Pilgrimage held to shrine of Our Lady of Zhyrovytsi (12/08/96)

Pilgrimage held to shrine of Our Lady of Zhyrovytsi

OLYPHANT, Pa. - The 14th annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Zhyrovytsi on the grounds of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church took place on October 6, which in the Eastern Christian Church is the Feast Day of Our Lady's Patronage. Close to 1,000 attended the event, which each year attracts more pilgrims from near and far.

The icon of Our Lady of Zhyrovytsi originated in the Ukrainian village of Zhyrovytsi in the late 15th century when it appeared to shepherd children, and in 1718 was discovered in the Church of Madonna dei Monti in Rome. Pope Pius XI referred to it as the "Icon of the Queen of the Little Shepherds." Because of the special veneration among the Slavic people, especially by Ukrainians, a magnificent mosaic reproduction of the icon has been enshrined in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Hosted by the pastor, the Very Rev. Stephen Hrynuck, and the parishioners of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church, it has officially been designated as a pilgrimage site of the Philadelphia Archdiocese of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States of America.

The theme of this year's pilgrimage was ecumenism and the 400th anniversary of the Union of Brest, when unification occurred between the Ruthenian (Ukrainian/Rusyn/Belarusian) Orthodox Churches in Poland and Lithuania, and the Holy See of Rome - the first reunification of Catholic and Orthodox faithful since the Great Schism of 1054.

The late afternoon religious event began with a moleben - a sung litany to the Holy Mother of God - in the church proper and was concelebrated by area pastors of Ukrainian Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. The Rev. John Seniw, pastor of St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church in Frackville, Pa., delivered a homily that presented an overview of the religious, social and political events leading up to the Union of Brest.

Immediately following the moleben, there was a procession of all the clergy and faithful to the Shrine of Our Lady of Zhyrovytsi with consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Participants then proceeded to the Millennium Monument, dedicated in 1988 to the centenary of the founding of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Parish and the millennium of the Christianization of Ukraine, for a eucharistic blessing and healing service with anointing.

Pilgrims were then invited into the church to view the blood-stained glove of Blessed Padre Pio, which was displayed on the tetrapod. Pastors and many parishioners of area Orthodox, Latin-rite and Eastern-rite churches attended and clearly added to the ecumenical spirit of the day.

Music director Patrick Marcinko and cantor Andrew Baranik led the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Choir and the pilgrims in liturgical singing. This popular choir had just returned from Canada and upstate New York where it performed two sacred concerts. A reception in the school auditorium for all pilgrims ended the day.