Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma Catholic Home Missions supports the Eparchy of St. Josaphat with grants for basic operations, seminary and priestly education, and youth ministry. The Ukrainian Catholic Church is one of several Eastern Catholic Churches that enjoy the same dignity, rights, and obligations as the Latin Church. Eastern Catholic Churches have distinctive liturgical and legal systems that reflect the national or ethnic character of their region of origin. Eparchies and archeparchies in the Eastern Catholic Church are akin to dioceses and archdioceses in the Latin Church. Bishop Danylo describes the first wave of Ukrainian Catholics who immigrated to the United States in the 1880s. “People came from The Ukrainian Eparchy of St. Josaphat supports ow do a bishop, 35 priests, and Galicia in western Ukraine to work in the tens of thousands 16 deacons minister to more than coal mines and steel mills. The first churches of parishioners were established in Pittsburgh and Cleveland,” spread across 11 10,000 people spread over 300,000 different states. H he says. The first Ukrainian Catholic bishop square miles in 11 states? It sounds almost like was named in 1906 to serve the nascent an algebra problem, but the solution lies with Archeparchy of Philadelphia. the Holy Spirit, not the answer key at the back Newcomers have continued to flee war and of the textbook. persecution in Ukraine. “This is a church Bishop Bohdan Danylo of the Ukrainian that witnessed martyrdom in the 20th cen- Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, tury. Bishops were killed or sent to the gulag,” Ohio, says ministry to his growing flock is Bishop Danylo says. In 2001 Saint John Paul inspired by the Acts of the Apostles. Moved II beatified 28 ordained, consecrated, and lay by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles invited others Ukrainian martyrs. into their community to share in the break- The Eparchy of St. Josaphat was established ing of the bread. As Acts shows us, “People in Parma in 1983. Retired Ukrainian miners are encouraged to come to a community that and steelworkers had resettled in Florida in cares,” Bishop Danylo says. the 1970s, and a later generation of Ukrainian “As a Catholic church, we have to break immigrants left Ukraine in the late 1990s for through the shell of the individual human job opportunities on the Eastern seaboard. The being who is searching for community. People eparchy now includes western Pennsylvania, often don’t see what they already have,” Ohio, and nine states in the American South. he says. …continued on page 2 ISSUE 3 2018 A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FROM MISSION AMERICA …continued from page 1 FROM THE “We are confronting two real- ities: how to sustain parishes in well-established areas and how to CHAIRMAN reach out throughout the South,” Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Bishop Danylo says. “The Church is a pilgrim church, moving from During the hot summer months, the place to place and planting seeds pace of life slows down: crops are in where the Church was not present the ground and growing to be har- 50 years ago. We want to be an vested in the autumn, school is out, example to others”. and families travel for vacations. The “The generosity of Catholic mission of the Church, however, continues even in Home Missions allows me to send these slower days. The season reminds us especially priests to new places where we’ve of the Parable of the Sower, which illustrates the Bishop Danylo, age 47, is one of the youngest bishops been asked to establish parishes. hopes and challenges the Church faces in bringing in the Catholic Church in the They really are missionaries,” the Good News of Jesus to our brothers and sisters. United States. Bishop Danylo explains. The hot summer sun reminds us of the seed that The Eparchy of St. Josaphat has “fell on rocky ground” and “was scorched…for lack one full-time employee and two part-time staff and operates on of roots.” We also know, though, that “some seed an extraordinarily slim budget. The bishop reflects, “It would fell on rich soil and produced fruit.” (Mk 4:6-8). We be lovely to have more funds, but when you have just a little bit, know by faith that with the guidance of the Holy you tend to spend it on pastoral programs. We see fruits at the Spirit, our labors will be productive at harvest time. parish level.” Parishes of the eparchy include people with a Ukrainian Our Catholic Home Mission dioceses reveal this in background, but they welcome others who are drawn to the a special way; while the faith of the people in these beauty of the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Church, Bishop dioceses is abundantly strong, the practical chal- Danylo says. “We invite all Catholics to visit us for a different lenges faced by