First Graduation Ceremony of the “Promin Svitla” Online Catechetical School Held in Kyiv
On May 25, the first graduation ceremony and presentation of certificates to graduates of the online catechetical school Promin Svitla (“Ray of Light”) was held in Kyiv. For six years, the school has been broadcasting on Zhyve TV.
Graduates from various parts of Ukraine came to the capital and were congratulated by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. During the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, he remarked:
“Today we rejoice with the first graduates of our catechetical school Promin Svitla, which, step by step, has guided our children toward the light of an encounter with the living Christ over the course of six years.”
“Congratulations to the children receiving their certificates of completion today. They have passed through various stages on their journey toward the fullness of life in Christ. They first prepared for their First Solemn Communion, then journeyed through the Church’s liturgical year, explored the books of the Old and New Testaments, and studied the lives of the saints.
Today, we rejoice with you, children, as you can now say, like the young man in the Gospel: ‘I believe in you, Lord.’ Together with the Church of Christ, you now encounter Him in the Mystery of the Eucharist, at the Divine Liturgy—and with the angels in heaven, you worship Him.”
The Patriarch emphasized that the Promin Svitla school has united “our children from different parts of Ukraine and around the world, helping them to grow in their faith, cultivate their culture, and most importantly, build up the community of our global Church, which carries the light of Christ that God has entrusted to each of us.”
The Head of the UGCC expressed his gratitude to the organizers of the school, particularly Fr. Ihor Yatsiv, director of Zhyve TV.
He also thanked the catechists who have served there, the parents who ensured their children could receive systematic instruction in the faith, and especially congratulated the students and graduates themselves.
Fr. Ihor also offered his congratulations to the children and their parents and presented the certificates during a ceremony in the synodal hall of the UGCC Patriarchal Center.
This school year, Promin Svitla was able to operate thanks to the financial support of the Philadelphia Eparchy of the UGCC.
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The online catechetical school operated for six years, beginning during the pandemic to help children complete their preparation for First Confession when in-person classes were not possible due to quarantine restrictions.
This year, more than 200 students from various regions of Ukraine — including Dnipro, Kharkiv, Lviv, Ternopil, Lutsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, and Rivne — as well as from abroad (Poland, the United States, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy), took part in six courses.
Five catechists led the instruction and catechetical formation. Sister Antonia Pichuga prepared the children for First Confession and Holy Communion and introduced them to the liturgical year. Sister Teresa Vasulia taught the Old Testament, while Fr. Ruslan Butenko led classes on the New Testament and the course “United by Christ.” Brothers Taras Hardyhura and Nestor Vysochansky taught the lives of the saints to older students.
The school proved especially valuable to children who had been forced to flee their homeland due to Russian aggression. Thanks to this online format, they were able to maintain a living connection with their Church and fulfill the mission expressed in the motto of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: “Your Church is always and everywhere with you.”
Promin Svitla, the online catechetical school on Zhyve TV, is a powerful witness to a living Church that unites children from around the world in love for Christ’s teachings, their Church, and Ukraine. Catechesis in the Ukrainian language also plays a vital role in preserving national identity — even thousands of kilometers from home.
The UGCC Department for Information
