Historic Moment: Six New Bishops Participate in the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC
Among the new bishops who are participating in the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Rome for the first time this year are Bishops Maksym Ryabukha, Mykola Semenyshyn, Andriy Khimyak, Petro Holiney, Volodymyr Firman, and Bishop-nominee Mykhailo Kvyatkovsky. All of them were proclaimed bishops after the Synod held in July 2022 in Poland.
From left to right: Bishop Maksym Ryabukha, Bishop Mykola Semenyshyn, Bishop Andriy Khimyak, Bishop Petro Holiney, Bishop Volodymyr Firman, Bishop-nominee Mykhailo Kvyatkovsky
At the Liturgy in St. Sophia Basilica, which solemnly opened the synodal session on September 3, His Beatitude Sviatoslav called this year’s Synod unprecedented. He remarked that today, the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC consists of 56 bishops. “And this is a record number! Interestingly, while going through the materials yesterday, I noticed that almost half of them are younger than me. It means that our Synod is not getting older but younger every year. Therefore, we call our Synod the Synod of Hope for our Church and the Ukrainian people.”
Bishop Mykola Semenyshyn, Auxiliary Bishop of the Ivano-Frankivsk Archeparchy, consecrated in February 2013, shared with the UGCC Department for Information his impressions of participating in the first Synod in his life, saying that it was like starting the first grade.
The 41-year-old Bishop Mykola is the youngest among the Synod’s bishops. Of his experiences in the early days, he most appreciates the opportunity to pray together with UGCC bishops worldwide. “I feel the spiritual empowerment of our joint prayer,” says the bishop.
Nominee Bishop Mykhailo Kvyatkovsky, ordained bishop on Ukraine’s Independence Day, told the UGCC Department for Information that he was impressed with the high level of the Synod. “I was invited to participate in the discussions, although I do not yet have the right to vote. It was nice to meet my brothers in the episcopate. The bishops warmly welcomed me,” he said.
By participating in his first Synod, which takes place in the second year of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the future Eparch of New Westminster expects to enhance his pastoral experience by learning from his fellow bishops and better prepare for ministering to the Ukrainians who have recently arrived in Western Canada.
As we reported, on September 3, the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC started in Rome, which is being held at the Ukrainian Pontifical College of St. Josaphat. The key theme is “Pastoral Support for Victims of War.” The Synod is attended by 45 UGCC bishops from around the world.
The UGCC Department for Information
