The clergy and laity from the parishes in the State of Ohio of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma gathered together on November 9, 2019 at the parish hall of St. Andrew Ukrainian Catholic Church in Parma, Ohio for an eparchial regional convention.

The event titled “Immigration/Migration, Settlement and Unity of the Ukrainian Catholic Church” was one of the four regional conventions planned in St. Josaphat Eparchy in preparation for the VII Session of the Patriarchal Sobor (Convention) that is to take place on August 26-29, 2020 in Lviv, Ukraine. Due to the geographical size of the eparchy that covers 11 States, the other three eparchial regional conventions will take place on November 16, 2019 at Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, on December 14, 2019 at St. Basil the Great Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Charlotte, North Carolina and in 2020 at the Presentation of the Most Holy Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church in North Port, Florida.

The convention, presided over by Bishop Bohdan Danylo, Eparch of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma was assembled in order to discuss and reflect on “the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges facing our St. Josaphat Eparchy in the area of immigration, migration, settlements and unity of our parishes and eparchy,” as was expressed by Bishop Bohdan in his October 7, 2019 letter to the convention’s clergy and delegates.

After the registration and opening prayer, the bishop welcomed everyone to the convention. Afterwards, the hierarch briefly went over the history of the growth of the Ukrainian Catholic Church during the past 100 years or so, accentuating the current global presence of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. He then shared with the attendees the main areas of discussions at the most recent Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church that took place on September 1-10, 2019 in Rome, Italy the theme of which was “Communion and Unity in the Life and Ministry of the UGCC.” Next, Bishop Bohdan went over the 2019 Pastoral Letter of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church addressed to the clergy, religious and laity.

Following St. Josaphat Eparch’s talks, the convention’s participants split into three groups and commenced discussions regarding the building of unity on a parish, deanery, regional and eparchial levels. What are the strengths and weaknesses? What are the challenges and opportunities? What are the pastoral needs of our faithful today? What are the effective ways to reach out to our faithful? How can we find the people, who left our communities? What is the evangelization and mission spirit in our parish communities? These and other questions were posed and discussed by the convention’s participants. Each group summarized its answers to the questions that will become the resolutions that St. Josaphat Eparchy will put together after all four regional conventions take place. The resolutions will afterwards be forwarded to the organizing committee of the VII Patriarchal Sobor in Ukraine.

The convention concluded with a prayer. The next regional convention in St. Josaphat Eparchy is scheduled to take place on November 16, 2019 at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.

Press Office of St. Josaphat Eparchy