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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
Rome - Pope Benedict XVI has appointed His Grace, Bishop Hlib (Lonchyna) as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Apostolic Exarchate for Ukrainians in Great Britain (source). Bishop Hlib will be responsible for the pastoral care of Ukrainian Catholics in Great Britain until a new Apostolic Exarch can be named.
Bishop Hlib is titular Bishop of Bareta and Bishop of the Curia of the Major Archbishop of Kyïv-Halyč. He currently Apostolic Visitator for Ukrainian Catholics in Ireland (source).
VATICAN CITY, 1 JUN 2009 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:
"This morning, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Viktor Yushchenko, president of Ukraine. Subsequently the president, accompanied by Volodymyr Khandogiy, his ad interim foreign minister, went on to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
"During the cordial discussions attention focused on the international situation. At the bilateral level, the good relations between Ukraine and the Holy See were noted with pleasure, as were the prospects for increased collaboration in the cultural and social fields. While expressing the desire to find equitable solutions to outstanding questions between State and Church, mention was also made of the Catholic Church's contribution to Ukrainian society for education in Christian values and their diffusion, and of the importance of dialogue among Christians in order to promote unity, while respecting everyone and with the aim of peaceful coexistence".
NEW YORK – His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America and Chairman of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) announced the immediate availability of the first-ever English edition of the New Testament and Psalms for Orthodox Christians serving in the Armed Forces. This edition is a joint effort between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the American Bible Society, and SCOBA.
“It is my heartfelt prayer that these sacred words of Scripture, icons, and the accompanying daily prayers will serve as a source of strength and encouragement for our dedicated service men and women in the Armed Forces”, the Archbishop remarked. “Wherever the tour of duty calls them, may this pocket edition of the New Testament be a constant reminder of the fervent intercessions that are offered to God by those whom they protect, for their health, safety and well-being.”
The Orthodox Military New Testament and Psalms features a camouflage cover and conforms to military specifications so that it can easily be carried in a uniform or backpack. Unique to this edition are the Orthodox Christian morning and evening prayers; mealtime prayers; an article on living an Orthodox Christian life while serving in the military; full color icons of military-specific saints; a daily Bible reading guide; a prayer list to remember the names of those living and deceased; maps and many other useful aids.
“The American Bible Society is proud to have been part of this pivotal publication of the New Testament and Psalms that will provide the sacred words of the Scriptures to Orthodox Christians serving in the Armed Forces”, said Dr. Lamar Vest, President of the American Bible Society. “We deeply value and treasure the strong bonds of genuine friendship that have developed into shared ministry over the past several years among the American Bible Society, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and the Orthodox Christian Church.”
The Orthodox Military Edition was formally presented to the American Bible Society’s Board of Trustees on Friday May 15th by Fr. Mark Arey, General Secretary of SCOBA; Fr. William Bartz, a Captain in the United States Navy and the senior-ranking Orthodox Christian Chaplain in the Armed Forces; Fr. Jerome Cwiklinski, a Captain and the senior ranking OCA Chaplain in the United States Navy and a Marine veteran of Desert Storm; and Mr. Theo Nicolakis, who serves as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s representative to the American Bible Society.
“This 10oz Bible is worth over ten tons of protection” remarked Fr. Bartz during his presentation to the Board of Trustees. Likewise, Fr. Cwiklinski stated, “The publication of this Military New Testament is perhaps the most significant event for Orthodox Christians in the military since they were permitted to carry the "Orthodox" designation on their dog-tags.”
The Military Edition of the New Testament and Psalms is being formally launched in Greek Orthodox parishes in the United States starting May 31 and will be given to service men and women in active duty. Anyone wishing to acquire a copy of the New Testament & Psalms for Orthodox Christians: Military Edition may do so online at either: http://www.goarch.org or http://www.scoba.us/military.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is the largest Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the First Throne of the Orthodox Christian Church. Founded in 1922, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is the national headquarters that serves the ministerial, philanthropic, and educational needs of its 1.5 million members in the United States .
Founded in 1816 and headquartered in the City of New York , the mission of the American Bible Society is to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford, so that all people may experience its life-changing message.
