Say “yes” to your new Metropolitan. You are all responsible for the pastoral success of Bishop Borys. This was stated by the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav during the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in Philadelphia, at the end of the solemn celebrations “From Heart to Heart” on the occasion of the enthronement of the new Metropolitan of the Philadelphia Archeparchy of the UGCC Borys Gudziak.
The Primate said that the holy fathers, in order to explain to us the laws of spiritual life, often used the laws of the world in which we live, the life of flora, for example. Biology says that when there is a corresponding temperature and humidity, the seeds that are sown will necessarily sprout. They can not say: no, we do not want to give roots. “Something similar happens to us. The Lord God creates the appropriate conditions. He sends His Holy Spirit, Who gives us our gifts so that we can live and develop. But unlike seeds, a person can say: no, I do not want to grow, I do not want to live and develop. That’s why today, on the Feast of the Holy Spirit, I want to address our entire community. Here, the Lord God has created all the necessary conditions for growth, development in the United States of America. He gave you the best bishop from among us. He gave you Himself today, He sent His Holy Spirit on you. And He calls all of you to be alive in the Church, to awaken. He asks you to accept the gift that has been given to you.”
Then Borys Gudziak, Metropolitan of Philadelphia, thanked God for the Father and Head of the UGCC. “A week ago we began our prayers before the icons made of weapons boxes. Icons transform this material. We did this because we want to understand and always remember what is happening in Ukraine, this responsibility and burden that is on our shoulders. It symbolizes both pain, injuries and the hopes of tens of millions of people,” said the Bishop.
The Metropolitan thanked His Beatitude Svyatoslav for his testimony in Kyiv, Brussels, Rome. “Thank you for the words that come to Moscow and Kamchatka, to our believers in Kazakhstan, Buenos Aires; words which encourage, lead and give hope.”
He recalled how Jeoffrey Pyatt, the US ambassador in Ukraine, gave a farewell interview. He was asked who impressed him especially in Ukraine. And the American ambassador, a rather secular man, said: “Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav Shevchuk.”
“We thank God for you and pray. As far as I’m concerned, this metropolitanate will always support you. We will try to follow the guidelines that you have set for us. We will support our Church, our people, especially during the war in Ukraine,” assured Bishop Borys.
The UGCC Department for Information