On February 19, 2023, the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, led the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with the rite of episcopal ordination of the new Auxiliary Bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Archeparchy of Kyiv, Bishop Andriy Khimyak, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv.
Source: UGCC Information Department
Bishops Bohdan Dziurakh, Apostolic Exarch for Ukrainians in Germany and Scandinavia, and Stepan Sus, Bishop of the Curia of the Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishop, concelebrated at the ceremony.
The consecration of Bishop Andriy was attended by almost all members of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine, including Archbishop and Metropolitan Ihor Vozniak of Lviv, Archbishop and Metropolitan Volodymyr Viytyshyn of Ivano-Frankivsk, Archbishop and Metropolitan Vasyl Semeniuk of Ternopil-Zboriv, and bishops from abroad: Bishop Hlib Lonchyna, Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy of St. Volodymyr the Great in Paris, Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Ruling Bishop of the Eparchy of the Holy Family based in London, Bishop Bohdan Danylo of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma (USA).
Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, also took part in the Liturgy of the ordination of Bishop Andriy Khimyak and wished the newly ordained bishop that the Apostle Andriy would always accompany him.
"The Church has ordained you today as an auxiliary bishop for the Archeparchy of Kyiv, so one might think that you are called only to help the shepherd and the head of this Church. But the name of the Apostle Andrew that you bear indicates a different reality. Every day, every Christian, and even more so a bishop, is called to follow Jesus boldly and without delay, as if we are always the first to open the way to others. This is the beauty and complexity of the bishop's Christian vocation and mission.", the nuncio said.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Croatia to Ukraine Anika Jamic and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Ukraine Larisa Galadza-Cronin also attended the consecration.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav congratulated the newly consecrated bishop Andriy. "We pray for you and thank the Lord God that you really saw the one you preached - you saw Christ present among us. Bring the word of his Gospel, the good news of God's power working in his church, to all those who need real good news today. Today we entrust you especially the souls of our Archeparchy of Kyiv," said the Primate.
The head of the UGCC expressed his joy at receiving another assistant: "Bishop Andriy, let us love God and neighbor together, those people to whom the Lord God sends us today. The bishop told about himself that he loves people. And this is perhaps the most important trait that anyone who is called by Christ to the fullness of his priesthood should have."
He noted that Ukraine has seen a lot over the past year. "We have seen Russian tanks, death, pain and suffering, blood and tears of our people. But we also saw that God was with us. For Christ is with the weakest, with those whose right to life is taken away from them. We have seen Christ once again crucified in the body of Ukraine. I thank everyone for feeling so vividly where Christ is in those military circumstances," said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
"And today, Bishop Andriy," said His Beatitude Sviatoslav, "joins that cluster of ministers with a special mission to show the modern Ukrainian where God is when we are being killed.
In his speech, the newly consecrated Bishop expressed gratitude to His Beatitude Sviatoslav for his trust.
"Glory to the Great God, who loved me before I was conceived, brought me into the world and gave me kind and loving parents... I sincerely strive to serve the Church faithfully and to be a support and good collaborator for you, the Father and Head of the UGCC, our Father and the head of the Archeparchy of Kyiv... I am grateful to our Armed Forces of Ukraine, who have been defending our land from Russia's full-scale aggression for almost a year now, and I am sure they will continue to do so until Ukraine's complete victory, which is what we pray to the Lord for every day," added Bishop Andriy.