equal to patriarch in rights based on powers that Kyivan metropolitans always had.
His successor Myroslav Ivan (Lubachivsky), having returned to Lviv in 1991, began restoring structures of the Kyiv-Halych Metropolitanate, which, on the basis of historical continuity and fairness, provided for the return of its leadership in Kyiv. The return of the See of the UGCC head to the capital of Ukraine took place in 2005 under His Beatitude Lubomyr (Husar). This decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC was blessed by Pope John Paul II.


Mитрополія УГКЦ у Івано-Франківську від 13.12.2011

Подяка Блаженнішого Cвятослава Шевчука

Hовий митрополит УГКЦ чин введення

MNOHAYA LITA! MAY GOD GRANT YEARS TO THE NEW METROPOLITAN!!

Подяка Mитрополита Bолодимира Війтишина

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Christmas Present from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

From RISU:

At the hierarchical liturgy in St. Yur’s Cathedral in Lviv, on 29 November, the establishment of the Lviv Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) was proclaimed and Archbishop Ihor (Vozniak) of Lviv was enthroned as Metropolitan of Lviv. The ruling bishop of Lviv will now bear the title “Archbishop and Metropolitan of Lviv.” St. Yur’s Cathedral was proclaimed to be the cathedral of the Lviv Metropolitanate of UGCC.

The Administrator of the Patriarchal Curia, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of UGCC, Bishop Bohdan (Dziurakh) read out a letter about the establishment of the Lviv Metropolitanate of UGCC. The document deals with the whole history of UGCC, its difficult path towards the establishment and then, restoration of the structures of the Kyiv-Halych Metropolitanate, legalization of UGCC after the totalitarian regime and return of UGCC to Kyiv.

According to the letter, the Lviv Metropolitanate includes the archeparchies of Lviv, Stryi, Sambir-Drohobych and Sokal-Zhovkva. The Ivano-Frankivsk Metropolitanate includes Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia-Chernivtsi eparchies. The Ternopil-Buchach Metropolitanate includes Ternopil-Zboriv and Buchach Eparchies.

Artchbishop Ihor (Vozniak) of Lviv, Eparch of Ivano-Frankivsk, Bishop Volodymyr (Viityshyn) and Eparch of Ternopil and Zboriv, Bishop Vasyl (Semeniuk) have been proclaimed the first metropolitans of the new metropolitanates.

Another existing metropolitanate of UGCC, the Kyiv-Halych Metropolitanate led by Patriarch Sviatoslav has been proclaimed the heir of all the property of UGCC.

The ceremony of the enthronement of Metropolitan of Lviv, Archbishop Ihor (Vozniak) was conducted by the head of UGCC, Patriarch Sviatoslav.

In his address, Patriarch Sviatoslav called the Lviv Metropolitanate the second most important one after the Kyiv-Halych Metropolitanate of UGCC and stressed that the will of all the previous heads of UGCC, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi, Patriarch Josef Slipyj, cardinal myroslav-Ivan Lubachivskyi and Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar) has been fulfilled.

The liturgy was attended by all the bishops of UGCC led by Patriarch Sviatoslav, the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine, Archbishop Thomas Edward Gullickson, Apostolic Administrator of Mukachiv of the Greek Catholic Church, Bishop Milan (Shashik).

The metropolitanate in Ivano-Frankisvk will be proclaimed on 13 December. The metropolitanate in Ternopil will be proclaimed on 22 December.

The newly-Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lviv and its Bishops welcome the Patriarch:

Decree on establishing Lviv Metropolitanate:

Enthronement of the new Metropolitan Ihor (Vozniak):

Patriarch's sermon:

Metropolitan Ihor's sermon:

From the ERCF Admin and its contributors, may the Metropolitan and his Metropolitanate last for many years!

