On the feast of Pentecost, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak presented the Lifetime Service Award to lay activist Roma Hayda.
On June 8, 2025, the feast of Pentecost, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak presented the Metropolitan’s Lifetime Service Award to Roma Hayda, a prominent leader in the lay movement of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. She served as president of the Patriarchal Society in 1989–1993 and 2007–2010 and was the initiator of the revival of the “Obnova” Society in Ukraine.
The Office of Communications of the UGCC Archeparchy of Philadelphia reported this event.
The award ceremony took place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia and was a sign of recognition of her: “lifetime of Christian witness in the United States, Ukraine, and internationally, as a professional, community leader, public intellectual, wife, and mother, who for decades has personally exemplified and passionately advocated for the role of Catholic laity, especially women.”
This ceremony marked the conclusion of a year-long series of awards honoring lay leaders. It began in the summer of 2024 with the presentation of the award to Mykola Haliv, editor of the Patriiarkhat magazine. Later that fall, other recipients included the academic couple Leonid and Irene Rudnytzky, and researcher and publicist Andrew Sorokowski.
“Today we honor the gift that Roma Hayda is to our Church,” said Metropolitan Borys. “She is an example of what happens when a person accepts the gifts of the Holy Spirit. She did not shy away from challenges—she moved forward.”
Roma Hayda was born in 1937 in Pidhaitsi into a priestly family and immigrated to the United States at the age of 14. She earned a degree in art from Fairfield University (CT) and worked as a graphic designer. Since the 1970s, she has been actively involved in the Ukrainian community and Church movements. Two of the most significant projects in which she played a key role were the Ukrainian Patriarchal Society, which she led for three terms, and the Ukrainian Catholic student association “Obnova,” whose revival in Ukraine she significantly supported.
“She is the image of a woman, wife, and mother who raised wonderful sons—including one who became a priest,” said the Metropolitan, referring to her son Fr. Pavlo Hayda, who tragically died at the age of 42. “Thank you for your witness of prayer, your steady labor, your family life, and the writings you have shared.” He also recalled Roma’s late husband Ihor Hayda and expressed gratitude for the entire family’s support of numerous Church-related initiatives, including the Ukrainian Catholic University.
Following the award ceremony, Roma Hayda addressed those gathered in the cathedral with a reflective talk, sharing her personal experience in various Church projects. She encouraged listeners to learn about and preserve their identity, emphasizing that she spoke not as an academic but from the lived experience of her journey in the patriarchal movement. “I thank the Metropolitan for this recognition and for the trust to share my experience. In faith—hope,” she concluded.
Metropolitan Borys Gudziak established the Lifetime Service Award in 2022 to honor clergy, consecrated religious, and laypeople for their outstanding and devoted service. The first recipient was Monsignor Ronald Popivchak, longtime pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania. In 2023, the award was presented to three women’s religious congregations of the Philadelphia Archeparchy: the Province of Jesus, Lover of Humanity (Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great), the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate (Province of the Immaculate Conception in the USA), and the Missionary Sisters of the Protection of the Mother of God, in recognition of their dedicated, life-giving, and fruitful service in the field of education.
The UGCC Department for Information
