Patriarchal Synod familiarized with the project “Shematyzm of the UGCC”

“Everybody knows that we are in Ukraine and all over the world. It is good to know where we are, what we are, where we have communities, how are we organized, the structure of our life. This is information, but this information is not only administrative, it is, we might say, an image of the Church. This is a very practical book because not only is it possible to find everything here that is needed for the realization of many of the Church’s programs, but it is also the image of the Church, how it develops,” said His Beatitude Lubomyr in a comment for the Information Department, commenting on the decision of the Patriarchal Synod of Bishops of 2008 about the edition of “General Shematyzm of the UGCC.” Shematyzm, according to the head of the UGCC, is not to be published once, but periodically, sometimes even annually. “Then it is possible to see how the Church develops, where the weak pages of the Church are, where it uses its force. It is, to a great extent, statistical, but also a spiritual overview of life of the Church,” said His Beatitude Lubomyr. The Information Department, which is entrusted to prepare the questionnaires, to collect and systematize data, and to prepare the edition of “Shematyzm of the UGCC,” has presented to the current Patriarchal Synod the model of the future edition. On a few pages was presented the Shematyzm working group’s vision of the method of presenting the information about the entire Church, separate eparchies, proto-Presbyterianism, parishes, and priests. The proposed contents of this edition were presented.  “Shematyzm of the UGCC” will contain a list of all current bishops of the UGCC, thus the “Episcopal collegiums of the Church,” the rank of structures of the Patriarchate, Metropolitan, and Eparchial curies both in Ukraine and abroad, their contact addresses, and addresses of the web sites. It will also contain information about all parishes and priests.  Besides the above, “Shematyzm of the UGCC” will contain a section about the educational structures of the Church (in Ukraine and abroad) which will help foster Church knowledge and in particular, the Church’s orders. A special section of the Shematyzm will be devoted to the monasteries, monastic communities, and orders of the UGCC in order to see the plenitude of charismata of the communities chosen by God.   The Shematyzm will be in full color with many illustrations, graphic images, and maps. It will also contain charts and organizational tables. In addition to the printed version of the “Shematyzm of UGCC” there will also be an electronic version, adapted for work on a computer. Currently, the working group is engaged in the process of collecting questionnaires and systematizing data. “Shematyzm of the UGCC” will be issued in 2010.

Information Department of the UGCC