Ukraine: the synod of the Greek-Catholic Church"When we fulfill the sacrament of priesthood we are faced with a three-fold task: being a teacher, someone who imparts blessings, and a pastor for the flock that was entrusted to us". With these words Patriarch Lumomyr Husar, major archbishop of Lviv and head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC), opened the patriarchal synod of bishops on November 29, ongoing until December 6. "We could discuss the Patriarch added which one of these mission is the greatest", but what counts the most "is the commandment of love". The central theme of the synod held once a year to address major Church themes and attended by the UGCC bishops of Ukraine, Western Europe, US, Canada, Braszl, Argentina, Australia – is evangelization. During the meeting, Church dignitaries will discuss the long-term evangelization plan envisaged by the Patriarchal Evangelization Commission on the basis of long-term programs (5-10 years) developed across the eparchies and exarchies. The Commission’s guidelines include the proposals and the opinions of the faithful consulted to this regard. Patriarch Lubomyr said an "evangelization strategy must be developed not only for the Church in Ukraine but also for the rest of the world". "Our first task he said is to proclaim the Gospel. We ought to identify the best way to make the faithful aware that the baptized are all called to evangelization".Romania: "the young apostles of the youth"Father Daniel Ange, founder of the international school for the evangelization of the youth "Jeunesse Lumière", returned for the third time to Romania since 1989. The priest has had meetings with Ioan Robu, Roman Catholic archbishop from Bucharest, and patriarch Daniel, primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church. In the next days meetings are scheduled also with the representatives of the Country’s major religious traditions. Father Ange is due to attend the conference "Young people, seeking vocations!", to be held in the Bishopric. The Benedictine monk, after having lived as monk and hermit for 30 years, "troubled by the moral suffering of an entire generation of youth lacking points of reference" commenced his apostolic mission in 1984, when he founded the school "Jeunesse Lumière". The school’s creed can be best summed up as follows: "the best apostles of the youth are the youth themselves". "Is there a link between Msgr. Ghika’s presence in these places and my own vocation? This is one of God’s secrets", said father Ange recalling Msgr. Vladimir Ghika, martyr of the Communist rmprisonment. In a document published by Francisc Ungureanu, postulator of the beatification cause of Msgr. Ghika, father Ange recalled the friendship between Msgr. Ghika and his own family. Ghika celebrated the marriage of his parents. Father Ange also revealed that he dedicated the Byzantine chapel located in the main seat of the international school "Jeunesse Lumière" in Pratlong, in the South of France, "to the memory of Msgr. Ghika and to all the martyrs of Communism in Eastern Europe". "Jeunesse Lumière" proposes to world youth aged 18-30 to take a Sabbatical year made of Community life, prayer, formation (theological, philosophical and human) and mission. Info: www.jeunesse-lumiere.com. France: an integral reading of the Gospel of Luke The bishop of Metz Msgr. Pierre Rafin proposed an integral reading of the Gospel of Luke with the coming of the advent and on the occasion of the beginning of the new liturgical year on the wake of the enthusiasm for the reading of the Gospel of Mark in the Moselle region in France. Msgr. Rafin called upon the faithful of the diocese "to come together in small groups to read the Gospel and understand what is being said to them". The text of reference, "The Gospel according to Luke", with the notes and commentary of the biblical scholar Joseph Stricher, was published in 100 thousand copies and diffused across France, in Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg thanks to the joint effort of 15 dioceses. Along with the diocesan Service for the Christian formation of adults, Father Stricher proposes also six formation sections. The Biblical scholar has also organized a trip to the Holy Land (from April 22 to May 1st 2010) "to read the Gospel of Luke on site". "Last year states a note of the diocese of Metz this reading method brought several thousands to delve into the Gospel of Mark".