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Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church established 3 Metropolitan Archeparchies in Ukraine

I was surprised as i read it, here in the Website of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, that in November 29, and December 13 and 22, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archdiocese of Lviv will be a Metropolia, and at the same two Eparchies will be Erected as new Metropolitan Archdioceses, namely the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchies of Ivano-Frankivsk and of Ternopil-Zboriv. Here below is the cited Commentary of His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv Halych of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic:

"Today in Ukraine there is a single metropolitanate of Kyiv and Halych based in Kyiv. With such a structure, our metropolitanate reflects the state of church that we had at the time of Kyivan Rus’. There was one metropolitan, the de facto head of the national church, who had, respectively, authority over the bishops on his territory. For more than a thousand years our church has developed, particularly in Ukraine. Today this natural state of development of the church structure needs to be improved. Therefore, in order to provide better pastoral care for our faithful, according to the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC and with the blessing of the Apostolic See, we created three new metropolitanates,"

Here is the followed Reorganization of the Hierarchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church within Ukraine:

+ Major Archdiocese of Kyiv Halych

- Archeparchy of Kyiv

- Major Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Lutsk

- Major Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Donetsk-Kharkiv

- Major Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Odessa-Crimea

+ Metropolitan Archeparchy of Lviv

- Eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych

- Eparchy of Stryi

- Eparchy of Sokal-Zhovkva

+ Metropolitan Archeparchy of Ivano-Frankivsk

- Eparchy of Kolomyia Chernivtsi

+ Metropolitan Archeparchy of Ternopil-Zboriv

- Eparchy of Buchach

All there will be 7 Metropolitans besides the Archeparchies around the World: Namely the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archeparchies of Warsaw-Przemysl in Poland; Winnipeg in Canada; and Philadelphia in the United States/ You can read more regarding this one by clicking the link below from the UGCC Site:

Three new Metropolitanates established in UGCC

And to the Following Ukrainian Greek Catholic Hierarchs, May God give you peace with the Intercession of the Most Holy Virgin and Blessed Mother Theotokos, SLAVA ISUSU HRISTU

His Excellency Ihor Vozniak, Metropolitan Archeparch of Lviv

His Grace Vasyl Semeniuk, Metropolitan Archeparch of Ternopil-Zboriv, to be Elevated in December 22

His Excellency Volodymyr Viytyshyn, Metropolitan Archeparch of Ivano-Frankivsk, to be Elevated in December 13

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When some asserts that one Rite is the Dominant one within the Catholic Church!!!!!

His Grace Most. Rev. Soter Stephen Ortynsky de Labetz, O.S.B.M, is the first Hierarch of the Greek Catholics (Both the Ukrainians and the Ruthenians) in the United States, though the Apostolic Exarchate was erected in 1913. But the problem regarding his Appointment is he as a very small Episcopal Authority, so i am wondering why he was Ordained a Bishop but does not have any Capacity to act such. Here is such a Testimony of how little is his Eparchial function:

"Bishop Ortinsky was forced to obtain the approval of each local Roman Catholic bishop in whose diocese a Greek Catholic parish was located before he could exercise any authority over that particular parish. In effect, Ortinsky functioned as a vicar general for all Greek Catholics in the various Roman Catholic dioceses in America. Lacking the necessary authority, Bishop Ortinsky was unable to impose the ecclesiastical discipline over both clergy and laity needed to bring order to the contentious, but still growing, Greek Catholic community in America." (Excerpt)

Though he answers directly to the Holy See, it seems that Eparch Soter Ortynsky has no power to fulfill his Episcopal Duty, and he acts as if he is no Equal with the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Bishops until 1913 when he was granted full Ordinary Jurisdiction by the Vatican, making it independent from Local Latin Rite Ordinaries.

Many years later, in 1945, when His Holiness Pope Pius XII published his Encyclical "Orientales Omnes Ecclesias" Addressing the Byzantine Catholics on the 350th Anniversary of the Union of Brest. He state this following Excerpt from the Papal Encyclical:

"From all this it is evident that our predecessors have always shown the same fatherly love to the Ruthenians as to the Catholics of the Latin rite. They have also considered it most important to defend the rights and privileges of their hierarchy. When many Latins asserted that the Ruthenian rite was of inferior standing, and some Latin bishops even declared that the Ruthenian prelates did not enjoy full episcopal rights and functions but were subject to them, this Apostolic See rejected these unjust and fanciful opinions; on 28th September 1643 a decree was published to the following effect: "Cardinal Pamphili reported divers decrees of the special Congregation for the united Ruthenians and His Holiness approved the decree of the same special Congregation of the preceding 1st August, that the Ruthenian bishops in union were bishops, and were to be so called and regarded. He approved the decree of the same Congregation that the Ruthenian bishops should be able to erect schools in their dioceses for the instruction of their youth in letters and sciences, and that the Ruthenian ecclesiastics enjoyed the privileges fori, canonis, immunitatis, libertatis, which the priests of the Latin Church enjoy."

