July 31, 2021 The Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church His Beatitude Sviatoslav consecrated a newly constructed church of Holy Martyrs of Stanislaviv - Hryhoriy Khomyshyn, Symeon Lukach and Ivan Sleziuk. The temple is built on Halych Hill.
The Head of Church was welcomed by Volodymyr Viytyshyn, archbishop and metropolitan of Ivano – Frankivsk and Ihor Bronovskiy, protopresbyter of Halych together with clergy and laity invited, who came to share this big joy of a parish of holy martyrs of Stanislaviv.
In his homily the Head of the Church said that consecration of this church is a historical event. “It is a unique moment of God’s presence among us, who speaks to us and we hear Him in turn. The moment when the voice of the living God reaches for us is time of reading, solemn proclamation of the Holy Gospel in a church”, said the Major Archbishop.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav mentioned an interesting fact that the Lord called him from Kyiv to Halych to consecrate this church. “Because Kyiv and Halych are the axis around what God was forming our people, our church and people’s history, our free independent Ukraine. Even the title of the Head of our Church bears this unity in its name – the Major Archbishop of Kyiv – Galicia”, he pointed out.
The Head of the Church assumes that this day does say about three crucial fundamentals of our Church, national and public life.
First of all, as our martyrs tell us - we have to cherish our faith in God as the most precious gift.
The second message, which is hugely important, is that there is so many lies and falsehood in the modern world. Where is the truth? Where is the truthful Church? Martyrs of the XXI century persecuted for the truth of the suffering UGCC have the answer. It is them who tell us today: “Where is Peter - there is a real Church”. Unity with the successor of Peter the Apostle, renewed by our bishops of ancient Kyiv metropoly is a life-giving truth for Christians of the third millennium”.
The third message states that here, in Halych, there are roots of our Church, our statehood and our people. “And today we see that these roots are alive. No matter how many invaders have come here, Halych remains”, the Head of the Church summed up.