On February 26-28, the annual general meeting of the Patriarchal Society “Saint Sophia” was held in Rome. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Head and Father of the UGCC took part in the working sessions.
On Thursday, February 27, at the Cathedral of St. Sophia, members of the community prayed for the memorial service for their deceased members, including well-known figures in the history of the UGCC -Patriarch Josyph Slipyj, His Beatitude Myroslav-Ivan Lubachivsky, His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar, Bishop Ivan Khoma, Fr. Ivan Muzychka and other bishops, priests and laymen. Patriarch Svyatoslav led the Divine Service.
After prayer, the members of the society together with the Head of the UGCC planted olive trees in the garden on the territory of the Cathedral of St. Sophia. The event took place within the framework of the All-Ukrainian permanent eco-action “Plant the Tree of Peace” and on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the Procathedral of St. Sophia in Rome.
During the working sessions, the members of the “Saint Sophia” Society considered the administration of the Patriarch Josyph Slipyj’s heritage in Rome, in particular, the new administration of the building at Madonna de Monti Square. In addition, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the consecration of St. Sophia Cathedral, the main event of which will be the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on September 1, was discussed.
We will add that this year the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC will take place in Rome on September 1-10. On the eve of celebrations, the forum of affiliated societies of “Saint Sophia” will be held in order to comprehend their mission and identity in the current circumstances of social and ecclesiastical life.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav presented his message “Our Holy Sophia” to the members of the community, written on the occasion of the centenary anniversary of the unity and restoration of Ukrainian statehood. In his address, he also mentions the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Rome, calling it “the manifesto of the identity of our Church as the successor to the fullness of Kyiv Christianity.” “The Patriarchal Cathedral in Rome is an expressive symbol and incarnation of the thirst for the Ukrainian heart to the fullness of unity in Christ, bestowed upon our people in the baptismal font of Prince Volodymyr. It is a sign of the immortality of the Ukrainian spirit lit by God’s grace – the one that Patriarch Josyph embodied in his own life,”s ays His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
Press service of the Saint Sophia community