The Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Congratulates the Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Ukraine on His 50th Birthday
On September 20, at St. Andrew’s Church in Kyiv—the main church of the Mission “Stauropegion of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine”—a solemn Divine Liturgy was celebrated to mark the 50th birthday of Bishop Mykhailo Anishchenko, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Ukraine. An official delegation from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church took part in the celebration. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, addressed the bishop with a fraternal congratulatory letter.
The delegation of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was led by Fr. Ihor Shaban, Chairman of the UGCC Commission on Interfaith and Interreligious Relations. The choir of the UGCC’s Kyiv Three Saints Theological Seminary sang during the Divine Liturgy.
In his letter, His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked God for the gift of Bishop Mykhailo’s life, vocation, and ministry, emphasizing the particular significance of his mission in Ukraine.
“Your ministry as Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Ukraine has been an important manifestation of the presence and closeness of the Mother Church of Constantinople to the Ukrainian people,” emphasized the Head of the UGCC.
The Head of the Church devoted special attention to his meetings and collaboration with the bishop, which promote Christian unity and support for Ukrainians.
“I particularly value our meetings and collaboration, which bear witness to our common Christian tradition and our shared source of faith; we are called to seek together those things that serve the Church of Christ, strengthen Christian unity, and bring hope to our long-suffering people,” noted His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The Primate assured Bishop Mykhailo of his prayers for his ministry among the Ukrainian people, especially during this time of war, and wished him good health, spiritual joy, wisdom, and tireless zeal in his pastoral ministry. He also invoked the intercession of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Andrew the First-Called, whose memory deeply unites Kyiv and Constantinople.
“I wish you many more years of a blessed life and fruitful ministry—for the glory of God, for the good of the Church, for the strengthening of brotherhood between our Churches, and for the peace and victory of Ukraine,” said the Head of the UGCC.
The UGCC Department for Information
