Sunday, September 2, 2012

His Beatitude the Patriarch of Ukrainian Greek Catholics





Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the Great.

Loyal son of Holy Mother Church.

Only consecrated bishop in 2009. Born in 1970.

Now Patriarch of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

We just saw him in Ottawa last April. Now he is back in Canada, in Vancouver, for the first time in fifteen years.

During his sermon in English he proclaimed to the faithful: "We have come to confirm you in the Faith!"

God be praised in His saints.

He celebrated this Divine Liturgy yesterday to begin the new liturgical year.

5 comments:

  1. Major-Archbishop, not Patriarch.


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  2. Extra points for the altar with miniature church tabernacle!

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  3. Seems like a very good man. Ad multos annos!

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  4. Mnohaja Lita please, preferable to Ad multos annos...

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  5. Hello John. I have been a follower of your wonderful blog for a long time, indeed, I remember that brief period when I feared you had stopped. But "Secundus" returned! As a member of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC)in the Eparchy of Toronto, I have followed these last posts of the visit of the Major Archbishop to Canada with much interest. Note, that I refer to him, as he himself signs his own official letters and documents, as the "Major Archbishop", since this is indeed his "official" tital as granted by the Holy See. I do not intend to debate titles here, but, merely point out the official title of His Beatitude. As a member of the UGCC, I should mention that while the splendor and mystery of the Byzantine Liturgy has its appeal to many, even those of the Latin Rite, you should also be aware that there are Eastern Rite clergy who advocate the removal from our Ukrainaian Catholic Churches of many pious devotions that have over the coures of the last two hundred or so years, if not further, also become part of our own piety and devotional life. Now imagine for a moment, if you were told the following: Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction outside the Mass, the Daily Mass not celebrated, (the norm being in some UGCC Churches only Sunday Liturgy), particularly duribg the Great Fast (Lent) the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, and kneeling at Mass, particularly at the moment of Consecration..... since Christ is Risen, so we "stand" are prohibited, Someone should have mentioned this last point to the Angel that brought Holy Communion to the three saintly shepherds of Fatima in 1916, and fell prostrate to the ground and adored the Blessed Sacrament. I doubt this is what Blessed John Paul II refered to as the "Church breathing with two lungs". I pray that the UGCC will realize the benifits of what you in the Latin Rite may at times take for granted.

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