Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation Rebuilding the Church in Ukraine

Ukrainian CatholicNEWSLETTER

# 2 2010

Hospital Workers Study Gospel of Life at University

The young students and staff of the Ukrainian Catholic University and Holy Spirit Seminary have been at the forefront of Ukraine’s pro-life movement for years. And now, in large part thanks to a donor in Canada, the university is also educating administrators and other workers in state-run hospitals about the Gospel of Life, as Pope John Paul II called it.

The university opened a certifi cate program in bioethics and pastoral health care on October 5. Fr. Ihor Boyko, dean of the university’s Faculty of Philosophy and Theology, who himself earned a doctorate in bioethics in Rome, moderated the festive event. Fr. Boyko gave special thanks to the Monczak family of Montreal, which is fi nancially supporting the project.

“During my years of study, I never had a chance to study bioethics,” said Anna Kolosovska, a student in the certifi cate program who is assistant to the head doctor in charge of nurses at the Lviv Railroad Hospital. “This is also true for many medical staff now working. There are more than 1500 workers at our hospital and 17 departments.

Protecting the most vulnerable“We organize conferences and seminars at the hospital.

And I will try to share the knowledge that I gain here with my fellow workers. With God’s help, this knowledge will protect the dignity of life of those who are most vulnerable,” said Kolosovska.

In addition to classroom education, UCU students and graduates continue to take the message where it needs to be heard. For example, thanks to a grant won by the UCEF, an UCU graduate who is a priest now serves as chaplain at a children’s hospital. (See photo.)

St. Nicholas Day, December 19 on the Julian calendar, was an occasion for pro-lifers to pray at city hospitals together with pregnant mothers for the health and safe delivery of their babies. “The women were very glad to receive small toys or a chocolate with an icon and a prayer card,” recounted UCU student Natalia Tsiupka, who heads the university’s pro-life group. “And they were really happy when we told them about our prayers for their children.”

‘Full of enthusiasm, energy’Tsiupka also reported on how her group was recently

asked to help organize training for the Church’s eparchy (diocese) in Buchach. “Fr. Dmytro Hyhorak, apostolic administrator of the eparchy, asked every dean to send one person from each deanery for this training and so start an organized pro-life movement there.

“Some 40 people who have already saved so many unborn children were present. There were a lot of doctors, nurses, students, teachers. They were full of enthusiasm and energy and we were glad that we could share fi lms and other pro-life materials,” beamed Tsiupka.

The student pro-lifers also gave a pro-life presentation at a local high school and talked at a popular downtown church about the consequences of contraception and so-called “safe sex.”

Working at the legislative level, staff of UCU’s Institute of Marriage and Family Life have submitted a proposed amendment to Ukraine’s Constitution, ensuring that “every person has the right to life, from the moment of conception to natural death.” They have sent it to the city council and the president of Ukraine.

May God continue to bless their efforts!

InsideIcons Adorn Kids’ BibleChaplains Minister to Orphans‘A Great Summer at UCU’Celebrating Church’s Freedom

A graduate of the Ukrainian Catholic University who is now a priest visits a patient in a children’s hospital, distributing rosaries. The Gospel of Life is very important in the university’s program.

‘UCU is a Jewel in Ukraine’s Educational System’ – The Economist

A correspondent from Th e Economist, Edward Lucas, recently visited Lviv, Ukraine, where the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) is located, and wrote about his trip. His comments about UCU are reproduced here:

“…In the evening, it is time to visit an old friend, Borys Gudziak, the inspirational rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University. In the early stages of the second world war, the Soviet occupiers of western Ukraine murdered the university’s staff and sent the students to the gulag. Fr Borys—a Harvard-educated American-Ukrainian—has re-founded it, with spectacular results. Run on a shoestring, it has educated thousands of students in theology, philosophy, classics and other subjects (it has just launched an MBA). But it is not just an academic powerhouse: part of its mission is to provide a loving life for mentally handicapped people. Like many ex-communist countries, Ukraine too often adheres to the shameful standards of the Soviet Union in dealing with such matters. Fr Borys is raising money for a grand building to house a community of mentally handicapped people. Th at teaches the students something even more valuable than what they learn in the classroom.

