July 28, on the feast of Saint Volodymyr His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church urged the faithful to come to their churches and traditionally renew the vows which we, through the mouths of our godparents, took on the day of our Baptism.
In the comment given to the Department for Information His Beatitude Sviatoslav mentioned that the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is the successor of the Church of Volodymyr’s Baptism. The day of commemorating Prince Volodymyr is the day to celebrate and thank God for the gift of nationwide and personal baptism.
“This year we thank God for the event which took place in Berest 425 years ago. Back then our Kyiv Church, which has a millennial history, governed by my great predecessor Michael Rohoza, Metropolitan of Kyiv, Galicia and All-Ruthenia, together with its bishops renewed life-giving unity with the successor of Peter the Apostle. Thus the unity, which we were baptized in and which had existed before the East and West dichotomy in days of Prince Volodymyr, was restored”, said the Head of the Church.
He urged all faithful to renew their baptismal promises. “The thing made by Prince Volodymyr, with the power of the Holy Spirit becomes accessible to us through our personal faith, through resisting evil and dedicating oneself to the unity with Christ. This way a treasure of faith of Prince Volodymyr becomes the treasure of Ukrainians, each son and daughter of Christ’s Church”, the Head of the Church persuades.
It should be reminded that the Rite of the Renewal of Baptismal Vows on the day of Saint Equal to the Apostles Prince Volodymyr in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was introduced by the then Father and Head of the UGCC His Beatitude Lubomyr. Since that time the faithful in all churches across Ukraine and worldwide after the Liturgy is over, - renew their baptismal vows.