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On May 13, 2008, on the official website of the UGCC the message to youth "On the road to Emmaus" was posted. It was prepared by the Synodal Commission on Youth Matters of the UGCC. This document was written by Bishops David (Motiuk), Eparch of Edmonton, and Yaroslav (Pryriz), Auxiliary Bishop of the Sambir and Drohobych Eparchy. The message was written in the spirit of the work and decisions of the 4th session of the Patriarchal Sobor [Council], "Youth in the Church of third millennium," which was held in Pushcha-Vodytsya near Kyiv from August 13 to 17, 2007, and the addresses of the Head of the Church, His Beatitude Lubomyr, to senior members of the UGCC and to youth, which were promulgated on December 31, 2007. In this text the members of the Synodal Commission on Youth Matters offer young people pastoral advice: "walk confidently on the way to real happiness offered by the Church of Christ."

"We want to help young people so that, as they from their hearts communicated to us [in the Resolutions of the 4th session of the Patriarchal Sobor - editor’s note], with our help may do this, so that as well as possible they use the time of their youth in preparation for their mature Christian lives." So His Beatitude Lubomyr explained the purpose of writing this kind of document. That is why the Head of the UGCC expressed hope and encouragement that this message and other documents which were published before not remain only an informative occasion but become an article of study, analysis and discussion in youth surroundings, societies and communities.

"Not long ago we stepped over the threshold of the third millennium. There is some segment of time which stayed in the past. This, on one hand, was not simple, and on the other was a period very full for our Church. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers cherished their Christian faith in very difficult circumstances, and thanks to Divine providence and care it not only survived on both banks of the Dnipro, where it was rooted by the Baptism of Volodymyr in 988, and also spread to many countries of the world.” So we read in the first lines of the message "On the road to Emmaus." “To all of you, young faithful of our Church in Ukraine and in the diaspora, we turn our view. Be sure that the Church puts great expectations in you and your young spirits, zealous, full of optimism and good impetus. You are the world’s future, you are the future of the Church. But in order to become a worthy future, you have to find trustworthy support from the achievements of the past and to use skillfully and valuably all the positive possibilities of today. That is why we want to note the necessity of being aware of the great responsibility before past generations who handed down to us the priceless treasure of Christian faith and the Church’s tradition and expect its increase in the new conditions of the third millennium."

Consequently in the two sections "Youth ministry in the UGCC: A journey together to fullness in Christ" and "The mission of youth of the UGCC," Bishops David and Yaroslav constantly refer to the content and spiritual meaning of the Gospel account of the trip of two apostles to Emmaus, encourage youth to read Holy Scripture and participate in the Divine Liturgy, call upon them to care about strengthening their faith in the environment of the church community and consequently about tradition, sharing their own faith with persons of the same age. A separate section talks about the mission of youth in the Church which, according to the text of the message, "starts with this, to love the Church and in it to serve zealously God and neighbor."

"Dear young friends, writing these words we wish to encourage all of you and each of you in particular to search for your own way of serving in the Church and for the Church. On our part we assure you of our support of all your good initiatives and permanent remembrance in prayer." So the members of the Synodal Commission on Youth Matters write in the completion of the message "On the road to Emmaus."

The full Ukrainian-language text of the message can be read at:

http://www.ugcc.org.ua/ukr/documents/appeal2008/do_Emausa/

Information Department of the UGCC