Michael Ukrainian Catholic Parish is an Eastern Catholic Church. It is part of the St. Nicholas Eparchy of Chicago, which is part of the Philadelphia Metropolia for Ukrainian Catholics in the United States of America. The Philadelphia Metropolia is itself part of the worldwide Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, headed by its Synod of Bishops until recently under the leadership of His Beatitude, our
Blessed Father Lubomyr (Cardinal Husar) Patriarch of Kyiv-Halych and all Rus’. On March 27, 2011 his successor, Patriarch Sviatoslav ( Shevchuk) was elected and enthroned to lead the world-wide Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, the Catholic Church of Kyiv. Our Bishop Richard (Seminack) is based in Chicago. His Eparchy includes the whole Western United States. The Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church is in full and visible communion with the Holy See of Rome and recognizes the Pope of Rome as the worldwide leader of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is itself a communion of Churches, the Roman (Latin) Church and the various self-governing (sui-iuris) Eastern Catholic Churches, all of which are equal in stature, despite differences in size. Eastern Catholics are those Orthodox Christians of the East who live in full and visible communion with the See of Rome. The Eastern Catholic Churches each have their own theology, liturgical-sacramental systems, their own spirituality and their own canonical tradition. This diversity is not a weakness, but rather a gift from God, discernible from the earliest ministry of the Apostles, preaching in a variety of tongues to the multitudes present on the day of Pentecost. The one Gospel message was incarnate very early on in wide array of cultures, but the various local Churches remained united in communion with one another, looking to certain apostolic sees for guidance and leadership. The Second Vatican Council, which took place in the 1960’s, had much to say about the Eastern Churches. Let us look at a few passages from the teachings of that Council.
“The Catholic Church holds in high esteem the institutions, liturgical rites, ecclesiastical traditions and the established standards of the Christian life of the Eastern Churches, for in them, distinguished as they are for their venerable antiquity, there remains conspicuous the tradition that has been handed down from the Apostles through the Fathers and that forms part of the divinely revealed and undivided heritage of the universal Church.” (Orientalium Ecclesiarum, Decree on the Eastern Churches, #1 Vatican II)
“Between these [Eastern and Western Catholic Churches] there exists an admirable bond of union, such that the variety within the Church in no way harms its unity; rather it manifests it, for it is the mind of the Catholic Church that each individual Church or Rite should retain its traditions whole and entire and likewise that it should adapt its way of life to the different needs of time and place.” (Ibid. #2)
“These individual Churches, whether of the East or the West, although they differ somewhat among themselves in rite (to use the current phrase), that is, in liturgy, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage, are, nevertheless ... of equal dignity, so that none of them is superior to the others as regards rite and they enjoy the same rights and are under the same obligations, also in respect of preaching the Gospel to the whole world (cf. Mark 16, 15) ...” (Ibid. #3)
“Means should be taken therefore in every part of the world for the protection and advancement of all the individual Churches... “(Ibid. #4)
“The Sacred Council, therefore, not only accords to this ecclesiastical and spiritual heritage the high regard which is its due and rightful praise, but also unhesitatingly looks on it as the heritage of the universal Church. For this reason it solemnly declares that the Churches of the East, as much as those of the West, have a full right and are in duty bound to rule themselves, each in accordance with its own established disciplines, … “(Ibid. # 5)
“All members of the Eastern Rite should know and be convinced that they can and should always preserve their legitimate liturgical rite and their established way of life, and that these may not be altered except to obtain for themselves an organic improvement. All these, then, must be observed by the members of the Eastern rites themselves. Besides, they should attain to on ever greater knowledge and a more exact use of them, and, if in their regard they have fallen short owing to contingencies of times and persons, they should take steps to return to their ancestral traditions. “(Ibid. #6)
“Eastern Churches in communion with the Apostolic See of Rome have a special duty of promoting the unity of all Christians, especially Eastern Christians ... by prayer in the first place, and by the example of their lives, by religious fidelity to the ancient Eastern traditions, by a greater knowledge of each other, by collaboration and a brotherly regard for objects and feelings.“(Ibid. #24)
In 1991, the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium [CCEO] was promulgated by Pope John Paul II for all of the Eastern Catholic Churches. This was a step towards the concrete working out of the canonical implications of the Second Vatican Council. There are three parts to Eastern Catholic Canon Law: the General Law (common to all of the Eastern Catholic Churches), the Particular Law of each Eastern Catholic Church, and the Ius Speciale ad tempus (which governs the relationship between members of an Eastern Catholic Church outside its traditional territory with its synod and patriarch). Much of the second and third parts of Eastern Catholic canon law are still being worked out. In 1996, the Holy See’s Sacred Congregation for the Eastern Churches published a set of Instructions for the implementation of those aspects of the canons that had to do with liturgical-sacramental questions. It is worthwhile to read at least a brief quotation from that document.
