Who are the Ukrainian Greco-Catholics?
“The Church began in the upper room at Jerusalem and spread throughout the Roman Empire, eventually making its way to Kyivan Rus’ via Constantinople (Byzantium). In 988 AD, the Kyivan Rus’ were baptized into Byzantine Christianity, which spread throughout the eastern Slavic lands. “The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is the Church of Kyiv. From the time of the baptism of Kyivan Rus’ in 988, she accepted her Church tradition from the Church of Constantinople, and carefully nurtures it to the present time.” The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has undergone its own period of persecution in the catacombs of the Soviet totalitarian regime of the twentieth century. Both the first persecution as well as the Soviet totalitarian persecution of the twentieth century proved what Tertullian had stated in his Apologeticus, namely, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”“At the dawn of the third millennium of Christianity and the twenty first century, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church finds itself in a unique situation. Various historical situations contributed to the need for many Ukrainian Greek Catholics to relocate from their native lands to other parts of the world. Ecclesiastical structures such as parishes, monasteries, schools, and seminaries were eventually formed across the continents.
In time, Ukrainians would intermarry with non-Ukrainians, particularly in the pluralized societies of Western nations. Furthermore, many people with no ethnic connections to Ukraine have been led to encounter the Risen Lord by means of the Byzantine Christian traditions of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Consequently, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is now a worldwide phenomenon boasting a truly universal character.”“The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is experiencing what the Second Vatican Council affirmed of the universal Church, namely, that she “in virtue of her mission and nature… is bound to no particular form of human culture, nor to any political, economic, or social system…” The Church, “sent to all peoples of every time and place, is not bound exclusively and indissolubly to any race or nation, any particular way of life or any customary way of life recent or ancient.” “Christ and the Church bears witness to Him by preaching the Gospel, transcend every peculiarity of race or nation and therefore cannot be considered foreign to anywhere or to anybody.” “The salvation which God has wrought, and the Church joyfully proclaims, is for everyone.” — Excerpt from “Catch the World: Pastoral Vision for Evangelization and Mission.
The Catholic Mission to the Carolina Indians was approved by Bishop Bodhan Danylo on May 4, 2019 and mission activities started in July of that year. This particular mission focuses on spreading the Gospel to the Native American Indians of South and North Carolina. It has started with missionaries making monthly visits and working to provide material donations in partnership with local organizations. While the Mission is to the Carolina Indians, the mission works for all to come to the glory of Christ in the Gospel, but has focused much of its efforts towards developing relationships with the local tribe.
Catholic Mission to the Carolina Indians 