Patriarch of Ukraine to make official visit to The United States

Nov. 5, 2010 - PRLog -- PRESS RELEASE


UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH TO VISIT U.S.

(Bloomingdale, IL) October 30, 2009,   On Friday, October 29, 2010 the leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church- Kyivan Patriarchate, His Holiness Patriarch Filaret of Kyiv and All Ukraine will arrive for a three week visit to the United States of America.  Patriarch Filaret is the leader of the third largest group of Orthodox faithful in the world with over 15 million believers.  The Patriarch’s visit will begin with his arrival at West Palm Beach, Florida’s airport. On Monday  Nov 8, His Holiness the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Ukraine will fly to Washington D.C for official meetings with congressional leaders, senate members, State Dept. officials, The Heritage Foundation, he will speak at The American University, on Voice of America and will give the invocation at a banquet for The Victims of Communism held in Washington D.C.   He will have archpastoral visitations to parishes in Cooper City, FL, Clifton, NJ, Bridgeport, CT and the center for The Kyiv Patriarchate in Bloomingdale, IL.  He will arrive on Thursday Nov. 11 at Chicago’s  O’Hare International airport  where he will be greeted by official members of Ukraine’s Consulate in Chicago.  He will be spending the following five days in Bloomingdale, Illinois at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Patriarch’s visit comes at a crucial point in the life of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.  A recent visit of the Russian Patriarch Kiril of Moscow to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv has energized Ukrainians world-wide in their fight for recognition of the Kyivan Patriarchate by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.  The Patriarch of Moscow continues to try and exert his political influence in Ukraine and has commented that he does not recognize the sovereignty of Ukraine and its independent Orthodox Church.  Patriarch Filaret enjoyed fair treatment and exponential growth along with Ukraine’s democratic government under President Yushchenko.  With the election of the Moscow-leaning president in Ukraine Mr. Yanukovich recently, the Patriarch and his church are being neglected and several acts of violence have occurred between pro-Moscow and pro-Kyiv laity.  Ukrainians have called upon the Ecumenical Patriarch to recognize the Kyivan Patriarchate  as the Autocephalous church of Ukraine as Orthodox Canon Law gives independent nations the right to an independent Orthodox church with its own Patriarch.

The Patriarch will preside over services at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church,
300 E. Army Trail Rd. Bloomingdale, IL on Saturday November 13 at 4:00 p.m. (memorial services for the over 10 million Ukrainians  starved  by the Soviet regime in Stalins enforced famine of 1932-33 as well as those who fought the Bolshevik forces for Ukraine’s freedom).   A concert featuring the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus  will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the church auditorium.  

On Sunday November 14 at 9:00 am, His Holiness Filaret The Patriarch of Kyiv and All Ukraine will preside over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and Blessing of the cornerstone of the St. Andrew Ukrainian Cultural Center, currently under construction.   A Banquet in his honor at Hilton Indian Lakes Resort, Bloomingdale will be held at 3 pm.  St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church will also be named the Administrative Center for The Kyivan Patriarchate in the US and Canada.  On Monday His Holiness will preside over The Clergy Conference of The Kyivan Patriarchate with visiting clergy from across the US and Canada.  

For More Information and Opportunities to Interview the Patriarch
Contact:  John Jaresko (630) 202-5331 or jjaresko@aol.com

Photographic opportunities Saturday 4:00 p.m.  Sunday 9:30 a.m.

Location      St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church
                   300 E. Army Trail Rd.
                   Bloomingdale, IL 60108