New administration and chair of religious association of Ukrainian Catholics St Sophia in the USA elected
The Reporting and Election Assembly of St. Sophia Religious Association of Ukrainian Catholics (USA) were held on April 15. During the sessions, the results of the activities of the resigning Directorate led by the well-known literary scholar, Academician Leonid Rudnitsky, were summarized. This was reported by the press service of St. Sophia Religious Association of Ukrainian Catholics, USA.
During the sessions, the new Directorate was elected: Fr. Marco-Yaroslav Semegen, Mykola Rudnytsky, Oksana Kobuley, Ihor Shust, Roman Kuzik, and the Board of the Society, which includes: Iryna Kurilets, Secretary; Halyna Keller, Treasurer; Albert Kipa, Vice-Chairman.
Iryna Ivankovych, current Executive Director of St. Sophia Religious Association of Ukrainian Catholics was elected as head of the Association. The newly elected Head was born in Ternopil region. She graduated from Warsaw University (Institute of Applied Linguistics), having received Master's Degree in the field of translation. In 2012, she defended her doctoral thesis at the Ukrainian Free University in Munich with the distinction (summa cum laude). She is the author of a number of scientific articles in Ukrainian, Polish and English in the field of linguistics and literary criticism, a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in the US. She is compiler, editor and translator of books. Her two-volume collection “Patriarch Josyp Slipyj and belles lettres” won the award of "The Best Book of Publishers Forum" 2016 in Lviv. Initiator of English Language Charitable Schools in the native land of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj, patron of the Church of English-speaking Christian animators, director of the Center for the Heritage of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj in Philadelphia. Irina Ivankonovich became the fifth chairman of the Society. Previously, the American Society of St. Sophia was headed by Patriarch Josyf Slipy (1974-1984), Dr. Roman Navrotsky (1984-1999), prof. Albert Kipa (1999-2004), Academician Leonid Rudnytsky (2004-2018), who, for a long and dedicated ministry, was given the title of the Honorary Chairman of the Society.
St. Sophia Religious Association of Ukrainian Catholics was founded on April 24, 1974, by the decree of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj. St. Sophia Religious Association of Ukrainian Catholics, as seen by His Beatitude Josyf, “is to care of our theological science, our various branches of knowledge; it will develop talents, support them in their development, and encourage the development of God's spiritual gifts, in order not to bury them under the influence of the evil times. This is the great mission and the St. Sophia Religious Association is the first such Ukrainian association in our modern times with such a noble and blessed purpose.” Today, St. Sophia Religious Association performs its mission in accordance with this will of its founder, His Beatitude Patriarch Josef, and faithfully serves the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Ukrainian people. St. Sophia Religious Association has granted and continues to provide numerous scholarships for students of theology and history of the Church, it has published a number of scientific and popular works in English and Ukrainian, organized a number of scientific conferences and sponsored numerous publications on Ukrainian baptism, history, literature and culture.
The most important achievement of the Association is the construction of the Museum-Memorial Complex of Patriarch Josyp in the village of Zazdrist in the Ternopil region, thereby fulfilling the will of His Beatitude, which he left once. Dr. Romani Navrotsky, the former head of St. Sophia Religious Association: “As time comes, purchase back my family home in Zazdrist, and then you will see what you will do." Today, the heart of St. Sophia Religious Association is beating precisely in the homeland of Josyp Slipyj. Here come pilgrims from all over Ukraine and the world. Annually the charity summer schools of English for orphans, children of immigrants, children from the families of the ATU, UGCC seminarians are held there; It hosts the main office of the School of English-speaking Christian animators who work as volunteers, organizing camps for children of junior and high school age; there are recurrent and methodological seminars for English teachers; there are scientific conferences, symposiums, round tables, during which scientists investigate the legacy of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj. In the end, the recollection groups come here to think over the eternal away from the vanity of the world. Today, the Museum-Memorial Complex under the curator of the Representative Office of St. Sophia Religious Association in the United States of Ukraine is full of life, as Patriarch Josyp wanted. The plans of the newly elected Directorate include the dissemination of educational and educational activities at the home of the founder of the Society.
