Pope Francis has formally invited every Bishop in the world to join him in an Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary this upcoming March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation. This is a cry to heaven for peace in the world, in particular between these two countries. I understand some have criticized Pope Francis for various reasons, yet I firmly believe this is a beautiful and concrete act by the Church for the... Read more
On Thursday, March 17th, a statue of Our Lady of Fatima arrived from Portugal to the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine. It will remain there until April 15th. The official page of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church reported that the Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv, His Excellency Ihor Voznyak, C.SS.R., welcomed the statue along with many faithful and clergy at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “This is a big event for our city. We... Read more
When I was a brand-new seminarian, I had to choose a local outreach location where for two or three hours each week I would serve others in some capacity. I picked the Urban Mission in downtown Steubenville, Ohio, and once per week I drove to a Methodist Church with another student to help at the soup kitchen. Sometimes I helped in the kitchen cooking, other times arranging cans in the pantry, but every week without fail I assisted in serving... Read more
When I was a kid, I remember asking my mother once at Mass right before communion, “does the priest ever run out of hosts?” She gave me a quick and hushed response, “No, he never does.” My mind registered her answer with utter amazement. The priest never runs out of hosts! God must miraculously keep putting hosts in there! In my little mind, I imagined angels dropping hosts into the ciborium to make sure there were plenty of them. Though... Read more
As the invasion of Ukraine continues, Pope Francis has asked that today be a special day of fasting and prayer for peace in Ukraine. “I invite everyone to make March 2, Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting for peace,” he said. “I encourage believers in a special way to devote themselves intensely to prayer and fasting on that day. May the Queen of Peace protect the world from the folly of war.” My Parish Christi in Pooler, Georgia, held a... Read more
The Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) was the first Catholic institution of higher learning to open in an ex-Soviet nation after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Tracing its origins to 1929 when Ukrainian Archbishop Josyf Slipyj founded the Greek Catholic Theological Academy which was closed by the Soviets in 1944, US-born Father Boris Gudziak led the reestablishment of the Academy in 1992 which eventually became the University. Now Archeparch of the Ukrainian Archeparchy of Philadelphia, Father Boris Gudziak... Read more
Yesterday, a Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Yaroslav Pririz, issued instructions to the Priests of his Eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych in western Ukraine. It expresses both love for the faithful and love for Ukraine. It captures the anxiety of the Ukrainian people as they face the onslaught of the Russian army. Here is a translation: In connection with the Russian military aggression and the imposition of martial law in Ukraine, I oblige the Pastors of the Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy to the... Read more
It appears that war is inevitable in Ukraine. When I spent time in that beautiful country, I quickly learned that Ukrainians overwhelmingly wished to affiliate with Western Europe rather than with Russia, but that this desire was not unanimous. I spent time in Western Ukraine which suffered greatly during Soviet times, is predominantly Catholic, and where there is a great desire to renew Ukrainian culture. Eastern Ukraine, closer to Russia, benefited greatly from industrialization during Soviet times (that is where... Read more
Today at noon time in Rome, the Holy Father named Father Jacques Fabre, CS the 14th Bishop of Charleston. The Diocese was established by Pope Pius VII on July 11, 1820, and it covered 142,000 square miles across the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Today, that same territory is comprised of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Dioceses of Savannah, Raleigh and Charlotte. Bishop-elect Fabre was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In the early 1990s, he was a chaplain... Read more
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Death and Religion in the War in Ukraine
The Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, recently addressed the families of those killed in these past few weeks of war. The Ukrainian government last estimated that 1,300 soldiers have died along with 3,360 civilians – the actual numbers are significantly higher. “We want to be close to our suffering and hurting people. This is one of the ministries that the Church wants to give to her people today, assuring that we have been,... Read more