TUESDAY, JUNE 4 DURING HIERARCHIAL DIVINE LITURGY AT THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL IN PHILADELPHIA OVER 50 BISHOPS, WILL PARTICIPATE IN CEREMONIES INSTALLING THE NEW SPIRITUAL LEADER OF UKRAINIAN CATHOLICS IN THE UNITED STATES WITH OVER 2200 LAITY IN ATTENDANCE
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Tuesday, June 4, will be a truly historic day in the life of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States as the Most Reverend Borys Gudziak, 58, a native of Syracuse, New York is enthroned as the seventh Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy (Archdiocese) of Philadelphia. The new spiritual leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States succeeds Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka, whose resignation for health reasons was accepted by Pope Francis on April 16, 2018. Since that time Bishop Andriy Rabiy has been serving as Apostolic Administrator of the Philadelphia Archeparchy.
After the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church met in Ukraine in September, 2018, the Synod made its recommendation to the Holy See for the appointment of the new Metropolitan-Archbishop of Philadelphia. Pope Francis announced the appointment of Bishop Gudziak on February 18, 2019.
The enthronement ceremony and hierarchical Divine Liturgy, when Metropolitan Borys officially takes canonical possession of the Archeparchy, will begin at 11:00 a.m. The liturgical procession will include 50 bishops from the Ukrainian Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Latin Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox churches, 125 priests, 11 deacons and 70 members of the religious orders.
His Beatitude, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Head and Spiritual Father of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and His Excellency Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States will preside at the Divine Liturgy.
The concelebrating clergy will include: His Grace Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan (New York); His Excellency Charles Chaput (archbishop of Philadelphia); His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Stefan Soroka, and the archbishops and bishops in the sanctuary.
The protopresbyters of the Philadelphia Archeparchy: Very Rev. Robert Hitchens, Washington Deanery; Very Rev. Mykola Ivanov, South Anthracite Deanery; Very Rev. Nestor Iwasiw, North Anthracite Deanery; Very Rev. Taras Lonchyna, New Jersey Deanery; Very Rev. John Seniw, Lehigh-Schuylkill Deanery and Very Rev. Msgr. Peter Waslo, Philadelphia Deanery will be the concelebrating priests at the altar.
Deacons will be Father Protodeacon Nazar Yaruniv; Father Deacon Paul Makar, Father Deacon Paul Spotts, Father Deacon Volodymyr Radko and Father Deacon Daniel Galadza.
His Excellency Christophe Pierre will extend greetings on behalf of the Holy Father Pope Francis and present the Papal Bull.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav will address the assembled faithful and Metropolitan Borys will give the homily to his flock as the new shepherd of the Philadelphia Archeparchy.
During the services, all the clergy of the Philadelphia Archeparchy will come forward to express their promise of obedience to the new Metropolitan as they kiss his omophorion on his right shoulder, his hand and his epigonation.