We would like our entire church community to join the charity campaign Feeding the poor! - Synod of Bishops of the UGCC

The encouragement to be a Church that goes out to serve is stated, in particular, in the fifth part of the synodal message  "You will be left with one thing - what you have given to the poor!"

The message recalls that the UGCC has a long history of solidarity and social service, which was especially evident in times of great trials. "Our hearts in the free world felt all the pain and oppression experienced by the Greek Catholics under the rule of the communist regime in their native lands. From the diaspora, unceasing prayers were raised to heaven for the persecuted brothers and sisters in the faith, and a merciful and generous hand was extended to them in a gesture of solidarity, which became especially valuable and important after our Church left the catacombs," said the bishops. Ukraine is, in its turn, in a hurry with the necessary assistance to the settlements, in particular by sending workers in Christ's vineyard, clergymen, who are being educated by our seminaries in the Homeland.

It is on such a valuable experience of mutual support and solidarity, according to them, that we as a Church must build our present and future.

Recalling the “The Vibrant Parish - a Place to Encounter the Living Christ” program, the bishops thank all the faithful of the Church and people of good will in Ukraine and abroad for their kindness, dedication, generosity, and sacrifice.

"But the disaster is not over yet," they say. - We will always have the poor among us. That is why today we renew our call to continue to serve the needy in a persistent and honest way.”

"Taking into account the critical situation with food and other goods, caused and exacerbated by the global coronavirus pandemic, we offer our church community this year to launch a specific charity event – a campaign “Feeding the poor!” We entrust its coordination to our Department of Social Service,” the bishops announced.

According to them, none of us is so poor that we cannot share anything with others. Only the tightness of the heart can stop us from doing so. Instead, the heart, which contains at least a crumb of Christ's thoughts and feelings cannot fail to say in the face of human pain and suffering: "I feel sorry for these people."

At the end of the message, the bishops share their own vision of the ministry of the Church in the near future: “We want more and more to be a Church that goes out to serve - this is our program, our dream, our guide. First and foremost, we must serve those who are closest to us and lack attention, support, and comfort.”The full text of the Message of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC "You will be left with one thing - what you have given to the poor!" can be found on the website of official documents of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The UGCC Department for Information