Eparchial Clergy, Religious and Staff Study Days 2011

Clergy, Religious and Staff

The 2011 Clergy, Religious and Staff Study Days of the Eparchy of Saskatoon was held in Regina at St. Athanasius Parish from November 7-10, 2011.  Each day the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at St. Athanasius Church. The schedule made time for reports, discussions, questions and answers.  The well attended meeting gave an opportunity for all the Eparchial offices to report on their recent activities, including the Eparchial Communication Office, the Ukrainian Catholic Religious Education Centre, the Eparchial Youth and Campus Ministry Office and the Eparchial Family Life Office. Time in the evenings was set aside for common recreation and the hospitality shown by Fr. Andrei Kachur and the parish was second to none.

AGEMI

Our newest Board, the Archangel Gabriel Eparchial Ministries Inc. (AGEMI) was formed just over a year ago to help implement the admonitions of the 2005 Sobor Document. It continued to form a better understanding of how our eparchy works together for the benefit of the members of the Eparchy and for their salvation. The various offices and their respective ministries have a profound impact on the spiritual welfare of the faithful in the Eparchy, so Study Days gave an up-to-date picture of their successes and the challenges these offices face in the near future. They remain attentive to the current needs in our society and recognize the great deal of work that remains before them in a constantly changing world. Making sure everyone is informed about family issues, youth concerns, catechetical activities and proper information about parish events and projects across the Eparchy helped us plan for the future and how we are going to most effectively fund and coordinate the services they provide. Details about their activities and goals are available on the Eparchial website.

VISION 2020

Other import topics were addressed. VISION 2020, a new initiative set out by the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church after its meeting in Brazil this past summer, was introduced by Bishop Bryan Bayda, CSsR.  The Strategy for 2020 focuses on developing all parishes so they work toward becoming Vibrant Parishes,  a key component in a Strategy for Evangelization since it is often in a parish setting that people first encounter Christ and can best nurture their relationship with Christ. Fr. Ivan Nahachewsky has been appointed as the liaison between the Eparchy of Saskatoon and the other Eparchies and Archeparchies in our global Ukrainian Catholic Church. To help guide this development toward becoming Vibrant Parishes, a model has been emphasized that has its origins in the legal and pastoral heritage of the church. This model includes elements of Leadership, Worship, Diakonia, Koinonia, and Catechesis. 

 

First of all, having appropriate leadership through the bishop, clergy, religious and lay councils of a parish is indispensable. An Eparchy needs parishes with a proper link with the Holy See to maintain a Catholic identity. Second, fitting celebrations of the mysteries and other services that cultivate due worship of God is also maintained in a Vibrant Parish as an essential element of evangelization. Diakonia is an organized effort of service and outreach by the parish to those who have specific material needs in its community and in society at large. Koinonia is known as community building efforts with socializing gatherings, dances, banquets, festivities, etc. that build up the social relationships of the spiritual Body of Christ.  Last, the Vibrant Parish must provide an organized catechesis for all ages, so that adults, youth and children have an opportunity to continue learning conscientiously about the faith tradition that we have received from Catholics before us. A Vibrant Parish includes all of these elements and Bishop Bryan will soon issue a pastoral letter with more detailed information about VISION 2020.

Eparchial Policies

To ensure parishes develop strong understandings of how to work together, additional Eparchial Policies will continue to be established. Fairness of how to interact with each other, serve each other and cooperate in a spirit of compassion and love as Christ's Church is guided by previous generations and the fruit of their experiences found in canon law. Protocols and procedures must be continually addressed to ensure safety is practised and respect for the human dignity of every person is upheld as new circumstances emerge. To practically implement this, all parishes in the Eparchy will have to establish a Parish Council Constitution if they haven't already done so.

 

 

Clergy and Consultors

The quarterly meetings were also held for the clergy, Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors. Among other issues they addressed, they are preparing to attend an Encounter for them and all Religious in Toronto from April 30 - May 3, 2012. The theme of the Encounter is  100 years of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada - “Following Blessed Nykyta Budka in mission and martyrdom” - 100th Anniversary of the arrival of Blessed Nykyta Budka in Canada

Patriarchal Visit to the Eparchy of Saskatoon

His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk will be visiting Canada during the Encounter in May 2012 but details of his Pastoral Visit to the Eparchy of Saskatoon from September 18-24, 2012 were also discussed. The Patriarch underlined his wish to meet with catechists (in light of our newly promulgated Catechism) and youth. Bishop Bryan Bayda learned of these priorities at a meeting in Brazil when his Beatitude met with all the bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Metropolia of Canada. Details regarding his visit are forthcoming and will be announced once the Bishop and his Consultors give direction to the manager of the visit, Jerry Wasylow of the Communication Office.

Gratitude

The Eparchy Clergy, Religious and Staff are grateful to all the faithful in our Eparchy and organizations (such as the Knights of Columbus) that make it possible for the clergy to attend these study days. Your direct financial support is truly appreciated since it enhances our common vision and the wonderful spirit of cooperation in our Eparchy.