Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma (USA) Held an Annual Lenten Youth Lock-In Retreat
On March 2–3, 2024, Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church in Parma, Ohio of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma (USA) hosted an annual Lenten Lock-In Retreat for youth. This year’s theme of the spiritual renewal was “The Way Home” based on “I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you’ as found in Luke 15:18 (NRSVCE).
About 40 youth, young adults, youth leaders, chaperones, and clergy gathered for the annual youth Lock-In Retreat of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma under the leadership of its eparch, Bishop Bohdan Danylo at the Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church in Parma, OH. The theme, based on the Gospel of Luke 15:18, was focused on “The Way Home.” The retreat, organized by the Eparchial Youth Committee (EYC) under the direction of Fr. Lubomir Zhybak, Director of the EYC and pastor of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Youngstown, OH and St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church in Austintown, OH and coordinated by Deacon Myron Spak from Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Carnegie, PA who was not able to be present at the retreat due to certain reason, provided an opportunity for the youth to pray, reflect, meet others, and take time to focus on their Lenten spiritual journey to Pascha.
The retreat began with a group welcome and was followed by an introduction of the youth and adult attendees. The group then came together as they prayed the First Hour with responses led by the newly ordained priest, Fr. Bohdan Nasypanyi, Assistant Pastor of the Pokrova Church, Fr. Ostap Mykytchyn, the Lock-In Retreat’s keynote speaker and Assistant Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jenkintown, PA (known as Mykhailivka), and Mr. Michael Levy, member of the EYC and parishioner of St. Andrew Ukrainian Catholic Church in Parma, OH.
The retreat incorporated a service project. Under the supervision of Olena Korendii, a member of the EYC and a parishioner of the Pokrova Church as well as Liudmyla Krushelnytskyy, Iryna Maletska, and Olesya Nasypana (wife of Fr. Bohdan Nasypanyi) — all parishioners of the Pokrova Church — the youth prepared handcrafted cards expressing their solidarity, support, and well wishes to the members of the Ukrainian military who have been injured during the current war in Ukraine. Bishop Bohdan Danylo delivered the cards on March 5th of this year in Washington, D. C. to Bishop Andriy Khimyak, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church (Ukraine) and Bishop Josaphat Moshchych, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Chernivtsi (Ukraine) who are members of the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Catholic Church that recently held its meetings in the United States under the leadership of the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk. These cards, filled with warmth, will be passed on to the valiant soldiers recuperating in the hospitals in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv and Western Ukraine’s city of Chernivtsi as thoughtful tokens of appreciation and as sources of joy and hope.
Fr. Ostap Mykytchyn, in his presentations, focused on the Parable of the Prodigal Son. He unpacked the message of the Prodigal Son drawing connections between repentance and the mercy of God the Father reflected in the characters of the parable. Fr. Ostap shared his own personal experiences of repentance and connected elements and parallels of the parable to the teenage experience. The presentations were engaging, well received, and helped the youth to more fully understand the Lord’s mercy and one’s need for repentance.
In between some of the sessions of the presentation, the retreatants participated in fun and engaging team building games supervised and coordinated by the youth leaders and chaperones. The participants likewise partook in a Vespers service on Saturday night in anticipation of the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross celebrated by Bishop Bohdan J. Danylo who addressed the retreat’s participants with a brief sermon afterwards. The responses led by Fr. Bohdan Nasypanyi and Fr. Ostap Mykytchyn were accompanied by the youth, the EYC members, and some other people.
The youth also had an opportunity to participate in the Mystery of Repentance. Fr. Ostap Mykytchyn assisted the retreatants in focusing and preparing their hearts for confession with an examination of conscience.
After confessions, a clergy ‘Question and Answer’ session was provided. Bishop Bohdan Danylo, Fr. Lubomir Zhybak, Fr. Ostap Mykytchyn, Fr. Bohdan Nasypanyi, and Deacon Andriy Harmatiy from St. Andrew Ukrainian Catholic Church in Parma, OH and member of the EYC tackled some questions submitted by the youth that was met with humor, candor, and catechetical lessons. The session provided an educational, fun, and engaging opportunity for the youth to ask the clergy questions to deepen the understating and knowledge of their faith.
The event concluded on Sunday with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy celebrated by Bishop Bohdan Danylo and concelebrated by some of the present clergy at the Pokrova Church. There was also a special visit on that day by Sr. Lucia Murashko, OSBM, Superior of the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great Monastery in Zaporizhzhia (Southeastern Ukraine) — about 40 miles from the war’s front line. The Sisters regularly house women and children, whose husbands and fathers are at war and whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed. Sr. Lucia shared stories of challenge and struggle, but also stories of love, hope, and courage.
Many helped to make the youth retreat a wonderful, joyful, and uplifting experience. Besides Bishop Bohdan Danylo who led the retreat, special thanks go to Fr. Lubomir Zhybak, Eparchial Youth Committee Director, Deacon Myron Spak, retreat’s Coordinator, Fr. Mykhaylo Drozdovskyy, pastor of the Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church (Parma, OH) as well as Fr. Bohdan Nasypanyi, the parish’s Assistant Pastor together with his wife Olesya, and all parishioners, Fr. Ostap Mykytchyn, retreat’s main speaker, Deacon Andriy Harmatiy from St. Andrew Ukrainian Catholic Church (Parma, OH) and an EYC member, Mr. Michael Levy, an EYC member and a parishioner of St. Andrew Ukrainian Catholic Church (Parma, OH), Ms. Olena Korendii, an EYC member and a parishioner of the Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church (Parma, OH), Mrs. Liudmyla Krushelnytskyy and Ms. Iryna Maletska, parishioners of the Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church (Parma, OH), Mrs. Anna Oriti, a parishioner of St. Andrew Ukrainian Catholic Church (Parma, OH) for all of their help with the retreat.
The 2024 Lock-In Retreat was a wonderful and prayerful event whereby everyone present was able to experience the Lord’s love and share this love with one another.
Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma
