LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (02/14/99)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

About the UACC's Washington Office

Dear Editor:

Some of your readers no doubt have received the January issue of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America Bulletin with the announcement that the UCCA is buying a building in Washington.

I welcome this news because, as the UCCA Bulletin states, "the Ukrainian diaspora is not sufficiently represented in the nation's capital" and should increase its visibility here as much as possible.

What saddens me is that, in order to seek financial support for the building's purchase from its members, the author of the Bulletin item either was influenced by misinformation or was engaged in disinformation by stating that the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council's Washington Office is a "myth" and is "without an address, a telephone and, moreover, without staff."

In fact, the UACC Washington Office, which I headed until my election as president of the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council in November 1998, is listed in the Washington telephone directory, has postal and an e-mail addresses, as well as a separate fax line - all known to the White House, the State Department and congressional offices that regularly communicate with us. While this office has no "paid" staff, it has dedicated and professional volunteers who work for it with diligence equal to, if not greater than, some salaried workers.

Journalist R.L. Chomiak was appointed the Washington Office director when I became president of the UACC. Following up on a resolution of the last UACC convention, we have begun a search for new quarters in downtown Washington.

Any Ukrainian American should wish the UCCA success in its work in Washington on behalf of the community. But it is sad that the UCCA feels the need to resort to distortions of the truth in order to solicit funds for its new building from its supporters. In spite of all the talk about the need for unity and cooperative efforts in our community, the UCCA's drive for control of every facet of Ukrainian American community life supersedes simple fairness and civility.

Ihor Gawdiak
Washinton

The writer is president of the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council.

Thanks for column on philatelic topics

Dear Editor:

Adding the new column "Focus on Philately" by Dr. Ingert Kuzych was a very good idea. Many consider philately just a hobby that has no cultural value. Philately, especially topical philately, is generally underestimated as a means of promulgating information. The topical collector is interested mainly in the design of postal matter (stamps, postal stationery, postal cancellations, etc.) and will accept information on that design without any prejudice. This is a great and inexpensive opportunity to inform non-Ukrainians about Ukrainian history, culture, science, etc., via the design of postal issues.

Dr. Kuzych's valuable column provides information on postal issues related to Ukraine that is useful for collectors and interesting to the general readership.

Dr. Kuzych is well-known in the philatelic community as a writer, exhibitor and editor. His research on Ukrainian themes on the stamps of North America is well-known.

The first two installments of his column show that Dr. Kuzych is a skillful writer and can provide readers with absorbing stories on philatelic material related to Ukraine.

Andrij D. Solczanyk
Media, Pa.

Filaret's visit a positive event

Dear Editor:

The visit to the United States of Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate was an important and positive event in the life of the Ukrainian diaspora. During his visit the patriarch demonstrated both sensitivity and astuteness in contacts with the Orthodox faithful and general public. His sensitivity to current events in the life of Ukrainian Orthodox in the U.S. was demonstrated as he addressed the importance of roots in spiritual development: "Cherishing your roots gives depth to spirituality; without roots spirituality will become stunted, will eventually wither and dry up."

Ukrainian Orthodoxy had indeed survived and prospered on American soil by being deeply rooted in the Ukrainian culture and traditions that provided spiritual nourishment and ethnic identity to generation after generation of faithful, a process seriously undermined, in my opinion, when the hierarchs of Ukrainian Orthodox Church in U.S.A. (UOC-U.S.A.) accepted the omophorion of Constantinopole.

The visit of Patriarch Filaret has brought the question of the future of Ukrainian Orthodox faithful in America into sharp focus. His visit clearly delineated the options available to the Orthodox faithful here: to remain under the jurisdiction of a foreign hierarch in a church that is rapidly becoming rootless by following the path of least resistance and experiencing diminishing returns; to reform the UOC-U.S.A. along the lines of Ukrainian traditions, a difficult, but not impossible task; or to join the Kyivan Church, which is deeply rooted in Ukrainian religion, culture and traditions, and can assure spiritual and ethnic nourishment by being connected to Ukraine now and for generations to come.

This choice is best guided by the conscience of individual Church members and jointly by the membership of individual parishes.

Ihor Lysyj
Austin, Texas

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