Ms. Marta Pereyma, assistant cultural attach О of the US Embassy in Kyiv, held a reception attended by numerous residents of the capital, among them clergymen, cultural figures, actors, politicians; Ukrainians, Poles, and Russians; citizens of Ukraine and ethnic Ukrainians living abroad. They all gathered to commemorate Ukraine’s most respected anniversary, Taras Shevchenko’s birthday (in fact, it happens to be more popular and better known than Independence Day). Those present spoke Ukrainian and, of course, Shevchenko’s poems were recited, as striking and relevant as ever. People who had never met before suddenly felt they had long known each other and been of like mind. And the audience was quite diversified; Orthodox, Greek Catholic, and Roman Catholic clergy, including Bishop Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk; sisters of the Maria Theresa Order, the Kochur family propagating and publishing Hryhory Kochur’s heritage; Yevhen Sverstiuk of the newspaper Nasha Vira [Our faith], Markiyan Bilynsky of the Institute of Democracy; Rostyslav and Martha Chomiak representing the Fulbright Academic Exchange Program, to mention but a few.
To this author it was yet another opportunity to compare the world views and mentality of Ukrainians from Ukraine and abroad. The difference is even more pronounced than the accent; we are obviously too well brainwashed by the Soviets. I have never met a single person from the diaspora who was indifferent to what lies in store for Ukraine, the contemporary status of the language and culture, and our constant political blunders. Ethnic Ukrainians will never forget what the past regime did to our people, nor will they ever forgive its crimes and sins perpetrated against the people. I have in mind not only those that suffered, say, in 1937, 1941 or after World War II. Their children are also Ukrainian patriots, even if born somewhere in North America or Australia. A host of examples could be cited, because The Day has regular subscribers in the diaspora and you should see their keen attentiveness to our news, the way they share our failures and sincerely hope that things will get well soon. One of them constantly calls from Australia for the latest about the unification of the Orthodox churches of Ukraine. It is such a shame but we have to disappoint him every time. Also, I remember meeting with clergymen and laymen from the Ukrainian community of Rome; they are all so perplexed by our troubles, all those scandals that go around in circles. To them, we are a source of constant almost personal failure. Such an attitude to our general situation is not often met, mostly among former prisoners of conscience and human rights champions – in other words, among people that never became an inherent component of the Soviet establishment.
Those present at Ms. Pereyma’s reception were honored to meet (rather, to be introduced to) His Eminence Bishop Hlib Lonchyna of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (the UGCC See has of late been joined by three clergymen, owing to changes in its church structure). We hope shortly to carry His Eminence’s story, sharing his plans and commenting on interfaith relationships.
The soiree was embellished by a little concert; Shevchenko poems were recited and, the choir of the Church of the Protective Veil performed religious and secular songs to the poet’s lyrics, with all the guests enthusiastically joining in.
THE DAY’S REFERENCE
Bishop Hlib Lonchyna was born into a Ukrainian family in 1954, in Steubenville, Ohio. He received a theological education in Rome, defending a doctorate on liturgical studies at the Eastern Papal Institute. He was ordained in 1977 and returned to Ukraine in 1994 to teach at the Theological Academy of Lviv. Since 2000 he has worked as an attach О with the Apostolic Nunciature in Kyiv. He knows Ukrainian, English, Italian, and French. After being ordained Metropolitan, Bishop Hlib will act as Bishop Assistant to the Lviv Diocese of the UGCC. Long live such learned members of the hierarchy.