“UCU is a jewel in Ukraine’s educational system. But it struggles. A few years ago, the authorities hassled it and indirectly threatened Fr Borys with deportation. It is affi liated with the Greek Catholic church, which is under the Pope’s authority but uses Orthodox liturgy. Harshly persecuted in the Soviet period, the church is still regarded with suspicion by some Soviet-minded Ukrainians. UCU’s independent curriculum, high academic standards and insistence on admitting solely on merit are a sharp challenge to Ukraine’s educational establishment. Over unfi ltered local beer, we recall our student days in Cracow in 1986…”

NEWS BRIEFS

Graduates Bring ‘Joy and Hope’

Dear Friends in Christ:

As we celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Catholic University, the graduates of UCU and Holy Spirit Seminary continue to be “a cause of joy and hope,” as Pope Benedict XVI called the Catholic Church in Ukraine.

UCEF donors in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington DC and southern Florida have had the opportunity to meet several UCU graduates over the past 6 months and have witnessed fi rst-hand the integrity, commitment and inspirational gifts of these talented young people.

Military chaplain Fr. Stepan Sus spoke with donors during a fi lmed conversation with UCU’s rector, Fr. Borys Gudziak. Even as a seminarian, he was an enthusiastic catechist for young men serving in Ukraine’s armed forces. Now as a priest, Fr. Sus has helped start chaplaincies for students in state-run universities and orphanages. (Read more about the orphan chaplaincy program in this issue of the newsletter.)

Other young priests are now also involved in these ministries that Fr. Sus has developed. And young laypeople help, as well.

UCU faculty, students and alumni are leading the fi ght to preserve educational reforms and to prevent the new government in Kyiv from undermining the progress that has been made over the past 15 years in lifting academic standards and enhancing historical scholarship.

Thank you for your continuing support of the education of young priests, nuns, and lay people who are doing so much to strengthen the Church and to build civil society in Ukraine!

Regards in Christ,

UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC NEWSLETTER

Editor, Matthew Matuszak

UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION

In the USA: 2247 W. CHICAGO AVENUE

CHICAGO, IL 60622 TEL: (773) 235-8462 FAX: (773) 235-8464 EMAIL: UCEF@UCEF.ORG

WEB: WWW.UCEF.ORG

Publications mail No. 40884051

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TORONTO, ON M8Z 3A5 TEL: (416) 239-2495 (866) 871-8007 FAX: (416) 239-2496 EMAIL: UCEF@UCEF.CA

WEB: WWW.UCEF.CA

Alexander B. Kuzma, Executive Director of the UCEF-U.S., talks about the good things that graduates of Catholic schools in Ukraine are doing.

Interested in Making a Pilgrimage to Ukraine? The UCEF-USA is considering organizing a pilgrimage to Ukrainian holy sites and the Ukrainian Catholic Univer-sity this spring and/or fall. If interested, please contact

Mary Gail at reding@ucef.org or 773-235-8462.

heaven or it may be a staff which he uses to measure people’s sins.

In her left hand Mary holds a spindle of yarn because she was, according to the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, chosen to renew the curtain of the Temple of Jerusalem. The yarn represents the knitting of Christ in her womb. There are three stars on Mary’s garments (forehead and shoulders) that symbolize her virginity before, during, and after the birth of Christ. Her head is bowed in agreement and humility before the task that God has given her.

There are two high buildings in the background of the icon, symbolizing the Temple of Jerusalem. A large red fabric from one roof to another indicates that the situation is happening inside. And the circle with rays coming from it toward Mary, seen at the top center of the icon, conveys the action of the Father through the Holy Spirit in the incarnation of the Son of God.

out to illustrate this Bible with images traditional for the Eastern Church. “Icons are based on symbols which it is hard for children to understand,” noted Bohdan Troianovskyi, Svichado’s director.

“So the fi ve iconographers had a fairly complicated task: developing the images in consultation with children,”continued Troianovskyi. “The cooperation was interesting and fruitful. One of the iconographers wrote [painted] a traditional image of Noah’s ark, in which people and animals are seen drowning in the water. One of the child-consultants asked: ‘But why don’t those people in the ark rescue those who are overboard?” After this discussion, the iconographer didn’t show anyone overboard...

Sr. Luiza said that representatives of various Eastern churches in Ukraine have expressed their interest in the book. In combination with catechetical textbooks, this book will prepare a good ground for deepening one’s knowledge of Christian virtues.