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA 8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106 Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0237 Web: http://www.goarch.org - Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Contact: PRESS OFFICE Stavros Papagermanos This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its establishment with a whole weekend of activities June 26-28 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 1900 Carlton Road, Parma. The event’s Executive Committee has planned an exciting weekend, which will include guest speakers for men, women, married couples and teens, activities for children and teens; a hierarchical Divine Liturgy with guest bishops concelebrating; prayer services and choir concerts; a brunch with the eparchy’s Bishop John Kudrick and guest bishops; entertainment; displays; and the dedication of the new Bishop Emil J. Mihalik Center for Byzantine Catholic Culture and the Carpatho-Rusin Museum. (See the entire schedule on the eparchial Web site, www.parma.org.)
Guest speakers are Danny Abramowicz, former NFL all-pro wide receiver who now has a national outreach ministry to Catholic men; Benedictine Father Michael Brunovsky, a local bi-ritual priest and educator; Frederica Mathewes-Green, nationally known Eastern Christian spirituality author and speaker; and Michael Walsh, former model and stuntman, who now has a ministry to teens and young adults.
Entertainment includes Beacon Street, a local performing arts ministry group for children; Mat Burke, a Byzantine Catholic punk rock/folk music performer; Johnny Koenig, a young accordion player with his polka band; Living Traditions Folk Ensemble, performing Carpatho-Rusyn folk songs and dances; and concerts by the Parma Byzantine Eparchial Choir and Annunciation Parish Choir (Homer Glen, Ill.).
On April 2, 2009, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar), signed a decree which, on the basis of the decision of last year's Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, proclaimed the convocation of the 2009 Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. The synod will take place in Lviv - Briukhovychi from November 29 to December 9. Patriarch Lubomyr calls the faithful of the church to pray that the preparation and conduct of the synod and its work be fruitful for the life of the UGCC.
The patriarch said that the main theme of the 2009 synod is evangelization. “Evangelization is sharing the faith with those who have not yet received it and with those in whom it has become weak. In the post-Soviet period we see that for many people the knowledge and understanding of God is very superficial. The task of the church, while not forcing the divine word on anybody, is to present the truths of the faith. To help people understand their vocation and task in life,” the head of the UGCC explained.
In 2009, as was done in previous years, the clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church are invited to participate in the preparation of the next Synod of Bishops of the UGCC. About this the head of the UGCC emphasized: “In past years we have called priests, religious and lay people who are interested in expressing their thoughts on the theme of the synod to send their opinions to the secretariat of the synod. Many members of our church have done this, for which we are very thankful. The secretariat familiarized itself with their suggestions and on their basis made a summary, which was later given to all the bishops as part of the materials of the synod. Certain ideas indeed enriched our discussion.”
As Patriarch Lubomyr noted, this year, considering the positive experience, it has been decided to renew the invitation: “in fact the Holy Spirit operates in different ways and through different people… Therefore we invite the members of our church, if they feel they have ideas which can help fruitfully develop the main theme of the synod, to express them in written form,” the head of the UGCC said.
We ask all those interested to send their reflections by September 30, 2009, to the address of the secretariat of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC (Riznyts’ka St. 11Á/28-29, city of Kyiv, 01001) or by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a note “About evangelization.”
PAMPLONA, Spain, MAY 28, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Moscow Patriarchate's secretary for ecumenical relations is affirming that relations between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in Russia are progressing, and that it is an important step for evangelizing the world.
In an address at the University of Navarra in Spain, Father Igor Vyzhanov stated that the two Churches "seem to understand each other better now than before."
His conference titled "Relations Between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church: The Current Situation" noted signs of the Churches' collaboration.
The priest affirmed a shared responsibility of Orthodox and Catholics to "renew the Christian roots of Europe" and to preach the message of Christ to the world.
He explained the challenges of the Orthodox Church in the task of evangelization, faced to Russia's history of enforced atheism.
Nonetheless, Father Vyzhanov said, "the Russian people did not lose their faith," although the communist regime tried to take it away.
He added that in the communist era, "the faith was hidden, not dead, and after the changes in our country many people converted to the faith."
Now, the priest added, the principal challenge is to help people deepen in this faith, a project in which there is a "great future" for collaboration with the Catholic Church.
