The XVIII All-Ukrainian Conference of Military Chaplains of the UGCC took place in Transcarpathia
This was reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.
More than a hundred military chaplains from all over Ukraine gathered to discuss the current challenges and prospects of chaplaincy ministry. Participants shared their experience of ministry, outlined plans for the next year, and listened to reports from experts in the security forces and medical and psychological support.
The official opening ceremony of the conference was led by Bishop Bohdan Manyshyn, head of the UGCC Military Chaplaincy Department, and Bishop Teodor Matsapula, ruling bishop of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese.
The following speakers made presentations: military leadership, including Colonel Oleksii Tereshchuk, Chief of the Military Chaplaincy Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Oleksandr Izdebsky, Chief of the Military Chaplaincy Service of the National Guard of Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Tukalo, Chief of the Sector for the Organization of the Military Clergy Service (Chaplaincy Service) of the Administration of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, and Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Tukalo, Chief of the Sector for Work with Military Chaplains of the Administration of the State Special Transport Service.
Fr. Andriy Zelinsky, Deputy Head of the Department of Military Chaplaincy, presented the activities of the Department for 2024.
After the official part, the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was held, led by Bishop Teodor Matsapula, in concelebration with military chaplains.
One of the important events was an online meeting with His Beatitude Sviatoslav, who emphasized the importance of the chaplaincy mission in the army. The head of the UGCC also noted that “we want to develop the Department of Military Chaplaincy like a military ordinariate, laying its foundations for the future” and emphasized that “the new head of the Department, Bishop Bohdan Manyshyn, is a full-time bishop of chaplains.”
The first day ended with a performance of patriotic songs by a 10-year-old singer and volunteer from Lviv, Yurchyk Napora, who has raised almost 6 million hryvnias for the Armed Forces through his charity concerts.
The following days were devoted to lectures, in particular on psychological support for the families of the fallen and assistance to wounded soldiers. The lecturers were psychologist Liubava Kazmirchuk and rehabilitation and occupational therapist of the Modrychi rehabilitation center in the village of Onufriia Bachynska, SSMI (Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate). The conference concluded with a speech by military analyst Colonel Petro Chernyk on the global context of the war, summarizing the work and praying for peace in Ukraine.