“In every effort of liturgical renewal, therefore, the practice of the Orthodox brethren should be taken into account, knowing it, respecting it and distancing from it as little as possible so as not to increase the existing separation, but rather intensifying efforts in view of eventual adaptations, maturing and working together. Thus will be manifested the unity that already subsists in daily receiving the same spiritual nourishment from practicing the same common heritage.”[26] (Sacred Congregation for the Eastern Churches: 1996 Instructions for the Liturgical Implementation of the Canon Law of the Eastern Churches, III)
Divine Providence has placed the Eastern Catholic Churches in a unique and often precarious position, as a catalyst between the two realities of worldwide Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The Eastern Catholic Churches have a special role to play in helping the Catholic world to know the Orthodox Tradition of the East and simultaneously in assisting the Orthodox world to come to know the Catholic Communion. At the same time, the Eastern Catholic Churches know that their existence in each individual case is a contingent reality, since the division between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches is a sinful condition that is contrary to the will of God. Once this great division is healed, each of the Eastern Catholic Churches will need to re-examine its place in the worldwide communion. Many will doubtless choose a kenotic route of voluntary integration with newly re-united Churches. The key here is the word “voluntary,” since several Eastern Catholic Churches, among them the Greco-Catholic Church of Ukraine, have experienced (as recently as during the 20th century) severe and bloody attempts at integration of their structures with other Churches by force. The Second Vatican Council hints at this contingency of everything it says about the Eastern Catholic Churches when it states:
“The Sacred Council feels great joy in the fruitful zealous collaboration of the Eastern and the Western Catholic Churches and at the same time declares: All these directives of law are laid down in view of the present situation till such time as the Catholic Church and the separated Eastern Churches come together into complete unity.” (Orientalium Ecclesiarum, Decree on the Eastern Churches, #30 Vatican II)
Theology
Theologically, Eastern Christians tend to think in terms that are more synthetic and intuitive rather than analytical. We usually prefer paradox (antinomy) to the “precision” of some philosophically-based thought, but that does not mean that our theology is fuzzy. It is experientially focused, anchored in the living Tradition of the Church. As Eastern Catholics we often face the question of how we reconcile our Orthodox and Catholic loyalties. This is an area that is still being worked out in light of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on the fact that the Eastern Catholic Churches have their own theology. Some of us would express it thus: we hold Orthodox positions on all theological matters, except when they are in conflict with the expressed teachings of the Holy Roman See. In that case, by virtue of the full and visible communion that exists between our Church and Rome, we cannot ignore the Roman teaching on a given subject, but must find a way to reconcile positions. There is much more we could say. The best way to get to know us is to attend Liturgy some Sunday. 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month Divine Liturgy is predominantly in English. The other Sundays Ukrainian prevails, but readings, preaching and some prayers are in both languages every Sunday. You don't have to be ethnically Ukrainian to join the Ukrainian Catholic Church. This is a Church that comes FROM the Ukrainian people, but it is FOR the whole human race. Come and see. You will find our parish warm and welcoming. You just might decide that you have finally come home.
