On February 26, 2010, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church turned 77. Considering the Great Lent and the full schedule of work, no special celebrations were planned. However, we ere reminded of this holiday by the numerous greetings from the bishops of the UGCC, priests, representatives of state and local authorities, and intelligentsia. “We thank God for you, deserving heir of the glorious preachers of our Church: Metropolitan Andrey and Patriarch Joseph,” stated the greeting on behalf of the workers of the Patriarchal Curia by Bishop Bohdan (Dzyurakh)..." />

His Beatitude Lubomyr is 77

Tuesday, 02 March 2010, 14:19
On February 26, 2010, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church turned 77. Considering the Great Lent and the full schedule of work, no special celebrations were planned. However, we ere reminded of this holiday by the numerous greetings from the bishops of the UGCC, priests, representatives of state and local authorities, and intelligentsia. “We thank God for you, deserving heir of the glorious preachers of our Church: Metropolitan Andrey and Patriarch Joseph,” stated the greeting on behalf of the workers of the Patriarchal Curia by Bishop Bohdan (Dzyurakh)...
On February 26, 2010, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church turned 77. Considering the Great Lent and the full schedule of work, no special celebrations were planned. However, we ere reminded of this holiday by the numerous greetings from the bishops of the UGCC, priests, representatives of state and local authorities, and intelligentsia. “We thank God for you, deserving heir of the glorious preachers of our Church: Metropolitan Andrey and Patriarch Joseph,” stated the greeting on behalf of the workers of the Patriarchal Curia by  Bishop Bohdan (Dzyurakh), the head of the Patriarch’s administration. By the conviction of Bishop Bohdan, the Lord, commissioning His Beatitude Lubomyr to command the Church, enriched and fortified him with the gifts of his predecessors. “From Metropolitan Andrey you have inherited the gift of wisdom – the wisdom of prayer, the wisdom of ascetics, and the wisdom of simplicity. Other gifts you have from Metropolitan Andrey are the wisdom of evangelic council and the wisdom of the great task of the unity of Christians. Furthermore, from the confessor of faith Patriarch Joseph – your sanctifier – you inherited the courage of spirit, endurance in difficulties, firmness in the holy faith,” reads the greeting. One of the main tasks, which the head of the UGCC puts before himself, is the unity of Christians of Ukraine. He recently came forward with the idea of non-confessional, or in accordance to modern terms, “post-confessional” unity – that would mean “unity in variety.”  “We are united by the joint Gospel, joint tradition, but we lack a sincere desire to be together. And it is possible, absolutely possible. Only it is needed to want this very much,” His Beatitude Lubomyr said in one interview. Let the Lord save and enrich his gifts for His Beatitude Lubomyr – for him on his blessing, for church growth, and glory to God.

Information Department of the UGCC

Biography:  His Beatitude Lubomyr was born on February 26, 1933, in the city Lviv. He finished elementary school and the first year of gymnasium there.  In 1944 his family was forced to leave Ukraine. At first they stopped in Austria. In the city Saltsburg the bishop continued to study at a Ukrainian gymnasium. In 1949 the Husar family moved to the USA. Secondary education Bishop Lubomyr completed in the Small Spiritual Seminary in Stamford (state of Connecticut). Then he studied philosophy at the College of Saint Basil, where in 1954 he obtained his baccalaureate.  He studied theology in the Washington Catholic University in America.  In 1958 as a seminarian of the Large Spiritual Seminary of Saint Josaphat he obtained his licentiate in theology. On March 30 of the same year Bishop Amvroziy Senyshyn ordained Lubomyr Husar as a priest for work in the Stamford Eparchy.  In 1958-1959 he worked as a teacher and prefect at the Stamford Spiritual Seminary of Saint Basil, and also ministered in Kerhonkson (New York State) as the pastor of the resort Soyuzivka of the Ukrainian National Union and the educational resort of the Union of Ukrainian Youth of America in Ellenville (New York State). From 1965 he was the pastor of the parish Holy Trinity in Kerhonkson.  In Fordgams’ University of New York he continued his studies in philosophy. In 1967 he received a master's degree.  In 1969 he moved to Rome to continue his theological studies, and in 1972 completed his doctorate in theology. In 1972 Bishop Lubomyr entered the monastery of Saint Theodore (Studite monk order) in Grottaferrata (Italy).  In 1973-1984 the Bishop taught at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, where he fulfilled different commissions of Patriarch Joseph.  On April 2, 1977, in the monastery of Studite order in Castel-Gandolfo near Rome was ordained by Patriarch Joseph Slipyj as a bishop. In 1978 Patriarch Joseph appointed the Bishop Husar archimandrite of the monastery of Saint Theodore, and also responsible for the monasteries of Studite order outside of Ukraine.  From 1984 till 1991 he was the protosyncel of the Lviv Archeparchy in Rome.  In 1993 together with the whole community from Grottaferrata he returned to his native land.  In 1993-94 he ministered as the confessor in the Lviv Spiritual Seminary of the Holy Spirit.  In 1995 the community settled in the monastery of Saint Theodore Studite in the village Kolodiivka on Ternopil region. In November 1996 Bishop Lubomyr was appointed the Auxiliary Bishop of the Head of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.  On January 26, 2001, at an extraordinary Synod of Bishops he was chosen the Major Archbishop of the UGCC. On February 21 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II as a cardinal of the Catholic Church.  On August 21, 2005, it was proclaimed the transference of the See of the head of the UGCC from Lviv to Kyiv.  On February 26, 2008, the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko rewarded His Beatitude Lubomyr with the medal Yaroslav Mudryj of the 3rd degree “for his prominent personal contribution to the spiritual revival of the Ukrainian nation, long-term church activity, and on the occasion of his 75th birthday.”
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