Now i am getting creepy on this one. If the Pope is saying about the Equal enjoyment of Eastern Rite Catholic Hierarchs and the faithful, why there is still a Misunderstanding with them and the Majority Latin Rite???  I guess i can have that answer in the near future

He is right all along. Well the Pope are Advocates of the Eastern Rite,  but not the People around.

What about this Latin Rite Ordinary??? Seems familiar

At this Moment i do not want to Spoil the Fun, for i will later post a Article regarding this Ordinaries in the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Church who have caused many sufferings for the Eastern Catholics, namely of the Byzantine Rite because of it Unusual Tradition and Practice, but frankly because of what i will call Supremacy, which i will posted later on in this Blog

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BLESSED BISHOP AND MARTYR NYKYTA BUDKA (1877-1949), First Ukrainian Greek Catholic Hierarch of Canada

In the Commemoration of the Establishment of the Apostolic Exarchate for Greek Catholics in Canada and his Appointment to be the first Apostolic Exarch there. Today the Ukrainian Greek Catholic, from a humble beginning and due to Immigration of Ukrainian Greek Catholics to escape Soviet Persecution, they have consist a Hierarchy of a Metropolia and Four Eparchies under its Omophorion. He is the second Eastern Catholic to be give due honour, after Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, with whom both of them belongs to the Companion Martyrs headed by Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky and you can click this link about Blessed Vasyl

Prayer of the Twenty four (24) Martyr Companion headed by Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky

The universe offers the God-bearing martyrs to You, O Lord, the Creator of nature, as the first-fruits of creation.

By their prayers, through the Mother of God, preserve Your Church in great peace, O Most Merciful One.

We glorify you, bishops, priests, nuns and laity, and we honor your true suffering, which you endured for Christ.

Apostles, martyrs and prophets, holy, blessed and righteous, you accomplished great deeds and kept the faith.

Having the courage to pray to the savior for us, ask Him, the Gracious One, to save our souls.

Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amin

It also has a Fan Page in Facebookin the Celebration of his Appointment in 1912, alongside the Centenary of the first Ecclesiastical structure of Greek Catholic in Canada, which you can click here, and you can have get more information in this Blogspot Annales Ecclesiae Ucrainae, which focuses in the History of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

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METROPOLITAN ANDREY SHEPTYTSKY (1865-1944) Last Greek Catholic Metropolitan of Lviv

Why do i say Last on the Title itself??? He is the last who have the Title Metropolitan Archbishop, besides the Metropolitan Archbishop (Now Major Archiepiscopate) of Alba Iulia si Fagaras of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church, of Lviv prior to his Successor being named in the 1960's, His Beatitude Cardinal Josfy Slipyj (Click this Article about him on this Blogspot), the first Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and first to be named such among Eastern Catholic Hierarchs.

Indeed, Metropolitan Andrey show us the very example of "Golden Mean" rule amongst Greek Catholic. He embrace Byzantine Tradition and uphold the Catholic faith. He becomes the Symbol of Reconciliation between Poles and Ukrainians. His Leadership is a example of Holiness and Perseverance on those Troubled Times

Prayer for the Beatification and Canonization of Metropolitan Roman Aleksander Maria (Andrey) Sheptytsky

Our Lord Jesus Christ – You always reward Your faithful servants, not only with special gifts of Your love, but also with the eternal reward of the saints in heaven, and in many cases You grant them the recognition of sanctity by Your Church here on earth.

We humbly pray: grant that Your faithful servant Metropolitan Andrey be numbered among the saints. Throughout his just life, “full of suffering and trials,” he was a good shepherd for his flock and a great labourer for Christian unity. And through his beatification and intercession, grant our entire people the great gift of unity and love. Amen.

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