Patriarch Shevchuk Calls on Greek Catholics to Renew Baptismal Vows

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk, urged believers to solemnly renew their baptismal vows on the day of St. Volodymyr on Sunday, July 28, after the Divine Liturgy, the Primate said in a message on the occasion of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine.

“Today, marking the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism, we need to remember and renew our baptismal vows. Their meaning remains the same – to free yourself of any bonds of slavery, which have been imposed on the human race by the devil since our forefather Adam, and wear the baptismal garments of Freedom and Love, which are the shining garments of the risen Christ,” says the message, the UGCC Information Department reports.

“To restore our faithfulness to Christ as the only ‘source of the revival of the Ukrainian people’ and to strengthen our church and national unity, I instruct all the believers and all of our parishes to solemnly renew their baptismal vows on the day of St. Volodymyr,” Patriarch Sviatoslav said.

The head of the UGCC also invited the faithful to take part in a church-wide pilgrimage to Kyiv on August 17-18.