Metropolitan Borys: The Dormition Calls Us to Be a Mystical People

Priests of the South Anthracite Deanery of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia—Frs. Michael Hutsko, Mark Fesniak, Petro Zvarych, Volodymyr Prokipchuk, and Paul Spotts—concelebrated the liturgy. Among the special guests were Fr. Brian Kolodiejchuk, postulator of the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta; Rev. Thomas P. Looney, C.S.C., president of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; and Monsignor Edward Zemanik of the Diocese of Allentown.

The day-long spiritual event featured a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy celebrated by Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, Archbishop of Philadelphia, along with the recitation of the Holy Rosary and the Akathist to the Dormition (Assumption) of the Mother of God.

The Feast of the Dormition concludes the Church’s liturgical year, which begins anew on September 1.

Speaking about Ukraine, Metropolitan Borys noted that this sense of mystery sustains soldiers defending their homeland and the freedom of the Catholic Church.

“It is with a sense of mystery, knowing that there is something after death, that soldiers can live in this life in impossible circumstances.”

He warned against concessions to Russia that lead to further persecution of Catholics.

“The Ukrainian Catholic Church is always abolished under Russian occupation, as it is now happening in the occupied territories. And the more land Putin gets, the more the Catholic Church will be abolished.”

Closing his homily, the Archbishop urged the faithful to remain people of hope:

“Whatever challenges we face in our families, our work, our communities, let us be light. Let us carry the spirit of this Jubilee Year and know that God loves us immensely. He has sent His Son who gave His life to unburden us of sin and unshackle us from death.”

During the pilgrimage, two priests of the South Anthracite Deanery were recognized for their devoted service to the Church and the faithful. Archpriest Michael Hutsko was granted the right to wear the jeweled cross, a mark of distinction in the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Father Mark Fesniak was elevated to the rank of Reverend Archpriest.

It was also announced that Fr. Hutsko would retire at the end of August as pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Mount Carmel and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in Centralia. Fr. Paul Spotts, also a priest of the South Anthracite Deanery, will assume pastoral responsibilities for both parishes.

At the end of the liturgy, Fr. Michael thanked the Archbishop for his leadership. Archbishop Borys, in turn, thanked the parishioners for their faithfulness, noting that if Centralia were located in the Holy Land at the time of Christ, “He would certainly have come to this place.”

All gathered recorded a special message to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, who visited Centralia in 2015 and designated it as a pilgrimage site.

The pilgrimage continued with the recitation of the Rosary and concluded with the Akathist to the Dormition (Assumption) of the Mother of God, led by Fr. Bohdan Vasyliv, pastor of the parishes in Shenandoah and Saint Clair.