Question: Could you please clarify the titles used in the names of the Ukrainian Catholic Churches and what dates changes were made?  When our Immaculate Conception Church was first was first registered, the title reads the “Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of St. Mary”.  Later on, it was known as the “Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of St. Mary”.

Answered by: Fr. Athanasius McVay

Response:

The old designation “Ruthenian” can be understood in two ways: nationally (as a people) and ecclesially (as a Church). Nationally, the term had been used to designate three ethnic groups: Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Rusyn, who all dwelled in the ancient lands of Kyivan Rus’. When Ukrainians came to Canada, they were listed on official papers as “Ruthenians”, according to the terminology used by Europeans at the time.

 

Our Church used to be known as the Uniate Church of Rus’ (meaning that part of the Church of Kyivan Rus’ which was united to the Roman Church). However, in 1774, Empress Maria Teresa of Austria (which ruled Western Ukraine at the time) banned that word within her realms and renamed us Greek-Catholic (meaning “of the Byzantine Rite”, not “of Greek nationality”) to distinguish us from her Roman/Latin Catholic subjects.

 

When our first churches registered in Canada as corporations, the official name was Ruthenian Greek-Catholic mission. During WWI, the term was discarded because of the war between Austria and Russia, and most Austrian Ruthenians began to call themselves Ukrainians. On several occasions, Bishop Budka and his successors asked for the official terminology to be changed, but we were only able to go through with this legally in the 1950s.

 

Today, our Ukrainian Catholic Church is still officially known as the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church; however, outside of Ukraine, the Greek part was dropped in the 1950s. Keep in mind, the title of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church does not stand for the ethnic or linguistic make-up of the Church, although Ukrainian ethnics make up the majority. “Ukrainian” here signifies that we are a Church of the Kyivan religious tradition. If you would like to learn more, I wrote about this topic in my book, God’s Martyr, History’s Witness: Blessed Nykyta Budka, the First Ukrainian Catholic Bishop of Canada.

Why did God Choose Mary to be Mother of God and Not Somebody Else?

Thank you for your interesting question. I will try to answer the first part of your question first.    After the first sin of Adam and Eve, God promises that another woman will come to bring forth the Messiah. Genesis 3:15 states: “I will put enmity between you...

How can we effectively evangelize in our Catholic tradition?

Full question: How can we effectively evangelize in our tradition? Is inviting people to Divine Liturgy or Vespers too "advanced" for the curious/none Christians? Answered by: Fr. Rendy and Fr. Julian  Fr. Rendy's Response:  First, be yourself.  Let the Holy Spirit...

Is it appropriate to use praise & worship music in our Ukrainian Catholic tradition?

Answer from: Father Bo Is there ever a bad way to pray?  The answer is no.  Singing in church is prayer (assuming you are singing about or to God). Certainly, the Eastern Churches have developed their own styles of musical as people’s prayers evolved over the...

Is it possible to not feel God’s presence/grace even after confession?

Full question: Is it possible to not feel God’s presence/grace even after confession? Is it possible to technically be in a state of grace but not feel it? Response from: Fr. Jim Response:  Thank you for your question it is very interesting and a challenging one to...

Is there an RCIA in the Ukrainian Church? If an adult wants to become Ukrainian Catholic, what is the process?

Answer From: Fr. Jim Full Question: In the Roman Church, when adults become Catholic, they go through RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults), this can be up to a year (or more), of weekly classes going over Church teachings, prayer, etc. Is there an RCIA in...

Are Adults Still Living at Home and Supported Financially by Their Parents Morally Obligated to Obey Them?

Question: Are adults still living at home and supported financially by their parents morally obligated to obey them when it comes to things outside of temporal matters? Answer By: Fr. Jim Response:  Good question. Regardless of whether you are living at home or not...