Deacon Volodymyr Radko Ordained to Priesthood

“Dear Deacon, always remember that your light is Christ, that He called you to life, that He protected and guided you. You are called to shine with the light of Christ,” he said to Deacon Volodymyr before the Rite of Ordination.

The Archbishop told those gathered in the church that from an early age Deacon Volodymyr dreamt of becoming a priest. He even played at being one as a young boy by building a mock altar and learning the liturgical prayers and chant tones. “And in a wonderful, mysterious way, the Lord now makes a Ukrainian boy who grew up in Belarus, studied in Ukraine, Italy, France, and the United States a priest of His Church.”

“In recent years, I have had the great joy of having a deacon with me. Sometimes there was no one else. And I want to testify before the Church that this young man is ready to serve,” the Metropolitan shared warmly.

Parents Olha and Olexander, who live in Belarus, friends from the Paris Eparchy, including Chancellor Yuri Leshchynskyi, former classmates from the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv and the San Sulpice Seminary in Paris, as well as friends from the US and representatives of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia shared the feast with Volodymyr. The choir of the Ukrainian Catholic University sang during the ordination Liturgy, which was also attended by the rectors of UCU and the Lviv Seminary, Father Bohdan Prakh and Father Ihor Boyko respectively.

“My heart is filled with gratitude. These days I have especially felt how much the Lord has blessed me with people. I thank my parents who gave me life and let me go on a long journey, my family, the Belarusian people and the Church where I spent my childhood, Ukrainian Catholic University, where my theological formation began, and my friends in France and America,” said Father Volodymyr. Additionally, he expressed special gratitude to Metropolitan Borys for accompanying him in his vocation and helping him to grow.

The next day, Father Volodymyr celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in his hometown of Novy Rozdil in the Lviv Region. “It is touching for me to pray with you, this is the first Liturgy I serve as a priest,” he said.