A proclamation
to the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
in the year of God 2008 as the Year of Christian Vocation

Excellent and Highly Reverend Fathers,

Reverend Monks and Nuns,

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Dearly beloved in Christ!

1. Human life has very many aspects. It would be desirable to consider all of its aspects, but this is impossible, which is why in ecclesiastical as well as in lay life we dedicate certain years to special themes which we consider important for a more complete understanding of our life at a certain time. Thus we dedicated the year 2007 to the theme of youth because there was to be a Patriarchal Council on the theme «Youth in the Church of the third millennium» that year. Reflecting on the subject of the year which has passed and on its importance, we the Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church gathered in Synod in September-October, 2007, decided to turn the special attention of the faithful of our Church to the theme of vocation. Using the word “vocation” in daily communication, we usually have in mind the priesthood and monasticism. And when we pray for vocations in our churches, we also almost always specify these two categories exceptionally. Wishing in no way to reduce the very special character of vocations to the priesthood and monastic life, our Synod had for an aim in 2008 to turn the attention of the Church to vocations in a wider meaning of this word, which is why we underline its theme with the words «Christian vocation,» to embrace all the possible types of vocation which the Heavenly Father gives His children.

2. I wish in the name of the episcopate of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church to begin 2008 as the Year of Christian Vocation not only formally, officially, but also to describe in general the matter which is encompassed by this theme. First of all, I want to turn your attention to those numerous kinds of vocations, opened for us, on the very concept of vocation as a charism of God and our answer which we should give to the Lord's invitation. In addition, I entrust the eparchial and metropolitan commissions in Ukraine and the diaspora to work out this wide subject in accordance with their assignments, so that at the end of this blessed year we would be able to receive not only a collected text with a description of events conducted, but something considerably greater – something like an original directory about how should we treat our vocation.

3. The theme of vocation concerns each of us personally. Each of us through his own parents has obtained the gift of life from the Lord. This means that we were born from divine love, that He wants us to exist. And every human being as a creation of divine love is unique, particular; everybody has a destination or some special invitation from the Lord God to take a certain place in the human community and in that place thanks to all the Lord's other gifts to carry out patiently his own task in order to hear from Him the words: “…good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters... Come, share your master's joy.' (see Mt. 25: 21). Such words of the Lord have to be the final chord of our life.

4. The Lord God, Creator of the Universe and of every human being, before time and before our birth foresees for us some place in the life of the human community, in that space and time which He has chosen for us. A wonderful example of this is the life of the prophet Jeremiah, about whom is said: « Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.» (see Jer. 1: 5).

5. It is also worth recalling here the role which one's father and mother play in the life and vocation of every person, because they also carry out their own very important vocations. Sometimes people have a rather frivolous attitude to married life, as to something everyday, uninteresting, they say, a person got married, did not become someone more important – like a priest or monk. This is an incorrect approach. To be a father or mother and first of all to create a Christian married couple is a vocation already. When in a Christian family a child is born, the parents should treat seriously the fact that the Lord entrusts them, this man and this woman, to raise properly this child and to help it in its turn to come to know its own vocation, to make efforts in order to let him/her realize that she/has has a special place, a special task in life. We invite the Metropolitan Commission on Family Matters to work out the matter of a deep awareness of one's own vocation from the side of the parents and nurturing the vocation of children.

6. Thus, growing up, the child begins to reflect on what to do in life, it plans how possibly to carry out it own desires, ideals. It can be called to the priesthood, monastic life or, as most often happens, to carry out numerous other tasks which the human community needs in order to satisfy all of its own justified necessities. This is the second extraordinarily important phase, when the person makes a decision about its way of life. In this period of life appears an awareness of one's own dignity, one's worth as a valuable member of the human community, as someone who is entrusted to execute a special task which no one else will execute. It is important to understand at this stage that this is not a choice of method of earning money but something considerably deeper and more valuable, that, on the one hand, brings satisfaction to the person, and on the other enables the child to execute the task which was prepared for him/her by the Lord. The Commission on Youth Matters should be involved with this very wide issue.

7. The question of vocation cannot be considered closed when the person has already chosen a certain way of life and begins to follow it. A vocation is a challenge which needs to be worthily accepted, to lead it to its conclusion, in accordance with the human dignity with which the Lord has provided it. It needs to be executed persistently, not “jumping” easily from one way to another, especially if this will influence the life of other people. The Commission on Lay Matters should work on this theme.

