Clergy and Faithful Gather for Thanksgiving Divine Liturgy Honoring Metropolitan Borys Gudziak’s 65th Birthday

Fr. Volodymyr Radko, vocation director of the Archeparchy and one of its youngest priests, delivered the homily. Reflecting on the themes of gift and gratitude—central to the Thanksgiving holiday and to Metropolitan Borys’ ministry—he reminded the faithful that “Eucharisto — I am grateful” is the motto on the Metropolitan’s coat of arms.

“Today we gather to thank God for His love and presence among us,” Fr. Volodymyr said. “We give thanks for the life of our Metropolitan, for the gift of his vocation, and for the way he recognizes and shares these gifts—his life, his joy, his knowledge. We pray for him, especially on this day when he received the great gift of priesthood. We are grateful for his witness of a life shaped by thanksgiving.”

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Borys expressed his appreciation to the clergy, religious, and faithful. He emphasized the importance of unity within the presbyterate during challenging times:

“We try to look one another in the eye. It is not easy to be a priest today, yet we strive to form and build unity so that we may possess what is truly great—not material or glorious, but spiritual. For God’s glory is revealed in His becoming small. And the strength of God, manifested in what is little, can never be overcome.”

He also addressed the ongoing suffering caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine, speaking shortly after the deadly missile attack on a residential building in Ternopil that claimed more than 30 lives. The Metropolitan shared the pain he feels for the Ukrainian people and recalled his own family’s experience fleeing Soviet oppression after the Second World War.

Metropolitan Borys concluded by reflecting on the fundamental gift of Christian life: Baptism.

“I am happy in my Baptism—everything else flows from it. I thank God for life, for the priesthood, and for your prayer and presence. Let us remember that we are in Christ, and Christ is in us—there is no greater joy.”