His Beatitude Lubomyr greeted Ukrainian Salesians on their jubilee

On Friday, December 18, 2009, His Beatitude Lubomyr, the head of the UGCC, visited the Main House of the Salesian Delegation in Ukraine, who greeted the Ukrainian sons of Father Bosco with the jubilee of the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the community. Before the arrival of the head of the UGCC, in the Salesian house in Lviv gathered all the Salesians of the Salesian centers: the Oratorios of Saint Dominique Saviour, the Scientific Professional Youth Center, the Gymnasium of Blessed Clement Sheptytskyj, the Parishes of the Protection Veil of the Holy Mother of God, the Community of pre-novitiate from Vynnyky, and the Light House refuge home of the Protection Veil of the Holy Mother for homeless youths in Odesa. His Beatitude Lubomyr was congratulated by the Abbot of the Salesians delegation house Fr. Onorino Pistellato who thanked him for the visit and his permanent support and attention. Together with the head of the UGCC, the Salesians celebrated the testimonial prayer Service to the Mother of God, at the end of which they renewed their monastic vows and special dedication to the Mother of God, and received the patriarch’s blessing. Addressing the gathered Salesians, His Beatitude underlined the significance of the Salesians’ presence in Ukraine. He stressed the importance of remembering the initial project, which inspired the holy martyr Josaphat (Kotsylovskyj) to send to Salesian Turin (a city in the northern Italy where the founder of the Community Fr. Ivan Bosco lived and worked) the first groups of Ukrainian youths, who wished to consecrate to God, and inherited the example of the holy Father Ivan through his pastoral and educational ministering for children and young people. The speaker shared his memories about famous Silesian Father Chmil’, whom he knew personally from when they lived in Rome as a deep clerical, and called the Ukrainian Salesians to always remember him. His Beatitude Lubomyr also underlined the special value of the Silesian’s charisma for modern Ukraine and its youth, especially in the areas of central, eastern, and southern Ukraine. It is there, according to the head of the UGCC, where work is the most important.   During the meeting His Beatitude Lubomyr warmly greeted the Silesians’ Bishop Andrey (Sapelyak) and applauded his missionary work in central Ukraine and his exemplary devotion to the Silesians’ spirit. In the evening, in Holy Protection Veil of the Mother of God Church, which is on 175 Lychakivs’ka St. in Lviv, together with the community, the Ukrainian Salesians of the Eastern rite renewed their monastic vows. The solemn Divine Liturgy was led Bishop Andrey (Sapelyak). Background Information The Salesian community is one of the biggest monastic communities of the Catholic Church. It was founded on December 18, 1859, by Saint John Bosco, “father and teacher of the youth,” as he was named by the Pope John Paul II in the apostolic letter of “Juvenum Patris,” in the city of Turin in northern Italy. Members of the community are dedicated to God for ministering young people for there spiritual and general education. Salesians today number about 16 thousand people who live and work in 129 countries of the world.  Ukrainian sons of Saint John Bosco, which in the 1930s were directed to Italy to study, were able to return to Ukraine in 1991, after the proclamation Ukraine’s independence. Today, in many places of Ukraine they conduct various missions among the youth.

Press service of the Salesians’ community of the Eastern rite