United in Ministry: Results of the General Assembly of the Pastoral Council of the UGCC
During the week in Lviv, 13 newly appointed representatives of archdioceses, eparchies, and exarchates from Ukraine, together with the heads of the respective structures of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC, worked on the implementation of the Pastoral Plan “The Hope to which the Lord calls us.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav participated in the working sessions and communal prayer: “The Synod of our Church is a legislative body. We have been working with the bishops for a long time to ensure that the whole Church has a common and unifying strategy. At the same time, the executive body is the structural subdivisions of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC, which have the duty to work on the implementation of the decisions of the Synod in all places where our Church is present.”
Key decisions made during the General Assembly include the development of a unified digital platform of the UGCC and the enhancement of the communication component between the employees of the Patriarchal Curia and the heads of the corresponding local structures, for which representatives of the archdioceses, eparchies, and exarchates are responsible.
The assembly participants also visited the DiyaTy Mental Health Hub (‘Act’), where they learned about the process of providing psychological and spiritual support and worked on ways to expand the hub’s positive achievements.
The pastoral council ended on December 7 with a communal prayer on the Field of Mars in Lviv, which was also attended by representatives of the Lviv City Council and the Lviv Regional Military Administration.
The Pastoral Council of the Patriarchal Curia of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is a permanent advisory body to the Father and Head of the UGCC on pastoral matters. It is chaired by Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski of the Eparchy of the Holy Family based in London (UK), an Apostolic Visitator for Ukrainian Greek Catholics living in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Pastoral Council encompasses the activities of the patriarchal structures related to the pastoral care of the laity, consecrated persons, chaplaincy, social and educational ministry, etc.
The UGCC Department for Information
