BIOGRAPHY: New primate of Ukrainian Catholic Church

Following is the biography of Archbishop Major Lubomyr Husar based on information released by the Press Office of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Lviv. His Beatitude was enthroned as archbishop major of the UGCC on January 28. That same day it was announced that the primate of the UGCC had been named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II and would be elevated to that position along with other nominees to the College of Cardinals on February 21.

His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar was born in Lviv on February 26, 1933. After a short stay in Salzburg, Austria, he emigrated to the United States, where he studied at St. Basil's Ukrainian Catholic College Seminary in Stamford, Conn., (1950-1954), at the Catholic University of America in Washington, (1954-1958) where he received a license of sacred theology; at Fordham University in New York City (1962-1967), where he received a master's degree in philosophy; and at the Urbanianum Pontifical University in Rome, where he received a doctorate in sacred theology.

While still in his youth, he joined the Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization and in 1954 became a member of its Chervona Kalyna fraternity. He remains a member of both.

Ordained a priest by Bishop Ambrose Senyshyn in Stamford on March 30, 1958, he was a pastor in Kerhonkson, N.Y., (1965-1969) and prefect of St. Basil's Ukrainian Catholic College Seminary in Stamford, (1958-1969).

He went to Rome in 1972 where he became a hieromonk of the Studite Order in 1972. He was elected archimandrite (abbot) of the Order and on April 2, 1977 was consecrated bishop by His Beatitude Cardinal Josyf Slipyj, for the Church in Ukraine. His consecration was announced publicly on April 2, 1996.

He resided at the Studion Monastery in Grottaferrata, Rome, until 1992, when he returned to live in Ukraine. He was appointed exarch of Kyiv-Vyshhorod by His Beatitude Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky in April 1996. On October 17, 1996 he was appointed auxiliary bishop to Cardinal Lubachivsky with delegated faculties of the major archbishop.

After Cardinal Lubachivsky's death on December 14, 2000, Bishop Husar was appointed apostolic administrator of the Archeparchy of Lviv.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 18, 2001, No. 7, Vol. LXIX

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