Explaining the Annunciation icon

The icon of the Annunciation (seen here) recalls the incident in the Gospel of Luke wherein the Archangel

Gabriel comes to the Mother of God to announce that she will bear the savior. Gabriel’s right hand is lifted towards Mary as he delivers the message and announces the blessing bestowed upon her by God. In his left hand the archangel holds a thin baton, the symbol of a messenger; it can also symbolize his duty as a soldier of

A new Ukrainian-language edition of the popular children’s Bible, God Speaks to His Children, has come out recently, thanks to the efforts of Lviv’s Catechetical-Pedagogical Institute. The simplifi ed text is accompanied by images in the tradition of Eastern Christian iconography.

Sr. Luiza Ciupa, SSMI, the director of the institute, presented the book a few weeks before Christmas, noting that: “This will be a wonderful gift not only for children, but also for adults.

“This book has been published in various world languages for 30 years, and it has caused adults to take a deeper interest in holy scripture, at least so that they can answer children’s questions.” Two hundred thousand copies were sent to Ukrainian bookstores.

The German theologian Eleanore Beck paraphrased selected texts in a manner more easily accessible for children. It has been translated into 157 languages with more than 46 million copies.

Children consulted on imagesThe text of the new publication

has not been changed, but the design, in particular the illustrations, is entirely new. Lviv’s Svichado (Beacon) Press set

Sr. Luiza Ciupa, director of the Catechetical-Pedagogical Institute, shows a new edition of a popular children’s Bible translated into the Ukrainian language and with images in the traditional Eastern Christian style.

Eastern Icons Adorn Children’s Bible

Th is icon of the Annunciation was one of many in the new children’s Bible.

With divine inspiration, and some fi nancial help from the UCEF’s orphan fund, seminarians and priests in the Lviv Region have organized a mission project to bring the Good News to hundreds of children living in state-run institutions. And, as chaplain Fr. Bohdan Hrushevskyi noted: “More and more college students today want to serve as volunteers with orphans,” so the ministry is truly multifaceted.

Access to the sacraments is an important part of the project. This includes Sunday Liturgies celebrated at orphanages and the hearing of confessions. “This gathers various people together into one community with one center, Jesus Christ,” said Fr. Hrushevskyi. “They have a chance to reconcile with the Lord, pray together for their various needs, and give thanks for graces received.”

Hear of Christ’s resurrectionAnd special events, like Easter,

Christmas, and Jordan, call for extra special celebrations. During Easter Liturgy, the children hear the message of Christ’s resurrection. Then their baskets are blessed, and they have the opportunity to go to Lviv’s Shevchenko Grove, where numerous

In the Mission Fields

Seminarians, Priests, Students Bring Good News to Orphans

for the orphans’ further development depends on them.”

Baptisms are particularly joyful events for the ministry. Some student-volunteers become godparents for orphans who have not previously been and decide to be baptized. There were 25 such pairs of godparents in Lviv in 2009 alone. “The godparents regularly visit their godchildren,” explained Khomyshyn. “They celebrate birthdays and name days [the feast day of the saint after which the child is named] and have happy times together. They give the orphans almost parental love. And sometimes godparents even end up adopting their godchildren.”

And in post-Soviet Ukraine, it is not unheard of that even adults ask to be baptized. For example, in June in the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, located on the premises of Lviv’s Military Academy, Nina, a 38-year-old worker from Children’s Institution No. 1, was baptized. And a staff member of the orphan chaplaincy offi ce was her godfather. “Nina actively takes part in the Liturgy on Sundays and holy days, which is so important for every Christian,” noted Fr. Hrushevskyi. “It’s beautiful,” he added, “that the unbaptized receive the sacraments and through deep faith the doors of heaven are opened to them.”

Fr. Bohdan Hrushevskyi blesses orphans in their classroom with holy water.

Seminarians visit orphans on various occasions, including for the blessing of Easter baskets.

residents of the city sing and play hayivki, traditional spring games. The children also have the opportunity to become acquainted with the architectural monuments of Ukraine that are located on the grove’s territory; they also have a chance to interact with lots of different children. “The kids feel a great family atmosphere, which is so important for orphans,” added Fr. Hrushevskyi.

