St. Gabriel Institute Inauguration Held in Washington, DC
On February 19, 2025, in Washington, D.C., His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, presided over the inauguration of the St. Gabriel Institute, established by the Ukrainian Catholic University in cooperation with the UGCC’s Department for External Church Relations.
The press service of the St. Gabriel Institute reported this event.
Among those present were Archbishop Borys Gudziak, Metropolitan of Philadelphia; Bishop Paul Chomnycky of the Stamford Eparchy; Bishop Venedykt Aleksiychuk of the Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago; Bishop Bohdan Danylo of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma; and Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh, Apostolic Exarch in Germany and Scandinavia.
The opening ceremony also welcomed more than 70 distinguished guests, including Oksana Markarova, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States; Oresta Starak, Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in the U.S.; Roman Popadiuk, the first U. S. Ambassador to Ukraine; Melinda Haring, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center; Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, President of the Catholic University of America; and Thomas Banchoff, Vice President for Global Engagement at Georgetown University.
“True diplomacy is built on communication—koinonia. Good diplomats, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, facilitate, establish, develop, and nurture relationships. As a Church that lives in true communion, our Synod of Bishops decided to create a school of church diplomacy. More than 10 years ago, we established the Department for External Church Relations, and today, we are pleased to open an institute dedicated to spreading the Good News to the world,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
St. Gabriel’s Institute oversees the Church Communication and Diplomacy program, which consists of two stages. The first, held online from June to December 2024, brought together 39 clergy and lay representatives from 15 UGCC dioceses worldwide. Upon the recommendation of their bishops, participants attended lectures and discussions on contemporary Ukrainian history, international relations, Catholic social teaching, advocacy, and communication. From this group, 11 students were selected for the second stage—an intensive internship in Washington, D.C., at St. Josaphat’s Eparchial Seminary.
“We could not have chosen a better place to establish a school of diplomacy, especially in today’s world, right here in the heart of Washington, D.C. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church urgently needs well-qualified, well-trained, and experienced diplomats who can effectively convey the voice of our Church and our people to the world. So, to our students, I say: be diligent, study well, and know that we trust you and your ability to dream of the future. May God bless you all,” added the Head of the UGCC.
