The Basilian Fathers Celebrate 25 Years of Missionary Service in Portugal
On October 16–18, celebrations were held in Portugal to mark the 25th anniversary of the missionary work of the Basilian Order of St. Josaphat among the Ukrainian community. The three-day program included a scholarly and practical conference, Hierarchical Divine Liturgies in Lisbon and Fátima, the Rosary, and a festive concert.
According to the Basilian Order of St. Josaphat, the anniversary celebrations provided an opportunity to reflect on the history of the Basilian mission and its contribution to the development of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Portugal.
Scholarly and Practical Conference
The celebrations began with a scholarly and practical conference dedicated to the history and contemporary challenges of the Basilian missionary ministry in Portugal.
The participants were addressed by Maryna Mykhailenko, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Portugal; Father Robert Lyseyko, OSBM, Protoarchimandrite of the Basilian Order; and Bishop Volodymyr Yushchak of the Eparchy of Wrocław-Koszalin.
Presentations were given by Fr. Jerome Hrim, OSBM; Bishop Emeritus Dionisio Lachovicz, OSBM; Fr. Josaphat Koval, OSBM; Fr. Dr. Teodosio Hren, OSBM; and Fr. Vitaliy Khrabatin, External Relations Referent of the Pastoral and Migration Department of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
Divine Liturgies in Lisbon and Fátima
On October 17, a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was celebrated at St. Joseph’s Church in Lisbon (São José de Arroios), which has been the center of spiritual life for the Ukrainian community for 25 years. The Liturgy was presided over by Bishop Emeritus Dionisio Lachovicz, OSBM, of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Concelebrating with him were Bishop Volodymyr Yushchak, Auxiliary Bishop of the Lisbon Patriarchate Rui Gouveia, Protoarchimandrite Fr. Robert Lyseyko, OSBM, and Basilian priests who had arrived for the celebrations from Ukraine, Italy, Poland, and Slovakia.
After the Liturgy, Bishop Rui Gouveia thanked the Basilian Fathers for their long-standing service to Ukrainian immigrants and their contribution to the development of church life in Portugal.
In the evening, those attending the celebrations made a pilgrimage to Fátima and took part in the traditional Rosary prayer.
On October 18, a solemn Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Basilica of the Holy Trinity at the Shrine of Fátima. The Liturgy was presided over by Bishop Volodymyr Yushchak, with Bishop Dionisio Lachovicz, OSBM, concelebrating alongside Protoarchimandrite Fr. Robert Lyseyko and other Basilian monks.
In his homily, Bishop Volodymyr Yushchak emphasized that the 25th anniversary of the Basilian presence in Portugal was a significant event not only for the Order of St. Basil the Great but also for the entire Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, as it attested to the development of church structures within the Ukrainian diaspora.
From the First Divine Liturgies to an Organized Church Community
The beginning of the Basilian mission in Portugal dates back to a Christmas visit in 2001 by Fr. Dionisio Lachovicz, OSBM, and Fr. Pavlo Serbay, OSBM. They arrived in the country to assess the pastoral needs of the large Ukrainian migrant community.
On January 7, 2001, the first liturgical services for Ukrainians were held in Alcane, near Fátima, and at the Shrine of Fátima. Subsequently, on February 22, the first Ukrainian missionary priest, Fr. Josaphat Koval, OSBM, arrived in Lisbon and began regular pastoral ministry among Ukrainians.
The first Divine Liturgy for the community was celebrated on March 18, 2001, in Torre de Águila, near Lisbon. A week later, nearly 160 Ukrainians gathered at the Church of São José de Arroios. On Palm Sunday, nearly 500 people attended the service, and the Easter Liturgy that same year drew up to 1,500 faithful.
These events marked the beginning of an organized church community for Ukrainians in Portugal and the development of a network of pastoral centers.
Festive Concert
The closing event of the anniversary celebrations was a concert featuring the children’s choir of the Basilian Fathers’ Catechetical School in Lisbon, the Oberih dance troupe, and the Estrelinhas class from the Dance School of the Quinta da Carreira Residents’ Association.
Taras Kurchik, Honored Artist of Ukraine and composer of the spiritual hymn created for Pope John Paul II’s visit to Ukraine, also performed at the concert.
Summing up the celebrations, Bishop Dionisio Lachovicz, OSBM, outlined the main stages in the development of the Basilian mission and thanked everyone who had supported the monks’ ministry among the Ukrainian community over the past 25 years.
The UGCC Department for Information
