You can develop a global unity of our Church because now you are a patriarchal structure: His Beatitude Sviatoslav on the 90th anniversary of the UYC
On July 23, the UGCC youth community Ukrainian Youth for Christ celebrated its 90th anniversary. To its 90th anniversary, UYC received a patriarchal charter, which allows them to become a global youth organization of the Church.
After the Liturgy, the Patriarch met with the youth and thanked them for grouping communities and staying open to seeing other people, what is getting harder and harder these days.
The Head of the UGCC underlined the importance of such communities as UYC for the Church and the whole society: “The Ukrainian Youth for Christ community is central, first of all, to you, because it makes you stronger and more resilient in dire circumstances. Our Church needs Ukrainian Youth for Christ so that the Church can embrace and comfort those who are lonely and hurt today, who do not know how to live tomorrow. Ukrainian Youth for Christ is needed by the Ukrainian people, who today are looking for a lifeline to survive in such precarious times.”
“Being together — being a community of the Church, where Jesus Christ is certainly present — is something amazing,” said the Primate, “If we live and fight like this, we will win. Therefore, I am absolutely certain that the Ukrainian Christian community Ukrainian Youth for Christ is given by God to our people and you now as a key to victory and survival.”
The Head of the UGCC also shared his vision for developing UYC for the coming years and the future. The first thing that His Beatitude Sviatoslav would like to see is UYC centers functioning in every parish so that young people have their own space and spiritual home. The second wish is that these parish communities do not close in on themselves, but meet, communicate, and thus create a broader common space of the city, village, deanery, and diocese.
“And the third thing is that today the Church granted the Ukrainian Youth for Christ community a separate charter of the Patriarchal level. What does it mean? It means that now you have the opportunity to have live contact with your peers in different countries of the world where our Church is present. Because you are now a patriarchal structure that unites young people worldwide, I would very much like to see this initiative go beyond Ukraine,” called on the Primate.
The UGCC Department for Information
