December 23, 2016

Two priests celebrate 40th anniversaries

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Fathers Roman Mirchuk (left) and John Terlecky.

STAMFORD, Conn. – Two Ukrainian American clergymen recently celebrated the 40th anniversaries of their priestly ordinations with celebrations in Kyiv and Rudno, near Lviv.

The Very Rev. Mitred Archpriest Roman Mirchuk of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, who currently resides in Mykolayiv, Ukraine, and the Rt. Rev. Mitred Archpriest Msgr. John Terlecky, a pastor of the Ukrainian Catholic Church’s Stamford Eparchy, visited the Three Holy Hierarchs Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Seminary in Kyiv on September 27.

It was a notable visit as the two priests from the United States were the first administrators in the rebirth of Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Lviv-Rudno in 1991-1998. The guests were in Kyiv to celebrate together with some 15 priests-students who studied under them in the Lviv seminary and now are working in the Kyiv Archeparchy.

The jubilarians were formally greeted by the seminary’s rector, the Very Rev. Petro Zhuk, and the entire student body of the Kyivan Seminary at a divine liturgy in the Seminary Chapel on September 28. Father Zhuk presented gifts to the jubilarians and acknowledged their contributions towards the renewal of a seminary system for the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.

On September 29, Fathers Mirchuk and Terlecky celebrated their anniversaries in the chapel of the former Holy Spirit Seminary in Rudno. The celebration was graced by the presence of Metropolitan-Archbishop Ihor Vozniak of Lviv, who was the main celebrant of a pontifical divine liturgy, together with the jubilarians and about 110 priests, former students of Father Terlecky (1991-1994) and Father Mirchuk (1994-1998) during their respective tenures as vice-rectors of academic studies at the seminary.

Metropolitan Vozniak presented each priest with a gilded certificate of appreciation for his valuable ministry in preparing candidates for the priesthood in the early years of the seminary’s existence and resurrection. The priests-students presented each jubilarian with a enamel pectoral cross.

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