For Christmas the kids carol and help prepare traditional dishes for Christmas Eve supper. For Jordan, the celebration of the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, 12 days after Christmas, the priest-chaplain uses water in great abundance to bless the children’s classrooms and living quarters. “Water has great symbolic signifi cance in Christianity,” noted seminarian Andriy Khomyshyn. “And it gives the children the feeling of God’s blessing which comes down on them through holy water.”

Build relations on trust, understanding, and love

The spiritual lives of those who work daily with the children is also an important part of the ministry. Before Easter and Christmas, retreats are held for those who work in children’s institutions. “Mutual relations between the children and their guardians must be built on trust, understanding, and love,” emphasized Fr. Hrushevskyi. “Retreats are a great way to remind those who work with orphans of their calling,

‘Another Great Summer at UCU,’ Says U.S. PriestFr. Michael Letteer of Immaculate

Conception Church in York, Pennsylvania, was so inspired by participating as a volunteer teacher in the English Summer School (ESS) of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in 2008 that he returned in 2009 for, as he wrote “another great summer at UCU.”

BELOW we present the original letter he sent to the UCEF, in addition to a sizable donation. Later his former parish, St. Joseph Church in Danville, PA, made a donation in 2009 to support the ministry to orphans of the Brotherhood of Holy Spirit Seminary.

“Greetings,“I was a volunteer for the ESS 2008

program. It was an incredible experience and even life changing for myself. I would like to not only support the wonderful program, but also acknowledge some of the great work and kindness that was extended to the volunteers and myself.

“I would like to make [a donation]. I would like to have it divided in the following ways:

1) [One half] to be forwarded to Holy Spirit Archdiocesan Seminary. This past summer we were housed at the seminary. This was of such benefi t to the volunteers to be together, that it is my hope that this will be continued in the

I could do fi nancially. However, I am also trying to to fi nd a way to return for the ESS 2009 program. Please extend my gratitude to Holy Spirit Seminary, Oleh Behen and Krystyna Heleta for the wonderful work and ministry they do. Since my time in Ukraine, I pray for the students and all involved in my daily prayers. I am still in contact with many students from this past summer. Please let me know if I may be of any help to UCEF. I look forward to many amazing things in the future.

“Sincerely,[signed] Fr. Michael Letteer”

In order to help the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukraine more effectively, the UCEF suggests the following ways in which our donors can fulfi ll their Christian duty of good stewardship.

Support Made SimplerElectronic Funds Transfer is a convenient way to

make monthly contributions. Now you can have your contribution automatically withdrawn from your checking or savings account and given to the UCEF without altering your banking relationship.

Appreciated Stocks or other AssetsThe gift of an asset such as common stock or mutual

fund shares is a valuable way to make a contribution to a charitable organization and receive tax benefi ts based on the value of the asset.

Effective Ways YOU Can Help the Church in Ukraine!Gifts of appreciated assets often involve stock or

other marketable assets such as land, antiques, and homes, and can also be utilized as potential gifts with valuable tax benefi ts. Gifts of these other assets should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Planned GivingThis is a creative way to contribute to the UCEF’s

work. Planned giving can involve contributing through your will, insurance policy, or retirement assets. Also, it can be a way to make a donation and to provide yourself with a steady source of income; a charitable reminder trust is one example of this.

For more information on any or all of these options, in the U. S. please contact Dan Szymanski at (773) 235-8462 or e-mail dan@ucef.org. In Canada, please contact Lada Darewych at (416) 239-2495 or e-mail darewych@ucef.ca.

Fr. Michael Letteer of Immaculate Concep-tion Parish in York, Pennsylvania, chats with a student of Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv, Ukraine, during the 2009 English Summer School of the Ukrainian Catholic University.

future. In recognition of the wonderful extension of hospitality shown to me personally by the rector and other priests of Holy Spirit Seminary, I would like the [money] to be used for “scholarships” at the discretion of the rector to any needy seminarian who would have diffi culty meeting the fi nancial obligations of attending Holy Spirit Seminary.

2) I would like [one quarter] to be given to the ESS Program in honor of the hospitality and dedication shown to me on behalf of Oleh Behen. I would like this to be at his disposal (or 2009 Program Coordinator) for use during the ESS 2009 program in regards to the operational needs of the program.

