www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Honored with Medals

Kyr Isidore Boretsky of the UGCC and Kyr Vsevolod of the UOAC were honered by the Ukrainian government with medals because of their dedication to their Ukrainian Churches on ecumenical levels.
God bless these two men, and may He grant both of them Mnohaya i Blahaya Lita!!
By the way, does anybody know how Kyr Isodore is?
I haven't heard much about him, lately. I guess that's because I live down here.
Lauro

Dear Lauro,

Kyr Isidore is fine, but is getting on in years.

He is still the wonderful man he always was.

By the way, I am going to be at the banquet honouring Patriarch Lubomyr Husar on February 23rd in Toronto.

I get to sit with his relatives . . .

Ain't I lucky?

Alex

It's good to here that Kyr Isidore is fine. He was one of the very few who had the guts to give support to Patriarch Slipey.
You really are lucky to be able to sit on the table with Husar's relatives. By the way if you get a chance to speak with Husar in person tell him that we need Studites down here!!!
Lauro

Dear Lauro,

Yes, I'm writing that down in a note to myself right now, as if I haven't heard you mention that point once or twice before

Alex

I am officially invited to Pontifical Liturgy, which will be celebrated for Patriarch Joseph in our Cathedral in Peremyshl on this December 22nd 11.00 AM. His Beatitude will be chief celebrant there.
As we have a thread on medals here, let you know
that on October 15th His Beatitude received the "UNION OF LUBLIN MEDAL" from our city.

Sincerely,
subdeacon Peter

Dear Subdeacon,
Very nice to hear that Lublin honered our Patriarch.
Getting off the subject a little. I heard that there was a meeting between the Ukrainian Greek Catholics and the Polish Orthodox Church in reference to church property. Could you give us some feedback on how things went? Is the relationship between the two churches satisfactory? Do you see positive results?
Lauro

Dear Peter,

Does Lublin have a miraculous Icon of the Mother of God? If so, could you tell us something about it?

Alex

We have (or had) more than just one!
1) Image of the BVM in the Holy Spirit RC Church
(very well known in 17th century, now rather
forgotten);
2) Image of the BVM in RC archicathedral (copied
from the Czestochowa image) - that image weeped
in 1949 (a well-known "cud lubelski" - "miracle
of Lublin"; many people were arrested that time
by communist security police);
3) our "Ruthenian" (in proper sense) Icon of Lublin from the Holy Transfiguration Orthodox (1695-1875 Byzantine Catholic) Church, "evacuated" by Tsarist Russians in 1915;
4) Icon of Korchmyn, now venerated in our Greek-Catholic Church in Lublin - see at
http://www.mateusz.pl/goscie/grekat/greckokat/mboska.jpg

or

http://www.mateusz.pl/goscie/grekat/psalmist.html
(on this picture I stand before the Icon near the
church wall).

Sincerely,
subdeacon Peter

Dear Subdeacon Peter,

Thank you for that marvellous information!

I love the icon you present!

And you are very handsome - my grandmother would say, "Maye intelihentnu piku!"

God bless and Happy St Nicholas' Eve!

Alex

His Beatitude visited our city many times - this
year FOUR times. And Lublin is a real center of Polish-Ukrainian collaboration in Poland. For example, we have the European Colege of Polish and Ukrainian Universities (see http://www.ekpu.lublin.pl ), which is to be developed into a Polish-Ukrainian University (so our city with population of 354 thousand will have three universities, i.e. Catholic, state and Polish-Ukrainian). Our city council named a traffic circle near the Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Cathedral in honour of Metropolitan Peter Mohyla, who had consecrated this church in 1633.
Don't forget that we have our martyr - Bleesed
Father Emilian Kowch died in Lublin!

The main positive result is that such a bilateral commission was able to meet and plan further meetings.
Personally, I was appointed chairman to the post-conventual commission on ecumenical affairs. We have created two documents - recommendations for eparchial bishops and some norms. Unfortunately,
they're under secret now, so I can give you only the URL to my paper on ecumenism delivered at our common eparchial convent in Peremyshl on March this year:

http://www.mateusz.pl/goscie/grekat/ps14.html .

You may also read my article about this matter:

http://www.mateusz.pl/goscie/grekat/ps12.html

or/and article about the eparchial convent:

http://www.mateusz.pl/goscie/grekat/ps15.html

Sincerely,

subdeacon Peter

Dear Subdeacon Peter,

Yes, I wrote an article about Bl. Emilian on this site: http://www.unicorne.org/orthodoxy

Is there an icon of him? How is his cult promoted and honoured in Lublin?

You are a fountain of information!

And which calendar do you follow - our calendar or the Polish calendar?

I also noticed that you used "Uniate" in your Ukrainian articles to describe our Church.

Is it an accepted term in Poland and consequently not offensive?

I think that if you would use it here, some people might take offense, beginning with Fr. Deacon Edward . . .

Alex

Dear Subdeacon Peter,
I thank you kindly for the information that you have posted. It's good to see that at least both churches are now able to sit around a table and chat. I pray and hope that the outcome of future meetings will bring a better and closer relationship between the two churches. God bless you Peter, and the Ukrainian community in Poland.
Lauro