LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (09/12/99)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

What about news re: UOC lawsuit?

Dear Editor:

I am an avid reader of The Ukrainian Weekly and in particular enjoy reading the section of letters to the editor. I believe these letters are the pulse of the Ukrainian community.

I've been reading in the American press - The Bergen Record, The Dateline Journal and The Herald News, among others - about the lawsuit instituted by Archbishop Antony and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church against Holy Ascension Orthodox Parish in Clifton, N.J. I have been looking for articles about this issue in The Ukrainian Weekly, but there are none. Will there be any in the future?

Marie Kukuruza
Clifton, N.J.

Editor's note: The Weekly is currently working on a story about these developments.

Education critical to Church's future

Dear Editor:

In your August 8 issue, the article "Overview: Australia's Ukrainian Catholic Church" highlights several ideas that deserve further consideration by Ukrainian Catholics throughout the world.

Education is critical to the future of the Church. Furthermore, the Church: must acquire "proselytizing" skills and adapt itself to the pluralist culture in which it finds itself; must develop communications skills to reach the community at large; must show the relevance of the Ukrainian-Byzantine heritage to the way of life of the society in which it exists; must develop from an immigrant church to one that "forms its own membership and contributes to the overall ... way of life" of the country where it exists; must become an "integral part" of that country's life; must be nurtured in order to bear fruit and "attract people to it."

These ideas will be difficult to understand and accept if the Church is seen merely as a social or cultural organization that exists to insulate immigrant and post-immigrant population from the "evils" of the larger society. These ideas will be unpalatable if the purpose of the Church is seen as simply "taking care of its own." However, if the Church is seen as carrying out the mission of its Founder, then these ideas are but a restatement of His mandate to "go forth and teach all nations." The extent to which the ideas are truly accepted, in Australia and elsewhere, will be measured by the resources that the Church devotes to implementing them.

T.F. Stock
Arlington, Va.

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