PHILADELPHIA – Over 2,500 people gathered inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday, June 4, awaiting with much anticipation the enthronement of the seventh Ukrainian Catholic metropolitan-archbishop of the United States, the Most Rev. Borys Gudziak.
Bishop Borys, 58, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., was recommended by the Synod of Ukrainian Catholic Bishops in September 2018, and appointed as metropolitan and archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia by Pope Francis on February 18 to officially take canonical possession of the archeparchy on June 4.
This date will be remembered as a milestone in the history of Philadelphia Archeparchy and the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Two hours before the start of the ceremony, which was scheduled for 11 a.m., already there were many people inside the cathedral and even more outside. Some waited patiently, and some rather impatiently, to be admitted inside. A huge television screen was set up outdoors to accommodate the expected overflow of hundreds of people.
By 10 a.m., the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was rapidly filling up, and the atmosphere was joyous, as the faithful and guests realized they would soon be witnesses to this truly historic event.
Finally, the liturgical procession began, and it was awe-inspiring. It was led by a seminarian, Bohdan Vasyliv, who was followed by uniformed members of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization and the Ukrainian American Youth Association. The Knights of Columbus in their regalia added to the celebratory mood.
Illya Labunka
A view of the hierarchical divine liturgy in the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Next came approximately 50 bishops from the Ukrainian Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Latin Rite and Ukrainian Orthodox churches, 125 priests, 11 deacons and 70 religious.
Among them were Bishop Emeritus Basil Losten of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, Conn., and Archbishop Emeritus Stefan Soroka, the sixth metropolitan of Ukrainian Catholics in the U.S.
Roman Catholic hierarchs – Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States; Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York; and Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput – participated in the Ukrainian Catholic celebration.
Many expected to see Bishop Borys processing alone – he was, of course, the man of the hour. But there he was, walking with all his brother bishops.
Last in the procession was Patriarch Sviatoslav, who blessed the congregation while the choir sang, “May the name of the Lord be blessed forever.”
The rite of enthronement began almost immediately with the papal nuncio reading the papal bull – the official proclamation from the pope that as of June 4 Bishop Borys Gudziak becomes metropolitan archbishop of the Philadelphia Archeparchy. The new metropolitan accepted the bull, held it for all to see, and was rewarded with warm applause.
Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia
The seventh metropolitan-archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, the Most Rev. Borys Gudziak, displays the papal bull.re
Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh then read the history of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in America in Ukrainian, and Bishop Andriy Rabiy read it in English. Next, the new metropolitan was asked to declare his faith by reciting the “Apostles’ Creed.” It is only then that the new metropolitan was formally enthroned to lead the Philadelphia Archeparchy. He was presented with the pectoral cross and the archbishop’s staff by Patriarch Sviatoslav and was counseled to govern by the example of Jesus Christ.
The priests of the Philadelphia Archeparchy came forward to pledge their obedience to the new metropolitan by kissing his hand, kissing the omophorion on his right shoulder and the epigonation, which is a rectangular part of the bishop’s vestments. In a dramatic ecumenical gesture, Metropolitan Borys got up and went to the other side of the church to greet Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Antony.
The divine liturgy began with Patriarch Sviatoslav and Archbishop Pierre as the main celebrants. The concelebrating clergy included Metropolitan Borys, Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop Chaput, His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Stefan as well as the deans of the archeparchy.
The responses were sung beautifully in English and Ukrainian by the combined choirs of the parishes of the Philadelphia Archeparchy under the direction of Bohdan Henhalo and Stephen Szyszka as the music organizer.
Patriarch Sviatoslav based his homily on the Gospel of St. John. As the Holy Ghost helped the apostles in strengthening their faith and helping them in their mission, so, if asked, He will help our new metropolitan in his momentous journey leading our Church. The primate expressed his wishes that our Church continue being the heart of our Ukrainian community and that it be united with the Church in Ukraine.
There was great anticipation for Archbishop Borys’s first homily as metropolitan. No one was disappointed. He came down, stood in front of the tetrapod and spoke directly to the people. He expressed his gratitude to his parents and his teachers, and to God for his call to the priesthood. He spoke of those in the world and in our community who are marginalized through illness or physical handicaps. He promised to be their advocate.