these communities are compellingly perspective on prayer life in the Catholic church.” The parishes real and give the appearance of rocky ground. These often conduct liturgies in English. challenges include limited resources, small or widely Established and new parishes are small enough that priests dispersed populations, and small numbers of priests and parishioners have an opportunity to get to know one and religious to serve. Yet, the faith and generosity another, function as a cohesive community, and reach out to of our donors is helping to make a difference. The their neighbors, Bishop Danylo says. rocky ground represented by these challenges is Youth ministry is flourishing in the eparchy. Local and becoming rich soil that brings forth good fruit, as our eparchy-wide events include Lenten “lock-in” retreats, summer Home Mission dioceses respond to these burdens youth days, and an annual convocation of teenagers ages 15 to through your generosity. 17. “They know one another and enjoy being together, and I In this issue, we see how the Ukrainian Catholic try to be there each year,” Bishop Danylo says. Eparchy of St. Josaphat ministers across 11 states. By Of the 35 priests and two seminarians in the eparchy, half embracing both new immigrants and reaching out are American-born and the others are from Ukraine. Bishop to neighbors in their communities, and through the Danylo says the average age of the priests in his eparchy is late support of Catholic Home Missions, their Eparchy sends priests to new parishes, establishes pastoral programs, and brings together youth from across the eparchy for retreats. Please pray for all our Home Mission dioceses and eparchies, that their mission to establish rich ground continue. Through your prayers and support, we can look forward with great joy and hope to a bounti- ful harvest. In the Heart of Christ, While the parishes welcome people of all descents the interiors often Most Reverend Paul D. Etienne, DD, STL resemble those found within Ukraine. Archbishop of Anchorage PAGE 2 | ISSUE 3 2018 40s, and the younger priests are mar- People who heard there was a DID YOU ried, a practice allowed in the Eastern mission at one location asked for one Catholic tradition. closer to them— “and it snowballed,” KNOW? Describing the positive interac- he explained. “The Holy Spirit kept tion between Ukrainian and Roman pushing us along.” • The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy Catholic parishes, Bishop Danylo Fr. Mark says, “You can’t start a says some of his priests have bi-ritual mission without people.” So, he helped of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio, faculties that allow them to preside at develop a “playbook” that uses demo- was established in 1983. It both Eastern Church and Latin Church graphic data, social media, newspaper covers 300,000 square miles, liturgies. They also serve as chaplains ads, and parish bulletin announce- including part of Pennsylvania in hospitals and parochial schools. ments to identify and invite people of and all of Ohio, Kentucky, Some Roman Catholic bishops invite Ukrainian descent to meet, worship, West Virginia, Alabama, Ukrainian Catholic parishes to use local share a meal, and perhaps form a Georgia, North Carolina, South church buildings for their services. new community. Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, In the near future, Bishop Danylo The result of this consistent approach and Florida. hopes to grow the burgeoning commu- is “a really amazing experience,” Fr. nities in the South and form new ones Mark says, in which people are excited • The eparchy serves 10,875 so worshippers “can feel the presence about being part of a vibrant wor- parishioners in 38 parishes of Christ where they are.” ship community. and 7 missions. Reflecting on new immigrants, he Fr. Mark was raised Roman Catholic • The eparchy is served by 33 says, “It’s a blessing that people are in California. His second-generation diocesan priests, 2 international coming to the Church, but it’s also sad Ukrainian wife, Dawn Beznar, was because sometimes they are leaving a raised Lutheran, but her Ukrainian priests, 16 deacons, 2 women place to which they will never return. grandmother instilled in her many of religious, and 2 seminarians. They are trying to raise their families the religious and ethnic traditions of • Bishop Bohdan Danylo was in peace, but they’re losing the oppor- her homeland. “When she went to a born in Poland and completed tunity to have their church where it has Ukrainian Catholic liturgy after we his theological studies at the been for years.” were married, it was like coming home Catholic University of America. “The people who help Catholic for her,” Fr. Mark says. He was ordained a priest for the Home Missions are often peo- And when Dawn decided to embrace ple we have not met.