Ukrainian Church holds historic synod meeting

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

The meeting of the five-member permanent synod will be held in Winnipeg May 22-24 at the invitation of Metropolitan Michael Bzdel, head of all Ukrainian Catholics in Canada.

To take advantage of this rare occasion, the Ukrainian Catholic bishops of Canada have invited all priests, deacons, sisters, monks and seminarians from across Canada to gather in Winnipeg to participate in a gathering called Encounter of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. The encounter will be held May 24 to May 26 under the theme The Mission and Future of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada.

Close to 180 people have already confirmed their participation in the event, including 32 from the Edmonton Eparchy.

Patriarch Lubomyr Husar, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church worldwide, and four bishops make up the permanent synod, which meets at least twice a year - usually in Ukraine - to plan, discuss problems and make decisions for the good of the Church.

"The permanent synod in Winnipeg is a golden opportunity for us to research and bring up a number of questions of mutual concern," said Father Michael Kowalchyk, chancellor of the Edmonton Eparchy.

"For the first time in our history members of all five eparchies in Canada - priests, nuns, monks and seminarians - will come together to examine their missionary calling and, as a Church entity, deepen their knowledge of themselves. In common prayer they will have the opportunity to experience that they are one Church."

Presentations in theology, ecclesiology, liturgy and evangelization will be offered at the encounter. Bishop Lawrence Huculak, the Edmonton Eparch, will give a seminar on liturgy during the event.

No resolutions will be debated or elections held.

Kowalchyk hopes the clergy will take back ideas and reflections from the encounter to their parishes thus allowing the whole Church to benefit from this historical event.

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