A mother with a child in a wheelchair was summoned to the front of the church, where where he stood. Metropolitan Borys said to the child: this is your cathedral and I will always be here for you. His words were so emotional that it truly was a “From Heart to Heart” moment.
[“From Heart to Heart” was the theme of all celebrations, prayers and outreach on the occasion of the inauguration of Metropolitan Borys’s ministry. The weeklong series of events in Philadelphia was to include: an exhibit of “Icons on Ammo Boxes”; a lecture by George Weigel titled “20th Century and 21st Century Mission: Eastern Catholics and the Universal Church”; various prayer services; a reception and a concert on the day of the enthronement; conferences of religious and clergy; and a youth day.]The new metropolitan went on to underscore that the Ukrainian Catholic Church was supposed to have been destroyed, but it survived with the help of God and the Holy Spirit, and he promised to do his best to see that the Ukrainian Church continues to flourish.
The celebration continued with remarks and greetings from Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Valeriy Chaly, and the president of Ukrainian World Congress, Paul Grod. Ambassador Chaly pledged to help both the Ukrainian Catholic and the Orthodox Church in America and expressed his joy at seeing how much the Ukrainian language and culture thrive in the United States. Mr. Grod wished Metropolitan Borys and the Ukrainian Catholic Church God’s blessings and offered him his assistance.
Bishop Andriy than came forward to thank everyone for their help in making this memorable day a success, and the celebration concluded with the singing of the “Prayer for Ukraine” (Bozhe Velykyi) and “God Bless America.”
Guests from near and far
This writer was very fortunate to meet some very interesting people from all over the United States, Canada and Europe, who came to be a part of church history. The Rev. Yuriy Lishchynsky traveled from Senlis, France, the historic home of Anna Yaroslavna, the queen of France who hailed from Kyivan Rus’. Father Yuriy, pastor of Ss. Borys and Hlib, was ordained by Bishop Borys and served as his chancellor. He said he was saddened to lose his mentor and beloved bishop, but is proud and happy that one of “us” was chosen to lead the Church in America. His parting words: “Your gain is our loss.”
Oksana from Ohio commented that the new metropolitan will face many challenges. A dwindling number of church memberships, and the closing of churches and schools will have to be addressed. However, she said she believes that Metropolitan Borys is up for the challenge and wished him “Mnohaya Lita.”
The Rev. Paul Makar, pastor of St. Nicholas Church in Minersville, Pa., had this to say: “I am very impressed with the metropolitan. He is highly educated and brings to the table a lot of practical experience as evidenced by his work with the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv. He inspires loyalty for the Church and for himself. I believe there will be changes, but they will be for the better.”
Although most comments of people to whom I spoke were very positive, there were some that were critical. Some thought that a week’s worth of events was too extravagant and too expensive. When asked why they came, some responded that they came out of curiosity and for the pageantry, some because they wanted to be part of Church history and some because they were impressed and even grateful that Bishop Borys was such a visual presence during the Maidan in Ukraine.
Many voiced their congratulations to the new metropolitan for his prestigious Notre Dame award, which will be presented in Lviv on June 29. No matter the reason, every single person with whom this reporter spoke wished Metropolitan Borys and the Ukrainian Catholic Church success and God’s blessings.
Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh from Kyiv, who serves as secretary of the Ukrainian Synod of Bishops, said that he and the entire Church rejoice in this choice of a metropolitan – a man of compassion and deep faith. The bishop joked that the only people who are unhappy are the clergy and the faithful of the Eparchy of St. Volodymyr in Paris, who lost their revered shepherd who was one of them for the last seven years.
The Very Rev. Archpriest John Fields, director of communications, stated that as a priest he welcomes his new spiritual father and hierarch. Metropolitan-Archbishop Borys, a humble, prayerful, spiritual teacher and leader, blessed with so many gifts and talents, becomes for the faithful and the Church a gift of the Holy Spirit for which we are grateful to Almighty God.