Cardinal Lubomyr Husar pays a visit to faithful in Los Angeles (09/18/05)

THE 14th ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE

Cardinal Lubomyr Husar pays a visit to faithful in Los Angeles

by Anne Prokopovych

LOS ANGELES - The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church's celebration of the Feast of Transfiguration was honored by the presence of Cardinal Lubomyr Husar on August 7. Protocol and traditions handed down through the generations were blended together for a festive day filled with liturgical, cultural and social activities.

This was the first time in over 30 years that the leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church has visited Los Angeles. The last visit was by the late Patriarch Josyf Slipyj in the 1970s.

Officially he is addressed as "His Beatitude, Our Blessed Father, Patriarch Lubomyr Husar I, Patriarch of Kyiv, Halych and all Rus'-Ukraine." He also holds the title "Major Archbishop of Lviv, for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics" and is a member of the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church. He is the spiritual leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which is the largest Eastern Catholic Church in the world, with about 5.5 million faithful in Ukraine and other countries around the world.

The celebration begins

In Los Angeles, all liturgical feast day celebrations throughout the year begin with a solemn procession around the church. Young and old participate, led by those carrying the cross, ripidias, the gospel and icons, and accompanied by singing of processional hymns led by the cantor, Stephen Klos, and the parish choir. This day was no different as Cardinal Husar, clergy, altar servers and a multitude of faithful processed to the ringing of joyous bells.

Upon returning to the front door of the church, Cardinal Husar was greeted with the culturally traditional bread and salt welcome in Ukrainian by Marta Matla and in English by Alex Stogryn, on behalf of the parish. He was also greeted by Father Myron Mykyta, pastor.

The cardinal then proceeded to the interior of the church for the blessing of the newly renovated sanctuary. Work had recently been completed to repair damage to the ceiling and walls caused by earthquake damage and other environmental stress over the years. Decorative finishing work was done by artist Yuriy Viktiuk to preserve specific iconographic items while adding complementary enhancements reflecting the Ukrainian Byzantine heritage.

During his homily, Cardinal Husar conveyed greetings and thanks from "your brothers and sisters in Ukraine" for keeping the faith alive during the decades of Soviet repression in Ukraine.

Born in Lviv in 1933, the young Lubomyr and his family were forced to leave Ukraine during World War II, joining thousands of displaced persons who stayed in temporary camps in Europe, and then immigrated to the United States, Canada and other countries.

Cardinal Husar shared his memory of coming to the U.S. with few material possessions, but with a strong faith in God that sustained his family and the Ukrainian immigrant community during difficult times. He acknowledged that the common effort of many, many individuals who prayed and worked together kept the faith alive until the Church in Ukraine could be reborn again following the nation's independence in 1991.

Most of the parishioners in Los Angeles are first-, second- or third-generation immigrants from Ukraine, with family experiences similar to that of Cardinal Husar. In addition, others have become parishioners through marriage or spiritual need. The Ukrainian Catholic primate challenged all to share the gift of faith with "your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren, and with others. The teachings of God are not limited to any one culture, to any one language, to any one national group. Christ's teachings are open to everybody."

To leave a lasting reminder to continue to share the gift of faith, the cardinal presented the parish with a wooden cross carved in Ukraine by craftsmen using traditional techniques and tools.

Traditional blessing of fruits

During the closing prayers of the divine liturgy Cardinal Husar blessed the fruits brought by parishioners. In the Byzantine Ukrainian Church tradition, the Feast of the Transfiguration is an annual celebration of joy and thanksgiving, and is accompanied by the traditional Ukrainian folk feast of "Spasa," when fruits are presented for blessing by the faithful as an offering to God for the first fruits of the harvest. In Ukraine, this tradition is especially evident in the villages, where people bring fruits from their own trees in decorated baskets that line the grounds outside the church.

In Los Angeles, parishioners are fortunate to enjoy a richly varied harvest from people's own backyards, from farmer's markets, from supermarkets, and from superstores. The variety of the contents and decoration of each basket - from plain and simple to elegant and exotic - represented each person's own way of offering thanks for God's blessings.

Welcoming dinner

The practice of organizing parish dinners following divine liturgies on feast days has become another tradition in Los Angeles. These are special occasions to eat, drink, sing, pray and enjoy the company of brothers and sisters in Christ.

On this day, in addition to our Cardinal Husar, Los Angeles parishioners welcomed several other clergy as honored guests:

Father Deacon Ihor Boyko, assisting the cardinal during this trip through the U.S., a graduate of Lviv Theological Seminary who is currently studying at St. Basil's Seminary in Stamford, Conn.;
Father Vasyl Sauciur, pastor of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Los Angeles, and his family;
Father Yuriy Shakh, former pastor of St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Los Angeles, and his family;
Father John Hritzko, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Ukrainian Catholic Parish in San Diego;
Brother James (Andrew Quinlan), Holy Resurrection Monastery, Newberry Springs, Calif.; and
Brother Gustavo, Oblates of St. Joseph, Camarillo, Calif.

Also welcomed to the dinner were visitors from San Diego and other cities in California and neighboring states.

The dinner began with a floral welcome for Cardinal Husar, presented by 10-year-old Yulita Zavada. Master of Ceremonies Luba Keske deftly delivered introductions and kept the program moving briskly. Father Mykyta delivered the formal parish greetings with his characteristically droll wit and wisdom, culminating with a rousing champagne toast and singing of "Mnohaya Lita" for the special guest.

Contribution for "sobor"

Cardinal Husar has visited several parishes in the U.S. and Canada during recent years in order to raise money to build the new Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Kyiv. He wants it to symbolize the rebirth of the Catholic Church in Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The location of the new cathedral and patriarchal center in Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv also has symbolic meaning. Cardinal Husar has expressed his commitment to bring together all groups who are descendants of the church of Kyiv founded more than 1,000 years ago.

Over the years the Church has been dispersed, and the people have settled around the world. Cardinal Husar emphasized that the new cathedral is not merely a church for Kyiv alone, but a symbol to unify all of these people.

"It doesn't matter the size of the donation, even if it is only $1," he insisted. "When you come to Kyiv, you can look at the church and say: 'This is my church. This is our church. This is where I will meet my brothers and sisters.' This is where we can all say. 'This is ours. It belongs to all of us.' "

"This is why we call it a 'sobor,' rather than simply a 'church' or a 'cathedral,' " he continued. "It is a place with special meaning that people come to freely from all over. It doesn't belong to any particular group. It is 'ours.' "

The fund-raising effort in Los Angeles exemplifies the Church leader's words. Over $55,000 was raised from numerous donations from individuals, families, and community organizations, ranging from 1 to $1,000 each. Fund-raising chairman Taras Kozbur, head of the Ukrainian Patriarchal Society of Los Angeles, presented a check to Cardinal Husar on behalf of these many donors who support the realization of the patriarchal sobor.

Parish and community greetings

Warm welcomes and appreciation for the primate's visit to Los Angeles were presented by Anne Mykytyn on behalf of St. Mary's Sodality and Taras Matla, on behalf of the Holy Name Society. These two parish organizations have provided the core of fellowship and pastoral support for Los Angeles since the parish was founded nearly 60 years ago.

Greetings from local community organizations were also presented by: Bohdan Shpak, head of the Ukrainian Culture Center of Los Angeles; Alexander Rivney, head of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America; Ariadna Terlecyj, head of the Los Angeles chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America; and Irynej Prokopovych, head of the Los Angeles chapter of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization.

For more information on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Los Angeles, readers may log on to www.ukrainiancatholicla.org or contact Father Mykyta at (323) 663-6307.

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