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Rebuilding the Church in Ukraine

Generosity Triumphs Over Tough Times

As news of the economic crisis turned darker by the day, the voice of reality seemed to scold the UCEF for embarking upon its most ambitious fundraising tour to date. more>>

A Holy Struggle: Supporting the New Evangelization
of Ukraine

A struggle? Definitely. But re-converting Ukraine's post-Soviet society is also a cause of hope and joy... more>>> ... more>>>

Light From the East

The Ukrainian Catholic University is “breathtaking” and her rector, Fr. Borys Gudziak, is among “the 50 Catholics whose work is most important for the future of the Church,” says George Weigel. more>>>

From the Gulag to the Faith and Freedom

Former Soviet dissident spent 10 years in the Gulag, now a leading voice for the Faith in Ukraine... more>>> ... more>>>

Pope: UCU Plays 'Important' Role in Catholic-Orthodox Relations

“The Ukrainian Catholic University can, without a doubt, provide important support for ecumenical activities.” more>>>

Summer Plans? Experience the Ukrainian Catholic University as a Student or Volunteer!

English Summer School (July 2-27)

Each summer, North American volunteers spend a month teaching English at UCU. Through classes and reflective discussions, Ukrainian students learn English from native speakers in an English-only environment. Spiritual and recreational activities take place in a beautiful rural setting in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Learn more...

Ukrainian Summer School (June 22-July 31st: 3 & 6-week terms)

Each summer, highly motivated students arrive in historic Lviv from all over the North America and Europe to immerse themselves in the Ukrainian language and culture for either three or six-week sessions.

Our international faculty of native speakers are experienced teachers of Ukrainian as a foreign language. A key element of the program is our staff or tutors who live in the dormitory, eat with the students and are always available. Learn more...

THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION, acknowledged by the American Institute of Philanthrophy as a model of non-profit efficiency, informs Americans about the academic and financial needs of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, the largest of the Eastern Rite Churches in full communion with Rome.

Although Stalin outlawed the Church and persecuted the faithful—hosts of priests and religious suffered martyrdom, and many were beatified by Pope John Paul II during his 2001 visit to Ukraine—the faithful continued to worship clandestinely as the "Church of the Catacombs." In 1989, the Catholic Church was re-legalized, although much of its previous property was not returned.

However, it will take many more years of hard work to undo decades of communist violence against the Church: both her faithful and her institutions.

Ukraine is a post-Soviet country suffering from severe economic hardship and spiritual crisis. The Church is rising to meet the needs of the people. The spirit is more than willing and the laborers, if not many, then inspirational in their faith and ardour. To most effectively re-evangelize Ukraine, however, the Church's dire material needs must continue to be met through the support of all people of good will, within Ukraine and abroad. In addition to facilitating tax-deductible donations that directly benefit the Church in Ukraine, UCEF activities include volunteer teaching programs, the distribution of books and teaching materials, and grant programs.

The academic and spiritual formation of a new generation of courageous young leaders—clergy, lay, and religious—is essential to the re-evangelization of Ukraine in the decades ahead. (The bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church have made the education and formation of nearly 1,000 seminarians their top priority.) To wit, the UCEF's main beneficiary is the Church's principal educational institution, the Ukrainian Catholic University: a center of the educational, spiritual, and cultural life of Ukraine which, as the only Catholic university in the former Soviet Union, is influencing lives even beyond the borders of this pivotally important country in the life of the Church.

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