On November 3, 2022, the Vatican announced that the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC elected Fr Andriy Khimyak as an assistant bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Kyiv. The Holy Father Francis gave his consent, assigning him the titular seat of Kuikula.
This is reported by the UGCC Information Department, which cites the press service of the Holy See.
Biographical information
He was born on April 13, 1981, in Lviv in the Christian family of Mykhailo and Hanna Khymiaks.
In 1988-1998, he studied at the Taras Shevchenko Secondary School No. 44 in Lviv, where he received a full secondary education. Since 1995, he has been a member of the altar squad of the Arch-Cathedral of St. George in Lviv, having the opportunity to deepen his faith and see a good example of priests. In 1998-2005, he studied at the Lviv Theological Seminary of the Holy Spirit, receiving a degree in theology. In 2005-2008, he studied at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome at the Faculty of Oriental Church Sciences, graduating with a degree of licentiate of theology.
He received his subdeacon ordination on March 20, 2005, from the hands of Bishop Vasyl Medvit, Exarch of Kyiv-Vyshgorod. He was ordained a deacon by His Beatitude Sviatoslav on May 9, 2012, and on November 4, 2012, he was elevated to the priesthood.
In September 2009, he started working in the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops as an assistant to Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, and since September 2016 — as Deputy Secretary of the Synod of Bishops. Since April 2021, he has been acting secretary of the Synod of Bishops.
During 2008-2013, he was a lecturer of the course "Eastern Christian Spirituality" at the distance master's program of Ecumenical Sciences (DMPEN) of the Ukrainian Catholic University. Since 2014, he worked as a teacher at the Kyiv Three Saints Theological Seminary.