UGCC Head visits the most distant parish of Arizona
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Patriarch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, visited on July 1, 2017 made a pastoral visit to a small St. Michael's parish in the city of Tucson, Arizona, on the border of Mexico.
As noted by the faithful, for them it was a truly historic day, since any Head of the UGCC had ever been there so far.
This parish is the most distant in the Diocese of Chicago - more than 2,800 kilometers from Chicago.
The head of the UGCC served the Hierarchical Liturgy in concelebration with the local priest Fr Andriy Chirovsky, rector of the temple of the Assumption of the Theotokos in Phoenix, Fr. Guy Southus, his brother Fr. Anibal Southus and Fr. Prof. Dr. Grigori Zubach from Fresno (California).
His Beatitude Sviatoslav was accompanied by the faithful from Tucson, Phoenix, and several other California cities. Roman Catholics, Knights of Columbus, and representatives of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church also came to pray.
Representatives of three Orthodox Churches: Greek, Antiochian, and Orthodox Church of America also attended the liturgy, which testifies to good relations between the UGCC and Orthodox denominations in Southern Arizona.
During the sermon to the faithful, His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that we had received a great gift of salvation and divine life, which we can freely share with others. According to him, it is in this small but warm and dynamic parish not only Ukrainians but also people of different nations, races and cultures find a place of meeting with living Christ in the church of Volodymyr’s Baptism.
After the Liturgy, the faithful had the opportunity to communicate informally with the Head of the Church. Mexican music band “Mariachi Luz de la Lune", which performed folk compositions of neighboring Mexico, was invited for the cultural program. Bandura player Luke Miller from San Diego performed the old “duma”.
The faithful of St. Michael’s parish celebrate that this day will remain unforgettable for their community. And they, like a remote parish, felt that the head of the UGCC cared about his people, even if they were very far away.
On Sunday, July 2, His Beatitude performed a hierarchical service in the nearby parish at the Phoenix on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the parish. It was reported by the Department of Information of the UGCC.
