Ukrainian Catholic bishops of the USA met in Washington, DC
On May 8–11, the Metropolitan of Philadelphia Borys Gudziak, Bishop of Stamford Pavlo Chomnycky, Bishop of the Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago Venedykt Aleksiychuk, and Bishop of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma Bohdan Danylo gathered for a traditional meeting in Washington.
On May 8, after the initial meetings in the seminary of St. Josaphat, the bishops went to a meeting with representatives of USAID. They met with Erin McKee, assistant administrator for Europe and Eurasia. The conversation focused on the situation in Ukraine, the assistance provided by USAID, issues of trauma and mental health in Ukrainian society, and opportunities for cooperation. On the same day, a group of bishops visited the Apostolic Nunciature in the USA, where they met with the Papal Nuncio Christophe Pierre and discussed with him the state of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the USA and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
The bishops spent most of May 9 at the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, where they met with leaders and staffers of several departments, including the Committee on International Justice and Peace and the Committee on Justice and Development, the Migration and Refugee Service, as well as the Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. They also had the opportunity to meet with Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). On the same day, a meeting with representatives of the organization “Razom for Ukraine” was held on the premises of St. Josaphat’s seminary.
On May 10, a joint meeting was held with the bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada. Bishops from all over North America discussed contemporary issues of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, the change of the church calendar, the church singing conference SingCon and other topics.
Encounters are the main thing in personal and social life, believes Bishop Venedykt Aleksiychuk, and the Church has found a proper tool called sobornist (synodality). “A person is affected by subjectivism; therefore, encounters are so important. We discover the truth together and we complement each other. All four of us are different, but we have mutual trust and mutual respect,” he noted.
“Each of us [bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the USA] has our own joys and concerns, but we are united by our concern about Ukraine. We were able to testify even more deeply about our Church, which is, unfortunately, the Church that today fights, endures, and bears wounds,” Bishop Bohdan Danylo shared. He emphasized that meetings with various organizations that monitor the situation in Ukraine and sincerely wish for a just peace in Ukraine were important.
In his opinion, a joint call with the Ukrainian Catholic bishops of Canada was a valuable aspect of the meeting. “This tradition has existed for many years. This year, we could not meet in person, but we spoke through Zoom and were able to exchange thoughts, goals, pastoral programs and just be together,” says the Bishop of Parma. He noted that the next opportunity to meet will be at the Synod in September.
“All of us Ukrainian bishops in America have common difficulties and joys. Our sees are far from each other, so it is important for us to meet — to exchange opinions and experiences to make good, timely decisions,” Bishop Pavlo Chomnycky said.
“I receive essential support from my brother bishops. They are joyful, men of prayer and have life wisdom. Being in their company, listening to them, I feel the communion to which the Lord calls us,” Metropolitan Borys Gudziak summed up the experience of three days of prayer, joint meetings, and conversations.
The UGCC Department for Information