3) I would like [one quarter] to be given to the ESS Program in honor and recognition of the excellent academic standard and coordination of the ESS Program on behalf of Krystyna Heleta. I make this donation for her tremendous dedication to providing the best structured academic program which provides a positive reinforcement to learning. I would like this money to be at her disposal (or the 2009 Academic Coordinator) to provide for whatever materials she would like to add to the program, or expense she may incur.

“I realize the great expense that it takes to make such a program work. There is never enough to do what we would really like to do. I wish that there was more

Church Gratefully Celebrates Twenty Years of FreedomNotes from the Underground

The Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukraine thanks God for 20 years of freedom in which to minister openly to its people. From 1946 until 1989 it was forced to exist in secret, declared illegal by the godless government. One of the many fruits of newfound religious freedom has been the educational activities of Holy Spirit Seminary and the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU).

“The Ukrainian Catholic Church’s departure from the underground has had a twofold effect on the Ukrainian Catholic University,” said Fr. Borys Gudziak, rector of UCU. “Without the mighty efforts of the underground, without the sacrifi ces of the martyrs of the catacomb Church, there would have been no staff or students to open and develop a university in Ukraine.

“Our university has no pretensions to a large number of students or great strength or power. So the free, dignifi ed and, fi nally, happy and peaceful position of the confessors of the faith, the martyrs, those who never made compromises under any conditions, is an example and source of inspiration for our development,” stated Fr. Gudziak.

Hard facts of the martyrs’ sacrifi cesThe communists fi rst occupied far western Ukraine

in September 1939. “Under the Bolsheviks we all felt destined for death,” wrote Metropolitan Andrey

Sheptytsky, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. “They did not conceal their intention to destroy, to strangle Christianity, to erase its smallest traces.”

But Hitler’s “stab in the back,” the beginning of the Nazi-Soviet war on June 22, 1941, delayed the atheists’ plans. Still, in retreat the Soviets killed many, including six priests and a layman who were beatifi ed as martyrs. Blessed Fr. Emilian Kowcz then died in a Nazi concentration camp in 1944 for protecting Jews. His family tried to have him released, but Blessed Emilian told them: “If I were not here, who would help [the prisoners] endure these sufferings?”

‘This news fi lls the faithful with fear …’“The Bolshevik Army is approaching,” wrote

Metropolitan Sheptytsky in March 1944. “This news fi lls all the faithful with fear.” His concerns were warranted. He himself died on November 1, 1944, and some say the Soviets had a part in his death. All eight of the Church’s bishops were soon arrested, along with hundreds of priests, religious and faithful. Most of the bishops died in prison.

Many men associated with the Lviv Theological Academy, the pre-war prototype of the Ukrainian Catholic University, served the Church in the underground. And during his triumphant visit to Ukraine in June 2001, Pope John Paul II beatifi ed some 10 graduates and professors of the Lviv seminary and academy as martyrs.

In the period from 1946 to 1989 the Ukrainian Catholic Church was the largest banned church in the world. At the same time it became the largest structure of public opposition to the Soviet system in the USSR. Despite cruel persecution, the Church, due to the carefully worked out system of secret seminaries, monasteries, parishes and youth groups, continued to live in the underground until it was legalized on December 1, 1989.

A Lasting GiftHave you considered including the UCEF in your

will? A will is an expression of your commitment to the people and groups that you cherish here on earth. As a supporter of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, a bequest in your will ensures that the training of priests and rebuilding of the Church in Ukraine will continue after you are gone.

Suggested wording for a bequest:“I give and bequeath to the Ukrainian

Catholic Education Foundation, an Illinois not-for-profi t corporation, _______% of the residue of my estate [or the sum of $________] for its charitable, educational and religious purposes.”

In Canada:“I give and bequeath to the Ukrainian

Catholic Education Foundation, of Toronto, ON, _____% of the residue of my estate [or: the sum of $_______] for its charitable, educational and religious purposes.”

U.S. donors can also make a special gift by sponsoring a seminarian or other Catholic student at the Ukrainian Catholic University this year.

Please contact the UCEF for further information.

Members of the underground Ukrainian Catholic Church frequently celebrated liturgies in the open, outside of church buildings closed by the Communists. Th is archival photo, taken in the late 1970s, shows such a service in the village of Mshana, Lviv Region.