“I spent a few days contemplating whether to accept this appointment”: Father Jonah Maxim on being named Metropolitan of Prešov
Father Jonah Maxim, whose life has been closely connected with Ukraine and the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra for 20 years or more, told how he reacted to his appointment by His Holiness Pope Francis as Archbishop and Metropolitan of Prešov.
“I was thinking for several days whether to accept this appointment. But in the end, I felt that it was the will of God, that I had to go, that the voice of the Church was speaking to me, and I had to put aside my personal plans or expectations. And when I accepted it, I received such peace in my soul that I realized that I responded in the right way,” Fr. Jonah shared in a comment to the UGCC Information Department.
According to him, the brethren received the news with both joy and a bit of sadness. “But this is the way it is in monasteries: people leave for various reasons when the Church needs them to serve — everyone understands that this can happen,” says the abbot of the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra. “I was once in such a situation when my abbot left — it is very difficult. But we obey the will of God. I hope that my fellow monks, no matter how hard or humanly difficult it may be, as believers who have given their lives to God, accept this situation in this spirit.”
As for his new role and return to his homeland in Prešov as the head of the Greek Catholic Church of Slovakia, Jonah Maxim says, “I have a somewhat fragmented understanding of the situation in the Church, mostly through my communication with others. Over the years, my visits to Slovakia were primarily to spend time with my family. Therefore, my initial approach is not to make immediate changes. I aim to continue the good initiatives that have already been started — and there have been many. I will try to discern God’s guidance and listen to the people who live and work there. We’ll see how it unfolds. I have a strong belief in God’s presence and guidance, in the inherent kindness. Certainly, everything will progress under this divine guidance.”
The UGCC Department for Information
