Bishop Hlib (Lonchyna) appointed as Apostolic administrator

On June 2, 2009, at 1:00 pm, the Vatican informed the press that the Holy Father Benedict XVI blessed the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC to appoint Reverend Bishop Hlib (Lonchyna), Curial bishop of Curia of the Major Archbishopric, as the Apostolic administrator of the Exarchate for Ukrainian-Catholics in Great Britain. Prior to his appointment, the position for the Exarchate had been vacant. Bishop Hlib was born in to a Ukrainian family on February 23, 1954, in the town of Steubenville, Ohio (USA). He received a theological education at the University of Urbaniana in Rome and later defended his doctorate in liturgical sciences at the Pontifical eastern institute. Bishop Hlib joined the monastery of Saint Theodore Studite in Grottaferrata, Italy, from where he accepted “skhyma” (eternal vow) on December 19, 1976. He was ordained a priest on July 3, 1977, in the same monastery by Patriarch Joseph (Slipyj). In 1994, he moved with the monastic community to Ukraine and served as a priest at the Lviv Spiritual Seminary of the Holy Spirit. From 1997-2001, he was a regional chaplain for the “Faith and Light” community in Ukraine.  From 2000-2002, he worked as an attaché for the Apostolic Nunciature in Kyiv.  On January 11, 2002, he was named a bishop of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, under the title of regional Episcopal bishop of Bareta by Efez. His hierarchical ordainment took place in the Arch-cathedral of Saint George on the 27th of February in 2002. His Beatitude Lubomyr, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Stefan (Soroka) and Bishop Yulian (Voronovskyj), performed the ordainment. The Head of the Curia of Kyiv-Halych Metropolitanate appointed Bishob Hlib as the Bishop of Curia of Major Archbishopric.  From March 22, 2002 to June 8, 2004, he was the Head of the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission of the UGCC. From January 14, 2003 to December 15, 2008, he served as the Apostolic Visitator for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Italy.  From March 25, 2003 to May 9, 2006, he was the Apokrisarius-Procurator of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in the apostolic capital of Rome. From July 1, 2003 to November 11, 2008, he served as the Postulator in the case for beatification and canonization of the Servant of God Andrey Sheptytskyj.  From March 4, 2004 to December 15, 2008, he was the Apostolic Visitator for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Spain. On March 4, 2004, he became the Apostolic Visitator for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Ireland.  On June 16, 2006, by the decree of His Beatitude Lubomyr, Bishop Hlib was appointed as the head of the Religious administration of Kyiv and Halych Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. On September 28, 2006, he became the head of the department for church commissions and was responsible for the monastic matters of the Patriarchal Curia of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. On September 16, 2008, he served as the Head of the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission of the UGCC.  A more detailed biography of Bishop Hlib can be found at the following link: www.ugcc.org.ua/38.0.html

Translated by the Information Department of the UGCC