UGCC to Study Experience of Canadian Lay Organizations During Its Synod

Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) stated at a press conference at UNIAN that the next Synod of the UGCC will be held on September 9-15 in Canada and its main theme will be the Calling of the Layman.

According to the hierarch, the bishops did not choose Canada as the country to hold the next synod accidentally. This year, the Greek Catholics mark the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first bishop of the UGCC, Mykyta Budka, in that country, and the fruitful activity of lay organizations in Canada is a good example, which can be followed by the whole UGCC.

“Our church has declared 2012 to be the year of the layman. The UGCC always encouraged our faithful to be active in the social, cultural and national life. The church communities always were the centers where various organizations, institutions of what is now called the civil society were formed. And in Canada, we have today a lot of traditional, I would say, our ancient lay organizations which once became the foundation for the formation of our community in Canada,” said Patriarch Sviatoslav.

“In September, the Ukrainians of Canada will receive our Synod, and, on the other hand, it is their civil structures that will become a model of how the civil movement can be spread and activity of lay people can be stimulated,” added the patriarch.