Bishop Venedict noted the phenomenon of pilgrimage to the Holy Land as a prototype of Ukraine

Thursday, 27 March 2014, 12:56

On March 20th in the recollection center in Lviv archdiocese in Bryukhovychi the meeting of pilgrims with the confessor of Holy Land pilgrimage took place. It was held from 7 to 14 March, by Bishop Venedict, assistant bishop of Lviv archdiocese.

See also:

Christmas Pastoral of the Ukrainian Catholic Hierarchy of the U.S.A. to our clergy, hieromonks and brothers, religious sisters, seminarians and beloved faithful
New bishop of the eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church appointed
His Beatitude Sviatoslav met with Ukrainian pilgrims in a Holy Land

After the thanksgiving prayer and the prayer for Ukraine the bishop stressed that every person is able to create the peace around him and "the more we are full of God's peace, the more scope it will be multiplied in the world and in our Ukraine, the peace for which Metropolitan Sheptytsky prayed, for which we asked the Lord before the church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Holy Land". Afterwards he encouraged to share their gospel of life with others.

During the joint meal pilgrimage participants described their experiences and unanimously confirmed deep peace and inner joy that fills our souls after return. "Yes, our problems remain the same as were, but you get some inner God’s vision on them and you see your life in this way. This is what has given us by God at the Holy Land,"- said the head of the group Galyna Cryshtal’. Furthermore, talking about activities of the Pilgrimage centre, she stressed on the first evangelistic aim that is at the heart of every pilgrimage to holy places.

The Bishop Venedict marked the phenomenon of this pilgrimage, noting the importance of being introduced to the common cause in the pilgrimage, the interaction of people where each found his ministry, has given its effect. "This is what Ukraine is lack of", - said the bishop. He said that we are "having great people, wonderful land, do not know how to properly use our potential, we want to be leaders... However, on a pilgrimage we were all in our places, everyone has put on something, everything operated as a single integrated organism and every organ in the body is important".

In conclusion, the Bishop asked for a prayer for him and wished everyone: "to returning to his or her place of work and life, you feel that this is the place to which you have been set by the Lord, and more - you have to appreciate a place, and more - know that it is in the place, at the time of your life you can touch God and eternity".

Ivanna Ryzhan for the UGCC Department of Information