CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Slovakia: bishops for the new year 2013The importance of our personal relationship with God, hope, power of love, wish of strength and Lord’s mercy to overcome the obstacles of everyday life – all this can be found in pastoral letters of Slovak bishops to the Catholics, read in all parishes on the occasion of the beginning of a new year 2013. Archbishop of Bratislava, Mons. Stanislav Zvolenský, reminds that it will be marked by the celebrations of the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Ss. Cyril and Methodius to the region of Great Moravia and their example should become an inspiration for the whole Church in Slovakia to "renew and strengthen its faith, to confess it truly and sincerely and to testify about it in the society". Apostolic administrator of Trnava, Mons. Ján Orosch, pointed to the importance of a "living faith" in our lives and to the ways of its reinforcement, including regular prayers, participation at liturgies, as well as the holy sacraments. "In the world where individualism rules the human relations and they become more and more fragile, the faith invites us to become a God’s nation, to be the bearers of love and the community of God", writes Mons. Viliam Judák, bishop of Nitra, emphasizing that the prayer is a dialogue with God and a "breath of our soul", and inviting parents and children to gather for regular family prayers. Bishop of Zilina, Mons. Tomás Galis, focused on the matter of time in our life: "God has entered our time to teach us to respect it. To have time means to have a chance to meet God and to understand that we have been created for eternity". The pastoral letter of Mons. Bernard Bober, archbishop of Kosice, is about gratefulness to all the faithful, describing them as a "true treasure of the archdiocese". For those people who "despite tensions, questions or uncertanties unshakeably stick to their faith, perform activities in parishes, participate at celebration of liturgies and help the priests to prepare children and youth for the holy sacraments". Mons. Bober sees a great hope for the future in the pilgrimage places, where "our personal faith grows to a dimension of community led by Mary, the Holy Mother of God", whose solemnity was celebrated on 1 January.Ukraine: pilgrimage of the UGCCOn 26 December, the communities of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) from whole Italy held a pilgrimage to the grave of the holy Apostle Paul in Rome. The hierarchical liturgy in the Basilica of St. Paul was led by archbishop Dionisii Liakhovych, apostolic visitator for the Ukrainian Greek Catholics in Italy and Spain. "St. Paul came to Rome as a prisoner, and Ukrainians also had to come to this holy city due to unfavorable social and political circumstances in their homeland. They work here mostly as house workers and nurses but at the same time, they are the bearers and witnesses of the faith after the hard trial of many years of atheism in the Soviet Union", said archbishop Dionisii, expressing his gratitude to Italian people and especially to the Bishop’s conference for hospitality and "brotherly reception", so that the UGCC community in the country can bring "its own contribution to the pastoral care and evangelization of Italy". The liturgy was conducted in concelebration with more than 30 clergymen, mostly members of monastic communities, students at pontifical universities and priests of Ukrainian communities from Italy. The event was attended by over 2,000 faithful. At the end of the liturgy, the participants were addressed by Fr. Marko Yaroslav Semegen, national coordinator of pastoral care for the Ukrainians in Italy.Czech republic: epiphany collectionAn "Epiphany collection" started on 2 January in all parishes of Czech republic to raise the money for the people in difficult life situations. The event traditionally takes place at the beginning of January, inviting all the people of good will to be inspired by the example and generosity of the Three Kings and to "bring gifts and show solidarity" to those in need. The carollers represented by the volunteers will visit the households in all corners of the country and the money from this year’s collection will be used for the establishment of therapeutic workshops for people with mental diseases; purchase of medical equipment; support of activities of the Center for socially disadvantaged persons; or for the purchase of a vehicle for the transport of physically and mentally handicaped people. Caritas Czech republic hopes that the donors will be as generous as the last year when the outcome of the collection exceeded 75 million CZK (3 million EUR). The project will culminate on 14 January.
