A nationwide pilgrimage of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church took place in Zarvanytsia
A nationwide pilgrimage of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church took place at the Marian Spiritual Center “Zarvanytsia” in the Ternopil region. The event brought together tens of thousands of pilgrims from various regions of Ukraine and from abroad.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, head of the UGCC; Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine; and Greek Catholic bishops from around the world took part in the joint prayer, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
“Beloved children of God in our Church, dear pilgrims who have come here today to Zarvanytsia from various corners of Ukraine and the world to experience one of the most important spiritual events of the year in the life of our Church. This is the fifth time the pilgrimage to Zarvanytsia has taken place amid a full-scale invasion of our land by the Russian thief and murderer, the aggressor. Today we see that the danger to our people and our state lies not only in external aggression, but also in our internal disillusionment, despair, apathy, and unwillingness to continue fighting,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav in his homily during the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.
He added that for everyone who loses hope in their struggle for freedom and dignity, who falls into apathy, and who believes there is no quick or easy victory, the Word of God invites them to Christ and to confession.
“Every time despair takes hold of us, let us seek the sacrament of God’s mercy, so that the very words the Lord speaks today to the paralytic in the Gospel story may be spoken to us: ‘Rise up! Take into your own hands everything that divides you, causes strife, and discourages you. Take control of yourselves and all that the Lord places in your hands, and move forward. And, as Shevchenko said, ‘Glory lies ahead. And glory is my commandment.’”
Many believers walked dozens of kilometers—and even over a hundred—on their pilgrimage. Residents of the town of Khodoriv in the Lviv region walked for four days to the Marian Spiritual Center
“We covered 125 kilometers. There were 22 of us in total. The youngest pilgrim was 11 years old, and the oldest was 63. It was a very beautiful journey. For me, this is already my eleventh pilgrimage to Zarvanytsia,” said Olesia Symushchak.
Ukrainians came on the pilgrimage with their entire families. Among those present were military personnel and families of defenders who had gone missing in action.
Soldier Ivan Boiko from the Lviv region came to Zarvanytsia during his leave.
"Today I’m overwhelmed with emotion; I thank God for everything. I’m very glad that I’m on leave right now and was able to come to Zarvanytsia. I pray for peace in Ukraine and an end to the war, so that my family and loved ones may remain alive and well, and also for all the intentions with which people have come here,” he shared.
Bishops of the UGCC, who had arrived from various countries around the world for the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC held the day before in Zarvanytsia, took part in the pilgrimage. One of the main decisions was the adoption of the Code of Canons of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church—the Church’s primary legislative document, which took 10 years to draft.
The pilgrimage concluded with a joint performance of Ukraine’s spiritual hymn, “O Great and One God,” and the blessing of water.
Source: Ukrinform
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