His Beatitude Sviatoslav Congratulates Metropolitan Borys Gudziak on His 65th Birthday
Today, November 24, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Philadelphia Borys Gudziak celebrates his 65th birthday. On this occasion, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, congratulated the archbishop personally and on behalf of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
“On this special day of God’s blessing, we sincerely congratulate you on your 65th birthday. We thank the Lord for the gift of your life, your holy ministry, and the other gifts which He has bestowed upon you,” said the Head of the UGCC to Bishop Borys. “You have generously multiplied these gifts, and they have resulted in a bountiful blessing from God upon our Church in Ukraine, France, and the United States.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked God for Bishop Borys’s parents, “who gave him life, a good upbringing, and an excellent education,” and also mentioned the bishop’s spiritual teachers, in particular Patriarch Josyf Slipyj.
The Patriarch especially emphasized Bishop Borys’s considerable contribution to the revival of the Theological Academy and the establishment of the Ukrainian Catholic University: “Thanks to you, this institution is now very popular in Ukraine. Thousands of young hearts, whom you inspired and raised in love for God, their Church, and their homeland, having received a solid European education, are now working fruitfully in their homeland and abroad.”
The Head of the UGCC expressed special gratitude for the Metropolitan’s episcopal ministry in the Philadelphia Metropolia.
“In carrying out your episcopal ministry in the Philadelphia Metropolia, which is separated from the Mother Church by an ocean, you have become a spiritual father to our faithful, a zealous preacher of God’s word, a role model of sacrificial service that goes ‘from heart to heart,’ which is especially important during this brutal war with the Russian occupier,” emphasized His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
“Please accept our wishes for God’s abundant blessings and the help of the Holy Spirit in all your endeavors for the glory of God, for the good of our Church and our people—for many and good years,” wished the Father and Head of the UGCC.
The UGCC Department for Information
