Patriarch Sviatoslav during consecration of pro-cathedral of the Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy: “We are present in the world not to be against someone but to be for someone”

October 23 was a significant day in the history of the Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy. On that day, Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), head of the UGCC,consecrated the Cathedral of the Protection of the Virgin Mary in Sambir. On the day of its consecration, the church received the title pro-cathedral (the most important church after the cathedral in the eparchy).” On the eve of the consecration, October 22, Bishop Yaroslav (Pryriz), coadjutor bishop of the diocese Sambir-Drohobych, came to the parish of the Protection of the Virgin Mary. The hierarch led the Vespers in concelebration with local clergy. Addressing the faithful, Bishop Yaroslav recounted the story of the construction of the cathedral, and the events of the 1990s, when the UGCC emerged from the underground. The bishop emphasized the importance of building a church of God in every Christian soul, which every true believer of the Christ’s Church must do, reports the press service of theSambir-Drohobych Eparchy. With lighted candles, the faithful went to the chapel, where they have prayed for almost 20 years. After pleading prayers, relics and sacraments were carried to the cathedral. On Sunday, Patriarch Sviatoslav came to Sambir. In the courtyard of the church, young people and clergy of the parish welcomed the church primate.More than 80 priests and about 7,000 faithful from Sambir and neighboring villages took part in the solemn Mass. Then the head of the UGCC, in concelebration with hierarchs and priests, led the rite of consecration. The next part of the festivities continued inside the church with the consecration of the altar. “Today, when I crossed the threshold of this church, the words of my great predecessor, the confessor of the faith His Beatitude Patriarch Joseph, came to mind. By building the Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Rome and laying the foundations for a Ukrainian Catholic University in the diaspora, he exceeded the expectations of his contemporaries. He was called a dreamer and told that he was launching unrealistic projects, but, it is with the wisdom of a Galician peasant that he answered: ‘There will be a houseand people will come,’” said Patriarch Sviatoslav, congratulating the Sambir residents on the completion of the construction of the Protection of the Virgin Mary Cathedral. “Only God can give us the power to love our enemies. And the manifestation of such a force was the construction of this temple,which the enemies of the UGCC did not want,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav said in his sermon. “We are present in this world not be against someone but to be for someone, to show our opponents, who consider us enemies, offend and shame us, the indescribable love of God,” said the head of the UGCC. After the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude Sviatoslav awarded patriarchal diplomas to Hieromonk Mykola Kuts (CSSR), proto-priest Ivan Havan and proto-priest Volodymyr Korkun – the priests who oversaw at various stages of the construction of the Cathedral Protection of the Virgin Mary. Individualpatrons and builders of the sanctuary received patriarchal letters. At the end, Bishop Yaroslav (Pryriz) on behalf of the ruling bishop, clergy and faithful, thanked His Beatitude Sviatoslav for his visit to Sambir. In gratitude the bishop gave the head of the UGCC an icon of the Virgin Mary.

UGCC Department of Information