Ukrainians welcome new Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Nicholas in Chicago
With much pomp and circumstance including a procession in the streets of Chicago's Ukrainian Village, Most Reverend Benedict (Venedykt (Valery) Aleksiychuk) was installed as the new Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Nicholas in Chicago for the Ukrainians on Thurs., June 29.
A procession of clergy, in their vestments signifying their rank in the church and bishops' mitres* indicating whether they are Roman or Ukrainian Catholic, walked from St. Nicholas School on Rice to the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, 835 N Oakley.
With approximately 35 bishops and 65 priests from around the world, parishioners and others, the John G. Steinbach 1913 designed structure was close to being filled for the ceremony.
Heavenly sounds emanated from the choir loft at the back of the sanctuary as the clergy seemed to perform a well-rehearsed dance program as they moved through the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and Enthronement Service.
Overseeing the ceremony was Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk). "He is recognized as Major Archbishop by Rome," explains Phyllis Muryn Zaparaniuk, Business Manager at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral. "He is the leader of our church, the head being Jesus Christ.
"The Ukrainian Catholic Church is one of 23 Eastern churches in communion with Rome [Western church] and shares a spiritual and liturgical heritage with its Orthodox counterparts."
Events for the fifth change of the head of the United States Ukrainian Catholics began on June 28 and will end on Sun., July 2.
Valery Aleksiychuk's Background
The new bishop transferred to the United States from the titular see of Germaniciana and the office of auxiliary of the Archieparchy of Lviv of the Ukrainians.
Born on Jan. 1, 1968, in the village of Borshchivka, in the region of Rivne, Ukraine. He attended the major seminary of Drohobych and was ordained a priest on Mar. 29, 1992. In 1993 he entered the University Holy Dormition Lavra of the Studite Fathers and on Dec. 21, 1995, made his first vows, taking the monastic name Venedykt (Benedict). He obtained a doctorate in spiritual theology from the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland.
He exercised his ministry in the parish of Bystrytsia (deanary of Drohobych); in Belarus in Polock; in the parish of Vitebsk (1994-1996); and in Canada (1996-1999). He has served as Hegumen of the Lavra of University (2000 and re-elected in 2005); member of the commission of the Major Archbishop for Monasticism (2004); and administrator of the parish of St. Nicholas, Peremyshlany (2004). Since 2007 he was head of the Secretariat of the Council of Monks of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; President of the Liturgical Council and President of the major superiors of male religious institutes of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
*Elaborately designed rounded hats indicate Ukrainian Bishops while the hats with points represent Roman Catholic Bishops.
Elaine Coorens
