On Sunday, June 26, Father Lubomyr Zhybak, pastor of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Youngstown, OH, St. Anne’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Austintown, OH and Director of the Eparchial Youth Committee blessed his parishioners for the World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland.

Three siblings: Micaela, Arielle and Joel Kreuzwieser, parishioners of Holy Trinity Church in Youngstown, OH received a blessing from their pastor, Father Lubomyr Zhybak, in anticipation of their trip to the World Youth Day celebrations in Krakow, Poland that are scheduled to take place in Europe July 25-31, 2016 under the leadership of Pope Francis with this year’s theme, taken from the Gospel of Matthew 5:7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” They’ll be travelling to Krakow together with Mr. Joseph Levy of Gibsonia, PA, a member of the Eparchial Youth Committee and the leader of the group. Four of them will be representing in Poland the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, where more than two million people are expected to take part in the event. Having blessed the young people, Father Lubomyr wished them a blessed journey to Krakow as well as to experience there in a special way the Lord’s mercy over them and to be able to share their mercy with others. The blessing was concluded with a warm round of applause from the parishioners.