The 54th session of the Synod of Bishops of the Kyiv-Halych Supreme Archbishopric of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) was held on October 27-28, in Lviv-Briukhovychi.
The 54th session of the Synod of Bishops of the Kyiv-Halych Supreme Archbishopric of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) was held on October 27-28, in Lviv-Briukhovychi.
According to the Information Department of the UGCC, the synod was also attended by Eparch of Mukachiv, Bishop Milan (Shashik). Some sessions were attended by the following visitors: the new Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Thomas Gullickson, and the delegation of the Bishops’ Conference of USA.
The main theme of the synod was the question of parish life. Bishop Bohdan (Dziurakh) presented the concept “Living parish as the place of meeting with the living Christ” on the strategy of development of UGCC for ten years. Other reports dealt with the modern pastoral care and catechetical ministry in the parish, practical aspects of the parish life in its financial dimension, canonical and legal status of the parish and the need to elaborate the statutes of parish life.
One of the reports on financial issues dealt with the activity of the non-governmental pension fund Pokrova founded by the UGCC and the question of the financial and economic life of the church.
The bishops paid considerable attention to the question of the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of baptism of Rus-Ukraine. In that context, the bishops considered and passed the Concept of the Year of the Holy Sacraments (the year 2012) and a draft plan of Bible readings for the first year of the preparation.
The head of the Department of Church Committees, Father Petro Rak, made a general report on the activity of the committees of the Supreme Archbishopric. The head of the subcommittee For a Sober Life, Andrii Lohin, told the members of the synod about its activity during the five years of its existence.
The bishops also discussed practical questions of the organization in 2012 of the campaign Let Us Sing Carols for the Council aimed to gather donations for the completion of the construction of the Patriarchal Center in Kyiv and program of preparation for Euro 2012.