NEWS AND VIEWS: Year 2000 fund-raising campaign for cathedral and university in Rome (01/23/00)

NEWS AND VIEWS

Year 2000 fund-raising campaign for cathedral and university in Rome

by the Rev. Ewhen Nebesniak

Having read the title, many of you will most probably raise an eyebrow or two and start groaning: "Oh no, not another collection!" I can see your point, so I'll try to reason with you and explain why this fund-raising campaign is really important and necessary. I'll venture an explanation on the grounds of the year 2000, known in the Christian world as the Jubilee Holy Year.

Let it be clear straight from the start that the planned fund-raising does not intend to compete or clash with the periodic collections of the Ukrainian Patriarchal Society or even the Association of St. Sophia (of which I'm the general secretary). It's meant to be a one-time contribution to the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Rome.

The Cathedral of St. Sophia and the Ukrainian Catholic University are visible proof of the late Patriarch Josyf Slipyj's love for his Church and nation. These institutions were his creations. The university was built in 1965, and the cathedral, which recently was awarded the title of Basilica Minoris, was consecrated in 1969. Both buildings need refurbishing: the church a substantial whitewashing and a thorough gold-plating of the five domes, an improvement of the heating system and a very slight cleansing of the mosaics; the university a complete rewiring to comply with recent laws.

You might ask: "What on earth has the patriarch got to do with all this?" Let's go back in time. Let's revisit the 1960s. The Ukrainian diaspora entered into a sort of lethargy, idleness and apathy - the usual dull routine within community life. We couldn't honestly say we had a leader, a figure, a living icon whom we were ready to follow, whose orders and guidelines we were ready to accept and obey. We were drifting.

And then it happened: a tower of a man unexpectedly appeared on the horizon and galvanized the whole Ukrainian diaspora. He brought it to life, awakened it from its sluggishness and brought into focus the Ukrainian question. This Ukrainian Moses was the late Patriarch Josyf, who through the intercession of Pope John XXIII became a free man after 18 years of Soviet imprisonment. Leaving the gulag of Siberia, he settled in Rome in 1963.

The timing, God's timing, couldn't have been better. At that time all the world's Catholic bishops were gathered in Rome. Vatican Council II was under way and the primate of the Ukrainian Catholic Church told them all about the persecution of his Church in Ukraine and about all the suffering he and his flock had to endure for their faith and their nation. It was an electrifying, imposing 20-minute speech that brought all the bishops to their feet.

The broadcast media and the press immediately made this Confessor of the Faith a worldwide household figure, giving him the opportunity to talk about the Ukrainian Church. Ukraine became one of the main topics on the tube. Ukrainians throughout the world saw in their living martyr a figure to cling to, a man to follow, a leader to obey. They emerged with a new strength. There was someone to fight for, a Church to defend, a nation to uphold. Yes! It was worth being Ukrainian again!

Cardinal Slipyj made it his duty to visit his people all over the world and throughout his three major visits tried to rekindle the hope that all was not lost. His message was that Ukraine would one day be a free nation. The churches would be reopened and the faithful permitted to worship God freely.

This dynamic leader made Rome his permanent residence and it was in this ancient city that he decided to leave his flock a spiritual, cultural and tangible legacy. In 1965 the Ukrainian Catholic University was built. It was clearly intended to be a center of Ukrainian studies. In 1969 a beautiful church rose on the outskirts of Rome, on the premises of the Ukrainian Catholic University. The cathedral, according to everyone who has so far visited it, is one of the most magnificent churches around. And, it's only recently that the last mosaics were added. St. Sophia is the only church in Rome, Roman or Greek-Catholic, in which every single wall is fully embellished with mosaics - a beauty to behold.

The late Patriarch Josyf left the Cathedral of St. Sophia, the Ukrainian Catholic University and other buildings, including the Ukrainian Pilgrims' House at Madonna dei Monti Square and the Studite Monastery just outside Rome to all Ukrainians. In his testament he stated that these belong to all Ukrainians and they should feel responsible for their maintenance, because these monuments represent Ukraine's spirituality and culture in Rome.

Thus, I don't think I'm mistaken in asserting that we have a moral duty to the late Patriarch Josyf, towards our Church and Ukraine, to abide by his spiritual testament. He gave us so much in his life, and it's our turn to repay him to the full. The best way to do this is to fulfill his last wishes and see the Cathedral of St. Sophia, the Ukrainian Catholic University and other buildings flourish not only in the Year 2000 but for many years to come.

Another reason for the jubilee year fund-raising for St. Sophia and the UCU in Rome is a very practical one. In the year 2000 Rome will constantly be in the limelight. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists will visit the city with its numerous churches and monuments. The present mayor of the city for the past two years has been commissioning a complete refurbishing and facelift of the town's main churches and monuments. There are more than 70 projects under way. St. Peter's will be a sight to behold.

We would like to include the Cathedral of St. Sophia and the university which adorn the "Ukrainian Hillock," as the Italians call our premises, on the tourist circuit. That's what the tourist agencies are asking us to do. We are preparing a series of postcards and album with many color prints depicting the beauty of the church with its magnificent iconostasis and mosaics. Once published, we'll be ready to contact tourist and travel agencies in Italy and even around the world. That's why we need to restore the church to its original beauty and refurbish the university building.

The years and weather have dulled and blackened the church's once jet-white walls, discolored and disfigured the once gold-plated domes, somewhat loosened some mosaic segments. The heating system has to be redone and strengthened. It is urgent that we address these problems.

The university has its scars: the whole electrical system has to be changed and the wiring has to be adapted to new safety rules. A number of solar panels have been permanently damaged and need to be substituted with new stronger ones. On the university's premises there's also a seminary to maintain. In the years to come the university will serve as a studies center, enabling our scholars from Ukraine or the diaspora to come to Rome to study. In this way we can educate a Ukrainian Christian intelligentsia. Scholarships will also be needed to accomplish this worthwhile task.

The jubilee year fund-raising campaign is not solely for a temporary face-lift of the cathedral or the university, or for their maintenance. There are future projects in the making. There are more than three acres on which we hope to build a small representative museum of the Ukrainian cultural heritage, an official residence for our patriarch when he's in Rome, which will also be the headquarters of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, i.e, an official representative, a Church envoy responsible for the beatification and canonization of Ukrainian saints, as well as a library, a museum and quarters for the employees. How much will it cost to realize this project? Well over $3 million.

This is a long-term project, and we are certain that is what the late patriarch would have wanted.

Please send your contributions to the following address: The Rev. Ewhen Nebesniak, Seminary of St. Sophia, Via di Boccea 478, 00166 Roma, Italy; telephone, 06 624 02 03; fax, 06 624 43 96.

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