UGCC Permanent Synod Visits Renovabis
On May 24, the hierarchs of the Permanent Synod of the UGCC visited Freising, Germany, where they met with the management of the Renovabis Charitable Foundation.
The head of the foundation, Fr. Thomas Schwartz and his team hosted the Patriarch and the UGCC bishops from Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and the United States at the Cathedral of St. Mary and Corbinian in Freising. After a short prayer in the church and a tour of the cathedral complex, the bishops had a working meeting with the Renovabis management.
During the meeting, the parties analyzed the cooperation that has existed between the Charitable Foundation of German Catholics and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church since 1993 and discussed plans for the future. The bishops described the current challenges in the ministry of the Church and the pressing needs of the Ukrainian people in the third year of a full-scale war. They emphasized the importance of the presence of priests, especially in the frontline areas and in the de-occupied territories, as it enables the organization of not only pastoral but also humanitarian and social ministry.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav expressed his gratitude to the Renovabis management for their assistance in building and developing the structures of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, educating clergy, consecrated persons, and laity. “You show immense amity and love for our Church and the Ukrainian people,” the Primate emphasized.
As a token of his gratitude, the head of the UGCC named the head of Renovabis, Fr. Thomas Schwartz, a protopriest and granted him the right to wear an ornate gold pectoral cross.
“May the merciful Lord generously reward you with His gifts, granting you strength and inspiration to live in holiness and love for Him and further your God-honoring service for the glory of God and the good of the Church,” the decree reads.
To mark the 65th anniversary of the Apostolic Exarchate in Germany and Scandinavia, Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh presented Fr. Thomas Schwartz with a commemorative medal and an icon of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The UGCC Department for Information
