The active role of the laity

Year 2012 has been proclaimed the Year of Laity by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC). It also became the main topic of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, held on 9-15 September in Winnipeg. Canada was chosen as a place of the meeting intentionally, to mark the 100th anniversary of arrival of the first bishop of the UGCC, blessed Mykyta Budka, to the country.Youth, migration and catechisation. The Synod of Bishops of the UGCC under the presidency of His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of Kyiv-Halych, began with presentation of activities of special committees for pastoral care for youth, migrants and catechisation. The Synod Fathers expressed their approval to form a Youth Forum within the UGCC, with aim to "unite young people in Ukraine and other countries of residence, to guarantee the young Greek-Catholic a space with opportunity to communicate and interact about their spiritual lives and personal witness to their faith in the mothern world". Analyzing the question of migration, the position of the Ukrainian migrants and the efforts of the Church towards establishment of an adequate pastoral care for them, the bishops voiced their concern about the on-going mass exit of the Ukrainians from their homeland. There were presented several proposals regarding their support abroad, to help them "preserve their national and religious identity". As for catechisation, the prelates have decided to develop new catechetical programs on the basis of the UGCC Catechism and in the spirit of the Christian tradition of Volodymyr’s Baptism.The role of the laity. The prelates gratefully noted the dedication and sacrifice of the UGCC laity throughout the history of the Church, especially its role in preserving their faith in difficult social-political realities of the last century – four waves of emigration and the persecution of the Church in its native land, especially during the reign of communism. The holiness of lay people was recognized by the entire Catholic Church, especially through the beatification of the Pratulyn martyrs and martyr Volodymyr Pryima, who "became examples for Greek-Catholics of all times, of devotion to the Church and willingness to sacrifice oneself in serving it". Blessed Volodymyr Pryima was proclaimed a patron of the lay faithful by this year’s Synod of Bishops. The hierarchs highlighted the importance of the role of the laymen in the Church also because it is "precisely the environment of the deeply faithful laity that gives rise to numerous vocations to priesthood and religious life". In regard to this, special significance is attributed to the spiritual guidance and pastoral care for families, as well as to catechization of children, youth and adults. The Synod members expressed their conviction that the laity should demonstrate and value its particular service in the Church, in order to create – together with priests and religious – "the Only Body, a living and life-giving community of Christ’s apostles". The bishops examined the possibility of activating laity in the life of the Church in various regions of the world where the UGCC exists. By the resolution of the Synod, further steps will be delineated in order to improve the spiritual education of the lay people, to include them more broadly in the mission of the Church. Special stress was put on the institution of family which should become "a real school of prayer and Christian love". The members of the Synod also evaluated presence and active participation of the laity in parishes, in accordance with a long-time development strategy of the UGCC entitled "Living parish – a place of meeting with living Christ".Experience of synodality. The session of the Synod was also attended by former president of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of Canada, archbishop James Weisgerber. He emphasized the great significance of the existence of the UGCC in Canada. As he noted, II Vatican Council very clearly declared that the essence of the Church is its "communal communion", meaning an exchange of gifts. "Every community has to give something and to receive something… Especially valuable gift offered by the Eastern Churches is the experience of synodality which" – according to the guest speaker – "better exemplifies the teachings of II Vatican Council than many other Churches". Among those who addressed the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC was also the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada, metropolitan Yurii Kalishchuk. As a positive experience of North America, he singled out the continuous "brotherly contacts" between the Ukrainian Orthodox and the Greek-Catholic hierarchs of this continent. "In every Ukrainian there is a wish to overcome the differences among us, to return to that time when things were better – when there was unity", said metropolitan Yurii and expressed hope in further development of the dialogue between both Christian Churches.