Eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych
About
The eparchy of Sambir — Drohobych is in the western part of the Lviv region and covers the territory of 6900 km2 uniting 536 settlements. Six administrative districts of Lviv belong to the eparchy. They are Drohobych, Sambir, Mostyska, Staryi Sambir, Skole, Turka districts.
As of 2011, the population was 604 496 people of whom 400 648 people were Greek Catholics.
Coat of arms of the eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych
Since 2001, twenty deaneries that are 227 parishes, have been part of the eparchy.
- Boryslav deanery
- Vysotsk deanery
- Dobromyl deanery
- Drohobych deanery
- Dublyany deanery
- Lishnya deanery
- Medenychi deanery
- Mokriany deanery
- Mostyska deanery
- Pidbuzh deanery
- Rudky deanery
- Sambir deanery
- Skole deanery
- Slavsk deanery
- Staryi Sambir deanery
- Sudova Vyshnia deanery
- Truskavets denary
- Turka deanery
- Tukholka deanery
- Khyriv deanery
According to the statistical data from 2015, 298 priests of whom 287 were eparchial, and 11 hieromonks, 2 deacons, and 119 seminarians carry out their ministry in the eparchy. Also, 40 people profess consecrated life. These are 11 brothers and 29 sisters.
Also, in the eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych, there are several educational institutions. These are Drohobych Theological Seminary named after Blessed martyrs Severyn, Yakym, and Vitalyi, Drohobych Catechetical Institute of Holy Trinity, The Institute of constant formation of clergy at the eparchial governance, Summer iconographic school at the monastery of St Onuphrius in Lavriv village (Staryi Sambir, Lviv region), Charity Greek Catholic kindergarten Angel in Drohobych.
An eparchial charity organization Caritas actively operates in the eparchy.
Media takes a significant part in the activity of the eparchy. There are an eparchial magazine Live Water and a youth eparchial magazine With love to the World. Also, there is an eparchial museum where different exhibitions mostly on a spiritual theme often take place.
Location
Bishops
Since December 24, 2011, the Reverend Bishop Yaroslav Pryriz has been the ruling Archbishop of the eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych. And the Reverend Bishop Hryhoriy Komar has been an Auxiliary bishop since June 25, 2014.
A cathedral of the eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych is the church of the Holy Trinity in Drohobych. Also, there is a Procathedral of Protection of Our Most Holy Lady in Sambir.
History
The eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych was established by the decree of His Eminent Beatitude Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky Cardinal, Major Archbishop of Lviv on July 12, 1993, and by the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC that took place on May 16–31, 1992. Historically, the eparchy was restored from the ancient Sambir eparchy, the chronicles of which date back to the thirteenth century. From the fifteenth century. the eparchy was called Przemyśl — Sambir in the seventeenth century. the name of the eparchy was Przemyśl — Sambir-Sanok.
After the forced liquidation of the UGCC and the change of state borders in the 1940s, the territory of the present eparchy came under Soviet rule, and until the 1990s the clergy and the faithful of the UGCC operated underground. Until 1946 of the territory of the present eparchy, there were 241 priests of whom 57 were arrested, 24 left the area, 113 went to the Russian Orthodox Church, 25 did not join the UGCC, and 22 died. There were 503 eparchial churches, 259 Catholic priests, 6640 ha of land, 2488 ha of hayfields, and 861 ha of forest.
The episcopal ministry in the newly formed Sambir-Drohobych eparchy was entrusted to Yulian Voronovsky, who was enthroned as the Ruling Bishop of this eparchy on April 17, 1994. On March 2, 2006, an auxiliary bishop, Bishop Yaroslav Pririz, was appointed to the eparchy. On April 21, 2010, he was elevated to the rank of coadjutor bishop.
On October 27, 2011, after His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk accepted the resignation of Bishop Yulian Voronovsky from the status of the bishop of the eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych, Bishop Yaroslav took over the administration of the Sambir-Drohobych eparchy. On December 24, 2011, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, introduced Bishop Yaroslav Pryriz to the throne of the Sambir-Drohobych eparchy.
In 1993, the newly formed Sambir-Drohobych eparchy inherited the territorial units of the Lviv archeparchy. Thus, at that time the territory of the eparchy was divided into 6 deaneries, the boundaries of which coincided with the borders of the administrative districts: Drohobych, Mostyska, Sambir, Skole, Staryi Sambir, and Turka.
During 1995, the eparchy underwent administrative reform, which resulted in the formation of 12 new deaneries (Boryslav, Vysotsk, Dobromyl, Drohobych (district), Medenychi, Mokriany, Mostyska, Pidbuzh, Rudky, Sambir, Skole, Slavsk, Staryi Sambir, Sudova Vyshnia, Truskavets, Turka, Tukholka) and set new boundaries for 6 existing ones.
In 1996, the Drohobych Theological Seminary was founded based on the Catechetical Institute of the Holy Trinity in Drohobych. In 2003, the former was named after Blessed martyrs Severyn, Yakym, and Vitalyi.
In 1999, Dublyany and Khyriv deaneries were created, and on November 2001, Drohobych (district) deanery was renamed Lishnya deanery.
Shrines
There are few pilgrimage sites on the territory of the eparchy. These are a chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the healing spring and a miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin in Tyshkovytsi village (Mostyska district, Lviv region), a chapel over the healing spring in Bylychi village (Staryi Sambir district, Lviv region), Hrushiv miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin in the church of Holy Trinity in Hrushiv village (Drohobych district, Lviv region), Sambir miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin (end XVII c.) and relics of St Valentine in the church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Sambir (Lviv region), a copy of Rudky miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin in the church of the Holy Eucharist and in the Chapel of Harmony in Rudky (Lviv region), Pacław miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin (end of XIX c.) that belongs to the Greek Catholic community in Hubychi village (Staryi Sambir district, Lviv region), a wooden church of Holy Spirit that is built in 1453 or 1630 and is located three kilometers from Hubychi village (Staryi Sambir district, Lviv region). It is common to call the latter Shepherd’s Church. Also, it is worth mentioning the Church of St Anna in Boryslav (Lviv region) where the relics of a large number of saints of the Ecumenical Church are kept.
Contacts
Address: St. Truskavetska, 2, 82100, Lviv oblast, Ukraine
Phone/fax: +380 (32) 445-30-34
Email: [email protected]
Website: sde.org.ua