Posadas, Argentina: Friday, 16 September 2011

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Dear Very Rev. and Rev. Fathers, and Faithful of the Eparchy of New Westminster,

Greetings to you from South America where I have been since the last week of August.

In the last week of August, while in Brazil I chaired a meeting of the Patriarchal Commission for priestly formation in our Church. Represented at that meeting were almost all of the rectors of our seminaries from Canada, USA, Brazil, Germany, Italy, and of course Ukraine.  There are more than 600 men in priestly formation throughout the world.

Immediately after our meeting with the formation team leaders, I attended the 5th Sobor of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.  This year it was held in Prudentopolis, Brazil. The theme of the Sobor was Monastic, Religious and Consecrated Life in our Church.  32 Ukrainian Catholic bishops along with the leadership of our various religious orders and members of the laity gathered for a few days of prayer, and reflection on vocations and the charism of those in religious orders and their future in our Church.  Our Eparchy was represented by Mrs. Motria Kurapetsky of our parish in Victoria. The closing ceremonies of the Sobor were held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in Brazil.

After our Sobor, all of the bishops traveled to Curitiba, Brazil where we held our annual Synod of Bishops meetings.  This was a very good Synod and the first one that our newly elected Patriarch, His Beatitude Sviatolsav chaired.  The final day of the week-long Synod was the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in Curitiba which also commemorated the 120th anniversary of Ukrainian Immigration to Brazil.

The Synod ended on 18 September and I traveled to Argentina to visit our Ukrainian Catholic community.  I celebrated Divine Liturgy on 14 September, the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross at our Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Posadas.  I have had an opportunity to visit the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in Argentina, the Basilian Fathers and also the Basilian Sisters working here in Argentina.

This Sunday, 18 September I will be celebrating Divine Liturgy in Paraguay with our faithful who live there.  There is only one Ukrainian Catholic priest in all of Paraguay, serving more than 10 parishes in this country.  Fr. Volodymyr, and I were in seminary in Rome together and so it will be a joyful reunion and also a way of showing our solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Paraguay.

On Monday I will be traveling to the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires and be the guest of our Ukrainian Catholic parish community at our Cathedral there.  I will arrive back home on Wednesday, 21 September.

Our church in South America is a very vibrant and wonderful one.  Please keep our sisters and brothers in South America in your prayers. Everywhere I have been I have asked them to keep us in their prayers, and on behalf of you, Dear Faithful of the Eparchy of New Westminster, I have assured them of our prayers and support.

I look forward to being back home and hopefully over the next few months sharing with you more of what I have seen and experienced here in South America.

With prayerful best wishes, and assurance of my Episcopal blessings,