8. The matter of vocation includes the whole life of the people and the Church. This is a large field on which open a great number of possibilities for the social service of the Church, work for the community which can take shape in various ways and professions. And each of these tasks, it does not matter what it is – larger or less noticeable – is important for the harmonious satisfaction of all the necessities of the community. We entrust this area, in addition to the abovementioned commissions, to the Commission on Matters of Culture.

9. Education, learning, culture in a wide understanding create the atmosphere of a healthy community in which all the basic necessities of human life are satisfied. In connection with the fact that everyone carries out his own task in the wide background of the community, it is necessary to engage in the work the Justice and Peace Commission, which would consider the relations of people as members of society and the bearers of rights.

10. Thus, vocation is an extraordinarily wide theme, even if to examine it only within the context of the lay person's life. Certainly, it is necessary here to recall another important element – the vocation of the lay person is to sanctify the world. A commission which teaches us to recognize deeply the truths of our faith should work on this – the Commission on Catechetical Matters and also the department which is engaged in developing the theological understanding of our existence, its origin and purpose, on the basis of divine revelation.

11. In a word, the listed commissions in close cooperation have to create an image of that way on which we have to go ahead and to reach a status in which we could find ourselves, could understand our own place and realize that we carry out our own vocation for the service of our neighbors. It seems that up to now we are missing an understanding of the designated theme, the content of the life of people whom we call the laity.

12. In addition to “life in the world,” there are two types of vocations which have been developed much better. The first is the vocation to the priesthood. This is a special vocation from the Lord for community ministry. A priest is called not only to sanctify his own soul, but foremost to serve people. To understand this vocation the priest has to be solidly prepared: to desire spiritual growth, to have a proper level of formation, to make his own culture deeper. On their part, the people whom he serves have to understand the value of the priesthood, to show a proper respect for this state of life, to encourage and to support in their efforts those young people in whom the vocation to priesthood arises. We entrust to the Commission on Matters of the Education and Life of the Priest the plan for nurturing priestly vocations, raising them to well-rounded maturity, supporting them in the proper fulfillment of ministry.

13. In addition to the vocation to the priesthood, the Lord God calls souls in a special way to be witnesses of life with God and in God. These monks and nuns are people who publicly through their vows declare that they wish to be bearers of virtues very important for Christian life and the construction of the Christian community. Such a vocation has two aspects. On the one hand, it is work on one's own self, so that the evangelical truths be carried out in the life of this person as well as possible. And on the other hand, so that through prayer and carrying out the evangelical truths they serve as an example for the whole society, sanctifying it through prayer, as an example through consecrated life. Sometimes people are certain that it is impossible to live devoutly, carrying out all of the divine commandments. Consecrated life which conforms to some rules of a separate monastic community has to convince the human community that the evangelical commandments are not beyond our strength, that we can carry them out – certainly with divine help. In the most ancient tradition of our Church consecrated persons are considered the heart of the Christian community. We entrust the Commission on Matters of Monastic Life to provide a proper interpretation of the vocation to the consecrated life at all levels of our Church's community and to support the realization of this vocation.

14. Considering the various aspects of the Christian vocation, I think that each of you will understand now why the bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, gathered in Synod, have chosen this theme for the year which begins today. That is why we ask all of you, respected and dear members of our Church, to consider more deeply the content and importance of understanding the Christian vocation and to pray sincerely that God's gifts of vocation, so generously poured onto our nation, bring proper fruits. Let none of us disdain this gift in one's own self or neighbor. The various commissions which were listed above, and all others which are engaged in various aspects of the life of our Church and society, by their work support all measures which will serve so that from the beginning of our life and to its end we can in the best way thank God for His gift of vocation, serve our neighbor and sanctify our own souls and the world around us.

May the Lord's blessing be on you!

In the name of the Synod of Bishops

+ LUBOMYR

Issued on January 1, 2008, year of God

In the city of Kyiv at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ

To the honored and highly reverend fathers of the UGCC we entrust the inclusion in the litany during the celebration of Divine Liturgies the following petition:

“Again we pray for all people that the vocation given them by the Lord be willingly accepted, that God be thanked sincerely for it, that it be conscientiously and persistently fulfilled and that God and people be gladly served.”

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